By Susanne L. Mandel
While we continue to face the COVID-19 pandemic, lawyers and their business development teams recognize that marketing, client contact, and new business development of course cannot be done in-person. This does not mean, however, that those important action steps should not be taken at all. They often can be accomplished remotely, such as through Zoom calls and virtual events such as holiday and cocktail parties.
Despite the benefits of technology, one of the best steps that lawyers can take now, for both client relations and new client development, is to write – and my firm’s efforts prove it.
Writing has always been among the best tools for lawyers to establish credibility and stay top-of-mind. This is true now more than ever, with content having moved to the forefront of pandemic tools. It also gives attorneys something of substance to forward to a client to whom they are trying to cross-market other areas of the firm that may not currently represent the client, instead of a simple and often forgettable message to the effect of, “How about meeting a couple of my partners who would like to try to persuade you to hire them.”
What to Write
Lawyers should be writing client alerts, newsletters, blog posts, and articles. These materials should explore and analyze legal issues relating to COVID-19 (for example, developments relating to employment, benefits, privacy, cybersecurity, and health law) – or non-COVID-19 legal developments that continue to occur on a daily basis (for example, court decisions, new and proposed legislation, and new and proposed regulatory changes) in areas that existing and prospective clients will find relevant.
Now and early in the New Year lawyers also can explore changes in the law and regulatory developments that clients and prospective clients are likely to face in 2021, as well as any anticipated impact after the new administration takes over.
It Works!
Attorneys at Lowndes have taken writing to heart. From February to October of 2020, we have published 200 articles, client alerts and blog posts – quadruple the amount written during the same period in the previous year. This dramatic increase in writing activity has not only kept us top-of-mind but has also cemented several client relationships and brought in new business from both existing and new clients.
As can be seen in the “News and Knowledge” section of our law firm’s website, the topics have reflected the breadth of our firm’s practice. For example, one article – by Daniel F. McIntosh, the chair of the firm’s Real Estate practice group, and Emmett Egger, an associate in the firm’s Commercial Litigation Group – analyzed a recent amendment to the Florida Fair Housing Act.
Another article – by Rebecca Wilson, chair of the firm’s Land Use, Zoning & Environmental Group; Tara L. Tedrow, a shareholder in that practice group; and McGregor T. Love, an associate at the firm – reviewed an executive order by Florida’s governor allowing local governments to meet remotely.
And as another example, Lowndes attorneys Rachel D. Gebaide (chair of the firm’s Labor and Employment Law Group), Morey Raiskin (of counsel in that group), and associate Rasheem Johnson recently discussed what employers need to know about voters’ approval of Florida’s minimum wage increase.
One of the most prevalent issues of our time – both before and during the pandemic – is cybersecurity. Working remotely, and certainly using phones and other personal devices for work-related exchanges, can create much higher risk for securing client documents. This topic has been addressed several times from multiple perspectives by Drew Sorrell (chair of the firm’s Cybersecurity & Privacy Group).
The value of these written materials has gone well beyond merely posting them on our firm’s website. Among other things, they have been distributed directly to clients and promoted on the firm’s social media pages. Some emanated from webinars; others were turned into webinars. And most have served the cross-marketing purpose well, as our attorneys have forwarded each article with a personal note to key clients and contacts. As a result, each written piece has served multiple and diverse purposes and has been viewed by multiple and diverse audiences.
Conclusion
Although many if not most lawyers are likely to continue to be working from home for the foreseeable future, there is no need for client relations or new business development to suffer. Lawyers and law firms can continue to reach out with meaningful, substantive, timely, and easily digestible expositions on legal and business topics that clients and prospects will find of interest and of practical importance.
Susanne L. Mandel, an advisor to Promova, is Chief Business Development & Marketing Officer at Lowndes, a multi-discipline law firm in Orlando, Florida.