The Lawmatics Blog

To be successful, estate planning law firms must have a comprehensive marketing strategy. We'll dive into marketing tips that will help you attract new clients and grow your estate planning business. We will begin by addressing estate planning and then discuss the skills required to work in this area. After that, we will dive into a variety of digital marketing tips that you can use to attract more clients. These tips include social media, SEO, email chains, and many others. Finally, we'll provide a few words about Lawmatics – an online marketing platform designed specifically for lawyers.As an estate planner, getting in front of as many potential clients as possible is key to a successful practice. But how do you do that? This blog post will discuss tips and tricks for marketing your estate planning law firm. We will begin by addressing estate planning and then discuss how to market your firm using social media, SEO, and email chains. We will also discuss the benefits of using Lawmatics services to help grow your practice!The rising number of individuals aged has contributed to the increasing demand for estate plan services. Is your estate planning practice effective at attracting more clients? A successful estate planning campaign should incorporate all relevant marketing methods. The best plan for lawyers beginning their clients' development should be based on a clear plan to leverage their knowledge to gain clients.

Overview of estate planning law

Estate planning is a process that helps individuals and families protect their assets while also ensuring that their wishes are carried out after death. It can encompass various activities, including estate tax planning, drafting wills and trusts, and creating estate administration plans.A solid estate plan should take into account everything you own. To get you in the proper frame of mind, consider the many forms of property that make up your estate:

• Real estate and property (e.g., houses, land)
• Personal property (e.g., cars, artwork, jewelry)
• Bank accounts
• Retirement assets, stocks, and securities
• Life insurance policies

Many individuals overlook all of the aspects that go into a finished estate plan. Estate planning entails more than simply putting your last will and testament in motion. You'll help families anticipate as many circumstances as possible.

Skills required to be a good estate planning lawyer

Estate planning law is a specialization within the legal field that deals with estate-related tasks such as estate tax planning, drafting wills and trusts, and creating estate administration plans. As an estate planning lawyer, you must comprehensively understand these areas to provide sound advice to your clients. In addition, you must also be able to communicate with your clients and understand their needs effectively.

You think ahead

Estate planning lawyers must think long-term because they often work with clients for many years. During this time, estate planners are responsible for helping their clients safeguard their assets and ensure their wishes are fulfilled after they die.

You like to help people

Some estate planning lawyers work with families through generations. When one client passes away, estate planners may be enlisted by any surviving family members, which means decades of service. Your client relies on you to safeguard their family assets. They entrust you to craft the plan that aligns with local and federal laws, manages taxes, and passes most of the wealth to the beneficiaries upon death.

You like dealing with financial, trust, and taxation issues

You must also communicate with your clients about their financial situation and estate planning goals. Many estate planners need to track a client’s assets, liabilities, and estate taxes.

Why implement a marketing strategy for estate planning attorneys?

Estate planning attorneys face a competitive marketplace that makes attracting clients difficult. An effective marketing program that attracts new business clients will be essential for achieving the company's objectives and growth.

Beating out the old guard

It can be challenging to break into markets with an "old guard." Established players in a market often have a decisive advantage, and it can be hard to dislodge them. This is especially true in estate planning, where many attorneys have been practicing for years. Young attorneys must be prepared to work hard and develop creative marketing strategies to attract new business.

Competing against do-it-yourself (DIY) options

Many individuals may be tempted to take on writing their will themselves to avoid paying for a lawyer's services. After all, many online resources, like LegalZoom, RocketLawyer, and other DIY kits, are available to help people create a comprehensive estate plan without legal assistance.

Competing with financial industry

The financial industry has been increasingly targeting estate planning to expand services. As a result, estate planners must continuously adapt their marketing strategies to stay ahead of the competition. There are many estate planning law firms, but how do you make yours stand out from the rest?However, we know that estate planning is a complex process that requires the expertise of a qualified lawyer.

Foundations of marketing best practices

A well-crafted marketing strategy can help you attract new clients, expand your client base, and grow your estate planning law firm.

Track your leads with call tracking

Call tracking is a valuable tool that estate planning law firms can use to track the success of their marketing campaigns. By monitoring the number of calls generated by a campaign, your estate planning law firm can measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.Use a call-tracking service that offers local or toll-free number options, call recording, and detailed reporting.

Use a CRM to manage relationships

A CRM, or customer relationship management system, is a valuable tool that estate planning law firms can use to manage their qualified leads and clients.A CRM can support your estate planning law firm's marketing efforts by helping you keep track of all the essential details about your clients. With detailed information about each client's assets, liabilities, and estate, your estate planning law firm can more effectively market to them. Additionally, a CRM can help you track the progress of your estate planning services, so you can more effectively measure the success of your marketing campaigns.You can attract and retain clients more effectively by using a CRM to support your estate planning law firm's marketing efforts.

Nurture leads with email campaigns

One of the most effective ways to keep potential estate planning clients in mind is through email nurture campaigns. An email nurture campaign involves sending targeted emails to potential clients to persuade them to become clients. Creating a simple birthday email campaign can delight and remind your potential clients.Each of the three foundations of marketing efforts - call-tracking, CRM, and email nurture - is necessary for estate planning law firms to succeed in attracting new clients.

5 Channels to market your estate planning firm

Estate planning law firms have a unique opportunity to market their services in various ways. Networking, Google My Business, Content Marketing, Social Media, and Paid Advertising are five effective methods that estate planning law firms can use to reach more clients and grow their business.Estate planning law firms should create a marketing plan that encompasses all of these strategies based on your goals, budget, and target audience.

1Referrals, online directories, & local involvement

Start your marketing strategy by leaning on and growing your network. You can't just sit and wait for clients to come to you. You need to be proactive and generate leads by getting the word out about your law firm.

Referrals and networking

Start your marketing efforts by tapping into your network and community.One of the best ways to market your estate planning firm is to receive referrals from other professionals. Financial advisers, accountants, insurance agents, and other attorneys are all potential sources of referrals for estate planning law firms.

Get involved in local events

Attending and sponsoring local events allows estate planning law firms to gain exposure and build relationships with the community. Consider sponsoring a Fun Run or 5k that donates to cancer research, a local choir, theater, or museum, or buy a little league's baseball shirts.You show that you care and are committed to the community. Sponsoring local events is also a great way to get links to your law firm website.When another website links to your estate planning law firm's website, it is called a backlink. This strongly indicates to Google that your website is an authority on the topic and should be ranked. Backlinks are essential to SEO, and estate planning law firms should take advantage of them to improve their website's ranking.

Online directories

One of the most effective ways to market your estate planning firm is by listing your firm in online directories. Online directories are websites that allow businesses to list their contact information, products, and services. Listing your estate planning firm's online directories can help you reach more clients and grow your business.Some standard legal online directories you should consider are:

• Avvo
• Nolo
• Justia
• Lawyers.com and Lawyer.com (yes, they are different)
• HG.org
• Martindale-Hubbell

2Google my business

While, in a sense, Google My Business (GMB) is an online directory, it is also the best way to get in front of your community. It allows you to control your estate planning law firm's appearance in search results and Google Maps.The best part about using Google My Business is that it is a free business listing.

Claim & fill out your GMB profile

Claiming your GMB profile is the first step in taking control of your estate planning law firm's online presence. To claim your business, you must log in to Google and either claim an existing profile or create a new one. You will need to coordinate with Google to receive a verification code to verify your profile. The default method for obtaining the code is by postcard to the address.After you have claimed your listing, it is time to fill out your GMB profile. Your GMB profile should include:

• Your business name
• Your contact information (i.e., address, phone, website)
• A description of your estate planning services
• Your hours of operation
• Answer questions

When filling out your Google My Business profile, include keywords that people may use to search for your services in the description.

