Law Firm Media Blog
February 27, 2010
Business Insight interview with Candida Brush, Professor and Director of the Entrepreneurship Division at Babson College. Click here to watch the interview.
November 19, 2009
I just produced a show on "Social Entrepreneurship in Afghanistan" at the Babson College Center for Women's Leadership for my Business Insight TV program. You can view it at this link:
http://www.wellesleychannel.tv/wbi_view_regular.htm
July 08, 2009
In a far reaching discussion of how women have progressed in the workplace and areas that need improvement, Peter Marx, Legal Insight interviews Jan Shubert, Director of the Center for Women's Leadership at Babson College. Click here to watch the interview.
May 18, 2009
This economy is hard on most businesses and owner managed firms are no different. Watch Peter Marx, hosting the Business Insight TV show, interview Dennis Ceru, Adjunct Professor from Babson College, on the unique issues and opportunities facing these firms. Click here to view. January 31, 2009
Closed Captioning for the Hearing Impaired
The admissions video we produced for Syracuse University College of law now includes closed captioning for the hearing impaired. Check it out at www.law.syr.edu.
October 19, 2008
NY Legal Marketing Association
Last week, Peter Marx, President of Legal Insight Media, addressed the New York chapter of the Legal Marketing Association on the subject of videos for law firms. He showed a TrueView video on Day Pitney's diversity program which can be seen at this link. The most significant thing about this type of video is that it has impact and credibility while the cost is only about $10,000. In light of the financial crisis and a recessionary economy, law firms will be looking for ways to save money in their marketing budgets but retain the benefits of authenticity and excitement that video can bring to websites, blogs, newsletters and e-mail communications.
September 28, 2008
Admissions Videos for Syracuse University College of Law
Legal Insight Media has just completed a series of TrueView video vignettes for the Syracuse University College of Law. The TrueView vignettes are designed to showcase the many learning opportunities at the College of Law from different perspectives. Click here to view the vignettes.
September 17, 2008
For more than 15 years, Peter Marx has produced and hosted Business Insight, an award-winning public access TV show, that is broadcast in major markets including Boston, New York and Washington, DC. The show is now available on demand on the Web. Click here to view a recent show on the Web. Here is a link to past topics and guests.
Business Insight is in the forefront of a trend that will drastically alter the nature of public access TV. While network shows reluctantly embrace the Web, they have yet to find a business model that will replace their ad revenues. Public access TV, which is not dependent on ad revenue, will find this a great opportunity to expand their reach.
March 16, 2008
At the LMA's Annual Conference in Los Angeles last week, Peter Marx served as "roving reporter" capturing the essence of the conference through Web video. Click here to view his interview with keynote speaker Cherie Booth Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
January 20, 2008
Colleges continue to be in the forefront of recognizing the power of Web video. Click here to view a video we just produced for Syracuse University's College of Law showing alumni all that's happening at the school.
January 07, 2008
An article in this morning's Boston Globe called "Colleges turn to Web tools in hunt for '08 freshman" has important lessons for law firms seeking to recruit law students.
College admissions is rapidly moving to online social media and taking advantage of podcasts, blogs and videos. Students are all wired and relate to the Web far more than traditional media. Web 2.0 is clearly here with regard to the online generation.
In order to keep up with the younger generation, recruiters need to speak to them through Facebook, YouTube, iTunes and other websites with which they're involved every day.
What students really want is to understand through a medium of their choice what it would be like to be student at a school that interests them. Law students are no different in how they narrow their choice of law firms. December 04, 2007
This morning's Wall Street Journal describes how M.B.A. programs are adjusting to the new generation. The article mentions that GMAC is incorporating new media into their website to make it more millennial friendly. Not mentioned, however, is that it's even more important for M.B.A. programs to add new media to the admissions sections of their websites. If schools want to have a chance to welcome these new millennials, new media is the best way to show what it's like to be one of their students.
December 02, 2007
An article in today's New York Times called "Lawyers Compete, Except in Bonuses" describes how 12 elite New York law firms just raised bonuses in identical amounts. The article mocks the business sense of this since bonuses are for people who are already on board, so it won't help recruiting. But this thinking is based on a former era when these firms were the only game on town if you wanted to join a law firm.
Today law students have the choice of numerous top firms such as Latham & Watkins, Jones Day and DLA Piper if they want to be in New York. Recruiting is incredibly competitive, so if 12 firms can maintain the myth that they are the elite, that will help them recruit top law graduates in competition against those outside the 12. That makes good business sense
November 23, 2007
An article in this week's Business Week describes a trend toward quality with regard to online video. The Pew Internet & American Life Project reports that more than 57% of U.S. Internet users say they have downloaded online videos. But the days that anyone with a video camera could put something up on YouTube and expect people to watch are coming to an end. Slick new shows produced for the Web are coming on rapidly, so a clever idea has to be pretty good if the graphics don't measure up. Law firms, that need to be aware of their image as professionals, should recognize that "cute" videos may not be as effective when everyone's producing them.
