JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 ISSUE FOR THE GREATER CHICAGO ...€¦ · even longer and, hopefully, even...
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JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 ISSUE FOR THE GREATER CHICAGO CHAPTER OF THE ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL ADMINISTRATORS ADMINISTRATOR’S ADVANTAGE MARKETING
Transcript of JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 ISSUE FOR THE GREATER CHICAGO ...€¦ · even longer and, hopefully, even...
ADMINISTRATOR’S ADVANTAGE
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019 ISSUE FOR THE GREATER CHICAGO CHAPTER OF THE ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL ADMINISTRATORS
ADMINISTRATOR’SADVANTAGE
MARKETING
The Administrator’s Advantage Page 2 708+478+1000 nextdayplus.com
CELEBRATING
TWENTY YEARS!
Thank you Greater Chicago Chapter of the ALAfor being a part of our journey and success.
EST. 1998
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From
the
Edito
rHello from my new office at Aronberg Goldgehn.
As I write we have just survived the bone numbing polar vortex. My offices were closed on Wednesday (01/30) and Thursday (01/31). I did not leave my home until Thursday after-noon. I am a Chicago native born and bred and I still absolutely hate the cold weather. But we are now on our way to Spring sweet Spring. On Thursday (02/07) we had 2 hours and 5 min-utes more of daylight than on December 21st
and the sun’s rays were 87% stronger. Woohoo!! As you read this, it will be lighter even longer and, hopefully, even warmer. This is what I tell myself as I cross the bru-tal Chicago River bridge on the way to my office.
Marketing also has many differences of degrees. You might be a one-man team mar-keting your firm or you may have a staff of many. We proudly present our Marketing edition of the newly fully electronic newsletter. I don’t know about you, but I already miss my print edition. I hope you read the great articles and they help you become the great marketer we always knew you could be.
Our articles touch on a variety of subjects. We have articles on social media market-ing, hiring marketing pros to assist, or outsourcing your marketing department alto-gether. We give you some of the marketing mistakes many make and tips on how to prevent and overcome them. Lastly, we give you the argument for physical marketing materials and the evolution of paper products.
As our committee met to plan this edition, the new year was relatively new. In that vein, we asked members to share the new additions to their families no matter what form they took. I love what we have. Please feel free to send us pictures anytime. We love to share.
Great marketing means a great logo. In Legal Levity we give you some of the most recognizable logos in the world. Can you guess what each logo is? It may not be as easy as you think. Let us know how many you got right.
Congratulations to Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP and John Podbielski for sharing their story. John’s firm won the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) award for their re-branding project. Or as they call it, “the birth of a new firm visual identity in under 5 months”. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. I hope you enjoy reading about it as much as the newsletter committee did.
So, sit back and have a read. We hope you enjoy reading all the articles we were able to include. And as always, we would love to hear from you.
Sue
By
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Marketing Articles
Stationery Evolution - 3 Ways to Progress ......................... 18By Vicky LaBarge
The Advantages of Outsourcing ...................................... 22By Allison B. Millar
Getting Creative with Hiring:How to Attract Top-Notch Marketing Pros to Your Firm ....... 26By Brittany Vasquez and Sora Choi
The Biggest Marketing Mistakes ...................................... 29By Ross Fishman
Want Your Staff to Share Your Firm’s Social Media Posts?You Must Do This First .................................................... 32By:Spencer X. Smith
Features President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Holiday Party Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Business Partner Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Special Recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Legal Levity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Member Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Got CLM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Newsletter Editor: Susan [email protected] Newsletter Committee:
Jane [email protected]
Betsy A. Kopczynski 312-499-1475 [email protected]
Maria [email protected]
Design:Heiniger Design, Inc. [email protected]
Photos:Robotoaster
ALA Mission Statement: The Association of Legal Administrators’ mission is to promote and enhance the competence and profes-sionalism of all members of the legal management team; improve the quality of management in law firms and other legal service organizations; and represent professional legal management and managers to the
A Chapter of theAssociation of Legal Administrators
ADMINISTRATOR’S ADVANTAGE
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Business PartnersThe Greater Chicago Chapter wishes to thank all of our sponsors for their generous contributions and support:
Gold Sponsors:
Next Day PlusOne LegalUPS
Silver Sponsors:Braden Business SystemsEPIQFlexManageGarvey’s Office ProductsGenesis Technologies, Inc.Keno KozieKonica Minolta Business SolutionsSkenderWarehouse Direct
Bronze Sponsors:ABA Retirement Funds
ALL-STATE LEGALAndromeda Technology SolutionsAvanti Staffing, Inc.Beacon Hill LegalBIG Construction, LLCBluelockBradford Allen Realty Services
Canon Business Process Services, Inc.CIBC Bank USACBRE, Inc.Clune Construction CompanyCoffee UnlimitedDatasource, InkEntaraExela TechnologiesFloor InnovationsGregg CommunicationsGunlockeHumanscaleICG - Interior Construction Group, Inc.Impact Networking LLCiSolvedIST Management ServicesKastle SystemsLexitas LegalNelsonNuance Communications, Inc.PerfectLaw SoftwarePorcaro Stolarek Mete Partners, LLCProven ITR-4 Services, LLC
Rippe & KingstonRisk Strategies CompanyRobert Half LegalSL PensionsSpeakWriteThe Chicago FixThe Horton GroupThompson FlanaganTuttle Printing & EngravingWerner Printing & Engraving Co.
Advertisers Index: Braden Business Systems ................ 34Epiq ................................................... 28FlexManage ....................................... 28Garvey’s Office Products .................. 24Genesis Technologies........................ 23Keno Kozie .......................................... 9Konica Minolta ................................... 34Next Day Plus ...................................... 2One Legal .......................................... 14UPS .................................................. 36Warehouse Direct ............................... 5
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Greater Chicago Chapter Board UpdateHappy New Year! The GCC Board continues to work hard on your behalf. Here are some
important updates.
New Administrative Support for the Chapter – As I reported to you in the fall, we have been
working to hire an association management company to help the Greater Chicago Chapter
manage the logistical challenges of operating a chapter with almost 300 members, over 50
business partners, and over 120 meetings and events annually. We are one of only two large
ALA chapters across the country who have not hired an outside service to provide administra-
tive support (Philadelphia, a much smaller chapter, is the only other). All other large chapters
have met with great success in relying on such outside services. But the GCC relies com-
pletely on volunteer support. That burden can often be overwhelming, resulting in volunteer
burnout, as well as frustrated chapter members and business partners. After three years of
investigating and pursuing various options, and investing considerable effort in another well-
researched RFP process over the past year, the GCC Board has approved hiring Inspire AMC
to support our chapter. I am excited and confident that Inspire will be a great partner for the
Greater Chicago Chapter, allowing us to deliver even more value to legal administrators in the
Chicago market and making our member experience the best it can be, while also making our
volunteer work meaningful and rewarding.
