Speed: a key differentiator in competition.

AuthorSullivan, Kevin L.
PositionAbout This Issue

In this issue of Strategies, you will read about competition--the slugfest for talent, the chess match of competitive intelligence, the challenge to win eyeballs on the Internet and the race to be first with the media. The race analogy is fitting because speed is the differentiator that determines who wins, places or shows.

Speed is behind this 24/7 world where news spreads instantly through social media. It seems quaint to think about the days when people would wait for the morning newspaper to get their news. Now, if something important breaks, not only are TV news outlets rushing to beam the story over the air, it's quite possible the event is already on the Internet, captured by a passerby with a smartphone. The story might be sent by the people who are making the news--look at the "Arab Spring" when people in the middle of the uprising were tweeting and using other electronic resources to show the world what was happening.

Law firms are tweeting. Lawyers, who a few years ago would snicker if they said, "tweetie Bird," are tweeting legal alerts, reactions to court rulings and commentary on legislation and rule-making. Who gets read? First to post!

Many of you reading this are involved in preparing legal alerts at your firms. Isn't there a desire to be first with your lawyers' analysis? Don't you want your clients to see your alert well before your competition gets theirs out? of course, because being first is often viewed as being better or smarter--your lawyers are on top of the issue at hand. It's the right image you want to project.

Being first with a legal alert can also lead to positive media exposure for your attorneys. When the Supreme Court issues a ruling, the media immediately clamor for sources...

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