November 12, 2007
Intel announced today a new generation of microprocessors that substantially improve the performance of computer chips. The new chips called xeon 5400 significantly increase switching speed, reduce power consumption and raise clock speed. The bottom line result is that a new generation of PCs is about to be introduced that will greatly enhance the ability of PCs to view high quality video on the Web.
October 30, 2007
To appreciate the job that Microsoft has done in their video described in the previous post, check out Google's recruiting video on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcXF1YirPrQ.
Although Google's recruiting video tries to be down to earth and authentic. It just doesn't work. It adds minor video effects that don't support authenticity, and most important the employee interviews appear to have been carefully scripted. In fact, some participants appear as though they've memorized their lines.
Google may be giving Microsoft a tough time in the marketplace and it's one of the hottest places to work, but they've got a long way to go to catch up in their recruiting videos.
October 28, 2007
Microsoft's recruiting video called "What is it like to interview at Microsoft?" has now been viewed more than 250,000 times. The deceptively simple video can be seen at Microsoft's Channel 9
http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=18472
The beauty of the video is that it's shot with rudimentary video equipment and untrained employees as the participants. Normally, I'd recommend that law firms present themselves in videos in the most professional manner possible.
However, if a large impersonal firm wants to present its human side, Microsoft demonstrates a great way to do this. But don't be fooled by the simplistic videography. This still requires creative thinking and professional planning and production behind the scenes.
September 28, 2007
An article in this morning's New York Times discusses how law firms are waking up to the fact that online video is a great way to reach law students. The article discusses examples of firms that have spent substantial amounts to create professional videos. This may be the YouTube generation, but that doesn't mean that YouTube quality will impress Web savy law students. If you want your firm's video to achieve the desired effect don't just grab a video camera and start shooting. Get professional help. For example, here's a link to play a recruiting video we produced for the U.S. Navy JAG.
September 25, 2007
This morning's Wall Street Journal talks about how the time for video ads on the Web has arrived. See article at this link. Websites from Facebook to newspapers and yellow pages publishers are finding that video can add impact to ads, thus increasing their value and how much advertisers might be willing to pay. The article quotes Charles Laughlin from the Kelsey Group that "Online video ads may appeal to a wide range of businesses such as law firms that want to present the faces of the proprietors as a selling point."
September 19, 2007
The marketing for recruiting M.B.A. grads is getting just as competitive as that for law students. On September 17th, the Wall Street Journal included a lengthy article on how companies are being creative to recruit M.B.A. grads. Some of the techniques include
- video interviews
- instant messaging
- meeting places on Second Life
The complete article can be found at this link.
September 10, 2007
I will be speaking on law firm videos at a Legal Marketing Association event on Wednesday, September 12th in Boston. The panel will be moderated by law firm adviser Larry Bodine and will include Jamie Heller of the Wall Street Journal talking about blogs and Beth Cuzzone of Goulston & Storrs talking about podcasting. For more information, go the the LMA, New England website at www.lmanewengland.org. September 09, 2007
Last week, Steve Jobs announced Apple's new fall lineup. To see his presentation, click here. Of particular interest to law firms was a tiny 8GB iPod nano that will show video. At its price of $200, even the poorest law student can afford to have one without much effort. The lesson for law firms is that for recruiting, podcasts should now be video. CEOs are unlikely to be carrying the new nanos, so audio podcasting is still fine for marketing.
August 22, 2007
In his Law Marketing Blog, leading law firm adviser Larry Bodine describes how the Web video produced by Legal Insight Media puts the Navy JAG in the forefront of legal recruiting. To read the article, click on this link.
August 15, 2007
Apple just announced a new version of its low end video editing program iMovie. The new version called iMovie '08 has disappointed early reviewers. See, for example, The Unofficial Apple Weblog (www.TUAW.com or A Bugged Life (www.abuggedlife.com). Basically, there are many video editing features that were included in previous versions of iMovie that have been taken out. For law firms that would like to do their own videos in-house, iMovie '08 is not going to help. You still have to use Final Cut Pro, which takes a fair amount of experience to use effectively.
July 17, 2007
In the BroadbandVideo360 blog, Will Richmond talks about the Navy Jag Recruiting video. He says "If I were a recent grad looking for some adventure beyond sitting in a window-less associate's cubicle, the JAG opportunity looks pretty enticing!" For more of Will's commentary, go to www.broadbandvideo360.com. July 16, 2007
Thanks to David Meerman Scott for pointing out in his WebInkNow blog a very interesting video by Randstad. It's too cutting edge for most law firms today, but it"s fascinating to see what innovative companies are doing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5xF43POYv8July 09, 2007
We're pleased to be helping the US Navy JAG be a leader in recruiting law students. Check out a video we just produced for them on the Navy JAG’s website www.JAG.NAVY.mil or by clicking on this link or by pasting this url into your browser:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid979054715
I've included a copy of the news release below:
Navy JAG forefront of Legal Recruiting with Web Video
TrueView Video Captures the Experience of the Navy JAG
July 10, 2007
—The U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General Corps (Navy JAG) has become one of the first legal employers to produce a Web video to recruit the next generation of lawyers. The TrueView* video, which can be viewed on the Navy JAG’s website, was developed by Legal Insight Media, Inc., a firm that produces electronic media for law firm recruiting and marketing.
