The Battle of the Brands Law firm marketing comes in two flavours. First, there is firm marketing which is designed to promote the firm’s brand. The firm sponsors events, advertises, and engages in a myriad of other activities, all designed to convince their target market that Super Duper LLP is a fantastic law firm. Their lawyers are the brightest and best looking, know all the judges and politicians, and are leaders in the profession. The firm pays for all of that marketing. Second, there is the personal marketing conducted by the individual lawyers. Robbie Rainmaker and Darlene Dollars buy lunch, take folks to the Scotiabank Arena to see the Maple Leafs lose, and speak at conferences. Robbie convinces potential clients that he is a fantastic lawyer and Darlene tells them to choose her instead. The firm pays for all of this too. So what happens when Robbie announces that he is leaving Super Duper Inc. to join a firm which has better resources to serve his clients, both in Canada and internationally, which is code for “the new firm is going to pay me more money than Super Duper LLP was paying me?” Well, if the firm marketing was great, perhaps Robbie’s clients will stay with Super Duper LLP. But if Robbie’s personal marketing was better, the clients would probably go with him. I used to have one partner who focused on firm marketing. He told every client who would listen that every lawyer in the firm was fantastic. Then he left the firm. We kept his clients. I had another partner who told everyone that he was the greatest lawyer in Canada, if not the world. When he departed, his clients left as well. Every firm wants their lawyers to be team players, and it is in the interest of every lawyer to be one, because a good firm brand will help them promote their own brand. For example, Robbie would rather be able to present himself as “Robbie Rainmaker of Super Duper LLP.” instead of having to identify himself as “Robbie Rainmaker from Third Rate Scoundrels LLP.” So here is the dilemma: How do lawyers in a firm draw the line between promoting the firm and pitching themselves? Go too far in the first direction and clients will not come with you when you leave the firm. At the opposite extreme, the partners are calling you out for not being a team player. They may even dock you in compensation! If only these were the old days when lawyers stayed with firms forever and few cared whether or not they had the ability to leave and take their clients with them. But these days are different. Lawyers need to be strategic about their marketing. In my view, the most successful strategy is to promote yourself first and foremost, while paying as much lip service to the firm marketing as you have to in order to protect your job and your compensation. Marketing expert Neville Pokroy and recruiter Jennifer Gillman both say that I am wrong and that you can have it all. The links to their articles are in the comments. #lawyers #businessdevelopment
Patti Macdonald
1mo
Social media is changing the landscape here, Murray. Who has more followers? Richard Branson or Virgin? Richard Branson. How about Bill Gates vs. Microsoft. Bill. Even a company in the business of marketing - Gary Vaynerchuk or VaynerMedia? Gary Vee. None of this has to do with marketing budgets or company culture. It has to do with how customers wish to engage and connect in this day and age. It’s a new metric. In my view, firms should shift their focus away from marketing and toward looking after their people; they should be encouraging people to have unique and independent brands that attract work and revenue opportunities. But then they HAVE TO create a culture and environment where those people want to stay (other than for money).
Joe Nunes
1mo
Murray Gottheil missing from this trio of posts is that behind the brand is not just a collection of lawyers but a mission, culture and shared resources that ideally are unique. The more unique the firm the easier it is for Robbie Rainmaker to attract clients the firm can effectively serve and the harder it is for Robbie to take clients to a new firm. But why would Robbie ever want to leave a firm that has a culture that resonates with him? As you have noted many times in the past, a culture built only upon making money is an environment where people are overworked and eventually burned out. There has to be more to life as a practicing professional than the dollars.
Julie Savarino
1mo
Often, a firm's brand is a major factor in bet-the-company and major and complex transactions and cases. But, clients always hire individual attorneys based on their: experience, expertise, and how well they fit-match the client's other decision-making criteria. Firm's are also hired routinely when they are on the company's or entities Approved Outside Counsel list or are their Preferred Outside Counsel firms.
Heather Suttie
1mo
A balanced approach was my take in 2012, long before lateral transfers—particularly in the last 10 years—became a high contact, big money sport with programs to tell the players and team jerseys becoming almost a necessity. https://heathersuttie.ca/insights/firm-vs-lawyers/
Brian Gottheil
1mo
In this day and age, I suspect clients would flock to a firm called Third Rate Scoundrels LLP.
Neil Di Spirito
1mo
Murray Gottheil one thing is never do…is take advice from a non-lawyer on lawyer or law firm marketing. 🤷♂️🤷♂️😎
This is a fascinating topic and I am obviously biased as a solo because my personal brand is my company brand. I think if I was with a firm or company I would concentrate on more academic posts promoting the firm, but infusing personality. Then, I would probably do very off topic personal posts. It’s a tricky balance.
Jamil Eldar
1mo
The answer probably depends a lot on the kind of clients, but indeed - why not do both? I think most clients will react well to "I'm a stong professional working for a reputable firm" brand as opposed to "I'm an OK professional working for a brilliant firm" or "I'm a star working for a OK-ish firm". (On that note, I know many superb professionals who work for excellent firms, and when some of them move practices, they tend to go from one good firm to another.)
Retired Chairman at Woodbine Entertainment Retired Chair at Osler,Hoskin&Harcourt LLP
1moMurray-I think it depends a great deal on how credible the partner and firm are. The best people can take the clients they originated Most people can at best take only some clients or part of the work if their firm is as strong as the new firm. Some clients won’t move if they are deeply and broadly embedded in the firm and happy. Even in a big firm, a client’s loyalty may switch depending on what part of their business becomes the most important area of legal focus. Currently, I think that is the best opportunity for insurgents. For mining companies, elite environmental and indigenous law expertise are great opportunities for elite personnel to build new relationships.