Inspire AMC will handle a lot of the time consuming “grunt work” that is often difficult for
volunteers to do in a timely and efficient manner. This includes:
n Handle membership administration and database (e.g., applications, renewals, communi-
cations & reminders, directory updates)
n Handle business partner administration and database (e.g., applications, renewals, com-
munications & reminders, company information & links on website)
n Administer registration processes for chapter events (e.g., set up events in our systems, for-
mat & send invitations and reminders, handle changes to registrations, work with venues
regarding number of expected attendees, maintain chapter calendar)
n Coordinate electronic chapter newsletter (e.g., maintain subscriber database, format &
distribute newsletter)
n Prepare and distribute communications to GCC Members and BP’s
n Upgrade and manage website functionality and content
n Administer and post on our social media sites
n Handle logistics of board meetings (e.g., collecting & distributing board reports, maintain-
ing chapter records)
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All of Inspire’s work will be done at the direction and under the supervision of the GCC Board and its committees. Inspire will not make any decisions on chapter programming or on how we spend the chapter’s funds. Those and all other strategic decisions remain with the Board. We expect Inspire to begin the transition in February, and be fully in place by April 1. The Board can terminate the arrangement at the end of any year.
Inspire will charge the chapter $67,500 per year for their services. After accounting for the payments we will no longer be making to other vendors, the net annual impact on our chapter finances will be below $35,000 per year. That is about the average amount that the chapter adds to its reserves in most years. This is within the means of the chapter to sustain for the long term, and in the range of what other ALA chapters are paying for simi-lar services. I am eager for the board to begin working with Inspire! This new partnership will help us reinvigorate the chapter, making it more responsive and relevant for members and business partners.
Please feel free to contact me if you want to discuss more of the details of the arrangement.
Iron Chef Kitchen Wars II – I am look-ing forward to seeing many of you at our annual GCC charity event the evening of Wednesday, March 6, at the Chop-ping Block at the Merchandise Mart. Last year’s Iron Chef event was a blast, and Kyle Woodward and the Charitable Event Committee are working hard to make this year even better! Proceeds from the event will benefit the Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Program. Please register soon!
Law Firm Leaders Event - Patti Winter, Tracey Gallegos, Larry Fujara and the rest of the Professional Development Committee are planning a timely and compelling panel presen-tation for our annual Law Firm Leaders program, which is designed for GCC Members and their managing partners. The event will be held at lunch on Tuesday, March 19. Look for details and an invitation soon!
Secretary Supervisor Retreat – Patsy Carey, Mary Gibbard and their team are putting together an outstanding program for the secretarial managers and supervisors retreat. It is scheduled for the afternoon of Wednesday, March 20. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with questions or feedback. I hope to see many of you at the GCC Charity Event on March 6!
Cheers,
Mike Motyka
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Board Members & Chapter Advisors
2018-2019 Greater Chicago Chapter Board of Directors
Michael Motyka - PresidentMarshall Gerstein Borun, [email protected]
Laura Sears - CLM Vice President/President ElectRegion 3 RepresentativeGould & Ratner [email protected] 312-899-1660
Ken Koehn - Vice President Elect/TreasurerGould & Ratner, [email protected]
Jose Cheesman, CLM - SecretaryHall Prangle SchoonveldEmail: [email protected]
Betsy Kopczynski - Past President-HistorianEpstein Becker & [email protected]
Anna Sorensen - Business Partner Relations DirectorStradley Ronon Stevens & Young, [email protected]
Mary Ann Rojas, CLM - CLM DirectorPugh, Jones & Johnson, [email protected]
Michelle Howe, PHR - Communications/ Website DirectorDrinker Biddle & Reath [email protected]
Kyle Woodward - Community Relations DirectorFreeborn & Peters [email protected]
Patricia Carey - Large Firm DirectorMcGuireWoods [email protected]
Kat Denk - Membership Director/Director of Member ExperienceBryan Cave Leighton Paisner [email protected]
Rachel Benner - Mid-Size Firm DirectorGolan Christie [email protected]
Susan Burdett - Newsletter DirectorAronberg Goldgehn Davis & [email protected] 312-755-3146
Patricia Winter, CLM, CRM - Professional Development DirectorFORAN [email protected] 312.863.5006
Laura Marlin - Small Firm DirectorMiller Shakman & Beem [email protected]
Suzanne Florez - CLMSpecial Events DirectorDonohue Brown Mathewson & Smyth [email protected]
Barb Javorcic - Survey DirectorMarshall Gerstein & Borun [email protected]
Larry J. Fujara - Finance AdvisorPattishall, McAuliffe, Newbury, Hilliard & Geraldson [email protected]
Carol McCallum, CLM, Human Resource AdvisorArnett Law Group, [email protected] 312-561-5660
Lindsay Shaw, Legal Industry/Business AdvisorIllinois Supreme Court Commission on [email protected]
Tracy Gallegos - Operations/Communications AdvisorArgonne National [email protected] 630-252-4033
Ana Parada, Career Services Advisor Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman & Dunn, Ltd. [email protected] 312.701.6886
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
Your board is always hard at work planning many educational and networking events.
MAKE SURE TO CHECK THE CHAPTER WEBSITE FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON UPCOMING EVENTS
2019 IRON CHEF KITCHEN WARS IIWhen: Wednesday, March 6, 2019 from 4:30 PM to 8:00 PM (CST)Where: The Chopping Block222 West Merchandise Mart Plaza #107Chicago, IL 60654
Law Firm Leaders Luncheon When: Tuesday, March 19, 2019 from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM (CDT)Where: Petterino’s150 North Dearborn StreetChicago, IL 60601
Joint Small and Mid-Size Firm Meeting When: Thursday, March 21, 2019 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (CDT)Where: Donohue Brown Mathewson140 S. DearbornSuite 800Chicago, IL 60603
Small-Size Firm Meeting When: Wednesday, April 10, 2019 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (CDT)Where: Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman & Dunn LTD.55 West Monroe Street#2300Chicago, IL 60603
ALA’s 2019 Annual Conference & Expo When: April 14 – 17, 2019Where: Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center1501 Gaylord TrailGrapevine, TX 76051
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Holiday Party PhotosOur annual Holiday Party was held on December 5th at Rivers Restaurant. This was the first year that it was a Members only event. It was a great venue, great food and a great time for all.
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Busin
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e My name is: Craig A. NadborneI work for: Bradford Allen Realty Services
The company’s product or service is: I’m an office leasing broker / tenant representative. I focus my practice on assisting companies of 1-40 employees, in their search for office space, and in negotiating the leases for renewals and relocations, in downtown Chicago, River North and Fulton Market. These Small to mid-size companies benefit when they hire me as I use insider knowledge that’s been acquired over 30+ years including negotiating 100’s of Tenant friendly leases. My involvement saves all clients time and money. The best news of all is that Tenants have no out of pocket expense for my services, as commissions are paid by Landlords after your new lease is signed and executed. Great introductions are owners of small to mid-size companies and executive directors of Not for Profits.
The company has / is: Bradford Allen is a full-service company. In addition to Tenant Rep services, we also provide Landlord Representation, Property Management Services, Architectural services, Private, Non-Bank, Portfolio Lending thru Bradford Allen Capital, and Project Management.