“Given how competitive the legal marketplace is we knew the best place to reach law students was online,” said LCDR Colleen M. Shook, JAGC, USN, JAG Corps Detailer for Accessions and Recruiting. “This compelling Web video captures the sense of adventure that attracts lawyers to become JAGs better than any other medium could.”
“The Navy JAG is in the forefront of using Web video for recruiting,” said Legal Insight Media President Peter Marx. “We conducted an informal survey of the AmLaw 200 and found less than 20 percent were using video on their career websites. Yet, they’re all competing to reach a generation that has grown up in an electronic world where the Web is their lifeline to everything and everyone.”
“Videos have taken the Web by storm,” according to law firm marketing consultant and business development advisor Larry Bodine. “YouTube is the fourth most popular Web site on the Internet, reaching 10 percent of all the people online every day. That says to me that video is a must for recruiting Web pages. Static pictures and text just won’t attract them.”
The three-minute video highlights the experiences of Navy JAGs against a backdrop of action-packed visuals. In addition to being used on the U.S. Navy JAG website, it will be shown to prospective JAGs around the country and will be available as a download from iTunes.
The video can be viewed pasting the following link into a browser:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid979054715.
It also can be found on the U.S. Navy JAG website at www.JAG.NAVY.mil.
About Legal Insight Media
Legal Insight Media, Inc.is a marketing services company that helps law firms differentiate themselves using electronic media. The company produces TrueView Web videos and podcasts that help to drive a firm’s marketing, practice development and recruiting efforts. All of Legal Insight TrueView videos authentically convey the unique character and culture of a firm and its attorneys. They can be displayed on the Web, within PowerPoint, in e-mails and on handheld devices including iPods. Legal Insight Media has received honors for two consecutive years in the Legal Marketing Association’s national and regional Your Honor Award competition for electronic media. July 2, 2007
In an article called "Chasing the iPhone" in this morning's New York Times, Martin Fackler describes the response of other manufacturers. Samsung, Ericsson, Nokia and Motorola will all be coming out with competitive offerings. Unfortunately, no word on any alternative for the Blackberry or Palm Treo.
June 29, 2007
Today is the launch of Steve Jobs' new sensation the iPhone. Starting with the selection of AT&T's slow network, it's too bad that business users, much less lawyers, are of little interest to Apple at this time. The iPhone is clearly a consumer product. But lawyers have the same frustrations with cell phones and Blackberries as everyone else. These devices are just not very user friendly.
Lawyers love their Blackberries or Palm Treos because of their terrific ability to keep in constant touch with e-mail. They do the job but are no match for the easy control and large crisp screen of the iPhone. Lawyers in particular need to be be in constant touch with the Web, not just e-mail. And that's a Web increasingly rich in video and other media. Lawyers are eager consumers of online information. That's no pleasure on the Blackberry or Palm Treo.
Although there are hints of upcoming versions of the iPhone that will be addressed to business users and that some day the current one might be bought by AT&T business customers, it will be a long time before this will be a device used by many lawyers. I hope that the iPhone will serve as a stimulus for adding features to the Blackberry and Palm Treo that will make them more pleasant to use, including a larger, higher resolution screen. Put it on a high speed network and lawyers would flock to such a device.
June 20, 2007
This year's class of summer associates was probably the most pursued in history. It's clearly a sellers' market for law students.
Here are some interesting statistics by Leigh Jones in the May issue of "Marketing the Law Firm", essentially a republishing of the article in the February 16th issue of the National Law Journal.
Ward Bower, a consultant with Altman & Weil estimates that the Am Law 200 firms require about 10,000 new associates each year. Assuming they restrict themselves to the top 100 law schools, they will pick up about 50% of all graduates from those schools.
Firms outside the Am Law 200 will pick up the remaining 50%. It's unbelievably competitive for all firms to hire the associates they want, and as long as the economy stays strong, the demand for legal services will stay high and so will the competition for law students.
June 08, 2007
"The New Rules of Marketing & PR" by David Meerman Scott has just been published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. The book is about the use of blogs, podcasts, viral marketing and online media. While not directed to law firms, there's a lot lawyers could learn from it. I highly recommend it as a way to get familiar with all of these.
The forward is by Robert Scoble, who while an employee of Microsoft, showed how even large organizations can covey compelling messages using video on the Web at minimal cost. While in the book, Scott acknowledges that Web video is still new (It's barely started for law firms.), he points out that it's a great way to convey information and leave the competition behind.