Use GMB like it's social media

Did you know that you can post on GMB? When you post new content on your GMB profile listing, you provide local customers with helpful information about your company. This contributes to increasing your local authority.Treat posts as additional ways to answer FAQs, promote your website, and add additional keywords.

Add photos and videos to your GMB listing

Showcase your firm's office, team, and services by adding pictures to your profile. Adding photos allows potential clients to understand you and your firm better.Take it one step further and get 360 photography of your law office- think Street View, but indoors. To get 360 photos on your Google My Business, you must work with a Google Trusted Photographer.

3Optimize your website

Creating and updating content on your website will increase your authority on Estate Planning in the search results. The more information you provide on your website will help your site appear prominently online.

Practice area pages

When we talk about web content, we don't only mean blogging. Make sure your website details all of your practice areas. Explain your topic and how you would handle that issue, and end with a call-to-action (e.g., "call today for a consultation).

Blogging for busy lawyers

An estate planning firm should consider blogging to keep its website up to date with relevant content. Use your blog to answer questions that your clients ask you over and over again. A blog is a great way to show your expertise on the topic and can also act as a resource for potential clients.

Experiment with other forms of content

Once you've built your website and started blogging as part of your estate planning marketing strategy, you can experiment with different media.Estate planning can be a complex process, and many people have questions about it. Try filming a video to answer some of the most common questions. This is a great way to show your expertise and help potential clients understand estate planning better.You can also create long-form, helpful content like an eBook that people can download. This is a great way to show your expertise and provide potential clients with additional information about estate planning.

4Social media and reviews

Estate planning lawyers can use social media to connect with potential clients and build their businesses. Estate planning lawyers can attract new clients and grow their practices by creating interesting, engaging content.

Go where your clients already are

Your prospective clients are online. They are watching videos, reading articles, and checking social media. Social media can be highly effective for keeping in touch with existing clients, reaching new ones, and expanding your referral network. That said, choosing the proper social media channels is important.It makes sense for estate planning lawyers to be visible on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Lawyers can use these platforms to share blog posts, answer client questions, and connect with potential clients.

Linkedin, where everybody knows your game

LinkedIn is the most useful channel for estate planners. LinkedIn users are usually more professional, more established, and better educated, so it's only natural to have a presence on this platform.Like most social platforms, you can use it to share analyses or insights about changes in legislation or other timely news. You can promote your new blog articles, share information about your business, and add videos or images to enhance your posts.Regular posts will help you establish yourself as an estate-planning expert and help you reach more potential clients.

Ask your clients for reviews

Online reviews are incredibly important and give social proof to prospective clients. Make it easy for your clients to leave a review by providing them with a link to your online profiles to leave a review.In an ideal world, every happy client would leave a 5-star review on Google, but sometimes clients are shy about leaving reviews on Google because it will list their name publicly. If your client feels more comfortable leaving a review on LinkedIn, Facebook, or even an online directory like Avvo—encourage them to do so.

5Social media and reviews

As with all marketing strategies, you want to strike a balance in your approach. SEO and social strategy require consistency over time. Building strong relationships through networking and community involvement also take time.Paying for advertising is a great way to ensure that your company is always at the top of the search results, and it can keep the phones ringing when your firm is in a slump.

Paid advertising campaigns for estate planning attorneys

Law firms can also consider using paid marketing strategies to reach potential estate planning clients. Placing ads in relevant online and offline publications or websites targeting your desired audience can be extremely effective.Additionally, law firms can use targeted online advertising, such as pay-per-click advertising or display advertising, to reach individuals interested in your services.

Use a dedicated landing page to track and convert leads

If you are investing in paid advertising, you need to take the extra step to include a dedicated landing page for each of your paid campaigns.If you choose to have your landing page on your website, remove all site navigation so the lead will stay on that page and convert. You can also build out landing pages on platforms that specialize in converting PPC leads.Your PPC landing page will be specifically designed to capture the contact information of individuals interested in learning more about estate planning services.The advantage of using a landing page is that you can track how many people are visiting the page and how many are filling out the contact form. This data will be extremely valuable as you assess your ROI for your paid campaigns.

Test Google local service ads

Google Local Service Ads is a relatively new advertising platform that allows you to place ads for their services in the local search results. These ads appear as a sponsored listing at the top of the search results and include a call-to-action button that allows potential clients to contact the law firm quickly.To be eligible to participate in Google Local Service Ads, all of the attorneys at your firm must meet specific requirements, such as being licensed and insured. Additionally, your firm's attorneys must undergo a background check conducted by Google.Despite the effort, Google Local Service Ads can be an extremely effective way to reach potential estate planning clients who are searching for estate planning services in your area because you will appear at the top of search results (even above other PPC ads), and Google will have verified you.

Grow your estate planning practice with Lawmatics

Some of the most effective marketing strategies for an estate planning practice include creating helpful, optimized website content to address FAQs, sponsoring local teams or charities, and filling out your Google My Business. These strategies will help you reach prospective clients and connect you to the community.Take your marketing to the next level with Lawmatics. Lawmatics also offers a case management system to manage long-term relationships with your clients easily.

FAQs

?What are the best places for estate lawyers to have an online presence?

There are several great places estate planning lawyers can have an online presence.A website is a must-have. Your website should accurately represent your practice and what you provide. Consider an search engine optimization (SEO) strategy to optimize your website so that potential consumers may locate you online with ease.You should also consider social media sites, as they are ideal for establishing connections with potential clients. LinkedIn is a fantastic platform for estate planning professionals to network and develop relationships with new clients.

?How can Google attract clients who need help with wills & estate planning?

You can use Google products like Google My Business and Google Local Service Ads to get in front of prospective clients.To start, you need to claim and verify a Google My Business listing and optimize it for search engines, making it easier for prospective clients to find you. Once you have your GMB listing, you can write posts related to estate planning.Google Local Service Ads will display your law firm information at the top of the search results page and push people to call you.

Video marketing is a great way to go if you're a law firm looking to boost your business. Creating informative and engaging videos can educate potential clients, build trust, and convert leads into paying clients. However, video marketing can be tricky - it's important to know what you're doing if you want to see results.This blog post will give you a crash course on video content marketing for law firms. We'll cover what video marketing is, how to create an effective video marketing strategy that will help capture the attention of a prospective client, and how to measure your results. By the end of this post, you'll have everything you need to get started with video marketing for your law firm’s legal services.Video marketing is the process of creating and promoting videos to achieve business goals. These goals can include increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or converting leads into a new client.Creating a video marketing strategy can seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. By following these steps, you'll be on your way to creating a video marketing strategy that works for your law firm.

Why video marketing for lawyers is worth the investment

Video marketing is an excellent way for law firms to engage with prospective clients, convey complex legal concepts, and prove that they are knowledgeable and trustworthy. Law firms can attract more clients and boost their business by creating informative and exciting videos.When creating your video marketing plan, you need to consider how to engage, build trust and convert leads. Video can be a powerful legal marketing conversion tool, helping you turn leads into clients. You can plug videos into a current email marketing strategy or add them to a service landing page to generate leads.

Online video content is a great medium to educate and engage

You can use videos to address a client's pain point effectively, explain a complex legal concept, and describe your services. You can establish credibility and expertise in a video and show your personality. By making informative and interesting videos for your target audience, you can attract more customers, boost your business, and have your law practice stand out in a crowded marketplace.Not everyone wants to read an in-depth article or skim for the answer to the question. Instead, a potential client may gravitate towards educational videos, or an explainer video, on the topic. Prospective clients are more likely to prefer less-quality, authentic video over high-quality video that appears artificial.

Videos help people get familiar with you

Video helps people gain trust with you by providing a more personal and relatable experience than a text-based marketing tactic. In video, you can explain your personal background, why you went to law school, and discuss your passion for your law practice and why you provide the legal services that you do. This type of content helps people get to know you and trust you as a legal professional.

