Leading through change: a strong value proposition.

• Author: Hoff, Melissa
• Position: ABOUT THIS ISSUE

If the last 12 months have taught us anything, it's this: Law firms don't have the luxury of resting on their laurels. Issues that were simmering below the surface have become front and center. Alternative fee arrangements, addressing under-performing partners and recruiting the right talent--always important issues--are now being examined through the lens of long-term growth and viability, and with increased urgency.

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Law firms are weathering the circumstances of the past year in different ways. In many cases, firms are struggling to keep their lawyers busy and have ramped up their marketing e orts; other firms are capitalizing on the economic downturn to emphasize a more cost-effective rate structure. All firms are focused on defining their value proposition and communicating that to the marketplace. Identifying what's unique about a firm and its delivery of services has always been one of the key challenges that marketing professionals face, but in this climate it's even more critical to articulate those differentiators both internally and externally.

While marketing directors and other members of firm leadership remain hopeful about the future, most agree that the industry is in for another difficult year in 2010 (see Zeughauser's article on page 8). The results of the 2nd Annual Marketing the Marketer survey (see page 4) indicate that firms have increased...