June 01, 2007
An article in this week's National Law Journal called "After 30 years, law firm advertising is slow to change" describes the current state of law firm advertising. Little has changed since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Bates v. Arizona. As attorney and marketing expert Micah Buchdahl states "The law firm marketing world is still not very sophisticated." Another veteran of the legal marketing community Ross Fishman points out that law firms only think of marketing when they're in trouble.
There are plenty of firms that are hungry for business. Why can't they adopt some of the strategies that have served firms in other industries well. Ads in print, on the Web and even TV don't have to be tasteless. May 31, 2007
An article in this week's National Law Journal quotes a study that says that sixty-one percent of professional services companies, including law firms, conduct Google searches on job candidates. Given that they use the Web to check up on the law students they're considering, you'd think they'd assume that law students are doing the same check ups on them.
The vast majority of law firm websites show little regard for the Web sophistication of law students today. Even those firms that have redesigned their websites, provide little of substance that can distinguish them from their competitors or give law students a real idea of what it would be like to work there. May 25, 2007
Three blogs have provided excellent coverage on the Law Firm Growth conference held in New York last week. These are Janet Moore's International Lawyer Coach blog, Arnie Herz's Legal Sanity blog and Jonathan Frieden's E-Commerce Law blog.
At the conference, Peter Marx, President of Legal Insight Media, moderated a panel on Legal Blogs and other Technology. Other speakers on the panel were Arnie Herz, Jim Hassett and Jonathan Frieden.
From audience response, it appeared that major firms are not ready for podcasts generally, much less video podcasts. Separately, our analysis of the websites of the AmLaw 100 shows there is almost no use of audio or video.
May 14, 2007
On May 15th, Peter Marx will be speaking about legal blogs, podcasts and Web videos at the Law Firm Growth Management conference in New York. One of the questions to be addressed at the conference is whether law firms are ready for video podcasts and vlogs.
About a year ago, we offered several firms the opportunity to produce video podcasts. We had many takers for audio podcasts but none were ready for video. Our sense is that that is still the case. It will be interesting to get the perspective of the other panelists.
By the way, if you get the last minute urge to attend the program and haven't signed up, we have a couple extra tickets. Get in touch with us if you'd like to use them.
May 11, 2007
In an article in the April 17, 2007 edition of the "New Jersey Lawyer Online" (originally published on LLRX.com on February 12, 2007), legal technology expert and computer lawyer Dennis Kennedy discusses "Seven Legal Technology Trends for 2007: Widening the Digital Divide in Law Practice".
Of particular interest to us were Dennis' comments on the Internet. He believes law firms will be taking advantage of it far more this year than in previous years. He points out that most law firm websites are "dated, unattractive, not regularly maintained, and not especially relevant to their target markets." Dennis forecasts more blogs, podcasts and video on law firm sites.
We agree with Dennis on the need for law firms to take advantage of the capabilities of the Web to provide blogs, podcasts and video, but we don't see a lot of it. Rather, just a few firms are dipping their toes in the water. We may have to wait until 2008 to see law firm appreciate and leverage the power of the Web.
Since business is good for the largest firms, it might be understandable why they're slow to see the need to adapt on the marketing side. But recruitment is very competitive for all firms. There's no excuse why they don't have Web videos on their sites to show potential associates what it would be like to work at their firm. Law students are young enough to become intolerant of firms that can't maintain an up-to-date website.
May 09, 2007
"Video is popular on Web sites everywhere." Or so says an article in this morning's Wall Street Journal called "As Web Ads Grow ..." The article talks about all the sophisticated capabilities that are now available.
But "everywhere" doesn't seem to include law firms. Our informal survey of the websites of the top 25 AmLaw 100 firms found virtually no video, no audio and no rich media. It's not that law firms aren't spending heavily on their websites. If they haven't had a major overhaul within the past two years, they're probably working on it or at least planning one.
In states that don't have draconian rules like New York, Web video is ideal for client testimonials with impact. How much more believable is it to hear a testimonial in the client's own words, rather than reading a paragraph they may or may not have written?
When it comes to recruiting law students or laterals, career websites are ideal for videos that can give prospective associates an authentic feeling for what it would be like to work at the firm. Since the careers sections tend to be the most heavily visited sections of a law firm's website, it's long overdue for firms to enliven them and appeal to a generation of law students who scour the Web for information and are hungry for authenticity.
May 06, 2007
After the previous post, we received a number of inquiries regarding legal issues for bloggers. The list of issues is long:
- What liability exposure does a blogger have for the information they publish?
- How can I avoid potential infringement of others intellectual property rights?
- What are the privacy and defamation pitfalls in publishing information about others?
- Are journalists' privileges available to bloggers?
- What particular issues relate to political blogging and elections?
These and other issues are discussed extensively on the website of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. We recommend you check it out at www.eff.org/bloggers.
May 04, 2007
On May 1st, Aviva Directory published an interesting article called "12 Important U.S. Laws Every Blogger Needs to Know". It can be found at www.avivadirectory.com/blogger-law.