My title is: Senior Managing Director
Before becoming a business partner to the legal market, I was: I have been a commercial real estate broker for 35 years. Before entering real estate, I was in sales for Owens-Illinois corporation selling Lib-bey Glassware. I was in the international division and traveled overseas 20-25 weeks a year.
I entered the legal market because: Small users of office space should have the same advantages as larger users. This niche was underserved, and I began offering tenant representation services to the smaller firms to even the playing field and provide them with professional representation.
I have a degree in: Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Illinois / Urbana-Champaign
I support ALA because: They are an open-minded group and are supportive of those who support them.
To be successful in the legal market, one has to: Be consistent, persistent and present. Building rela-tionships is the key to long term success.
The thing I like best about being a business partner to the legal market is: Once they get to know and trust you, you become part of their professional network and are a trusted advisor to their firm.
The best advice I have received is: Show up every day. Work hard and treat others how you would like to be treated.
The best advice I would give to someone just entering the legal market is: Get to know people and build relationships. It does not happen overnight, but a good relationship endures over time.
I try to motivate myself and / or my staff by: Setting goals both large and small. To use a baseball analogy, I’m happy hitting singles and doubles. Those may grow to home runs and grand slams, but the smaller hits lead to larger successes.
Three things I do well are: Listen, learn and follow through on a client’s needs / requests.
While I love my current job, my dream job would be: Baseball announcer for the Chicago Cubs. I am a huge baseball fan and have travelled and seen games in almost every major league city. The last good book I read was: I read a lot and some of my favorite authors are: Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, James Patterson, JD Robb and Clive Cussler.
The last good movie I saw was: Split with James McAlvoy, Fallout:Mission Impossible with Tom Cruise and Greatest Showman with Hugh Jackman.
In my free time, I: enjoy spending time with my husband, and other family members who are local. I enjoy working out, staying in shape, and I am active enjoying all things Chicago (restaurants, theater, the lake front).
Cra
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Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP – Visual Identity Rebranding*
Website
Logo and color palette
* just a sampling of the many touch points for the new branding
Email templates
Most likely you have some familiarity with the terms brand and/or branding. What you might be less familiar with is the term visual identity. While a brand is com-prised of many qualities, the visual identity is argu-ably the most important. Many describe a brand as the “people” and the visual identity as the “walk, the talk, the clothes and the hair.” It is in essence a firm’s style. It includes a logo, sure. But it is so much more–from the color palette and contrast methods used on a website–to the typography, icons and illustrations. It includes the photos used to the footage featured in videos.
So what do you do when you are faced with a mere five months to accomplish this undertaking? Not to men-tion getting it done on a shoestring budget less than half of what is typical for a project of this nature? That’s the challenge our marketing team at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP recently faced. It was not easy, that is for sure, but
it was doable. In our case it also resulted in a big win in the receipt of a First Place award in the Brand Enhance-ment category of the 2018 Legal Marketing Association-Midwest Your Honor Awards. Here’s how we did it and lived to tell the tale! And we’ve included some tips for those of you who might be faced with a similar situation.
Process. It Matters.Hinshaw was founded more than 85 years ago, and in all that time had never before engaged in any sort of undertaking of this nature. With the firm’s Chicago HQ getting relocated in a mere five months’ time, a newly hired marketing team was faced with this project right out of the gate. There are a lot of moving parts in a project of this nature, with literally dozens of different visual elements, proj-ect team members, deliverable deadlines, and internal
Hinshaw & Culbertson Receives Top LMA ‘Your Honor’ Award for Visual Identity Rebrand By Michelle Michaels and Oliver Thoenen
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stakeholders. So the first thing we did was to outline a very clear project workflow visual to illustrate a very so-phisticated and complex assembly line. It also involved the establishment of a very clear decisional chain of command, including the build out of roles and respon-sibilities. Most importantly, it involved the creation of an integrated project management schedule with tasks, deadlines, notes, and progress indicators. In our case, we used a GANTT chart and a project manage-ment tool. Tip: if this sounds too intimidating, an Excel spreadsheet will also work. Don’t think for a minute that this was a lot of wasted time and effort, especially when considering the compressed timeline we were operating under. We promise you it was time well spent. In fact, this upfront prep work saved our project from derailing multiple times.
The Project Team – Talent and CommitmentGraphic design is the beating heart of any visual identity undertaking so you simply have to get this staffing right. There are a couple of key roles which must be filled. The first is someone who serves as the creative director. This may sound unnecessary but take it from us, this role is critical. This is the person who not only possesses the strategic insight but also understands and articulates the goals and principles associated with the design process. This person also oversees and ensures that each element
consistently conveys the overall brand experience. This role may sound like a big responsibility, and yes, it can be. In firms with big budgets, this role and responsibil-ity is usually handled by an outside agency. In our case, Michelle assumed this responsibility. It is a critical role which many can fill – just make sure someone does. We were also extremely fortunate to have an underutilized
but very talented in-house graphic designer. Given the sheer volume of design work that had to be completed, we enlisted the assistance of two additional outside designers (Michelle phoned a few friends) to help. We were able to achieve significant cost savings by handling most of the heavy design work ourselves. All of our mes-saging and internal communications were also written and designed in-house. In fact, the majority of our costs were soft costs with approximately 1,300 project hours expended by our team on this project alone. Our most significant hard costs were associated with the reskin of our website.
The Painful but Necessary Approval ProcessMany large firms will spend a year or more on extensive brand research which often includes interviews, focus groups and feedback sessions with individual firm cli-ents and stakeholders about brand attributes. On smaller budget projects such as ours, this kind of qualitative research is not an option. However, there are other less expensive alternatives which can achieve a similar re-sult. We used an informal polling process as an empiri-cal foundation for our proof of concept.
When operating on a hard deadline—as we did—you also have little or no margin for error when it comes to the approval process. Two best practices we enlisted included:
1. Limit the number of reviewers/approvers2. Maintain clear lines of communication with
reviewers/approvers
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
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We can’t stress this enough: when we were nearing our deadlines (remember the GANTT chart) we would limit and/or scale down the number of reviewers. There are two truisms when it comes to design: everyone is a critic and you can’t please everybody. So, just as we did, limit your reviewers to a few key stakeholders—you will thank us later. Also, maintain clear lines of com-munication with your reviewers throughout the project’s full lifecycle. Equally as important, clearly frame the scope of the project and clearly articulate their feedback deadlines.
Gamification. It Really Works!The launch of the firm’s new visual identity was a big deal, so we used it as an opportunity to create excite-ment across the entire firm. Our strategy of choice was an innovative multi-week internal communications campaign. This campaign was unique in that it incorpo-rated gaming concepts designed to generate interest and engagement. It was designed and directed at the entire internal firm population from mail clerk to firm leader-ship.
Our gamification involved a visual identity quiz that was rolled out in a series of emails over the course of five weeks leading up to the official launch date. It incorporated a combination of challenges, prizes, and leaderboard incentives to educate and reinforce the sig-nificance and importance of the project. The campaign
generated an impressive response, with an overall participation rate of more than 40 percent.
