Law firm marketing: from where to eternity.

• Author: Durham, James A.

I am often asked what the future of legal marketing holds. Because I have been in and around the legal marketing world for decades, I guess that somehow qualifies me to have a useful opinion. But no amount of gray hair equates to having a crystal ball. there is no clear, global answer, but some strong indicators give us valuable hints about where this profession is headed.

In any industry, there are participants that have pushed ahead in ways that make them more successful than their competitors (think car companies). the legal industry is no different. the model for successful legal marketing is a moving target, and each firm has to determine where it is on the marketing continuum before it can effectively evaluate and develop a future strategy. on a scale from 0-10, how far has the firm moved from doing no marketing (0) to having a highly effective marketing communications plan and a productive business development operation (10)?

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Just as culture concerns have limited law firms in their efforts to change personnel and management policies over the years, so, too, culture has long been an excuse for not marketing and not selling more aggressively. It is time for every law firm--large or small, general practice or boutique--to look at where it is on the spectrum of professional marketing and set a clear course to advance to the next level. the clueless need to get a clue, and the most advanced legal marketers need to prepare for a new world order that is hard to envision with certainty; but it is one that will most definitely require further innovation.

Everywhere we look today someone is offering a program of some kind titled "Marketing in a Down economy." Law firms that used to invite consultants to do presentations on client service or sales are now asking speakers to tell their lawyers what to do in a challenging economic environment. While it makes sense for firms to focus on some immediate action items to protect client bases and generate short-term income, it is a critical time for them to consider more broadly where their marketing efforts need to go. they can start by looking at how their legal marketing function measures up with best practices across the industry.

Progressing Along the Continuum

I like what John Collins said in a recent Fortune interview: "turbulence is Your Friend." His point was that in crisis we find the courage to innovate. When times are hard, you reassess the way you do everything...