The topics covered are:
- Whether to Disclose Paid Posts
- Is Deep Linking Legal
- The Legal Use of Images and Thumbnails
- Laws that Protect You from Stolen Content
- Domain Name Trademark Issues
- Handling Private Data About Your Readers
- Who Owns User-Developed Content and Can You Delete It
- The Duty to Monitor Your Blog Comments, and Liability
- Basic Tax Law Issues in Blogging
- Limited Liability Laws and Incorporating
- Spam Laws and Which Unsolicited Emails are Legal
- Are Bloggers Protected from Journalism Shield Laws
Legal background and recommendations are provided for each issue in an easy to understand way that may be particularly helpful to non-lawyers. Also, although the subject is blogs, the issues and analyses may be equally applicable to websites and other media.
April 30, 2007
On May 15th, at the Law Firm Growth Management Conference at the Harvard Club in New York City, Peter Marx will be speaking on "Legal Blogs and Other Technology" and Barbara Marx will be speaking on "Developing Successful Women's Initiatives Programs". On May 16th, at the New Jersey State Bar Association annual meeting in Atlantic City, Peter and Barbara Marx will be speaking on "Law Firm Electronic Media Marketing Solutions".
April 22, 2007
In an article titled "Auditioning in a Video Resume", yesterday's New York Times discussed the increasing use of video resumes. Our experience with lawyers and law students shows that the biggest challenge in the use of video stems from a person's discomfort in front of a camera. With the cost of technology rapidly coming down, the primary cost of video resumes is for media training. A video resume can show one's personality in a way that a written one never could. This increases the chances that an in person interview will follow. With regard to students, this is particularly important if their law school doesn't have a large number of firms coming to interview on campus. But if the lawyer or law student doesn't "show" well, it's all for naught.
April 17, 2007
An interesting article in the Wall Street Journal's Careers Journal discusses how companies are incorporating technologies that are popular among students to attract high-quality candidates. Some of the points made in the article:
- Employer websites were the second most common source of new hires.
- Deutsche Bank's site, which ranked first in a recent survey, has interactive videos of employees discussing their experiences working at the company. They also have a day in the life video where applicants can witness what it is like to work for them.
- Deloittee & Touche, which ranked number 23 in the survey, has videos of employees from each of their business units. A spokesperson commented that blogs and videos allow firms to exhibit their corporate culture and programs that address specific constituencies or groups.
- The director of campus recruiting for Merrill Lynch says the company plans to add podcasts and more streaming media.
There's a lot for law firm recruiters to learn from the article. It can be found at this link.
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April 14, 2007
In an article titled "Outsourcing Finds New Niche", this morning's Wall Street Journal discusses how small companies are outsourcing their information technology requirements. For many years, larger companies such as Procter & Gamble have been doing this. Law firms should seriously consider outsourcing. None but the very largest can afford the technology staffs they need to properly support their practice. And they can't keep up with the surge of new technologies such as Internet telephony, Web video and new mobile devices. The Journal mentions Boston-based Mindshift Technologies, which has a number of law firm customers for its outsourcing services. Legal Insight Media has found that even the largest firms prefer that we host the TrueView Web videos we produce for them.
April 10, 2007
In this week's Business Week, Stephen Wildstrom describes how social networks are changing. While MySpace, The Facebook and others demonstrate their power in their millions of members and users, new opportunities exist for law firms with a more controlled and focused approach. Social networks are one more Web capability that law firms can tap to differentiate themselves. Law firms have barely scratched the surface on podcasts, blogs and digital video, but they should still start taking advantage of the capabilities of social networks. Where is a good place for law firms to start experimenting with social networks? I suggest password protected alumni networks are ideal for this. The power of alumni networks for business development is great and law firms are missing the boat.
Take my own case, for example. Many years ago I was an associate at Shaw, Pittman (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman). Subsequent to working at Shaw Pittman, I spent ten years as general counsel of Interactive Data Corporation (NYSE: IDC). Shaw, Pittman had lost touch with me and me with them. I had a lot of legal work to farm out, but Shaw Pittman wasn't even on my radar screen.
As law firms start using social networks to stay in touch with their alumni, they can take advantage of great business development opportunities.
April 10, 2007
An interesting article in today's Wall Street Journal describes how corporate recruiters are surfing the Web to find or evaluate job candidates. The latest trend is to surf blogs to find out about candidates, either from their own blog or from others blogs which may reference the candidate.
Law firm recruiters should be doing the same thing, particularly with regard to lateral hires. The competition among firms to recruit is intense, so they need to be creative in how they find and evaluate attorneys. Reading blogs can be particularly effective with regard to lateral attorneys since there is more likely to be information about them available on the Web. April 06, 2007
The buzz is increasing on the efforts by 100 law students to impact billable hours and the work environment at AmLaw 100 firms. The National Law Journal reports that the law students plan to publish prior to fall recruiting season a list of firms that do not sign on to their principles for improved working conditions at law firms. April 04, 2007
This morning's Wall Street Journal and the Journal's blog discuss a letter from 125 law students to 100 major law firms. The students ask for more balance in the work environment and a reduction in billable hours in exchange for ending the escalation of associates' salaries. Here is a link to the students' letter as published in the Wall Street Journal's blog.