Videos can convert prospects into leads

Law firms looking to convert leads into clients can use video marketing plans to a significant effect. Video is a great way to show potential clients what you can do for them and how to help. You're generating trust and respect in every video you share that highlights your demeanor and expertise.Video testimonials are a great way to show potential clients that you're an expert in your field and have helped others succeed and overcome adversity. By featuring video testimonials on your website or social media channels directed at your target market, you can increase confidence in your firm and help convert leads into clients.

Video is a powerful marketing tool that can help a law firm close more clients. Creating informative and engaging videos can educate potential clients, build trust, and convert leads into paying clients. Now is the time to start if you're not using video in your digital marketing strategy.

How to create your law firm video marketing strategy

When creating your video marketing strategy, it's important to start by defining success and how you'll measure ROI. This will help you determine what type of video content to create, where to promote it, how to allocate a marketing budget, and how to measure your results.What is your audience looking for when they watch your video? Consider creating videos that are middle of the funnel, conversion-focused, and at the bottom of the funnel.

1Define success and how you will measure ROI for videos

You can measure success in many ways. You could track video views, leads generated, or even new business conversions. The important thing is to determine what you want to achieve with your video marketing campaign and track that metric accordingly.Goals to set with video marketing:

• Drive traffic to your law firm website
• Qualify prospects
• Generate new business leads

Metrics to support your marketing goals

• View count - This is a general health marker of how well the video is performing.
• Engagement - These stats will show how long people watched your video and if they watched the entire video. This can inform future video content.
• Traffic to your website - You can report referral traffic if you post videos on YouTube or another platform.
• Conversion rate - Calculate this metric by analyzing the percentage of traffic your video generated and converted.
• Cost per Conversion - If you are using video in advertising, you can calculate your return on ad spending by dividing the video's conversion rate by its cost per conversion.

Before you start producing videos, you need to know how effective your law firm's video marketing campaign will be as well as how to assess the results per your goals.

2Use the marketing funnel to guide video concept

In creating video marketing content, it's important to think about the target market you're trying to reach. Some videos are great for generating awareness and introducing new prospects to your law firm. In contrast, others are more conversion-focused and meant to turn leads into paying clients.

Awareness: top of the funnel

Video content that generates awareness for your law firm can help introduce new prospects to your business. Videos that are funny, interesting, or informative can help attract attention and introduce viewers to your brand. Your awareness videos should be based on discovery rather than converting leads.Awareness videos also help in increasing the audience, and the key metric to measure here is video views.

Consideration: middle of the funnel

Now that you have a general idea of what video content you should produce, it's important to consider the middle of the funnel. Videos that are conversion-focused can help turn leads into paying clients.These videos should be educational, helpful, and persuasive. They should also be relevant to the services your law firm offers. Conclude your video with a call to action that encourages viewers to visit your website and explore your offering or additional published content/videos.The most important measurements when evaluating a video are click-thru rate and viewing duration.

Conversion: bottom of the funnel

Conversion-focused videos at the bottom of the funnel are designed to turn leads into paying clients. These videos are persuasive and relevant to the services your law firm offers.When creating a video for the bottom of the funnel, it's important to keep in mind what you want the viewer to do after watching the video:

• Do you want them to contact your firm for a consultation?
• Fill out a form on your website?
• Call your office?

Make sure your call to action is clear and easy to follow. You should also include a sense of urgency in your call to action.The key metric when creating conversion films is clickthrough rates and conversions.

3Familiarize yourself with the video creation process

Now that you understand the basics of video marketing and how to measure its success, it's time to create your video.

Generate video ideas and create outlines

Before you start filming, we need to do some video planning. This can be done by brainstorming topics relevant to your law firm that will interest your target audience. You can also look at what your competitors are doing and try to create unique and different video content.A successful video format looks like this:

• Introduce yourself, your law firm, and your practice area
• Give an overview of a topic
• Discuss a common pain point or question people have around this topic
• Showcase examples of how you'd address said issue or question
• Conclude by offering a call to action and signing off

You and your marketing team can plan for your video style at this stage.

Create a video production schedule

This will help you track which videos need to be filmed and when they need to be published. It's also important to outline or write your video script. This will help ensure that your video is on-brand and consistent with your law firm's messaging.

Filming your videos

You don't need fancy video equipment to start filming videos. You can simply use your phone or computer.When filming, make sure you have enough light. Natural light is best, but if that's not an option, you can use lamps or overhead lights. If filming on the phone, use a tripod or stable surface to avoid shakiness.Next, pay attention to the audio. The video should be easy to hear and understand. Try to film in a quiet, controlled environment to avoid audio interference. If there is a lot of background noise, it will be difficult for viewers to focus on the video.Make sure you speak clearly and at a normal volume. If you're filming indoors, you may want to use a microphone to ensure the audio is clear.

Video editing and adding captions

Once you have all of your video footage, it's time to start editing. This is where you will add captions, music, and any other special effects. You don't need to be a seasoned video editor. There are many cheap and user-friendly apps for people new to editing films, especially if filming and editing on your phone.It's important to add captions to your video for accessibility. This can be done with a text-to-speech program or by hiring a captioning service.

Publishing your video

After your video is edited and captioned, it's time to publish it. You can post your video on your website, social media, or a video hosting platform such as YouTube.Hosting videos on YouTube allows law firms to reach a large audience with their video content. YouTube is the world's second most frequented search engine. Law firms can ensure that potential clients easily find their entire library of videos by hosting all of their videos on their YouTube channel. In addition, hosting videos on YouTube allows firms to embed videos on their website or blog, which can help increase website traffic and video views.Videos are a popular medium on social media because they have increased audience engagement. Try editing your full video into digestible videos for your law firm’s social media marketing platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, or TikTok.

4Measure your results

Remember our goals from above? Well, now it's time to collect the data and start measuring our results. This will help you determine which videos resonate with your target audience and what content speaks to your audience.You can use your data to inform your next video campaign.

Popular video formats for law firms and where they fit in your marketing strategy

Find the perfect type of videos to promote your services.

Attract clients

At this stage, videos should address clients' problems and suggest possible solutions. These videos aim mainly at increasing visibility and building confidence among viewers. Because of your desire to gain more viewers for your video, you might be more interested in engaging emotions.Examples of videos that attract audiences are as follows:

• Short videos that highlight your law firm's personality
• Thought leadership videos that offer a unique perspective on a new idea
• Brand videos that share your law firm's values and mission
• Explainer videos that provide tips for solving your audience's pain point

Animated video explainers

Animated video explainers can be a great way to introduce potential clients to your law firm. They are engaging and easy to understand and can help simplify complex legal concepts.

Interview-style explainer videos

These are a great way to personally connect with prospective clients. These videos can set the tone for your firm and services. In these videos, a lawyer or other representative from the firm sits down and explains a legal concept in a simple, easy-to-understand way.

Engage leads

Once you have video content that is both informative and engaging, it's time to start engaging with leads. Video can be a powerful tool for lead generation.Examples of videos that convert leads are as follows:

• A webinar filled with tactical advice
• Common case results
• Testimonials of customers with relatable stories
• In-depth explainer and how-to videos
• Landing page promotional videos

Testimonials

Video testimonials represent one of your most important types of videos — it shows past or present satisfied customers describing a positive experience with their product. Honest personal reviews of customers are far superior compared to what a company would say because they give you social proof that you are accountable and honest.

