Make More Rain : hr, marketing

Limited Law Firm Budget Produces a Winning Strategy

Admin — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 19:26:52 GMT

Ross Fishman is a smart marketing guy. I have mentioned him in several prior posts (for example, the posts Marketing 101 and Getting Agreement to Change).

Writing for the FrontLines section of the December issue of the Law Practice, Ross again demonstrates that there is magic in applied Marketing 101. Working with a 20-lawyer law firm in Salinas, California, Fishman turned a marketing problem into a winning business strategy. The problem was a limited marketing budget. Ross’ solution was to narrow the firm's marketing efforts to a single industry. In this case, the farming industry, which just happened to be the dominate industry for the area. All of the local law firms handled some agricultural clients, but no one had ever targeted the industry. With Fishman’s guidance, the Salina law firm did. Fishman turned a limited marketing budget into a winning business strategy—targeting a narrowly defined delimited market with a strategy to dominate it. For more on the benefits of such a strategy, see the prior post Importance of Market Position for Law Firms.

I don’t want to steal all of Fishman’s thunder. You can read the case study starting on page 8 of the December issue of Law Practice.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris®. For information about Juris products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income contact Juris National Sales Center:

877/377-3740, e-mail info@juris.com or go to www.Juris.com.

If Not Mandatory Retirement for Law Firm Partners, Then What?

Admin — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 17:33:56 GMT

On August 15, the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates voted to encourage law firms to abandon mandatory retirement policies. The resolution traveled under two flags, the anti- age discrimination flag and the “graying of the bar” flag.

With regard to the discrimination issue, Law.Com noted that “The issue of mandatory retirement has received particular attention because of a lawsuit pending against Sidley Austin. Law firms are anticipating a decision from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago in an action filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of about 30 former partners against Sidley Austin over whether its alleged retirement policy violated age discrimination laws.”

My guess is that this issue’s place on the agenda is due to the increased number of delegates and partners in general that are nearing mandatory retirement age.

From the standpoint of midrange size law firms, the big issue is continuity. For midrange law firms to have a life beyond that of their current partners, there must be an orderly hand-off from one generation to the other. Mandatory retirement is one method of forcing that hand-off. It isn’t necessarily the best, but those in power are often reluctant to give it up.

In an earlier post titled Continuity or How Law Firms Acquire a Life of Their Own, I suggested alternative strategies assuring the hand-off between generations. Without an orderly handoff a law firm fades away or just survives for at least one more generation through an ugly or quiet revolution. We old guys leave one way or another. It needs to be through a win/win arrangement. Continuity planning is most important to the entrenched partners. Without planning for the handoff to the next generation, it is the entrenched partners and their heirs who lose the value of the legal service business they built (or improved) during their tenure.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris®. For information about Juris products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income contact Juris National Sales Center:

877/377-3740, e-mail info@juris.com or go to www.Juris.com.

Who Says Associates Are Miserable?

Admin — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 17:40:00 GMT

Not the American Lawyer, at least not the publication’s August 2007 issue reporting on the most recent survey conducted by the National Association for Law Placement.

After reading so many stories about the burnout demands being placed on associates, I was as surprised as you probably will be with the survey’s finding that associate job satisfaction was 3.81 on a five-point scale. Of course, the key here is that the survey does not focus exclusively on the AmLaw 200 group or the high-pressure firms in cities like New York, so it is a good dose of reality with respect to the law firm community at large.

There are, however, certain realities confronting law firms. Most associates entering the practice do not plan on spending their lives in private practice. Only 22.9 percent anticipate remaining in their firm for five years and only about 12 percent expect to become partners in the current firm. Another striking statistic is that in half the cases, the law firms appear happy to see the departing associates move on.

Is this really that bad? One of the great things about earning a law degree and passing the bar is that you are immediately a lawyer. You don’t have to spend years working your way up the organizational ladder to become a professional. That law degree and the time spent in the profession are a spring board for many law school graduates to enter the business world. It isn’t all bad for the law firm. Smart law firms can take advantage of their relationship with alumni to build and retain business. Granted, law firms also lose associates to lateral hires. Likewise, some associates leave to create their own law firm. But even that doesn’t have to be adversarial. Law firms refer business and the law firm that cultivates its alumni relations can be on the winning side of those referrals.