The group has also established its own blog.
It will be interesting to see how much impact these students will have in effecting change. They've already shown the power of the online generation to take advantage of the Web to get the attention of serious people. At a minimum, the hiring partners at every law firm will be reading the students' letter and checking out their website. Many of them will probably respond with some action.
March 31, 2007
Mintz Levin, the fourth largest law firm in Boston, has added podcasting to its business development program. Starting with Alden Bianchi on the new Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act, Mintz is demonstrating its expertise in a dynamic way through interviews with their leading lawyers. Mintz is including the podcasts as links in e-mail alerts, and they can be found on their home page (www.mintz.com) under "News and Events". March 20, 2007
Online video syndication service Brightcove Inc. continues to sign deals with major publishers to enable advertisers to put video ads on magazine websites. This is part of a major trend in the advertising world. Ads are moving from print to the Web and audio and video are being included in Web ads. Law firms have been slow to move from print to Web advertising, particularly the larger firms. Smaller firms recognize that their traditional sources of new clients, the yellow pages, no longer work in an online world. Large law firms need to recognize that some of their biggest targets, the general counsels, are online all day long and can only be reached through the Web. At the same time, these general counsels are more than ready to see video on the Web since their own companies are already using it to reach their own prospects .
March 16, 2007
An article in the current issue of the National Law Journal discusses how the lateral market in Chicago is reaching a fever pitch. It's not much different in the rest of the country.
While many lawyers make a lateral move for more money or the chance to expand their practice, laterals are frequently no different from law students whose first priority is to find a firm in which they feel comfortable. Law students repeatedly cite their fit with a firm's culture, values and style as a primary reason why they select one firm over another. Wiggin & Nourie, a New Hampshire firm has an innovative way to attract laterals by introducing them to their culture in a Web video on their home page. Check it out by clicking here or going to www.wiggin-nourie.com under the caption "In Our Own Words".
March 14, 2007
There's a lot at stake for YouTube and Viacom and other content owners in Viacom's lawsuit against Google under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. If Google can't provide systems that quickly remove copyrighted clips, it would severely damage YouTube's business prospects. On the other hand, content owners have the right to have their copyrights respected.
This case is a reminder that copyrights need to be respected on the Web, as they have been in print, records and other media. Law firms that would never include a copyrighted photo in one of their brochures may not be as careful on the Web, particularly with multimedia. It might add a lot of impact and personality to have music from Celine Dion kicking off a law firm video. But if the video is for marketing, recruiting or other business purposes, the artist must be compensated. Even if monetary damages were small, no law firm wants to be accused of copyright infringement.
March 06, 2007
Law firms have barely recovered from what might have faced them in terms of New York State's new advertising rules. The rules will make life difficult, but for a while they looked like they'd come out even worse.
Now that there are some new parameters for where and how a firm can advertise, it makes sense to look at the Web. Organizations from all fields of endeavor are recognizing the power of the Web to employ ads that have great impact and can be more directly targeted toward the desired audience.
The opportunities presented by the Web do not necessarily mean that firms should stop advertising in the print media, but an intelligent campaign should address all media. Advertising on the Web is a lot more than Google Adwords. Major corporations are taking the experience they've garnered from TV and using it on the Web. Law firms cannot afford to do less.
Law firms don't have to be on the cutting edge when it comes to advertising using new media, but they can't afford to be on the sidelines either.
March 02, 2007
Podcasts are slowly coming into use in the law firm community. They are a natural because they are inexpensive and easy to develop, while bringing out the personality of the speaker. The key is that they be done well. For example, Goulston & Storrs produced an award-winning podcast to recruit law students. Now Mintz Levin, one of the largest firms in Boston, is using podcasting to demonstrate their knowledge of the law in different practice areas. The first features Alden Bianchi, a health care law expert, who discusses the new 2006 Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act. Click here to listen to the podcast.
February 25, 2007
One reason law firms should have blogs is that blogs tend to rank higher in search engines than regular websites, giving them a leg up on competitors with the same legal expertise. It's good business to be found by the search engines. Soon that will be a reason to do podcasts, as well. Blinkx, an early stage venture, has come up with a search capability that works a lot better than Google's for searching video and audio. What's significant about Blinkx's search capability is that, unlike Goggle's, it searches audio and the audio content of videos, whereas Google searches only focus on the words used to describe audio or video. Blinkx uses a combination of speech recognition and other technologies to determine more accurately what's being said.
Undoubtedly Google and others will be building enhanced capabilities in this area. Today, Blinkx has only indexed the major media sources for its searches, but when Google has the same capability, it will certainly want to do this for the entire Web.
Podcasts, which contain words and no images, are an ideal communication medium for search engines like Binkz's. So if your firm want to rank higher in searches tomorrow, take a look at how podcasts fit in your Web and media strategies and get them ready for a new generation of search engines.