Close and delight customers

You took the case, but a video is another great tool that improves the post-conversion stage in your retention and referral marketing strategies. Even after taking the case, your goal is to continue to provide high-quality information to your customers.Consider your client as your biggest fan and referral source. This kind of video encourages people to evangelize your services. Your first chance for happiness begins directly with purchase. Make a thank-you video to welcome people to our community.Examples of videos that thank your clients are as follows:

• Testimonial videos of customers with relatable stories
• Culture or brand videos that sell viewers on your quality of service
• Personalized videos that welcome clients to the firm
• Evergreen videos that explain each process of a client's matter

Onboarding clients

Take a page from your favorite software companies, and incorporate video into your onboarding process. Create a video repository where you and your team explain the different stages of their case. You can build out a library of videos to cater to clients who prefer self-service or have any questions about the process. Develop videos that span the client lifecycle from intake to settlement.

Close more leads with Lawmatics

Video marketing is a great way to engage and delight your prospective clients. By providing high-quality video content, you can help them understand complex legal concepts, prove that you're knowledgeable and trustworthy, and show them how your product could benefit their business.Using video in your marketing strategy is a great way to set yourself apart from the competition and build relationships with potential clients. Optimize your client intake with the Lawmatics customizable dashboard. You provide excellent video content, and we provide the tools your team needs to track prospective leads through every step of the client journey.See how Lawmatics works today.

Lawmatics automations are your key to not only saving valuable time, but also facilitating better communication with both leads and clients. Better communication leads to increased conversion rates, happier clients, more referrals and repeat business, so why wouldn’t you want to add automation into your practice?Nearly every aspect of your business can benefit from automation, from intake to payment collection, and Lawmatics is just the tool you need to make that happen. In fact, you can use Lawmatics throughout the entire client lifecycle to keep clients updated on every aspect of their case — all without you needing to lift a finger.Don’t forget the importance of staying in touch with your old book of business. Whether you are looking to keep clients updated on industry news, firm announcements, or even current promotions, Lawmatics automations allow you to keep in touch long after a case has ended.Let’s take a further look into some of the areas where automation can help keep leads and clients updated.

1 Intake form delivery & follow-up

New client intake is often one of the most critical processes in your firm, since this is the first interaction new leads get to have with your business. Automation makes it possible to delight them with your responsiveness right off the bat, leading to more conversions.

Send an intake form & reminders

Whether you are collecting data from leads during your intake or sending a detailed questionnaire to clients, Lawmatics has the tools you need to make sending forms and collecting client data a seamless process. Firms like Buchanan Law, a New Mexico Employment and Personal Injury firm, swiftly qualify clients by sending automated reminders for clients to complete missing information.While working your leads through the intake process, the goal is to make them feel involved and engaged without bombarding them with a surplus of information or emails. Automations allow you to send your forms, along with reminders to take action on said forms, at a cadence of your choice. Send your forms via email, text message, or a combination of both, and use delivery windows to ensure that the form is only sent during an appropriate time window.

Set a delivery window so that your messages are only delivered during business hours, or any other time window of your choosing.

Use exit conditions to make sure prospective clients stop receiving reminders once they have submitted the form. Follow these steps to create your form reminder workflow:

1. Go to the Automations page under the Marketing tab and create a new automation.
2. Select your entry conditions or trigger. This is the activity that should trigger the sending of your intake form. Maybe once they book an appointment or submit a contact request on your website.
3. Use the plus sign to add the Send Form action, and then select the specific form you wish to send.
4. Click the plus sign icon again and add a time delay, setting a particular time delay before your next reminder.
5. Use the plus sign icon to add the Send Form action again.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to add as many reminders as you would like.
7. Add an exit condition of the form

Create a drip campaign of reminders to fill out a form. Make sure you include exit conditions so they exit once they submit the form.

Send a confirmation email or text message

It’s all too common for an intake process to stall because a prospective client hasn’t received a confirmation or instructions on next steps immediately following their last action — in this case a form fill. Imagine a lead having to wait for an update until you or your staff have the time to manually review their form, and then you end up playing phone tag trying to schedule their consultation. Sound familiar?Automation will make this scenario a thing of the past. Once a prospective client fills out a basic intake form, said client will automatically receive a thank-you email and/or text message that delivers a link to book their consultation. Your leads will not be left wondering and guessing what their next step with your firm will be, instead they will receive instantaneous and personalized messaging confirming that you have received their form submission and advising them on what comes next in the process.Here’s how to make this happen:

1. Create a new automation using the Filled a Form entry condition
2. Click the plus sign icon and select the Request Appointment action item
3. Alternatively, create a custom email and include a booking link in the email, and send that email instead of the appointment request

Trigger an automation when the client/lead submits a form so that they receive instant communication of next steps.

Share an intake form in the Client Portal

Last but certainly not least, forms can also be shared directly to a matter within the Client Portal. Inviting a matter to access the portal gives them the ability to create their own password, and then sign into their own custom dashboard for their matter. Their portal becomes their hub for all things case-related, from intake forms to documents to appointments, making it one of the most versatile tools for keeping clients up to date on their case.No matter how you choose to automate your forms, Lawmatics will take all of your tedious and manual steps out of the form sharing and collecting process.

2 Appointment & event reminders

Perhaps one of the most important pieces of your intake and case management puzzle is appointment scheduling. But whether you’re booking initial consultations, signing meetings, virtual calls or in person sessions, appointment reminder message(s) should always follow. This not only helps improve your show rates, but also reassures clients and prospects that they’re actively moving through the process. And the best way to take care of this important step? You guessed it, automation.

Send appointment reminders

As with forms, all communication regarding your firm’s appointments can be triggered automatically to send out an email or text message. Use event automations to send time-relative reminders about an upcoming appointment, such as an email the day before and/or a text message the hour before their consultation. You will also want to make sure you stay in touch after an appointment, especially for new leads meeting with your firm for the first time or for clients awaiting an important case update. Event automations allow you to automate touchpoints X number of hours/days after an event as well.

Use event automations to trigger automations relative to the time of an appointment, such as 2 hours after a consultation.

For clients who prefer to be more hands-on with their case updates, give them client portal access to allow them to see their appointments (along with any other case information) any time they would like at the tip of their fingers.

Your clients can login to their own portal, as shown above, where they can manage their tasks, events, documents, forms, etc.

You may find that some clients prefer more frequent communication, and others take a more passive approach by checking their portal independently. Lawmatics automations make it easy to provide updates in a way that best suits the needs of your clientele.

3 Assign tasks to clients

Tasks are a great way to automate internal steps and notify staff members of important to-do items and deadlines, but they can also be assigned and shared externally directly to your clients. Use the client portal to share tasks with any of your matter-related contacts, and automate these tasks based on triggers within your process.If your firm commonly works with matters that go on for a long period of time, or if you have a lengthy and extensive intake process, you may find that your matters disengage during these steps. Assigning action items (in the form of Tasks) and case updates encourages your clients to stay involved with the important information being shared via their client portal.This can all be automated, of course. Simply:

1. Invite the appropriate contact(s) to access the Client Portal
2. Use the Add Task automation action
3. Select who you would like to share the task with.

With this process you are essentially creating a template of tasks, and it can be specific to the practice area, case type, or any other condition.

Select who to assign your automated tasks to, this can be the main contact, any other contacts related to the matter, or an internal user.

For matters that involve multiple clients such as a married couple or business partners, you have the option to share tasks with all contacts related to a matter, or pick and choose which tasks should be assigned to which contacts.

4 Documents and file sharing

Not only can Lawmatics help automate the delivery and submission of forms, it can also populate the data collected on any form into emails or documents, such as retainer agreements. With automation, you are able to complete the whole process of receiving client data, drafting a document with that data, and sending it for signature without lifting a finger.Create templates for emails and documents alike, and auto-populate them with client data in lieu of manual data entry, after which you can send them via automation.

Use the dropdown menus provided to add merge fields in your documents. These will automatically populate with the client’s information when sent or previewed.

You may also have standard file templates for things like court filings, medical forms, or even FAQs and info about your firm. These types of documents can be shared as attachments to any of your email templates, giving an extremely personalized touch to what would otherwise be a standard automated workflow.

