Law Practice Tips

An impressive logo establishes your firm’s professional presence and helps it stand out from the competition. Logos can be used on printed materials like brochures, business cards, and stationery. They can also be used on electronic media like e-mail, firm websites, and social networking.  Make your logo distinctive with colors, design, and imagery.  For more tips, read articles about building a brand ,  choosing a firm name ,  creating a firm logo ,  illustrative examples , and types to consider . Also see below for links to creative logos used by small law firms with injury, family, and criminal law practices. Samples of Logos Used by Small Firms Bicycle  (Law office of Jeffrey Glassman, Boston MA) Monogram Incorporating Initials of Firm Name (Abdo Law Firm, Clinton, MI) Animal  (David Wolf, Jacksonville, FL)  Abstract  (Sandy Fox, Miami, FL)

Law firm brochures make prospects aware of your firm and alert clients to your services. Click here for an article with tips for do-it yourselfers. The article also has tables that provide cost details and links to sample brochures created by solos and small firms.

Letter writing is an effective method of communication. Letters are useful for persuading an adversary, explaining complicated issues to a client, and submitting detailed proposals and replies. Letters also work well for personal matters like condolences, congratulations, and thank you’s. Read on for tips for writing professional letters that improve your communications. Electronic vs Paper As a first step, consider whether to send a text message or email since they serve a different purpose than letters. Text messages are best for urgent communications, but they can be intrusive, misplaced, and misunderstood. Emails are less intrusive and work well for short requests, quick updates, and distributing information quickly to a large number of people. Letters are effective for communicating lengthy, complex, or confidential information. Letters must be carefully written since they are held to a higher standard of care than electronic communications. Consider using a hybrid approach of com

Lawyers can use marketing pamphlets to attract new clients and develop additional work from existing clients.  Click here for an article with tips on how to use pamphlets alone or in conjunction with other marketing activities like directory listings and firm websites.

Free listings are available from Yelp, Google, and lawyer directories like Martindale-Hubbell, Justia.com, FindLaw,com, LawInfo.com, and SuperLawyers.com. Below are tips for creating listings and resources for improving them.   Tips Assignment - Start by assigning responsibility to a staff member for creating and updating directory listings. Budgeting - Consider paying for premium features  to improve your firm’s visibility.  Content - Include affiliations, names, bio's, publications, specializations, and links to social media accounts.   Directories   -  Listing in multiple directories will make your firm findable and improve your rankings on search engines like Bing and Google. Ethics - Carefully examine your options and comply with ethical requirements. Tracking - Consider using an app to track results and optimize benefits from directory listings. Articles Creating Directory Listings Digital Marketing for Lawyers Google Listings Google Reviews Managing Directory Listings U

Writing articles (also known as content marketing) can help you gain visibility and win new clients.  Publishing your articles online and in print can drive traffic to firm websites, lead to new clients, and bring media inquiries and speaking engagements. Click here for an article that provides writing tips and resources for lawyers who want to write articles to promote their practice. Click here for an article that explains how content marketing can be more effective than social media marketing. Learn more by reading ABA books about Building a Law Practice One Article at a Time  and Creating an Online Publishing Strategy for Law Firms .

A newsletter can be an effective tool for marketing the services of your law firm.  Alternatives include  blogging ,  e-alerts  and hybrid  combinations . Newsletters alert existing clients to available services and attract new clients to the firm.  Below are tips, resources, and samples to successfully market your firm with newsletters. Tips Articles  - write articles about accomplishments, lawyers, and developments Digital  - publish a digital version and email with services like  Mailchimp  or  TinyLetter Fee  - consider publishing for free instead of charging a fee Paper - publishing a print edition to send by US Mail Title - select a nice and catchy title to stand out from competition Articles Creating E-Newsletters E-mail Marketing Mailing Printed Newsletters Managing Relationships with Email Publishing Firm Newsletters Rainmaking with a Firm Newsletter Resurgence of Newsletters Starting a Newsletter Writing Effective Newsletters Books Business Writing Developing and Writing News