February 22, 2007
The upcoming National Law Journal reports that competition for summer associates is hotter than ever. The major firms are extremely busy and need associates to do the work, so they're being forced to reach beyond the law schools that they've always hired from. The number of summer hires will be way up this year.
The National Association for Law Placement (NALP) says that nationwide 50% of law schools reported an increase of 5% or more in the number of employers visiting their schools compared with 2005.
The National Law Journal article doesn't talk about what firms are doing to differentiate themselves to the law students. This is a challenge facing all the firms hiring a large number of law students. An interesting example of how one firm demonstrates their differentiation in terms of their diversity can be seen in this TrueView Web video for Day, Berry & Howard (now Day Pitney).
February 21, 2007
During the past couple days, Viacom agreed to offer videos over the Joost Internet video service, while at the same time a deal between CBS and YouTube collapsed. These deals illustrate how major media companies will be interested in not just volume of potential viewers but also the quality of video that viewers expect to receive. Joost has targeted full-length programming while YouTube is associated with amateur 10-minute videos.
The lesson for law firms is that quality is expected when it comes to video on the Web. For several years, some small litigation firms have had video on their websites, but much of the quality was inferior. That was acceptable when there were no alternatives, but today there are many options for video on the Web. The Law Firm Media Blog will discuss these from time to time.
For a law firm’s blog, second tier video might be acceptable, but for a firm’s main website, the quality of the video should be as good as the quality of the legal services it provides.
February 12, 2007
An article called "Midsized firms shift recruiting strategies" in this week's National Law Journal addresses how midsized law firms are abandoning the market to the large major city firms. As the article points out recruiting has become very competitive and it's hard for most firms to match the going rate of $160,000 for first year associates.
But law students today are interested in a lot more than money, as evidenced by how quickly they jump ship once they get some training. Yes, school loans have to be paid off, but quality of life is very important. Law students typically rank culture and how they think they'll fit in at the type of the criteria by which they select firms. Midsized firms should be emphasizing these factors. Many will find a lot of success in both recruiting and retention if they are able to bring in the right associates. Click here to see how Boston law firm Goulston & Storrs conveys it's unique culture to prospective associates.
February 10, 2007
Any firm that has an office in New York has to spend time thinking about how to apply the revised New York advertising rules that took effect on February 1st. The rules specifically address websites, so blogs which are really just frequently updated websites are covered. Here are a few thoughts on how the rules might apply to blogs. Although I'm an attorney, these are not given as legal advice for which you should consult an attorney about the specifics that apply to your firm. Keep in mind that there is a lot of ambiguity in the rules,and sophisticated lawyers don't necessarily agree on how they should be applied in each instance. Also, a First Amendment challenge to the rules has already been filed.
- The rules apply to firms that solicit business in New York even if they don't have an office in New York.
- Blogs, like websites, much be labeled as "attorney advertising".
- The rules apply to blogs whose primary purpose is to generate business.
- They don't apply to recruiting blogs.
- Copies of content and major redesigns must be kept for one year.
- Testimonials can be used provided they
- do not address pending matters
- include disclaimers if any specific results might be implied
- disclose any paid endorsements
- do not compare the services of your lawyers with those in other firms
- focus on topics like quality of service
February 08, 2007
In his column in this morning's Wall Street Journal, Walt Mossberg talks about the tools that are now available to produce your own video for the Web. On a Mac one can use Final Cut software and on a Windows computer one can use Adobe Premiere. The cost and ease of use has come way down for digital cameras and editing software.
But as Walt Mossberg says, he still gets the benefit of the Wall Street Journal's professional producers. So for a law firm website it would be best to stick with a more professional production. One example of a way to do this easily and inexpensively is with our TrueView Vignettes.
No matter how you produce video for the Web, it's important to remember it's all about the messages you're trying to convey. Spend your time on that rather than dealing with technology.
With regard to doing your own videos for the Web, forget about it for your law firm's website. On the other hand, on a lawyer's blog, self produced videos are ideal. Blog's are intended to be authentic and build a connection between the writer of the blog and their audience. Having imperfections in your video might even be an advantage to demonstrate how authentic it is.
February 06, 2007
We wrote an article for the January/February issue of the American Bar Association's Law Practice Magazine on law firm podcasting strategy. The article describes how podcasts can be a great addition to the use of Web video and other media by law firms to boost their recruiting, marketing and business development. Law firms are finding that they can do a much better job of authentically telling their story to recruits and potential clients by using both audio and video on their websites, in e-mails and on handheld devices like Palm Treos and Blackberries. The article is referenced on Legal Insight Media's website and is reproduced below. Innovative law firms are also experimenting with video podcasts. For examples of law firm Web videos that could be incorporated into podcasts, check out our TrueViews or TrueView Vignettes.