5 Marketing emails

One of the many benefits of Lawmatics is the ability to stay in touch with contacts in your CRM as well as clients long after their case has concluded. Our marketing features make it simple to stay in contact with your whole book of business on an automated basis.One of the most common ways of marketing to your audience is by sending out a firm newsletter, educational content, or attorney bios. These are great tools for building a relationship with your contacts and making them feel connected to your firm. You will be certain to stay top of mind when they need help with another matter or have someone to refer to you.Make sure to take advantage of our HTML design suite to create beautiful newsletters or other eye-catching announcements. Also use the Promotional Email option to give recipients the opportunity to opt-out.

Turn on the Promotional Email option to add an unsubscribe link to the bottom of your emails.

We also suggest creating a birthday email template along with an automated birthday email campaign to send a birthday greeting to your contacts and past clients.

Why automate with Lawmatics?

No matter how you decide to use them in your practice, Lawmatics automations are designed to save your firm priceless time while increasing your ability to stay in touch with clients.From intake forms, to retainer agreements, to appointment reminders, to birthday emails, automation is your key to unlocking new efficiencies in the operations of your business — and a newfound work-life balance as well.If any of these automation ideas stand out to you, feel free to schedule a demo to find out more. If you’re already a Lawmatics user, reach out to your implementation specialist for help with setup. You are not by any means limited to the examples given here, we look forward to hearing how Lawmatics automation can help benefit your unique practice!

“Culture eats strategy for lunch.” This quote, frequently attributed to modern management theory expert Peter Drucker, describes the importance of culture to an organization. Culture is so critical that it drives employees’ motivation in one of two ways – either to achieve the company’s or team’s strategy or to undermine it. Absent a positive culture, an unintended culture will often be created by the loudest voices, the strongest personalities, or the existing (and frequently dysfunctional) philosophy. This culture often leads to negativity, lack of motivation, recruiting difficulties, and turnover. However, positive law firm culture will support the leader’s vision, attract, and retain talent, produce motivated employees, and help to ensure favorable results. According to Team Stage’s Company Culture Statistics: Leadership and Engagement in 2022 report:

• Company culture is an essential factor for 46% of job seekers.
• 86% of job seekers avoid companies with a bad reputation.
• Millennials prioritize ‘people and culture fit’ above everything else.
• Having highly engaged workers can lead to a 202% increase in performance.
• A culture that attracts high-caliber employees leads to a 33% revenue increase.

So how do you strengthen your law firm culture and, in the process, build a motivated legal team? Here are some techniques:

1 Hire the right employees

A law firm’s employees directly contribute to its potential success – or failure. While hiring an employee can be expensive – more than $4,000, according to a Glassdoor study – and time-consuming, replacing one is even pricier, ranging from half to twice the worker’s annual salary. When a law firm loses its best employees, it loses more than just money – firm morale breaks down. So how can a firm attract the right candidates and retain valuable team members? Answer: By hiring the best candidates. Here are some steps to take:

Time it right

In the legal industry, timing is everything. If a law firm hires too soon, it risks financial trouble. However, if it waits too long, it might make decisions out of desperation, and the wrong person may get the job. So ask yourself these questions to decide whether the time is right:

• Is the firm turning away clients? You need additional work to grow your firm, and if you are turning clients away because you’re too busy, it could be a sign that you need to hire.
• Is your client service suffering? If you fail to communicate with clients on a timely basis or come dangerously close to missing deadlines, you might need more help.
• Is the firm having trouble keeping up with business tasks? If your accounting is falling behind, this will negatively impact your finances and future growth potential.
• Are your employees starting to burn out? If the atmosphere around the firm is becoming tense because people can’t get all their work done, you should consider hiring someone before the organization begins to suffer burnout.

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, now may be the time to look for help.

Consider your needs

Before hiring a new team member, consider your firm’s needs. For example: Do you need another attorney to handle cases? Or an additional paralegal? What about administrative support staff? Are you looking for someone who specializes in a particular area of law or job function? Are you expanding your staff, creating a new position, or replacing a departing team member?If you determine that a typical position won’t fit your current needs, adjust your expectations; and pivot toward wherever you have a need. You can also change the standard job expectations for a particular position and specify what you are looking for in your job description. Never settle for someone who will not fulfill your firm’s needs, no matter how impressive their resume or qualifications might be.

Define your ideal candidate

According to the employee engagement platform Vantage Circle, the ideal employee exhibits certain characteristics, such as:

• Engaged, passionate, and always up for new challenges
• A strong work ethic
• Honest, not afraid to express opinions, ideas, and frustrations
• Confident, particularly if filling a client-focused role
• Ambitious, innovative, able to deliver, and not afraid to take the initiative
• An enthusiastic team player who elevates the rest of the team
• Critical thinking skills, including the ability to come up with logical solutions to problems
• Strong communicator with effective oral, written, listening, and presentation skills
• Reliable, willing to take charge of their work, actions, and results

Before you open the position, you need to decide what and who you are looking for. What characteristics should this employee have? What skills do they need? How much are you willing to train? Then, once you’ve hired someone who you think will be a good fit, don’t forget to appreciate them for a job well done and recognize their achievements with kind words, awards, bonuses, and other employee benefits.

Eliminate confusion

A clear, well-written job description provides numerous benefits, such as:

• Allow your firm to attract better-qualified candidates
• Help you understand what you expect of your employees and what they should expect from you
• Come in handy during job interviews

Providing applicants with a comprehensive job description will help put potential employees on the same page as the firm and more closely align them with your organization’s goals. To make sure that your job descriptions remain current and accurate, you should include the effective date (and all revision dates) on each job description, confirm that a job description is current before posting the position, and ensure the accuracy of the job description during the performance review process.

Involve your current team in the process

Your new employee will become part of your existing team, so everyone should be involved in the hiring process. Hearing different perspectives regarding candidates will ensure that you cover all the bases and might also prevent hiring the wrong person.

Provide growth opportunities

Motivated employees want to grow. To hire and retain them, your firm needs to provide growth opportunities. These might include:

• Upward career mobility for each position
• A detailed career path that outlines promotions and salary increases over time
• Access to various learning platforms and opportunities for professional development
• The ability to network, participate in mentorship programs, and attend workshops and seminars.

To determine where the interest lies, ask your team what they would like to see offered both inside and outside the workplace.

Consider outsourcing recruiting and hiring

Finding the right candidate at the right time can be an overwhelming task for small to medium-sized law firms, particularly in the wake of a global pandemic and legal talent shortage. If you feel pressured, it might make better sense to outsource recruiting and hiring to an experienced practice management consultant or skilled legal recruiter who can handle the process for your firm, often more cost-effectively than you can by doing it yourself. But remember: the final decision to hire a particular candidate is ultimately one that your firm must make.

2 Recognize valuable team members – and learn how to motivate them

Retaining law firm staff requires being able to identify talented team members and knowing how to motivate them. Sound simple? It isn’t – what motivates one employee may not be the way to inspire another. According to the legal website Law Crossing, there are generally two types of law firm employee motivation:

• Intrinsic – motivation that comes from within the employee. This type of motivation requires getting to know staff members to learn what motivates each one.
• Extrinsic – motivation that comes from outside the individual. While money is an external motivator for many employees, it does not motivate everyone.

