Mid-level attorneys, straddling the line between associate and partner, often reach a plateau in their careers. Their superiors are wondering how to get them to embrace a business development mindset and start building their own book of business. These attorneys may excel as lawyers and perhaps have even dabbled in marketing and business development, but what will get them to the next level? At what point will they bring in their own clients? These are common questions that law firm leaders grapple with. Whether your firm has internal marketing and business development staff or you’re working with an external agency, here are some ways you can support attorneys in advancing to the next phase of their careers.
Create and Implement a Business Development Plan
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Whether it’s a formal or informal plan will depend on the size and dynamics of your firm, but having a plan is a must. Marketing staff or senior partners should sit down with mid-level attorneys individually to assess their career goals and determine where their passion lies. It is important to identify their strengths and weaknesses from a marketing and business development standpoint. Since not everyone is a great speaker or presenter, the plan should align with their personality and focus on what they are best positioned to do.
Lawyers at every stage of their careers often mention time as a significant obstacle that hinders their involvement in business development and marketing. However, in reality, it often stems from their discomfort with the marketing experience. Even with the best laid-out plans, the plan is likely to fail if you don’t understand what incentivizes your attorneys and what they dislike about marketing. To change their perspective, you need to peel back the layers. This includes looking into the attorneys’ past – what have they been involved in, what worked or not, and what can you build upon. Set a timeline and review key performance indicators (KPIs) together to measure success. This process is not only helpful at an individual level but also firmwide, ensuring a presence in all target markets and organizations, resulting in more visibility and growth over time. As you embark on these individual meetings and set goals, it is also a great time to look at your overall strategy and figure out where these mid-level attorneys fit in to support the firm’s overall growth goals.
Breaking It Down
“There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.” – Desmond Tutu
What kind of blog would this be if we left you with so much to figure out? It can feel daunting and impossible, but remember that everything can be accomplished gradually and over time. To that end, here are three ways to break down various marketing and business development strategies, so you can get the most out of your efforts while also supporting your mid-level attorneys.
Organizational Roles & Involvement
We see firms often sponsor events and attorneys participate in numerous organizations without a real strategy behind these efforts. Ad hoc efforts usually result in a spotty return on investment, making you contemplate why you’re involved in the first place.
Instead, develop a comprehensive list of organizations your firm wants to be involved in that push the firm’s objectives forward. Then identify which mid-level attorneys are best suited to be the firm’s ambassador. This should be a collaborative discussion with clear expectations regarding the attorney’s level of commitment and their specific tactics. These tactics may include attending networking events, identifying leadership positions, writing content for the organization’s publication, speaking engagements, etc. Some organizations may warrant a higher level of participation than others, so when it makes sense, capitalize on all marketing and business development opportunities offered by these organizations to amplify your impact. Your marketing department should take the lead in researching opportunities for attorneys to get involved and make recommendations for areas to put forth more time and resources. This can include pursuing leadership positions and bylining articles for the organization’s newsletter.
Mind the Gaps
This is also a prime time to look at any gaps and missed opportunities. Do you really need 10 attorneys to attend the Los Angeles County Bar Association Litigation Section monthly meeting? Consider how you can divide and conquer by engaging attorneys in niche practice areas or with minority attorney interests. This goes back to understanding the interests and passions of your attorneys and finding ways to support their growth; for example, joining an organization and raising the firm’s visibility by writing in the organization’s newsletter, speaking at an event, being on a committee, etc.
Accountability and Training
Critical to organizational involvement is tracking and accountability. Your attorneys should aim to maximize their membership benefits, going beyond mere attendance at monthly meetings. Whether the goal is to take on a board role, obtain new leads or speak to the organization, there should be an execution plan in place.
How can attorneys optimize their time before, during and after the event? It may seem like common sense, but give attorneys a refresher on pre- and post-event strategies. For instance, if they’re attending a conference, do they send out in advance targeted emails to set up lunch meetings? Do they have an elevator pitch for making new connections? Do they have a follow-up process in place; e.g., adding contacts to their database, connecting on LinkedIn and determining who to follow up with?
Whether done on an individual basis or at firm or practice group meetings, training should be available as well as a method for attorneys to track and provide feedback on their efforts.