Yes, law firms can look for ways to reduce turnover. They can improve their selection process. But in large measure, law firms have to accept the fact that not all associates plan to make a career of it. Laws firms need practices in place to make the best of that reality.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris®. For information about Juris products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income contact Juris National Sales Center:

877/377-3740, e-mail info@juris.com or go to www.Juris.com.

Lawyer Mothers

Admin — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:25:41 GMT

The August 2007 California Lawyer included a lengthy article titled “Mothers {IN LAW}” by Laura McClure that carried the subtitle A new generation of women is changing the way law firms operate.

Whenever I write about this subject, I get e-mail reminding me that the work/life balance dilemma is not a gender issue. When I mention the demand of child rearing, I am reminded that some men now take on that role. Nevertheless, the importance of this issue has grown with the increase of women in the talent pool. And regardless of the exceptions, the role of child rearing still falls predominantely on mothers both married and single.

Why is the issue so important for law firm leaders? It is simple: 50 percent or more of the new lawyers are women. Somehow, some way, law firms have to discover how to become a friendlier place for mothers. I do believe that the most profound quote in the article was that of Jennifer Altfeld Landau, a partner in the Los Angeles office of Sidley Austin. She said, “Of course it’s possible to have it all. The secret is that you can’t have it all, all of the time….”

We are driven by our personal “goals” and motherhood is on the list, along with other goals, for the majority of women professionals. Within any business, each member of the team has a “role” to play. There is a relationship between a person’s goals and the role they are expected to perform. An organization cannot expect people to successfully perform in roles that do not match their goals—you can’t motivate people to succeed in roles inconsistent with their goals without conflict. Likewise, our goals as individuals may not be achievable unless our role in the business is changed. Roles and goals must be in harmony.

That harmony between the motherhood goal and the role expected of mothers in the work force is what is missing in most law firms today. To accommodate talented and contributing individuals, management must be willing to vary the “roles”, the “organizational expectations”, available to individuals. It means that “work flexibility” has to be accompanied by “role flexibility.” To provide work hour and workplace flexibility without a matching “role” is simply a recipe for failure. It does not mean that the role they can play is any less important or that it is not an important role in the enterprise’s pursuit of its objectives.

Carving out a compatible “role” is going to be hard for many firms especially midrange firms. Those that do can tap a highly capable segment of the talent pool. Those that don’t succeed at carving out such roles will be at a disadvantage when it comes to recruiting young female associates. For many midrange firms, their best opportunity for tapping this important segment of the talent pool is to be an inviting and attractive place for full-time reentry into the profession as the demands of child rearing diminish with time.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris®. For information about Juris products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income contact Juris National Sales Center:

877/377-3740, e-mail info@juris.com or go to www.Juris.com.

New Law Firm Associates Can Be Profitable in Year One

Admin — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 16:40:33 GMT

I love it when someone fnally says, “The Emperor has No Clothes!”

In this case, the emperor is the preponderance of law firm consultants on the speaking circuits of legal community conferences. The frequent refrain is that it takes three to five years before graduate level hires become profitable associates. I admit that I sometimes defer to those arguments, which are based on “cash basis" accounting and "full absorption" cost allocation. The full absorption approach is sound in the long term, but for midrange law firms with existing space and capacity to support new hires, it is often invalid when one views the impact of new hires over the immediate next three- to five-year period. As for the cash accounting aspect, new associates can be a drain on cash during the period they are filling their pipeline with uncollected fees. Adding too many too fast can get a law firm into trouble. However, I might add that the fact that law firms have almost a half year of uncollected fees (unbilled or billed but uncollected) is at the heart of that problem. It doesn’t have to be that way.

John Iezzi, CPA is the author of Results-Oriented Financial Management: A Guide to Law Firm Financial Performance, published by the American Bar Association. He knows of what he speaks when he says the emperor has no clothes. Writing in Law Office Management & Administration Report published by IOMA, he refutes their claims that associates are unprofitable in their initial years. He notes that it is “absolutely ludicrous to think that law firms cannot profit from even the newest associate, assuming the management process occurs properly.” He then proceeds to back up his statements with tables and examples.