Both types of motivators can change over time, and a firm needs to adjust its techniques as the organization grows and adds new employees. Here are some examples of ways to motivate valuable employees:

• Spread the authority around (when you can). While the legal industry is highly regulated, supervising attorneys can delegate responsibilities to non-lawyers. Generally, lawyers should focus their time on serving clients by performing substantive legal work. Giving employees the authority needed to solve certain problems can be a win-win, as it motivates them and frees up attorney time.
• Be an active listener. Your clients are likely not the only ones intimated by lawyers – certain staff members might feel the same way. Motivate and empower these individuals by keeping an open-door policy. Encourage them to consult you at any time with issues concerning cases or workflow, listen to their concerns, and implement their suggestions whenever possible.
• Provide recognition. Research has found that firm turnover could be reduced by as much as 30 percent simply by recognizing staff members for doing a good job. Find something positive to say to employees on a regular basis – congratulate them for beating a deadline, improving productivity, or handling a difficult client.
• Offer perks. Offering competitive pay and benefits is a no-brainer, but to truly motivate your employees, consider offering other things they want. This might include unlimited sick leave or vacation days, free gym memberships, catered lunches, paid days off for volunteering, the ability to work remotely, or something else they’ve asked for.
• Be a good leader. One of the best ways to motivate employees is to provide strong and supportive leadership. Leading a legal team to success under often stressful circumstances requires a leadership mindset and a solid commitment to the organization. A successful legal leader typically possesses the following qualities:
  • Vision. To recognize and motivate valuable team members, a leader must have a team vision and the ability to set concrete, achievable, and measurable goals, e.g., “improve communication” may not be helpful because employees are not being told what they need to do. Instead, “return all client calls within 24 hours or less” is a measurable goal that they can reasonably achieve.
  • Flexibility. A forward-thinking leader needs to be able to adapt to change, view it as a way to make progress, and welcome new opportunities. While a fixed mindset will hold an organization back, a leader who refuses to get stuck in “the way things have always been done” will be able to move the firm forward.
  • Humbleness. Leading a legal organization requires a balance of confidence and humility. Although it can be challenging to follow the lead of someone who seems weak or uninvolved, few people appreciate an arrogant leader. On the other hand, positive leaders are not afraid to admit when they are wrong and instead consider the contributions of everyone at the firm, no matter their position.
  • Integrity. Legal leaders should accept responsibility for their actions. Someone who shares recognition for achievements with everyone, ensures that the credit is distributed fairly, and takes accountability for mistakes will earn their colleagues’ trust.

The effectiveness of a legal leader is ultimately determined by their ability to hire, retain, manage, lead, and develop a stellar team of lawyers and professional staff. This can only be accomplished if they can motivate their team by fostering professional development and growth.

3 Deal with employees who don’t fit – in a positive way

One of the most challenging things a law firm must do is terminate an employee. However, to protect the integrity of the team and the firm, you must sometimes be willing to sever relationships with employees who, for various reasons, do not work out. But firing someone who doesn’t fit isn’t always the best route to take. Instead, designing a plan that encourages employees to leave the firm rather than be terminated could be a more effective technique. Here are some strategies for dealing with employees who are underperforming or just don’t seem to fit:

Performance targets

One of the most common ways to deal with underperforming employees is to set up performance improvement targets. This strategy involves requiring an employee to complete a project with a measurable outcome and then evaluating the results. But before you set up a performance target, schedule a face-to-face meeting with the employee and ensure that they understand that their job could be contingent on meeting set goals.

Incentive programs

While incentives are often used to motivate employees to meet productivity goals, they can also be used to encourage an employee to leave a company of their own volition. Disengaged employees are usually aware they are failing to perform at their full capacity and may be more likely to resign if given an enticing offer. You can also offer to keep them on board for a specific period or provide outplacement and career counseling services to assist them in locating a new job.

Restructuring

If an employee is not a fit for their position, you can remove the position entirely, merge two roles together, or transition the individual into a different job, if feasible. But regardless of which technique you choose, the need for an employee transfer or exit should never come as a surprise to the employee – your feedback throughout the process should be ongoing and documented.Generally, terminating an employee should be resolved for specific circumstances such as theft, fraud, or a physical altercation. Although employees are hired “at-will” in most states and employers have the right to fire them at any time, for any (or no) reason at all, if you are considering terminating someone employed under the terms of a contract, you will need to follow the terms of the agreement.The firm will also need to fulfill certain legal obligations when terminating an employee, such as providing them with their last paycheck, information about their benefits, including COBRA, unemployment options, and the transportability of other insurance. With these best practices, you’ll be more likely to avoid facing a disgruntled worker in court, which may adversely affect the morale of other employees and the reputation of the firm.

4 Keep your team engaged

Gallup describes engaged employees as “those who are involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work and workplace.” According to Engage for Success, a non-profit, voluntary movement launched in 2011 by former British Prime Minister David Cameron, the level of employee engagement can be measured by several factors, such as:

• Are they getting up in the morning feeling excited to go to work? Engaged employees look forward to helping their team succeed.
• Do they understand their role within the organization? Employees who feel engaged see their place within an organization’s purpose and objectives.
• Do they have a clear understanding of how the organization is fulfilling its mission? When an employee is given a voice to offer ideas and views that are considered when decisions are made, they feel engaged.
• Are they being fully included as a member of the team? Highly engaged employees receive regular, constructive feedback and are recognized for their achievements.

Employee engagement varies from excellent to nonexistent. When nurtured, an employee’s level of engagement can increase dramatically; when it is not a priority for the organization, it will likely decrease very quickly.

The levels of employee engagement

According to What is Employee Engagement? What, Why, and How to Improve It, there are several different levels of employee engagement. These include:

• Highly engaged – employees who have extremely favorable opinions of their organizations, are strongly connected to their teams, and their presence often raises the engagement level of those around them.
• Moderately engaged – employees who see their workplace in a favorable way but recognize things that could be improved. Those who are somewhat engaged in their workplace may also be at risk for underperformance and are usually less likely to willingly take on more responsibility than workers with a higher level of engagement.
• Barely engaged – workers who are indifferent about their workplace, only do what they need to get by, and lack the energy required to improve their work quality.
• Disengaged – employees who have a negative view of their organization, feel disconnected from its mission and purpose, and have no commitment to their position within the organization.

While essential, employee happiness is not the same as employee engagement because it does not indicate how invested employees are in the firm or how hard they’re willing to work to help fulfill its mission.

Why is employee engagement important in law firms?

Performance is proven to be related to engagement. According to a recent Harvard Business Review report, 81 percent of the nearly 1,000 executives surveyed said engaged employees perform better. But just as highly engaged employees positively impact those around them, disengaged employees can have a negative effect on their colleagues. In a competitive legal market, law firms often become focused on compensating for productivity and sacrifice. As a result, they sometimes fail to reward behaviors that boost employee engagement, such as positive interactions with colleagues, training, and mentoring. Although many law firms recognize the need to improve employee engagement, they often struggle to identify specific methods and metrics to tackle and solve the problem. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for every law firm regarding how to engage its employees. However, the answer likely lies in the answers to two critical questions: 1) How does this firm define success? and 2) How does this firm reward or penalize behaviors considered necessary to succeed? According to the Association of Legal Administrators’ Legal Management magazine, employee engagement “should be governed by flexibility to meet the needs of both the firm and the individual associates. This does not mean a firm must cater to every feel-good-whimsical demand, but rather work with individuals to identify the business imperative for granting a request, offering a benefit, or creating a program. After all, a law firm filled with associates who are the best versions of themselves is destined to become the best version of itself too.”

Looking for ways to motivate your legal team? Lawmatics can help

Lawmatics legal practice management software will transform the way you run your practice. Our cloud-based platform will allow your team to stay organized across workflows, enhance real-time communication with secure portals, and provide the tools necessary to manage tasks more efficiently. For more information on how the Lawmatics automation platform can help keep your legal team engaged, set up a demo today.

