Your Bill is Your Brand: Why Effective Representation and Client Services are the Best Marketing

Lawyers enter law school for many reasons, but rarely is it because they are looking for a life in sales.  Later on they learn the secret of advancement in the law business: everyone is in sales.  Starting and building your own law firm, or advancing to partner in an established large law firm, always requires good lawyering skills and (hopefully) collegiality, but today more than ever a successful small firm or advancement to partner in a large firm requires business origination, and that means marketing.  Every large firm has a marketing department but that department can only enable and facilitate the lawyers’ marketing efforts; it cannot replace them.  

Firm reputation - itself often a function of good marketing - can only take you so far.  In the end, successful client development requires the individual lawyer to market him or herself. Yes, some people are “naturals,” but as with most skills, marketing can be learned.  In this course, attorney Alan Becker examines how lawyers and law firms can position themselves and build their brand.

Learning Objectives: 

I.     Understand the differences between advertising, public relations, business development, and social media, and the role each plays in marketing yourself and your firm 

II.    Consider Bar constraints in lawyer marketing 

III.   Define your firm’s position and your brand

IV.   Generate leads and develop client relationships 

V.    Appreciate the importance of networking for lawyers

VI.   Contemplate the roles of writing, speaking, and joining in your personal and firm marketing plans