Measuring for ResultsWe are perhaps a unicorn in the legal marketing world, but we track and mea-sure wherever and whatever we can. This project was no exception. A few of our measurable success outcomes included:
Websiten enhanced home page search: +10,280 pageviews,
average time on page +4 seconds
n total page views: +11.53%n unique pageviews: +10.74%n average time on page: +3 secondsn new events landing page: reduced bounce rate by
13.57%New Brand Identity and Firm Store Sitesn reduced stocked merchandise inventory by 3,000+
itemsn saved 60+ labor hours dedicated to merchandise
ordersSwitch to Electronic Letterheadn $70,000+ cost savingsInternal Campaign – Gamificationn 40% firm participation rate
ConclusionWhen we think of brands, we usually think of their visual identities—the famous Nike swoosh, the white Apple logo, or perhaps, the distinctive green and yel-low color palette of John Deere. It is undoubtedly their most visible and recognizable asset. So a visual identity overhaul should not be taken lightly. And it can be done successfully without breaking the bank. Based on our experience, what it really takes is some solid planning, strong project management, a dash of ingenuity and a whole lot of fortitude.
Michelle Michaels, CMO and Oliver Thoenen, Strategic Manager, Marketing and Communications – Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
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It’s no surprise to anyone that with the popularity and ease of electronic communication, the use of stationery has decreased. However, paper is not dead as was once predicted. And statio-nery isn’t either. It is simply evolving like other communication vehicles.
Stationery of TomorrowStationery, in the broadest definition, includes letterhead, busi-ness cards, envelopes, note cards and other personalized ma-terials. It is used to make an impression, to communicate. But did you know that it can also create a connection on a deep and meaningful level? Sensory marketing, or marketing that engages more than one sense affects perception, judgment and behavior. Simply put, giving a prospective client something that they can see, hold and interact with is more memorable than just sending an email.
There are many simple ways to join the stationery evolution and create the best impression. Below are just 3.
1. Stand Out with Great Business CardsMany business leaders agree the practice of carrying and ex-changing business cards is alive and well. When you hand your business card to someone, that person is now interacting with you on multiple levels. He or she is hearing you speak, maybe looking down at the card and back at you and possibly just
holding the card, flipping it over and playing with it. With so many different senses being triggered, your meeting is sure to leave a lasting memory.
With all the production options today, your card can truly be an ambassador for your brand. Creative designs, double-thick stocks, colored stocks, clipped or rounded corners, two-sided, vertical layouts…the list goes on and on for ways that you can make your business cards reflect your brand and still be profes-sional. Cards that stand out are memorable and get shared with others continuing to elevate your brand.
Pay close attention to the tactile feel of your cards. Is the paper thin or does it have a nice heft to it? When you run your hand over it, does anything stand out or is the paper and print smooth and flat? The sensory impact of your card can create a lasting impression that will impact potential customers.
2. Make Letterhead More VersatileGone are the days of black ink on cream paper with every part-ner’s name listed. Firm names have shortened. Brands are now more colorful with over 85% of firms having 2+ color logos.Take advantage of the more modern, simple branding and let-terhead design and create “masthead” letterhead. This type of letterhead features just the firm logo and/or name. You can now use your letterhead to send traditional business communica-
Stationery Evolution - 3 Ways to ProgressBy Vicky LaBarge
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tions and use it in other communication vehicles such as pro-posals as attorney bios and marketing packets as practice area sheets. By just featuring your logo, all the offices and all per-sonnel can print using the same letterhead with different print templates with their specific information (phone, address and even name, title and email!). It becomes a multi-purpose sheet that ensures the consistency of your brand with the flexibility of on-demand print.
3. Send Snail Mail with Personalized Note CardsAre you relying mostly on digital communication – online, email, social sites? If you are like most modern businesses, you are. And actually that’s great! Digital communication is “cheap” and easy. It also touches a mass of contacts at one time. However, it can be hard and expensive to really target specific prospective clients electronically. For those opportuni-ties that require a more personal touch, sending a handwritten note card can send just the right message.
MARKETING
Vicki LaBarge is a Regional Sales Manager at ALL-STATE LEGAL, where she is manages a team that services clients from California to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has been with ALL-STATE LEGAL for 12 years. Vicki previously worked for Moore Business Forms and RR Donnelly. Vicki’s professional pas-sion is all about printing, engraving and seeing beautiful designs come to life in a printed format. Vicki also enjoys knowing that she has helped thousands of clients be more efficient and save money on their everyday purchases of legal specific supply items. Outside of work Vicki loves spending as much time as possible with her 4 Grandchildren; luckily they all live within a short drive of her home in California.
Be bold! Your note cards don’t have to be 3 x 5 folded cards with just your name. They can be configured in all shapes and sizes – flat or folded. You can “flood coat” the back with your firm color and engrave your name on the front. Or even emboss your logo for an added touch of sophistication. All of these little touches will encourage the reader to touch and feel the card – making their interaction longer, more meaningful and more impactful.
Plus, what says “you are important” and “I value our relation-ship” more than someone taking the time to find a pen and write a sincere note?
Join the Stationery EvolutionContact your account manager today to discuss the many ideas on how to join the stationery evolution and see live samples of law firm brands, stationery and marketing materials.
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1. Marriott, 2. Shell, 3. Pepsi, 4. Atari, 5. Toyota, 6. Prudential
7. AT&T, 8. Chevrolet, 9. Hewlett-Packard, 10. John Deere, 11. United, 12. Honda
13. Safeway, 14. Chevron, 15. Adidas, 16. Mercedes, 17. American Airlines, 18. Mazda
19. Hilton, 20. Taco Bell, 21. Uber, 22. General Mills, 23. Guinness, 24. Audi
25. Windows, 26. Comcast, 27. Dreamworks, 28. Adidas (again!), 29. Motorola, 30. Linkedin
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When it comes to marketing, we all know that logos and branding are a huge part of it. Every day we see so many logos that have been ingrained in us that we know what they are without seeing the name of the brand. Play our little guessing game below to see which logos themselves you recognize. Some you may get right off the bat and some might be a little trickier. This little exercise might make you realize just how many logos you see in one day that you don’t even notice.
1. Marriott, 2. Shell, 3. Pepsi, 4. Atari, 5. Toyota, 6. Prudential
7. AT&T, 8. Chevrolet, 9. Hewlett-Packard, 10. John Deere, 11. United, 12. Honda
13. Safeway, 14. Chevron, 15. Adidas, 16. Mercedes, 17. American Airlines, 18. Mazda
19. Hilton, 20. Taco Bell, 21. Uber, 22. General Mills, 23. Guinness, 24. Audi
25. Windows, 26. Comcast, 27. Dreamworks, 28. Adidas (again!), 29. Motorola, 30. Linkedin
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7 8 9 10 11 12
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Take the branding challenge
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Sue Burdett’s growing gardbabies. Edison and Eleanor sent this picture to her on New Year’s Day so they could have breakfast together – sort of.
Lindsay Shaw had Regan Beth Shaw at 1:46am on Saturday 1/19/19! 7lbs, 13 oz and 21.5 inches long.