Marketing and securing new business are essential to any law firm’s success. However, although reaching potential new clients is critical, lawyers need to follow certain rules when advertising their services. Complying with these rules isn’t just a best practice –avoiding the possible consequences of unethical attorney advertising is crucial.American lawyers advertised as early as the 1800s by taking out ads in local newspapers – Abraham Lincoln’s law firm advertised this way in the 1850s. However, by the turn of the century, the American Bar Association (ABA) began to frown on the practice in its Canons of Professional Ethics. In 1908, the ABA issued a general prohibition against legal advertising for fear it would “undermine the professionalism” of the legal profession. Many states followed by enacted rules banning or strictly limiting lawyer advertising, although business cards were still allowed.A series of U.S. Supreme Court cases beginning in 1975 eventually led to the recognition that 1) law was a business and 2) commercial advertising was free speech and thus protected by the First Amendment. On June 27, 1977, SCOTUS struck down prohibitions against advertising by attorneys. In Bates v. State Bar of Arizona, the Arizona State Bar argued that law firm advertising would be too effective, dramatically increase litigation, and put too much burden on the legal system. The Justices disagreed and removed the ban, ruling that Arizona’s bar on advertising “inhibit[ed] the free flow of information and kept the public in ignorance.” While the Supreme Court’s decision in Bates eliminated the blanket prohibitions on lawyer advertising, it still permitted state regulation. However, law firm marketing began to increase dramatically, and the modern era of lawyer advertising was born. In 1989, British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, and lawyers began the modern practice of marketing their practices online instead of exclusively advertising in local newspapers, television stations, bus benches, and the yellow pages. While print advertising is still popular among lawyers, marketing online to connect with clients has become extremely common. Now, an increasing amount of business is being conducted remotely, making the ability to attract clients using digital marketing strategies more critical than ever. However, no matter what medium lawyers use to advertise their services, the first thing they need to do before implementing any marketing or advertising strategy is to familiarize themselves with the lawyer advertising rules and responsibilities that apply – and follow them.

Marketing restrictions for lawyers

Law firms are allowed to advertise, and most do. However, they are required to follow the legal advertising rules and ethical obligations outlined in the ABA’s Rule 7.2: Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules, which specifies that: “A lawyer may communicate information regarding the lawyer’s services through any media.” In addition, ABA Rule 7.2 (c) states:

(c) A lawyer shall not state or imply that a lawyer is certified as a specialist in a particular field of law, unless:

(1) the lawyer has been certified as a specialist by an organization that has been approved by an appropriate authority of the state or the District of Columbia or a U.S. Territory or that has been accredited by the American Bar Association; and

(2) the name of the certifying organization is clearly identified in the communication.

(d) Any communication made under this Rule must include the name and contact information of at least one lawyer or law firm responsible for its content.

Although the ABA’s advertising rules are sometimes vague, ambiguous, and leave much up for interpretation, they establish a standard for regulating lawyer advertising. They do not have the force of law and are not necessarily enforced by state bar associations; however, many states follow the ABA guidelines and restrict and regulate how lawyers can advertise. Here are some noteworthy examples:

1Don’t say you’re an expert unless you’re certified

In the legal industry, words matter. The same is true in legal marketing – lawyers must be careful of what they hold themselves out to be in their advertising. For example, under ABA Rule 7.2, lawyers must not imply that they are a specialist in a legal practice area unless they have been certified as such by an organization accredited by the ABA and approved by their state, district, or U.S. Territory. While it is generally permissible to say that they are focused in a particular area of law, attorneys cannot claim to be a specialist or expert. For example, for a lawyer to be considered a legal specialist in California, they must pass a written examination, have been practicing law continuously for at least five years (25 percent dedicated to practicing in the specialty area), and have had their work in this area favorably evaluated by other attorneys and judges. To maintain their certification, legal specialists in California must pay an annual fee, complete 36 hours of LSCLE every three years, and recertify every five years. California’s State Bar Legal Specialization program, established in 1973, was the first program in the U.S. to provide a legal specialty certification program at the state level.

2Don’t say (or imply) things that you can’t quantify

Another misstep lawyers need to avoid is making false, confusing, misleading, or deceptive statements about the services their firm offers and the results they’ve obtained. Even advertising the fees they charge could be called into question. Attorneys should avoid using phrases like “the best” or “the most” in their advertising, even if their firm is widely recognized by their peers and clients as one of the best in the area.Law firms should also be cautious about making statements that are technically factual but leave out information that could make them misleading. For example, it could be misleading to say your firm offers free consultations if you only offer free consultations to potential personal injury clients but charge a fee for everyone else.

3Ensure that client testimonials don’t violate the rules

While rules may vary according to jurisdiction, ABA Rule 7.2 (b) states that lawyers cannot compensate anyone in any way for recommending their services. This means that attorneys cannot pay or compensate clients in exchange for recommendations or favorable testimonials. Anyone who suggests a lawyer or law firm must do so of their own volition. Legal client testimonials are subject to the federal truth in advertising rules. According to the Federal Trade Commission’s Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, all testimonials must be truthful and not misleading. The FTC demands transparency when including reviews and endorsements in advertisements, and some jurisdictions also have specific rules about using testimonials on a law firm’s website. In California, for example, lawyer advertisements cannot contain testimonials that urge legal clients to expect the same results as the person giving the testimonial.

Familiarize yourself with the rules regarding trade names

Many jurisdictions have rules for defining information that must be included in attorney ads to avoid misleading the public, and lawyers need to know if they can use a trade name in their marketing – before they do.According to an ABA Journal report, nine states – Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Texas – require law firm names to include the name of a lawyer practicing at the firm. In New York, practicing law under a trade name is forbidden, although it is permissible for N.Y. law firms to use the law firm partners’ first initials of their last names.

4Find out whether you need a physical address to advertise

Cloud-based practice management software makes it easier to work effectively remotely. However, some jurisdictions require a physical address to advertise via a traditional ad, a website, or other digital marketing techniques. To be sure, you’ll need to check the advertising rules for attorneys in your area to avoid breaking the rules.Some examples: In Florida, all lawyer advertisements must include an actual office location in the same city, town, or county where the lawyer is performing the advertised services. The New York Bar Association requires that all attorney advertisements include the name, principal law office address, and telephone number of the lawyer or law firm whose services are being offered. However, according to New York City Bar Formal Opinion 2019-2, a N.Y. lawyer may designate the street address of a Virtual Law Office (VLO) as the principal law office address on business cards, letterhead, and a law firm website.

5Don’t solicit your services directly

In the legal world, there’s a distinct difference between advertising, which is allowed if you follow the rules, and soliciting, which is generally forbidden. What’s the difference?Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute defines legal advertising this way:

The advertisement of legal services provided by a lawyer or a law firm to attract potential clients. Legal advertising can take various forms of media, including printing, mailing, television, and online advertising. Legal advertising is regulated by state bar associations, which often have different rules for defining advertising and restricting the content of the legal advertisement. Most state bar associations fashion their rules of legal advertising after the American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct, which is not binding for lawyers but highly persuasive to state bar associations.

Compare this to solicitation, as defined by ABA Rule 7.3 (a):

“Solicitation” or “solicit” denotes a communication initiated by or on behalf of a lawyer or law firm that is directed to a specific person the lawyer knows or reasonably should know needs legal services in a particular matter and that offers to provide, or reasonably can be understood as offering to provide, legal services for that matter.

According to the ABA, a lawyer cannot “solicit professional employment by live person-to-person contact when a significant motive for the lawyer’s doing so is the lawyer’s or the law firm’s pecuniary gain,” with limited exceptions. However, some states do not make such a clear distinction between lawyer advertising and solicitation. For example, New York allows solicitations (defined as “in-person and other types of communication targeted at a specific recipient or group of recipients for pecuniary gain”) if they comply with all the state’s rules for lawyer advertising, including more stringent record-keeping obligations.

