Social Networking for Law Firms

Transcription

1 Social Networking for Law Firms DAVID LAUD PUBLISHED BY

2 Social Networking for Law Firms is published by Managing Partner UK/EUROPE/ASIA OFFICE Ark Conferences Ltd 6-14 Underwood Street London N1 7JQ United Kingdom Tel +44 (0) Fax +44 (0) NORTH AMERICA OFFICE Ark Group Inc 4408 N. Rockwood Drive Suite 150 Peoria IL United States Tel Fax AUSTRALIA/NZ OFFICE Ark Group Australia Pty Ltd Main Level 83 Walker Street North Sydney NSW 2060 Australia Tel Fax Online bookshop Commissioning Editor Legal Helen Roche Reports Publisher International Fiona Tucker UK/Europe/Asia enquiries Hannah Fiddes US enquiries Daniel Smallwood Australia/NZ enquiries Steve Oesterreich ISBN: (hard copy) (PDF) Copyright The copyright of all material appearing within this publication is reserved by the authors and Ark Conferences It may not be reproduced, duplicated or copied by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher. ARK2432

3 Social Networking for Law Firms DAVID LAUD PUBLISHED BY

4 Contents Executive summary... V About the author...vii About the contributors...ix Acknowledgements...XI Part One: Social networking guidance for law firms Chapter 1: Introduction to social networking... 3 Social networking explained... 3 Social media statistics... 9 Effective social networking Chapter 2: The social firm Benefits Ownership Reputation Client service support Policy Department responsibilities Recruitment Security Chapter 3: Networking across the firm Online/offline Clients as opinion formers Technology Knowledge sharing Effective connectivity and collaboration Intranets Improving performance Challenges III

5 Contents Chapter 4: Creating a social strategy Goals and objectives Brand management Client care Platforms Putting plans into action The long game Chapter 5: Selling the value of social networking Concerns around the use of social tools How a law firm could use social tools internally The proposed approach Conclusion Chapter 6: Measuring success External facing social media Metrics Monitoring and reporting Chapter 7: Measuring success An in-depth guide on measuring enterprise social networking Defining value and success Developing use cases Choosing, designing, and implementing Measuring Conclusion Chapter 8: Trends in social networking Technology Client behaviour Trends The future of law firm applications of social media Part Two: Case studies Case study 1: Wragge & Co Case study 2: Drost, Gilbert, Andrew & Apicella, LLC Case study 3: Stanley de Leon Solicitors Case study 4: Tilly Bailey & Irvine IV

6 Executive summary A GREAT deal has been written, blogged, tweeted, and even published in the traditional manner on the topic of social networking. For some it has created new careers and opened a world of collaboration and opportunity. McKinsey estimated that the application of corporate social networking platforms could result in productivity improvements of almost 25 per cent. 1 IBM s worldwide study of 1,700 CEOs identified that those most likely to outperform the competition are those who embrace a culture of openness and cite the use of social tools as a key aid. 2 There is certainly no shortage of experts willing to share their particular take on maximising social media for personal and business advantage. So why then are so many owners, partners, directors, and managers still confused or unsure of the true benefits of social networking? Perhaps there is just too much information bombarding the business and legal communities. This report therefore aims to cut through the confusion, to focus on the key aspects of social networking mediums, and to offer practical advice on developing a social networking strategy for a law firm. The report will look at both the wellpublicised external side of social networking and the growing trend to adopt the platforms for internal communication. The world looks somewhat different now than it did 10 years ago. The global financial crash and the subsequent fall out for business and consumers is something we are all adapting to. Cost saving, client care, compliance, and acquiring and retaining the right talent for firms have been, and continue to be, key priorities. It has become harder to motivate and engage with employees who are themselves concerned about their future. Equally, it has become harder to win new business as clients seek greater savings and increased value from additional service delivery. Changes in legislation and the rise of independent legal service providers have driven many practices to closure and have left others vulnerable to aggressive acquisition. It is a tough time for the legal profession. However, what was true of successful firms in the past remains true today in terms of clients and staff. The best firms have a vision, a clear focus on clients, and they know who those clients are, where they are to be found, and essentially what those clients are looking for. These firms recruit the best talent and keep them motivated and well trained with a keen client centric approach to all matters. Law firms nowadays cannot survive by simply having a website, placing adverts, and by paying staff and lawyers a decent salary and offering good benefits. So, what do these firms need to do to thrive in the twenty-first century? While the full answer to that question is admittedly likely to encompass more than a social networking strategy, this report looks specifically at how social networking as a medium to communicate and engage will help develop a legal practice. V