Henry Walter made his grand entrance into the world on Friday, November 16th weighing 7 lbs. 1 oz. and 21” long! Mama Michelle Howe and baby are doing great. This photo was on the ride home.
Heather Bowen shared her non-human babies: Frankie the Frenchie, Bailey the Black Lab & Sawyer the smiling German Shepard mix!
The new year has come and gone. We are excited to share with you some of the new additions members have added to their family. We invite you to share your newbies at any time through the year. Simply send them to any member of the newsletter committee.
Henry’s Big Sister Ellie is clearly enjoying her new role.
LEGAL LEVITY
Jane Klenck giggles with her Goddaughter’s new addition, Clara Grace, in Galena, IL. She is thrilled to have a little one around again!
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The Advantages of OutsourcingBy Allison B. Millar
Your firm’smarketing.
As law firms become more aware of the need to market their services to potential clients, many firms face diffi-cult questions about how best to approach this process. Is it better to hire an internal marketing professional or work with an outside firm? Or is there a hybrid approach? The answer can vary, depending on the firm’s goals, re-sources and approach.
The first step in any new marketing initiative is to identify the immediate and long-term goals and objectives. Is the firm looking for broad name recognition or to promote the specialized expertise of individual attorneys? Do they want to focus on promoting their expertise in a certain market segment, such as healthcare or real estate?
While some law firms historically have been reluctant to pursue broad based marketing activities, the tide is turn-ing as law firms and attorneys realize the benefits of es-tablishing their brand identity and promoting their exper-tise in the marketplace. Marketing is increasingly viewed as necessary for creating a positive presence, maintaining visibility in a competitive landscape and recruiting new attorneys and partners.
By hiring an outside marketing resource, the law firm can step into the marketing arena in a flexible way while leveraging the experiences and expertise those firms
have gained over time. Many outside firms have varied programs and pricing levels that allow for scaling up or down depending on the need. This means that a firm can create a 6-month plan, evaluate the ongoing results and then tweak the plan as needed without the pressure of supporting a full-time employee.
This type of approach is particularly beneficial for firms that are embracing marketing for the first time. The mar-keting firm could establish the program parameters; offer advice on how best to target communications; and pro-vide metrics on how programs are working.
When evaluating outside marketing firms, law firms should make sure they have a background that supports the firm’s expertise. A marketing firm that focuses on the commercial real estate or healthcare industries, for ex-ample, would have extensive contacts in those areas and knowledge of marketing initiatives that will best reach those audiences.
An outside marketing firm might work with attorneys on developing content for a firm newsletter, its website or targeted industry publications; managing the firm’s
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MARKETING
LinkedIn accounts and social media presence; and over-seeing email campaigns, speaking events, and other ini-tiatives designed to building awareness and improving client relations. When hiring a marketing firm, ask to see examples of the type of work they have done for other firms and how goals and objectives were met.
Firms that prefer to hire an internal marketing resource often are looking for more internal collaboration with the marketing process (or specific elements of it) -- and a sense of control over its execution. The firm might have a variety of projects they want to initiate that require fre-quent interaction with various attorneys, for example. Others might have a higher comfort level with working with an employee versus an outside contractor.
Whether hiring an internal or external marketing re-source, the key is to find someone who has marketing expertise as well as a knowledge of the legal profession and any related firm specialty. This creates a greater level
of speed to market and allows the individual and/or the firm to hit the ground running.
With either scenario, law firms should make an assess-ment of their available internal resources and commit-ment. Who will oversee the marketing function --whether it is an outside consultant or an employee -- and are they prepared to spend the necessary time to help plan activi-ties and monitor the outcome? Are key people within the firm truly engaged with a willingness and readiness to be involved?
Regardless of the direction a firm takes, it’s important to have clearly defined goals and measurements. Are they looking to bring in a certain number of new clients, ex-pand into a new geographic market or become a rec-ognized thought leader in certain industry publications? Clear goals can help create accountability and direction and, ultimately, lead to success.
Allison B. Millar is a principal of Open Slate Communications, a national public relations and marketing firm based in the Chicago market. (www.openslatecommunications.com).
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I work for: Miller Canfield PLC.
The firm & practice is: Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C. was established in 1852 when Sidney Davy Miller opened a practice in Detroit, Michigan. Miller Canfield is one of Michigan’s largest law firms and one of the nation’s leading firms in its specialty areas. The Chicago office of Miller Canfield was established in September, 2007 at 225 West Washington Street, Chicago, IL.
My title is: Office Manager and CLE Coordinator.
Before becoming an Administrator: I began my legal career as a receptionist in a small admiralty firm in Houston, Texas. I worked and trained with everyone in the firm who was willing to teach me until I was ready for my first administrative assistant assignment. I was so nervous! I initially worked with an attorney who specialized in admiralty litigation; we seized a lot of vessels and I fell in love with litigation.
I have been working in the legal field for: 35 years. Here’s a big secret: everyone from Texas starts working at the age of three!
I joined ALA Chicago Chapter because: I’ve met some really wonderful people through the ALA; it’s also a great educational resource and a source to gain advice from others who face the same daily challenges as me. The special events the ALA and our vendor sponsors provide are always fun, as well.
To be successful in legal administration:1) Be Honest - Sometimes you have to tell people
things they don’t want to hear; I begin those conversations by telling that person “this is the difficult part of my job...”
2) Be Resourceful - I may not always have the answer but I know who does! Know who has the answers you don’t have!
3) Be Proactive - I attempt to take care of as many things as possible as they arise. I never want someone to wait on me before they can move ahead with their project.
The thing I like best about being an Office Manager is: I never know what I’m going to be doing on a daily basis, which makes each day really interesting. In addition to making sure everyone has everything they need and that the office is fully functioning, I’ve removed staples from hands, stitches from hands, applied Band-Aids, purchased clothes for out-of-town clients and orchestrated really small parties and really large parties, just to name a few.
One of the challenges of being in legal administration is: Remembering all the rules and policies. There are two ways to do things, the firm’s way and my way...they are both the same!
The best advice I’ve ever received is: Admit to your mistakes! Admitting to your mistakes gives you an opportunity to correct them.
The best advice I would give to someone who is just entering the legal management field is: Remember that the employees are the firm’s most valuable asset; do your best to treat them that way.
I try to motivate my staff by: Being flexible. We are all simultaneously trying to work, live our lives, raise families and be productive members of society.
If I weren’t a legal adminisrtator, I would: work in the field of Forensic Anthropology or as a Crime and Death Scene Investigator.
The last good books I read were: “The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women,” by Kate Moore and “Transitions: A Nurse’s Education about Life and Death” by Becki Hawkins.
The last good movie I saw was: I see parts of many, many movies however I rarely see an entire movie due to the inability of my eyes to stay open. The upside is that I’ll never ruin the ending of a movie for you!
The last vacation I took was: To Fort Worth, Texas in October to enter the bake-off at The State Fair of Texas; I won an Honorable Mention for my Vanilla Bean Cream Pound Cake.