If you need to counter the “New Associates are Unprofitable” argument in your law firm, you might want to contact John Iezzi at jgiezzi@iexxigroup.com.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris, Inc. For information about Juris® products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income contact Juris National Sales Center: 877/377-3740, e-mail info@juris.com or go to www.Juris.com.

Law Firm Leaders Need a New Accounting Method

Admin — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 17:06:00 GMT

I cannot imagine running a business using the cash basis of accounting. The off balance sheet treatment of uncollected fees is, in my mind, the culprit behind the five- or six-month pipeline between the time work is done and money gets in the bank. The cash basis of accounting yields a misleading picture about the health of the law firm. For example, you could send everyone on vacation for a month and, from a financial standpoint, revenues and expenses for the month would not even show a dip.

With the cash accounting method, what shows up as revenue every month has no relationship to the work done. And on the expense side, law firms can decide to reduce expenses in any month simply by holding payment off until the next month. So one has to ask why the cash method is the predominant one used by midrange law firms. I limited my comment to midrange-size law firms because the AmLaw Firms have moved to corporate-style financials systems.

First, the cash method is preferred for tax purposes and most law firms do not have the sophistication in systems and finance staff to report both ways. Applying the accrual method to a law firm is not an exact science. Reserves are needed to reflect the likelihood that a portion of billed fees will not be collected. In other words, you have to estimate what portion will be realized. That step is relatively easy compared to the next step: evaluating the firms “inventory” or work in process. It is hard work, but making judgments and estimates is an essential part of the management process.

I firmly believe that the cash method is taking money out of the pockets of partners, and I know from experience that many firms who ran out of cash never saw the train wreck coming. Cash accounting is a backward-looking measure that has no relevance to where the firm is or what is ahead for it.

There is a management concept called the “No Cost Consultant”. It conveys the idea that if the benefit resulting from the consultant's advice offsets the cost of using the consultant, consultants are a free “resource”. The notion being conveyed is that when you are headed into something material where you lack the prerequisite “know-how”, you should not hesitate to engage someone who does. That same concept applies to financial management in the law firm. The cost of upgrading your accounting resources with a qualified controller or C level financial manager is likely to be “free”—the added cost will be more than offset by the resulting improvement in financial performance.

The consulting community repeats a consistent refrain—law firms would benefit from increased management. Most midrange law firms have a leader. What most of those leaders need is someone with the financial know-how needed to put the firm’s workflow and management information on a corporate level.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris, Inc. For information about Juris® products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income contact Juris National Sales Center:

877/377-3740, e-mail info@juris.com or go to www.Juris.com.

Lateral Hiring by Law Firms Fill The Gap

Admin — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:33:00 GMT

Lateral recruiting is only going to increase as a tactic for replenishing and building the professional ranks of midrange law firms.

Midrange firms are increasingly questioning the economics of the graduate approach, especially when you consider the time and investment required to recruit at the law school level. Midrange firms can’t compete on an equal economic footing with Big Law when it comes to the top 10 percent of law school graduates. And they really don’t have an effective way to gauge the future success prospects of available graduates. Without practice experience and the emotional and business development that comes with on-the-job training, new graduates are just warm bodies. A number of experts indicate that it takes about three years before a firm has fully recovered its cumulative investment in an associate hired directly out of law school. It takes two to five more years before these professionals become strategic building blocks for the firm’s future. Yet, the new graduate approach has a high turnover track record!

On the other hand, laterals have a track record that partners feel like they can get their hands around. They can understand it. They can make judgments about it. And they expect laterals to be positive cash generators as soon as the pipeline (work in process and fees receivable) can be filled. Laterals can be hired to fill specific needs—geographic, practice areas, specialized expertise, etc.

Midrange firms are waking up to the succession issues they face and to what is increasingly referred to as the "gap". Firm leaders and rainmakers are bunched together in the age range of 56 to 70. Their younger attorneys tend to be under 39. The gap refers to the missing 40 to 55 age group. That is the prime age for rainmaking and transition into leadership roles.

Lateral hiring or merger is the only way an increasing number of firms have to solve the gap problem.