Speaking
While not all attorneys want to speak publicly, there are many opportunities for them to get their feet wet. Organizations have multiple events throughout the year and look for speakers who can add value to their programs. While speaking at a conference can be a coveted and sought-after position, it might be best to start with smaller engagements, such as webinars or break-out sessions at conferences that don’t require a CV filled with past speaking engagements. Attorneys can begin by presenting at their practice group meetings or other departments, especially if they are new to public speaking. Additionally, they can help a partner in developing and practicing a presentation, giving them an opportunity to learn best practices that they can apply once they are ready to seek out their own speaking engagements.
Media
Media interviews can seem daunting to an attorney who hasn’t spoken with a reporter or been educated on the process. A good entrée to media is by co-authoring a bylined article. Associates can support by developing topics and researching timely cases or issues that will make for an interesting article. They can also take the lead on drafting, which can propel media initiatives that may be stalled due to a partner’s lack of time. Going beyond the article, research can be leveraged for speaking engagements or as fodder in their cases. This is a win-win situation for the attorneys and the firm.
Another aspect of media visibility includes awards and rankings. There are quite a few rising star lists at both national and local levels that can earn recognition and help mid-level attorneys advance up the ranks. Obtaining an award tends to create a ripple effect, often generating more opportunities for awards, media exposure and speaking opportunities.
Social Media
Social media, particularly LinkedIn, can be a valuable tool for marketing and business development for mid-level attorneys – if they approach it the right way. It’s nice to have hundreds of connections on LinkedIn, but if those contacts are not being nurtured and engaged, they are fairly worthless.
Develop a plan of action with your attorneys so they have concrete steps to take and quantifiable goals. While the overarching objective may be to generate five new connections each quarter, how are they going to get there? It will likely need to be a mix of several strategies, including reconnecting with past contacts, identifying new contacts to target, engaging with posts, sending direct messages, sharing educational information and news and regularly analyzing these efforts to gauge what’s working and what needs to be adjusted.
Decide on the tactics and set goals around them. For example, post three times per week to share news stories of interest to prospective clients and referral sources; aim to send an email to two contacts per week; publish one blog per month; etc. Associates should commit to a set amount of time each day or week, whether that’s ten minutes a day or an hour weekly. Having these metrics in place will give structure to their social media activity versus going online without any clear direction on what they want to accomplish.
While the emphasis above is on LinkedIn, for many attorneys in their 30s or younger, social media is in their DNA (this doesn’t mean it can’t be if you are older). What this means is avid social media users are likely to be on other platforms like Instagram, X and even TikTok. They can use these platforms to grow their professional presence or leverage their current personal following. Every social media is different. For example, Instagram offers a slightly different method to showcase an individual’s personality through videos and reels, which may be attractive to younger attorneys.
Cultivating a Business Mindset Culture
It behooves any firm to bring attorneys into the sales process so they can learn the firm’s approach and exercise their new skills. Have associates participate in prospect conversations and client onboarding early on. Partners should have short debriefs with associates after these conversations to address what went well and what didn’t and determine next steps. If you’re a law firm marketing to the general public, like a personal injury firm, consider having associates handle intake calls and oversee lead tracking. All of this encourages mentorship and provides continued education for associates. They will appreciate being included and, ideally, motivated to apply what they’ve learned to start building personal relationships and bring in new business.
Conclusion
Remember, every associate should be rowing an oar to help the firm meet objectives or push them forward. The tactics don’t always look the same from associate to associate, but it is up to the firm to provide the tools and support to ensure that attorneys continue climbing the legal ladder and don’t stagnate in their professional development. Associates who actively engage in marketing initiatives play a pivotal role in enhancing the overall success of the firm, so it’s in your best interest to champion their efforts.
Partner with a Trusted Los Angeles Marketing and PR Firm
Berbay Marketing & Public Relations has nearly three decades of experience providing law, real estate and financial firms with marketing and public relations services that propel your business forward. Berbay’s dedicated team has demonstrated success in securing media placements, achieving nominations and rankings, revitalizing websites and social media, obtaining speaking engagements and more.
Looking to grow your firm with Los Angeles’ proven Marketing and PR team? Contact Berbay at 310-405-7343 or info@berbay.com.