The one appointment I never miss is: My Dentist and Dental Hygienist who both give the best advice: “Just take care of the teeth you want to keep!” In my free time, I enjoy: Talking to strangers, occasional day dreaming, laughing and talking with my friends, taking classes of all sorts, cooking competitions (upcoming in 2019 is the Chili Cook-Off at the State Fair of Illinois, and in September, I’m leading a 4-person team, The Unicornadoes(r), in the Hushpuppy Cook-off in my hometown of Lufkin, Texas). I also enjoy studying forensic anthropology; gardening, dancing (currently learning fan dancing) and travelling.
My name is: Patricia L. Ellington Everybody at work just calls me “P”
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The value of a solid marketing strategy can’t be understated – and legal firms are taking notice. To stay competitive and relevant, law firms of all sizes across the Chicagoland area are jumping on the creative train, resulting in a significant uptick in demand for marketing professionals who can meet the distinct needs of the legal industry. According to The Creative Group’s latest State of Creative Hiring research, 60% of adver-tising and marketing hiring decision makers plan to expand their teams in the first half of 2019. With the right creative and marketing team in place, law firms are in a prime position to attract new business. But building that team in the first place takes a thoughtful understanding of the creative industry’s unique challenges and trends. Hiring and Retention Hurdles In the same research by The Creative Group, 78% percent of
employers said they were worried about losing current cre-ative staff members to other job opportunities in the next 12 months. And when asked to name the greatest barrier to bring-ing on top creative talent, the most common response given by hiring managers was a slow hiring process (19%), followed by failure to offer competitive pay (17%).
A quick and effective hiring process has never been more crucial. With U.S. unemployment at its lowest level since 1969, there are currently more job openings than available candidates. Job seekers have more options to choose from, and employers who have an efficient method of identifying and responding to top candidates have a better shot at acquir-ing them than firms with a procedure that lasts several weeks. A few tips for speeding up your hiring process:
Getting Creative with Hiring: How to Attract Top-Notch Marketing Pros to Your FirmBy Brittany Vasquez and Sora Choi
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1. Prepare for action. If you haven’t reviewed your hiring process and proce-dures, that’s the first step. Whether you have a new position, or you expect to fill a vacant one, you need an action plan — from announcing the position, to prescreening applicants, to preparing for and conducting interviews, to making the final decision.
2. Do your homework. Benchmark salaries for creative professionals using resources such as the 2019 Creative & Marketing Salary Guide so you know what salary ranges to offer based on location, role and experience. 3. Get an expert’s help. Working with a specialized staffing agency can augment your recruitment efforts, offer insight into the employment market and help you fine-tune your strategies. A recruiting expert can also tap the hidden talent pool of passive job seekers.
It’s also important for employers of any industry to be aware of what attracts creative professionals. A new study by The Creative Group, in collaboration with AIGA, revealed that creative workers crave more flexibility. Nearly seven out of 10 professionals (69%) wish they could work remotely more frequently than they currently do. Employers looking to hire top creative and marketing professionals may want to consider offering work-life balance perks, such as telecommuting options and flexible hours. Likewise, companies that offer a robust compensa-tion and benefits package, customized to the needs of the creative individual, are experiencing the most successful retention efforts. Culture Clash One of the biggest factors to be cognizant of when hiring marketing and creative talent for law firms is cultural fit. Many marketing and creative professionals may be used to the environment of a creative agency, where the atmosphere and dress code are a bit more laid-back than in the buttoned-up legal world. In a recent report by Robert Half, more than one-third of workers in the U.S. (35%) wouldn’t accept a job that was a perfect match if the corporate culture wasn’t a good fit. Nine out of 10 U.S. (91%) managers said a candidate’s fit with the organizational culture is equal to or more important than their skills and experience. Law firms may risk missing out on skilled creative candidates if they don’t promote what makes their organizational culture unique. Make your firm’s organizational cul-ture well-known during the recruiting process to attract like-minded candidates.
For law firms considering expanding their marketing teams, awareness of these trends is key. By implementing a speedy hiring process, offering a robust com-pensation package with work-life balance options, and promoting a strong orga-nizational culture, legal employers can equip themselves to attract top creative professionals. Make recruiting and retention a priority – the results just may surprise you.
MARKETING
Brittany Vasquez is the Associate Director of Legal Projects for Robert Half Legal in Chicago, IL. In this role, she provides proj-ect solutions for law firms and corporate clients in a multitude of practice areas. Brittany can be reached at [email protected].
Sora Choi is Branch Manager of The Creative Group in Chi-cago, IL. In this role, she specializes in placing creative and marketing professionals in roles with local businesses on a project or permanent basis. Sora can be reached at [email protected].
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ALA Leadership: Ross, you’ve been marketing law firms for over 25 years. Would you write 1500 words detailing some of the most common mistakes you’ve seen?
Ross: Absolutely! (But where to start…?)Below are some tips for legal administrators on how to guide their firms to sucessful marketing campaigns and initiatives.
No focus? No clients.The biggest mistake committed by non-rainmakers is lack of focus. You can’t write a marketing plan if you don’t know whom you’re marketing to. Stop trying to simply “get business.” Instead, seek to become the market leader in some narrow specialty area, particularly one supported by a small professional association you can dominate. Make sure it’s not one already full of competitors. Target the small pest control industry rather than general real estate, insurance, health care, or banking. Not generic “transportation law” but
“transportation of infectious biological material.” Find these organizations in The Encyclopedia of Associations by Gale Publishing.Determine whether the attorneys need training or counseling.There’s a reason some lawyers have no business. They may have tremendous potential and infinite professional contacts, but if they’re unmotivated, ignore them. You can’t change people, so don’t try; they’ll keep passive-aggressively dragging their heels and make you crazy. In my experience, it’s easier to help a million-dollar producer originate her second million dollars than it is to help someone with no business bring in their first $10,000. But if they’re willing to spend the time, they can learn the skills. If they’re trying hard but getting no results, bring in some consultants and trainers who can teach them how to do it right.
What gets compensated gets done.Do nothing that is not supported directly and heavily by your compensation system. When starting a
The Biggest Marketing MistakesBy Ross Fishman
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marketing or branding project with a law firm, one of the first questions I ask is what the compensation system is. Now I’m not a compensation consultant, but I’ve learned through hard experience that in a law firm, no matter how brilliant a marketing initiative might seem, if it isn’t directly and significantly supported by the firm’s compensation system, it’s going to die, hard.
Don’t let them push you around. Lawyers lose respect for those who buckle under pressure. They don’t really want you to back down when they start pushing. Lawyers respect expertise, and it’s your job to prove to them that you have more than they do. Granted, it’s hard to retain your composure and stick to your guns when a 60-year-old senior partner starts raising his voice. But when they start disagreeing (based on their “gut”), calmly and persuasively show them that you’ve done your homework. Bring facts and hard data to support your case and professionally win the argument. When you do, you’ll quickly gain their respect.
