Tips and Advice for Law Firms and Solicitors
Dec 2011
Two short articles from Dominic Moss, Legallybetter's Finance Director:
Outcomes Focused Regulation - its not self regulation!
More details here
Comments on "Name and Shame" from the Legal Ombudsman
More details here
Nov 2011
In the new legal services environment, franchising could be one answer for some law firms. Read the thoughts of face2face founder Mike Porter here.
May 2011
Outsourcing for smaller law firms - Legallybetter contributes to new White Paper - see White Paper
May 2011
Legallybetter directors Jon Hepburn and David Mort are regular contributors to "Hot Topics" on the Core Legal website. "Hot Topics" provide brief updates on legal issues and concerns specifically for smaller law firms and a recent item from Jon outlined the proposed outcome-focused regulations from the SRA. Core Legal is a network of quality suppliers to the legal services sector. See http://www.corelegal.net/hot-topics/.
June 2010
Legallybetter's June e-newsletter
Our June e-newsletter explores the do's and dont's of client surveys and has an article from Michaela Hardwick on strategic opportunities for law firms from the Legal Services Act (LSA). Click here to read more:
LB e-news June 2010
Tesco Law - Worried you might end up stacking shelves?
Michaela Hardwick of Beyond Expectations highlights strategic opportunities for law firms from the Legal Services Act (LSA)
The big talk and opinion in legal circles at the moment is about the impact that the introduction of ABSs is going to have on the legal profession. I'm afraid to say I find this incredibly reactive and I do hope that there are plenty of firms out there who are quietly and strategically considering how they can best take advantage of the changes which the LSA 2007 will allow, including the regulatory changes in the form of OFR (Outcome Focused Regulation).
The SRA consultation paper, "Achieving the right outcomes" sets out that one of the benefits of OFR will be flexibility and innovation and states that this new approach "presents challenges for firms in determining for themselves the approach to delivering the right outcomes for clients". So how will your firm rise to this challenge?
Will ABSs raise an alternative to outsourcing which allows firms to retain control of every strategic aspect of the business by bringing in the skills to effectively manage those aspects law firms have found difficult? Perhaps it will bring opportunities to small and medium sized firms to partner with organisations which have the skills and experience which lawyers are not trained in?
A group of firms has responded to the threat/opportunity by rebranding as Quality Solicitors with the hope that this brand will become instantly recognisable on the high street. www.rollonfriday.com report that in their view this "...looks more Lada dealer than Bentley." Time will tell whether this franchise will work and whether it's brand appeals to you or not, it is a proactive attempt to take advantage of the changes ahead.
Jures, the new legal research company commissioned a report into what consumers wanted from the new legal services market http://www.jures.co.uk/whitepapers/gz12v6nD_FIVE%20PAGES%20JURES.pdf. The report states that "Quality of service was by far the number one issue for consumers....way above the reassurance of a familiar name." To put this into context, the consumers were questioned on legal services being offered by known high street brands. This raises a conundrum as to how a firm is going to offer the reassurance of quality of service to potential clients without the existence of a brand.
Whether the fears of "Tesco Law" will come to pass or not, we can learn much about brand, consistency and customer care from supermarkets; even the way the shelves are stacked is a deliberate strategy to increase sales! As lawyers, we have historically not been very strong on cross selling whereas it is reported by Legal Futures that Co-operative Legal Services are benefiting from opportunities to do just this. http://www.legalfutures.co.uk/latest-news/strong-results-for-co-op-legal-services
So don't worry, you don't have to turn into shelf stackers. What you can do is proactively put into place a plan which will identify your target market and their needs and develop a brand and culture which will consistently deliver the results your client are looking for; creating a win:win synergy.
Michaela Hardwick of Beyond Expectation is a Legal Performance Coach who helps law firms and lawyers to find their own solutions through insightful questioning and listening techniques. Having worked in practice for 12 years as a Solicitor and Quality Manager, Michaela is only too aware of the challenges facing lawyers. All coaching offered by Beyond Expectation is accredited for CPD points by the SRA. Find out more at www.beyond-expectation.co.uk or by emailing michaela@beyond-expectation.co.uk or calling 0121 288 6002.