6Know what you can – and cannot – say

Many states have minimum requirements regarding information that must be included in lawyer advertisements, as well as what cannot appear. Here are some examples:

• Arizona Rules of Professional Conduct require lawyers to disclose whether contingency fees will be calculated before or after expenses and what responsibility clients will bear for those costs.
• Lawyer advertisements in Florida must specify the name of at least one lawyer or the law firm’s name.
• Some states, like New York, require that lawyer advertisements be labeled explicitly as “Attorney Advertising.”
• Rule 7.1 of the New York Rules of Professional Conduct prohibits attorneys from using false or fabricated law firms or lawyers in their ads.
• In Michigan, “[The] services of a lawyer or law firm that are advertised under the heading of a phone number, web address, icon, or trade name shall identify the name and contact information of at least one lawyer responsible for the content of the advertisement.”
• Connecticut lawyers cannot use different font sizes or types when disclosing client responsibility for costs or expenses.

The takeaway: Attorneys and law firms should check the rules for their area before embarking on any lawyer marketing advertising campaign.

What happens to lawyers who don’t follow advertising rules?

Most lawyer marketing issues are resolved in one of two ways: either a state bar association disapproves a lawyer’s advertising in advance, or asks a lawyer to change their advertising to comply with the local rules. However, sometimes lawyers who engage in inappropriate marketing may face stiff penalties. According to the ABA’s Lawyer Marketing: An Ethics Guide, unethical lawyer advertising may result in:

• Greater likelihood of malpractice liability
• Sanctions for violating ethics marketing rules
• Potential disqualification or suspension of the lawyer conducting the marketing
• Severe discipline for lawyers who violate anti-solicitation rules
• Liability under state consumer protection laws
• Discipline for violating state and federal laws governing spam faxes
• Possible criminal charges – in extreme situations
• Lawsuits alleging intentional interference with another lawyer’s attorney-client relationship

According to the ABA, it is not usually the clients who complain about potentially inappropriate lawyer marketing. Instead, the complaints frequently come from other lawyers or regulators who demand that the courts determine whether those challenging the advertising must establish confusion or harm done to actual or prospective clients. Unfortunately, this can be easier said than done.

How to successfully market your firm

Now that you’re aware of at least some of the restrictions regarding lawyer advertising and what happens if you don’t comply with them, here are some ways to successfully (and ethically) market your practice:

Build a website

One of the best ways to advertise a law firm is to create a professional website. An effective lawyer website does a variety of things to attract business, including:

• Establish credibility. If a potential client searches for your firm online and finds out that you don’t have a website, they’re likely to become suspicious. However, a solid website that showcases your skills and offers actual testimonials serves as social proof that your law firm is legitimate.
• Increase visibility. Without a website, you’re virtually invisible online. However, the more visible you can make your website, the more potential clients (leads) you will attract.
• Generate leads. Suppose your website is optimized (using tools, strategies, and experiments to improve its ability to drive business goals). In that case, it will likely begin to come up first in Google search results, generate traffic, and produce more leads.
• Provide valuable information. Your website should clearly explain what type of law you practice, where your firm is located, and offer information that will prove helpful to those who are looking for an attorney that provides the type of legal services they need.
• Save time. A functional website can give clients the ability to automatically schedule an appointment with you and fill out an intake form that is sent directly into your firm’s customer relationship management (CRM) system. This saves time by eliminating the need to input information manually.

Set up a Google Business page

Online reviews that abide by lawyer advertising rules should be a critical part of how you market your firm. Setting up a Google business profile where potential clients can read the reviews of former clients is an excellent way to showcase your testimonials. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your former clients to leave your firm a review on Google – the more reviews you generate, the more your Google search ranking will improve.

Create a social media profile

Creating a social media profile on a platform your clients frequent – Facebook is the most popular social media platform in the world, with 2.936 billion monthly active users in 2022 – is an excellent way to form connections and increase awareness of your law firm’s brand. For small and medium-sized law firms or any firm with tight resources: social media profiles are a free way to post useful content that can be shared to create a following.

Start a blog (and keep it updated)

Blogging is one way for a lawyer to establish themselves as an expert in an area of practice without directly calling themselves out as an expert. Starting a blog on your law firm website will add more content to your site and subsequently increase your Google search rankings. To build a steady readership, you should add fresh content to your blog at least twice a month, but once a week is even better.

Measure your results

To achieve the maximum return on investment (ROI) for your marketing efforts, you need to track your results with legal reporting software to determine which of your marketing efforts are effective and which aren’t. Data and analytics will allow you to closely monitor your marketing efforts, tell you how well it is performing, and help you decide whether you should continue down the same path or change direction.

Engage your leads

It isn’t enough to produce leads – you must engage them to turn them into clients. Successful law firms often rely on marketing automation for law firms to streamline their marketing efforts, target specific audiences based on customizations, and keep their leads engaged. For example, when a lead signs up for your firm’s newsletter or downloads a white paper from your website, marketing software will automatically generate a personalized follow-up that keeps them engaged and, most importantly, on the way to becoming a client of your firm.

Leave your law firm marketing to Lawmatics

If you’d rather focus more on practicing law and less on worrying about whether your marketing efforts are efficient, successful, and follow all the rules, trust your marketing efforts to Lawmatics law firm automation. Our platform offers a complete legal CRM system in one organized place that will:

• Track and engage leads
• Create audience segmentation
• Deliver tailored messaging and personalized email drip marketing campaigns to custom groups of prospects
• Manage client activity
• Help you establish trust by engaging with leads
• Keep client records organized and up to date
• Sort contacts with criteria personalized for individual firms
• Nurture prospects from the initial contact to the signed retainer agreement
• Provide robust data analytics to track client behavior

“We create a lot of lead magnets. With Lawmatics, we can track a lead from the very first time they engage with our firm. Now, we can see their entire journey step by step, and we can identify the best sources as well as those that are underperforming. I am really happy with the tracking and reporting features because we finally have the ability to measure success and our overall conversion rates.”

— Bill Miller, Esq., Miller Estate and Elder Law

Are you ready to learn more about how the Lawmatics system can increase the overall effectiveness of your firm’s marketing efforts – while maintaining compliance with ubiquitous and jurisdiction-specific lawyer marketing restrictions? Sign up for a product demo today.

After two consecutive recognitions in Above The Law— first in 2021 as the most intuitive and robust CRM and client intake platform, and once again in the 2022 Legal Practice Management Buyer’s Guide, Lawmatics is thrilled and honored to announce we’ve made the list yet again, this time in their CRM, Business Development, Virtual Receptionist, Chat & Text Messaging Buyers Guide 2022 Edition .The list of outstanding legal technology solutions and latest developments which Lawmatics offers was determined by gathering reputable supporting articles and product reviews of software in our space.Our goal has always been and continues to be offering you the most comprehensive all in one solution to enrich your workflow and enhance your client relationships. By participating in the Legal Tech Publishing eBook series, we stand with our community of fellow providers. Together we can offer law practices a vetted selection of legal technology solutions for their consideration.Here are some of the highlights from the latest buyers guide that features Lawmatics.

“Lawmatics Enriches Your Workflow Processes and Manages Your Client Relationships From Beginning to End With Automation”

Why legal tech publishing recommends Lawmatics:

• Lawmatics provides a thorough method of managing all client contacts thanks to powerful automation, allowing a law firm to build workflows that take a user through firm-defined processes ensuring no missed steps.
• The custom forms in Lawmatics are highly configurable so that a firm can gather information based on the needs of each client. Fields are highly customizable and can be conditional.
• Lawmatics legal document automation features pulls information from a contact directly into an agreement, eliminating errors and providing a workflow for approvals and signature Collection.
• Lawmatics provides an easily digestible view of visuals that track what's important to a firm in real time.

Check out the full Lawmatics review in Legal Tech Publishing’s CRM, Business Development, Virtual Receptionist, Chat & Text Messaging Buyers Guide 2022 Edition here.