Do one thing great, not five things poorly. Activity isn’t the same as effectiveness. It’s easy to get pulled in countless directions and have little to show for it at the end of the year. Set a few specific and approved priorities at the beginning of the year, then execute the heck out of them. At bonus time you can show that you achieved the precise goals set for you. It’s a lot more persuasive than a ten-page list of random activities. Cross selling is harder than you think.Most firms think they’re bad at cross-selling (usually true), and that most other firms are doing it better (usually false). Don’t consider launching a cross-selling program until you’re absolutely certain that the stars are aligned enough to achieve success in your firm. And that’s rare. My biggest professional blunder occurred long ago when we launched a firm-wide cross-selling initiative at a firm where culturally it was simply impossible. The project was an epic disaster. Read more here: https://www.fishmanmarketing.com/cross-selling-sucks-here-are-18-reasons-why-part-1/
Let them pour their own darn coffee.Administrators and marketers can be too accommodating. If you don’t take your seat at the table,
they’ll presume you don’t belong there. Cleaning up the dishes, or taking the meeting notes, or sitting along the wall, or doing the other things that old guys expect “the girls” to do can lower their professional perception of you. If you want to be viewed as a serious professional, then bring your own assistant to do the low-level tasks. It’s OK for a senior partner to pour the coffee. But if a younger person does this, especially a woman, you risk having some of them look at you like you’re wearing an apron. We have to carefully manage their antiquated perceptions.
Be honest about the extent of your authority.Just because you’re told you can make certain decisions doesn’t mean you should. I’ve worked with countless new law firm leaders who have been told that they have a mandate to launch bold new initiatives. They eventually learn that this actually means “… as long as we would have completely agreed with them.” That is, even if you technically have the responsibility, it’s still smarter to get people on board anyway. Protect yourself and get buy-in even when you might not need it and protect your Managing Partner from making bold decisions without sufficient internal support.
Be wary of what you read in articles.The author or presenter may have a hidden bias. I work with many newer administrators who don’t have much experience in certain areas of their responsibility. They see a persuasive article or speech and want to launch a similar initiative in their own firm… which fails. Too often the problem was that the author or speaker had a hidden agenda, e.g. they’re either a consultant who sells that product or an in-house marketer looking to prop up his/her credentials. So, they spun their story in a positive way, omitting some important details. Be skeptical. Talk to others who have undertaken similar efforts, to identify the real-world barriers.
Lawyers act in their own self-interest, not the firm’s. Busy lawyers are selfish. That’s not a criticism, that’s just playing by the firm’s rules. They’re busy and will take care of themselves and their families first and
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consider what’s good for the firm after. Lawyers value their autonomy; few will do what management “tells” them to do. So, try to stand in their shoes and determine whether what you’re asking will directly enhance their profile, status, compensation, or lifestyle. If it doesn’t, move on.
Do no marketing that’s not directly supported by a rainmaker. Marketing without Sales doesn’t generate business. Twenty years ago, we launched a bold, innovative, risky, and precedent-setting marketing initiative: the first practice group targeting “the gay and lesbian community” (this was well before the phrase LGBTQ was in broad usage). We were certain it was going to generate massive new business. It enhanced the firm’s national brand and showcased the managing partner as a progressive and visionary leader, but didn’t generate a dime of new business. We were shocked. Looking back, we realized that although the initiative gained significant publicity and enhanced the firm’s creative brand, it was not supported by a proven rainmaker. Marketing and sales (rainmaking) must work together. Someone’s gotta close the deal.
Play the politics.Doing good work isn’t always enough. In my first job, my assistant and I did the work of five people. We kept our heads down, worked ten-hour days, and were responsible for helping bring in tens of millions of dollars of annual work. My peer across the hall worked barely 10:00-4:30 and spent most of the day reading fashion magazines. Every year she and I received the same bonus. Why? I knew marketing; she knew the managing partner. That was an important lesson.
Don’t make it their idea.You’re a professional and when you have a good idea you deserve the credit. Many administrators believe that to persuade their lawyers to undertake a project, they must give the lawyer the credit for it: “I always make it look like their idea.” This undermines the perception of your value to the firm.
Spend your entire budget.It’s a waste of opportunity to let it disappear at year end. The firm budgeted a specific amount of money to invest in that year’s marketing. Spend it wisely but spend it. Any money left in the marketing budget at year end could have been used to advance the firm’s goals. It disappears; you don’t get to keep it. So, use it.
Make your case like they make theirs.Lawyers learn by criticizing, by playing Devil’s Advocate. They probe and prod and interrogate, looking for holes in your plan. Some raise their voices. Under any condition it can feel quite intimidating. It’s not fun, but it’s how many of them learn. Finding all of the possible flaws is what makes them good at their job, it’s how they write airtight contracts. And if you want to persuade them to do something new, you’ll be held to the same tight scrutiny. There better not be any holes in your argument, no contingencies you haven’t considered and carefully addressed. When they start pushing, you must have the tangible evidence to explain why their objection isn’t a concern. It’s harder and more time consuming to do it that way, but your goal isn’t to get into a discussion, it’s to get a “yes.”
By Ross Fishman, JDCEO, Fishman Marketing, Inc.
Ross specializes in branding, websites, and marketing training for law firms. A former litigator and marketing partner, he has helped hundreds of firms enhance profitability and dominate markets. Ross was the first inductee into the LMA’s “Hall of Fame,” and has written two popular books on branding and associate marketing, available on Amazon. 1.847.432.3546 [email protected]
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LinkedIn is often credited with coining the term “employee advocacy” as the active promotion of your company by the people who work for it.
Sounds easy enough…just tell your employees that they need to share good news about your firm or services, and you’re done, right? If this is your strategy, say hello to limited engagement and mundane, template-sounding social media posts from your staff.
If you already have an amazing firm culture, this strategy might work because your employees want to brag about the awesome entity for which they work. But for those firms looking to earn the respect of the tremendous social media force they have within their own walls every day, you’re going to have to work for it.
There is an old adage that states, “We love our parents, because they loved us first.” For those of us as parents, this is both straightforward and inherent. But taking
this lesson and applying it to your business is also the best way to make employee advocacy actually work. If you try to implement an employee advocacy program before you’ve shown your employees that you truly care about them, it might not be very well received. You’re essentially asking your employees to love you before you love them.
Let’s think about a service-based organization that’s been around for a while. I bet you’ve seen one of those plaques hanging on the wall of a McDonald’s - usually over the counter, but still visible enough for customers to notice. McDonald’s has been naming an “Employee of the Month” long before social media existed. They do this to show appreciation to an employee that has recently gone above and beyond in their position. This strategy has merit, but it also has drawbacks such as limited reach and a finite amount of real estate on the wall where they can display this act of kindness.
Want Your Staff to Share Your Firm’s Social Media Posts?You Must Do This FirstBy Spencer X. Smith
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Fast-forward to 2019: every firm in the world has an unlimited amount of space on their digital and social media platforms. Businesses have the opportunity to create an endless amount of content focused on their employees and their lives inside and outside of the office - what they’re passionate about, their hobbies, their goals. This is the kind of authentic engagement and appreciation that will make an impact in their minds and, more importantly, their hearts. These are the types of posts that make employees want to share things about their employer, because they feel appreciated and cared for by the boss.