January 2010
A Quiet Revolution - Changing business models for legal services
Examples of new business structures for high street law firms in free briefing PDF
There has been a lot of coverage of legal disciplinary practices (LDPs) in recent months. These are a direct provision of the Legal Services Act 2007 and they enable law firm practices to be operated in partnership with non-lawyers.
But they are not applicable to most law firms - only law firms with 3 or more partners are eligible - and there are other responses to increased competition in the legal market which may be better options for smaller firms.
For example, setting up as a virtual law firm or a dispersed law firm: the latter dispenses with a physical office and has staff working virtually from home or other chosen location while the former offers legal services directly on the Internet. Savings can be made in overheads and other expenses while a virtual Internet presence selling services online is a 24/7 opportunity to increase revenue.
A new free briefing from IRN Research - http://www.irn-research.com/index.php?/main/sector_specific_services/legal_services - looks at all the above changes to business structures and business models taking place in the UK legal services market. The briefing can be viewed and downloaded free without any registration at:
http://www.irn-research.com/index.php?/main/content/download/379/1406/file/legalbrief12009.pdf
September 2009
Cut through the hype - read the Guide to Online Social Networking for Law Firms
Legallybetter MD Jon Hepburn (and founder and owner of legal marketing consultancy Fedora Consultancy) has produced a practical guide to online social networking for law firms. Based on his own experiences, it provides an introduction to the opportunities arising from online developments that are rapidly changing how the internet is used and provides a clear guide to how these tools can be used to real effect by law firms. To see a PDF version of the guide click on this link:
Online Social Networking Guide PDF
August 2009
Client Satisfaction Surveys - putting your reputation online
The latest Lexcel Link newsletter (Issue 16) contains an article on Client Satisfaction Surveys from Legallybetter Director David Mort along with other articles on Client Care. An extract is included below and you can read the full article on page 9 of the newsletter by following this link:
http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/productsandservices/lexcel/publications.page
Client Satisfaction Surveys - Putting your Reputation Online
Introduction
In the new market for legal services a key issue for law firms, and particularly smaller ones, is how to run a business in an environment of near-continuous legislative change, regulatory upheaval and an increasingly competitive marketplace. Resources are limited and fee earning is vital, but so is business development - working 'on' your business, not just 'in' your business.
The shift needed by some from 'This is what we offer clients' to 'What would you like from us' is an important question law firms of all sizes now have to answer otherwise they risk losing clients to competitors - historic and new players such as banks, supermarkets and insurance companies.
The economic downturn is squeezing marketing spend even further. Many law firms are seeking to utilise a relatively cost-effective way to spread the word about their services - feedback from satisfied clients.
The Marketing Value of Good Client Feedback
Client satisfaction surveys are important measures of how well you are serving your client base. They highlight strengths and weaknesses and areas where change and improvements are needed, and allow law firms to benchmark their performance over time. In addition, they can identify other client demands and potential new sales opportunities. For example, individual personal injury/conveyancing clients satisfied with your service may then be open to other services such as wills and probate.
Non-confidential information from these surveys can also be used, with the client's consent, to spread the word more widely about your good practices. In other words, word of mouth from satisfied clients becomes a cost-effective and very useful marketing tool.
The Lexcel Standard section 7.5 states that "Practices will have a process to monitor client satisfaction". Legallybetter.com offers an opportunity for law firms undertaking client satisfaction surveys to bring the feedback from these surveys to a wider audience via a new independent web site that brings together client reviews and ratings of law firms and solicitors in one place.
Building brand awareness through client feedback
Think people, processes and the delivery of your service. Brands are not just packaged items sold in supermarkets. For lawyers the brand is strongly demonstrated by the people providing the service, and the people using the services. Using one of your strongest assets - your existing client base - can help to increase awareness of your brand, reputation, and potentially generate more business.
Despite any poor perception of lawyers and solicitors fuelled by media coverage, the overwhelming majority of clients are positive about the legal services they receive. This should be helping to provide opportunities for law firms to utilise client testimonials and reviews to highlight the merits of their business and good service to a wide audience via a variety of channels, including the internet.