In a recent presentation Marci Krufta with Altman Weil pointed out that many of the candidates for law firms on the hunt for lateral hires are stars in their existing law firms. But they don’t feel they are being treated fairly for their contribution. That is often a product of their existing law firm’s compensation formula that overcompensates less productive senior members through “origination" credits. While it isn’t all about the money, attracting and retaining laterals is all about fairness and compensating professionals based on relative contribution. Law firms that provide lifetime origination credit or that shoulder significant unfunded obligations to partners nearing retirement will find these stars beyond their reach.

In his post on Adam Smith, Esq. titled Are You Recruiting Warlords or Partners?, Bruce MacEwen writes one of the most insightful essays on lateral hiring I have ever read. If you are hiring to fill the gap, take Bruce’s advice. Hire the person not their portable book, and don’t expect them to hit the ground running.

Law Firm Rainmakers: When Is the Best Time to Make that Call?

Admin — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 18:53:19 GMT

When is it the best time to make a marketing call? Ask any great salesperson and they will give you the same answer. The answer is, “Anytime."

There is no wrong time or better time. Don’t use the pretext that there is a better time as an excuse to procrastinate. Surprisingly, catching someone in the office after hours often impresses the caller that you are still on the job. The same is true during the lunch break. There are a lot of busy decision makers that have lunch at their desk. They view that midday hour as one of the more productive times of the day. The early bird gets the worm. The wise owl does his work at night.

So go for it. Make that call. There is no better time than right now!

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris, Inc. For information about Juris® products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income, go to www.Juris.com.

Law Firm Marketing Gone Wrong

Admin — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 19:26:15 GMT

Guest author: John Remsen, Jr., jremsen@theremsengroup.com.

After ten years of experience marketing legal services, I have developed some strong views on marketing gone wrong in most law firms. I’m not talking about bad marketing. I’m referring to the dollars being wasted on ineffective marketing—dollars that, if used wisely, would increase per-partner income rather than waste it. Here are my big ten money wasters.

#10 - Random Acts of Golf and Lunch

Playing golf with an endless array of acquaintances that don’t have the ability to hire or refer you is hardly an effective use of your marketing time.

#9 - The “Really Big Show”

Grand events lack the well-aimed focus and relationship-building environment that leads to a continuing conversation (follow-up) with new business prospects.

#8 –One-Shot Wonders

Seminars, opens houses, holiday parties and the like buy the firm little or nothing unless they are part of a marketing continuum. All the marketing events should be part of a planned and coordinated market plan integrated with personal follow-up that “continues the conversation” with clients and prospects. Without the personal follow-up, you should keep the money.

#7 – Brochures and Newsletters That Cure Insomnia

Who wants to read mind-numbing tomes about the history of your firm and its 14 practice areas? Not me, and not your prospective clients either. Keep the copy concise and easy-to-read. Use bullet points whenever possible. Hire a talented graphic designer who will produce sharp, attention-grabbing marketing material.

#6 – Invisible Advertising

Traditional “tombstone” ads and “one-time” ads in a newspaper or magazine are practically worthless. Studies show that it takes 7-11 impressions before somebody will recall seeing your ad. Consistency and frequency are essential.

#5 - Holiday Chochkes

The holidays are far too busy a time for your cards, parties, and gifts to be fully appreciated.

#4 – Directories, Directories and More Directories!

Most have little marketing value. Decision-makers simply don’t use them. The Bottom Line: With the exception of a few directories, such as LawOffice.com, Martindale-Hubbell and Best’s (for insurance defense counsel), hold on to your cash.

#3 – Vanity Letterhead

Most firms have abandoned the practice of listing every lawyer’s name on the masthead, and yours should, too. Consider adding a snappy firm logo and/or a splash of color. Those that continue the practice toss out more letterhead than they use as each expensive printing becomes outdated.

#2 - PPPPs (Powerful Partner’s Pet Projects)

Those tables purchased at the partner’s favorite charity or social event are rarely budgeted and are hardly ever consistent with firm-wide marketing objectives. They tend to consume vast quantities of money and staff time.

#1 – Consultants Who Don’t Know—About Law Firms

It takes someone who’s been there to make it happen. If you decide to hire a consultant, hire somebody who has a successful track record working with law firms like yours. When it comes to using your marketing dollars wisely, my best advice: develop a proactive, firm-wide marketing plan.