Are you doing this for your staff? If not, consider advocating for your employees first before you ask them to advocate for you. Give your employees a reason to care.
What Should Your Employee Advocacy Strategy Look Like?
Outline an Approach:Pick the platform on which you’ll focus first. I recommend LinkedIn since it’s business-centric and doesn’t blur business/personal lines like Facebook. Then create a content calendar that includes an appropriate amount of posts highlighting someone/something else three-quarters of the time. Use the other one-quarter to say something about your firm or firm’s initiatives. Get to Know your Employees:Spend time getting to know your employees. Have a conversation with them focused around what it is they do outside of work or what they are passionate about in their free time. Maybe they volunteer at the humane society or take care of elderly adults on weekends. It’s important to both hear and understand their stories. If you want them to tell yours, tell theirs first.
Creating Content:Once you have the information about the staff that you’d like to share, decide the media that best suits their personality and story - video, image(s), simple text or anything else that effectively conveys the message.
Define Success: Employee advocacy can radically extend your reach and awareness. Since employee shares are seen as more genuine because of their very personal approach, more people are going to engage and take part in the content. This expanded network could eventually mean bigger and better business development opportunities. A brand’s online visibility has never been more crucial, and a huge factor in modern-day business includes your social media presence.
The long-term success of any company relies on its work force, and your employees are the only component that make your firm - by definition - unique. Recognize each employee’s impact on your entire employee advocacy program. It shouldn’t be just the top performers - each person in your firm contributes to a larger cause. Congratulate and recognize their contribution regardless of size.
And finally, let your team have a say in choosing material that truly resonates with their careers and personal lives. By doing so, you make them part of the entire curation process, and this will result in drastically more authentic engagement.
Have you instituted an employee advocacy program at your firm yet, whether in name or in practice? Are you sufficiently shining the spotlight on your employees before you’re asking them to publicize you?
Spencer Smith is the Founder of social media company AmpliPhi, and services law firms throughout the country. He is a faculty member for the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Business of Law Conferences, and is also an instructor at the University of Wisconsin and Rutgers University. He speaks an average of 60 times per year, and can be reached at spencerXsmith.com.
MARKETING
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312-768-7800 - main
ANSWERS AND FULL EXPLANATION OF THE CALCULATIONS:
1A) $333,333.33 First, calculate Profit for the firm as a whole: Profit = Revenue - Expense Revenue = $12,000,000 Expense = $9,000,000 Profit = $12,000,000 - $9,000,000 Profit = $3,000,000 Then, divide Profit by the number of Partners PPP = Profit/# of Partners Profit = $3,000,000 # of Partners = 9 PPP = $3,000,000/9 PPP = $333,333.33
1B) $363,636.36 First, calculate Profit for the firm as a whole: Profit = Revenue - Expense Revenue = $12,000,000 + $2,000,000 = $14,000,000 Expense = $9,000,000 + $1,000,000 = $10,000,000 Profit = $14,000,000 - $10,000,000 Profit = $4,000,000 Then, divide Profit by the number of Partners PPP = Profit/# of Partners Profit = $4,000,000 # of Partners = 9 + 2 = 11 PPP = $4,000,000/11 PPP = $363,636.36
1C) $347,826.09 Profit Remains Unchanged at $4,000,000 Note that the Partner was added on 7/1/17. This Partner will only be with the firm for .5 of the year. Therefore, we only add .5 Partners.# of Partners in 2016 = 11 # of Partners added in 2017 = .5 # of Partners for PPP Calculation = 11.5 PPP = Profit/# of Partners Profit = $4,000,000 # of Partners = 11.5 PPP = $4,000,000/11.5 PPP = $347,826.09
1D) $355,555.56 Profit Remains Unchanged at $4,000,000 In 2017, the firm added 1 Partner to the 11 it already had. So it ended 2017 with 12 Partners. One Partner then left the firm on 4/1/2018. That means the Partner was not with the firm for 9 out of 12 months 9/12 = .75 # of Partners at 12/31/2017 = 12 # of Partners who left in 2018 = .75 # of Partners for PPP Calculation = 12 - .75 = 11.25 PPP = Profit/# of Partners Profit = $4,000,000 # of Partners = 11.25 PPP = $4,000,000/11.25 PPP = $355,555.56
The Greater Chicago Chapter Study Group is in full swing and is in the process of covering financial management and accounting. These sessions are fast-paced, interactive and loaded with great infor-mation for anyone preparing for the exam, or considering doing so in the future. If you are interested in attending any of our sessions, please contact Mary Ann Rojas, CLM Director, at 312.768.7810, or [email protected].
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGESUBJECT – FINANCE/CALCULATION OF PROFITS PER PARTNER:
1A) Calculate the Profits Per Partner (PPP) for a firm with the following statistics for 2015: Revenue: $12,000,000.00 Expense: $9,000,000.00 Paralegals: 8 Associates: 14 Of Counsel: 3 Partners: 9 1B) On 1/1/2016, the firm added 1 Paralegal, 3 Associates, 2 Of Counsel, and 2 Partners. Revenue increased by $2 Million in 2016, while Expenses increased by $1 Million. Calculate the Profits Per Equity Partner for 2016. 1C) On 7/1/2017, the firm added 1 Partner. Revenue for 2017 stayed at $14 Million, while expenses stayed at $10 Million. Calculate Profits Per Partner for 2017. 1D) On 4/1/2018, that Partner decided to leave the firm. Revenue for 2018 stayed at $14 Million, while expenses stayed at $10 million. Calculated the Profits Per Partner for 2018.
The Administrator’s Advantage Page 36
Invoices Court briefings
Following general correspondence items, invoices and court briefings are the most common documents moving to digital formats
Overnight shipping is essential for contracts and client proposals, which are the documents least likely to move to digital formats
Client proposals & contracts
+50%
Will invest in marketing and branding in 201446%
More than half of respondents report that printing a firm’s logo or branding on an express shipping envelope is beneficial
UPS surveyed 450+ attendees at the 2013 Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) National Conference to uncover the most pressing business and operational challenges and key focus areas of law firms in the future.
ALA MEMBER SURVEY: PRODUCTIVITY AND PROFITABILITY TOP OF MIND
The greatest day-to-day challenges
56% Time management
46%
30%
Managing costs & expenses
Office inefficiencies & technology issues
Key focus areas for law firms in 2013
87% of respondents identified
client service as their top priority
Reported marketing and branding as a key focus in 2013
31%
49%47%
41%
$
Clientservice Business
development Costmanagement
Nearly half of ALA members surveyed reported that their firms plan to invest in technologies in the next year to increase competitiveness and grow their business
For more information on UPS services and solutions, contact:
© 2013 United Parcel Service of America, Inc. UPS, the UPS brandmark and the color brown are registered trademarks of United Parcel Service of America, Inc. All rights reserved.
TECHNOLOGY & EFFICIENCY CLIENT SERVICE
DIGITAL VS. PAPERMARKETING & BRANDING
49%
EXPRESS ENVELOPE
YOUR BRAND HERE
Anthony Perrino at 630-800-6654, [email protected], or visit ups.com/professional.