7 Executive summary This report provides a detailed definition of social networking and its background leading up to the current day. Twenty-one of the leading platforms are analysed with statistical data provided to help determine which may prove the most advantageous for a firm s particular needs. The report looks at current trends, how clients are using social media, and the manner in which law firms can use the platforms to engage in meaningful dialogue. Without launching into overly technical jargon, it looks at the technology that lies behind the media and explores how it is evolving. One very important section of the report investigates the social firm, and drills down into the model of a law firm using social networking tools in each and every possible facet of their business. Consideration of the risk and exposure of social media use by employees, the reputational factors, and its use in recruitment also feature within this report. The report also looks at examples of networking across firms. Knowledge sharing and collaborative working have led to an all-important increase in job satisfaction. There are challenges to be faced in making internal processes work and these are explored fully. The report reviews the important strategic thinking behind a social networking plan and considers the steps to be taken in creating a workable and successful campaign. One key obstacle to social networking is often the internal perception of new technology and its place in the legal world. For some firms this is not an issue, however, for many it remains a sticking point with strong views often expressed on the time and resource spent with little tangible view of returns. To assist in this aspect of planning, this report considers methodologies and strategies to implement. Being able to put forward a strong proposition will require evidence of analysis and ongoing measurement. This should not be overlooked in any social networking initiative, external or internal, and this report assists by discussing the various options, tools, and management methods of measuring social media activity. The report concludes with a number of case studies which help to bring to life key elements of the report. Information on staff engagement, external marketing, and making social networking a core part of the business has been shared by the case study law firms. Overall, this report aims to demystify the world of social networking, to provide practical guidelines on developing a strategy for a law firm, and to help create a positive approach to this increasingly important field of business development and management. References 1. See: telecoms_internet/the_social_economy. 2. See: www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/ pressrelease/37793.wss. VI

8 About the author DAVID LAUD is the chief executive of Samuel Phillips Law Firm, a chartered marketer, and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. In addition, he runs his own marketing consultancy and smart phone application company. His early career saw him spend 10 years with global travel company Thomas Cook where he headed the project team to build a new money transfer product, MoneyGram. Following the successful launch, David joined US telecoms giant AT&T as head of marketing for the Systemedia Division. For the past 17 years, David has worked closely with the legal sector and regularly contributes to marketing and management focused articles in The Lawyer and The Law Society Gazette in addition to numerous online forums. His interest in social media started with the need to keep up with two teenage daughters on MSN messenger, Facebook, and MySpace. Over time, David identified the potential of the medium for his own businesses and clients. To keep up to date with developments he maintains a wide variety of social networking accounts and was recently selected by the BBC to contribute to a Radio 4 debate as a social media specialist. Despite business interests and social media taking a large part of David s time, he still finds a spare moment to take part in the odd run. To date he has completed 13 half marathons. David is married and lives in the North East of England with his wife, Jo, and three teenage children. VII

9 About the contributors JAMES MULLAN is the knowledge management systems manager at Field Fisher Waterhouse where he is responsible for the firm s intranet, enterprise search tool, internal social media tools, and other knowledge systems. Before joining Field Fisher Waterhouse, James worked at CMS Cameron McKenna where he was responsible for the development of social media tools within the Knowledge & Information Services Team and managed several other knowledge projects. In addition to his own blog ( James has contributed to several books on the use of social media tools both within libraries and by law librarians, and has spoken at a number of conferences on the use of social media tools and techniques within libraries and law firms. During 2012/13 James was President of the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL) and was part of the project team that redesigned the BIALL website. GORDON VALA-WEBB is national director, innovation and information with Canadian law firm McMillan LLP. His passion is working with leaders to improve their organisations results by helping them transform how their people collaborate, innovate, and share what they know. Gordon is an award-winning enterprise social-networking and knowledge thought-leader/ practitioner with over 13 years of experience working with large/complex public and private sector organisations. Most recently he was national director of knowledge management for PwC Canada. As part of the selection and rollout of a global social networking platform across PwC s network of firms (175,000 people in over 150 countries), Gordon led the Business Value/Design team. That platform won New Way of Business (best-in-show) at JiveWorld in October He has a Masters in the Management of Technology (Faculty of Engineering, Waterloo), an MA (Politics) from Queens University, and was certified as a Human Capital Strategist (HCI). Gordon lives in Toronto and blogs at IX

10 Acknowledgements IT IS hoped that readers will find this report useful and, above all, that it is a tool that can be referred to in managing the social networking activity of your firm both internally and externally. Writing this, my second publication for Managing Partner/Ark Group, has been a timely exercise. As with the first report, researching and writing the chapters proved invaluable in refreshing and improving my appreciation of the complexities of managing this growing medium. There are a number of very important individuals who have assisted in bringing this project to its completion. I must thank my family for their patience in losing me for many weekends and evenings hopefully it will have proved worthwhile. Once again I am very grateful for the opportunity presented to me by Managing Partner/Ark Group and the trust that Helen Roche and the team have placed in me and my fellow contributors. Those fellow contributors have delivered excellent content and I am very grateful for the time and professionalism of James Mullan and Gordon Vala-Webb. I appreciate how hard it can be to juggle a busy working schedule with writing detailed content of this nature. Case studies are always very useful for readers to review and learn from real examples of firms experiences with social media. Thank you to Colin Gilbert of DGAA, Sarah Zokay-West of Stanley de Leon, Victoria Cornfield of Tilly Bailey & Irvine, and Paul Thewlis and Kathryn Hobbs of Wragge & Co. I trust that this report will help shape and support the management of your social networking activities. I welcome comments and would be happy to engage in a discussion on any of the points covered in the following chapters. You can find me on David Laud XI