###

About the author: John Remsen, Jr. and I both serve on the editorial board of the Managing Partner Advocate. He is the principal of The Remsen Group, a marketing consulting firm that works exclusively with law firms. John is the Past President of the Southeastern Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association and has served on its national Board of Directors. I have leaned on John to periodically share his market knowledge and experience with morepartnerincome readers.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris, Inc. For information about Juris® products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income, go to www.Juris.com.

Law Firm Rate Increase Letters

Admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 19:37:00 GMT

Sometimes, the less said the better! Consider this real-life example letter announcing a rate increase:

“...The firm has decided to match recent associate pay raises made by the top [city name omitted] firms... We will absorb some of the compensation increases in the form of lower profit margin on all associates... we are not increasing budgeted billable hours. Instead we are raising hourly rates by $10 per hour for associates with 1-4 years experience and by $15 for more than 4 years experience.“

“We believe the rate schedule remains well BELOW all of our first-tier competitor firms in ……..” The letter continues on and on and on.

The letter should have reported the moderate increase and left out most of the explanation. As it is, the letter is like giving instructions for building a watch when asked, “What time is it?”

The majority of a firm's clients will accept moderate or reasonable increases without the need for additional explanation. “We share your pain explanations” like those above can be held in reserve for client situations that require more justification.

I should add that originating or billing attorneys should know those clients who will have heightened sensitivity to an increase. Those clients deserve a call or visit before the letter ever goes in the mail.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris, Inc. For information about Juris® products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income, go to www.Juris.com.

Anchor Your Relationship with the Law Firm's Client

Admin — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 20:14:59 GMT

Things do not stay the same. No matter how secure your relationship with a significant client, it can quickly unravel if your contact changes. Your contact can leave your client or take on new responsibilities within the same organization. At the family level, legal needs can shift from your long term client to their children or spouse.

Anchoring the firm’s relationship means extending it beyond a single contact point. To better understand the firm’s client and their needs, spend non-billable time with those next to your main contact. For a business or organization, ask for a copy of the organization chart. Over time, make sure you know and are known to the powers around your contact. Make them part of the network of contacts who consider you helpful. You will know when you have been successful if those contacts are people you can comfortably call and have your call returned.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris, Inc. For information about Juris® products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income, go to www.Juris.com.

How Should a Law Firm be Selected?

Admin — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 19:45:00 GMT

Robert (Bob) S. Burns at Brouse McDowell's office in Akron, Ohio recently authored an article for Of Counsel Magazine titled “An Ongoing Saga:The Still Imperfect Relationship Between In-house and Outside Counsel. “ Among other subjects covered, he asks the question—“So how should outside counsel be selected?”

Answering his own question, he wrote: “I believe that a business should consider the ‘Five C's’: (1) competency; (2) capacity; (3) commitment; (4) communication; and (5) cost.” The summary below is his explanation of each of his Five C’s:

Competency: The key word here is quality. Simply enough, the firm must be able to competently perform the work. The difficulty of the work should be the main driver. If it is a "bet the company" issue, a client needs the best firm it can afford. But for commodity type work, a client does not need a senior partner at an American Lawyer 100 firm. Basically, a client should only pay for what it needs.
Capacity: The key word here is quantity. The firm must be able to completely handle the volume. The amount and location of the work should be the main driver. The firm must have enough attorneys, locations and affiliations to handle all or most of a client's needs (locally, regionally or globally, as well as functionally and specifically).
Commitment: The key words here are dedication and collaboration.…, Clients expect you to know their people, know their business, know their industry and know their problems. Outside counsel are always convinced they know their clients, yet clients are rarely convinced that that is the case.
Communication: The key words here are speed and clarity. The lack of both gets more firms fired than anything else. You never want a call or message saying "I can't ever get hold of John…Where are we on this?" Do not try an impress the client with your knowledge of Latin phrases or sub-sub-sub-section references to regulations. In other words, do not talk like a lawyer. Quite often, in-house counsel's greatest value-add is to translate the Company's business language into legal language for outside counsel and then to reverse the process. If there is no in-house counsel, make sure your clients understand by encouraging them to ask, "What do you mean by that?"
Cost: The key words here are cost and value. Budgets are becoming the norm. Both sides should sit down before any major project to evaluate ways to reduce legal costs. Here, however, outside counsel should also emphasize any and all "value-added services" they can provide. ….. While law firms are touting their expertise and working hard to strengthen relationships, clients are focusing on costs and value added services. Therein is the biggest and longest running disconnect between in-house and outside counsel.

You can read Bob Burns’ entire article in PDF format here. His five C's are a useful outline for organizing your presentation to new business prospects. They can service as a guide for the firm's team to live by. Outside of the legal community, business leaders are quick to say "it all starts with sales". For the law firm business, "it all starts with the client"--getting them and retaining them.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris, Inc. For information about Juris® products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income, go to www.Juris.com.

Tips for the Law Firm Rainmaker

Admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 19:51:31 GMT

Recently, Guy Kawasaki’s blog “Let the Good Times Roll” has shown up on the radar screen. His postings are frequently referenced by other blogs.

His blog is packed with tips and sound advice for the would-be rainmaker. He is clearly a master sales person. While not directed toward the legal profession, his blog Let the Good Times Roll – by Guy Kawasaki deserves to be on your reading list.

I tell our folks that we were given two ears and one mouth with the intention that we use them in that proportion. Guy Kawasaki says it so much more eloquently:

"Ask good questions, then shut up. The mark of a good conversationalist is not that you can talk a lot. The mark is that you can get others to talk a lot. Thus, good schmoozers are good listeners, not good talkers. Ask softball questions like, “What do you do?” “Where are you from?” “What brings you to this event?” Then listen. Ironically, you'll be remembered as an interesting person." Guy Kawasaki is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, and a columnist for Forbes.com. Previously, he was an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc., where he was one of the individuals responsible for the success of the Macintosh computer. Guy is the author of eight books including “The Art of the Start”, “Rules for Revolutionaries”, “How to Drive Your Competition Crazy”, “Selling the Dream”, and “The Macintosh Way”. He has a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA, as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.

Making a Law Firm Memorable with Logos and Names

Admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 19:42:00 GMT

Logos have been the hot topic for the last couple of weeks. In Search of the Perfect Client Services weighed in on Sunday continuing the dialogue among Dan Hull on his What About Clients?, Tom Kane in his Legal Market Blog, and numerous other bloggers as cited in one or more of the above three blog posts.

Logos and name recognition are closely related. I think the best logo is a stylized presentation of an organization’s name. That is tough to do if a law firm name consists of a never-ending string of partner names. Do you ever stop to think why these names work: Jones Day, Skadden Arps, etc? What about Morrison & Foerster, who have somehow turned themselves into “MoFo”. The above names or ”handles” are short and memorable. The idea behind a logo is to create a mental and verbal image to help consumers recognize a company's products.

When it comes to a law firm, name recognition has to be targeted. Pursuing a niche market is a strategy for gaining dominance—something that experts like Peter Drucker would say is required for long term survival. A visual or verbal image is a useful tactic for making your law firm memorable to your “target” market—be it a graphical logo, a short name or a nickname.

As Ed Wesemann’s would say “A dominate firm that no one has heard of is an oxymoron.” If you want to be the dominate leader in a niche market, make sure that within that niche your firm’s “handle” comes easily to your targeted prospect’s mind when they have a need for the services you offer. Make yourself memorable.

Law Firm Branding

Admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 19:55:00 GMT

I have in my hands Paula Black’s The Little Black Book on Law Firm Branding and Positioning. An associate who received a complimentary copy passed it on to me. It is simple and effective—113 pages with each page little more than a sentence or two providing insightful suggestions for branding the law firm.

Page 113 concludes with the following message: “Your brand is the essence of your firm’s personality. The synthesis of clients’ perceptions about your firm. Your implicit promise to your clients. The power behind all your marketing efforts. Establish a clear, consistent, unmistakable brand image for your firm—and deliver on the promise it implies.”

Paula reminds us that excellence is not enough. This little book is beautifully done. It belongs on your bookshelf or desk for the insight that it imparts. Go to http://www.paulablack.com for more information about Paula Black & Associates and to inquire about the availability of Paula’s Little Black Book.

PS: I originally published the above information about the Little Black Book on December 24, 2005, as a postscript to my holiday message to readers of morepartnerincome.com. It got a little lost among the holiday activities and by being at the end of the long narrative that preceded it. Given the book’s value, I decided it deserved its own post.