By incorporating podcasts into your communications mix, you can expand the ways you reach potential clients and other audiences. Podcasting offers great opportunities for immediacy, authenticity and believability in marketing, client education and recruitment efforts. And it does so in a cost-effective and efficient way, making it an especially appealing medium for smaller practices.
Podcasts-digital recordings made available on the Internet for downloading-are inexpensive to produce and require minimal technology-just a PC, a microphone, simple software and access to the Web. But producing a great podcast is not as simple as it may seem. Creating one that represents your firm in the way you want to be perceived and helps you achieve your goals requires thoughtful planning, strategic messaging and effective execution. Here are eight strategies to consider before creating a podcast series for your firm.
- Know your audience. Podcasting is not for everyone. Consider whether your particular target audience would be inclined to listen to a podcast. For example, it's an ideal vehicle for reaching the younger generations, who want to control how, when and where they get their information. But it will probably not be as effective in communicating with senior executives. It's all about your audience's personal preferences. Beware of the home video syndrome. Do you like to watch your friends' shaky videos of their trip to the Bahamas? To be effective, a podcast must be professional and compelling. Make sure that what you are producing will convey the right image and be of interest beyond your office walls. Recognize that technology is a means to an end. The technology is user-friendly, readily available and affordable. But good podcasting is about the messages you convey. This is where you should spend your time. Be authentic. Don't use professional speakers. They may have terrific sounding voices, but your listeners will be able to tell that it's staged. Pick an articulate person from your firm who is knowledgeable and passionate about the subject and make sure the spokesperson doesn't read from a prepared script. Use an interview format to elicit spontaneity. You may or may not include the interviewer's questions in the final edited podcast, but setting it up in an interview format will provide structure without sounding forced. Interviews have a way of putting a speaker at ease. Understand how your audience will listen. Although the word podcasting was derived from a combination of iPod and broadcasting, many people will listen to podcasts on your website rather than downloading them to an iPod. Think about where on your site you will place the podcasts - for example, under a practice area, the recruitment pages, a "New Developments" section - and consider what other content will accompany them. Done right your podcasts will extend the value of your site. Take advantage of the medium's immediacy and frequency. For example, in practice areas where the law is rapidly changing - such as tax law - lawyers can provide weekly podcasts on new developments to showcase their expertise. In addition to communicating a lawyer's knowledge of the intricacies of the law, podcasts provide and added benefit of conveying the personality of the lawyer. Podcasts are also effective in teaching. You can prepare an instructional podcast series on how to set up an affirmative action program, comply with Sarbanes-Oxley and other issues.
- Don't use podcasts for everything. Podcasts are great for conveying passion, personality and a limited amount of content. On the other hand, if you have a lot of material to cover, the written word may be better.
You can create a great podcast, but if no one listens, it won't matter. Like all other marketing and recruiting programs, you need to create awareness for your podcasts. The power of your podcast will increase exponentially if it is integrated into your overall marketing plan.
February 01, 2007
An upcoming article in the National Law Journal features an innovative program at Detroit Mercy School of Law. In the program, law students are given experiences to simulate practice in a large law firm.
An excerpt from the article:
Starting next year, the school will call on all third-year students to participate in its new Law Firm Program, a series of courses that simulates big-firm lawyering.
Developed with input from a large group of lawyers working at some of the nation's most prestigious firms, the Law Firm Program is designed to enhance students' practical skills and make the third year of law school more meaningful.
The school's changes, in part, are a response to criticism from the legal profession directed at law schools generally that graduates are not ready to practice law, said Mark Gordon, the school's dean.
This program should enhance the experience that students have when they get into private practice, as well as help them make the decision whether a large law firm is the right place for them. It will also be helpful to law firms that are increasingly turning to electronic media such as Web videos to give law students a sense of what it would be like to work in their firm. The more law students are able to understand a firm's culture, the better for them and the firm to assure there's a good fit.
January 30, 2007
Legal Insight Media Co-CEOs Peter and Barbara Marx spoke today to members of the Connecticut Association of Legal Recruitment Administrators on the subject of "Reaching the Online Generation."
They explored the use of blogs, podcasts and Web videos to speak to law students on their own terms and within media that students relate to. Citing research that has shown that the number one factor in a law student's selection of a law firm is their comfort level with how they fit with the people, environment, culture and values of the firm, they explained how electronic media are an ideal way to communicate. In addition, they explained how the explosive growth in the use of iPods, iTunes, MySpace, YouTube, etc. give an indication of what to anticipate in law firm recruitment. Finally, they demonstrated how simple and inexpensive it can be for even a small law firm to set up and maintain its own blog.
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January 29, 2007
National Law Journal
January 17, 2007
Boston—-The tight market for talented associates has prompted a handful of tech-savvy firms to produce Web videos and turn their lawyers into firm salesmen.
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Despite video’s storytelling advantages, few firms have invested in full-motion video. Most opt instead for the lower-cost option of using still photographs that are panned as the clip progresses and narrated by voiceovers, much like the technique used in historical documentaries, said consultant Peter Marx, president of Wellesley, Mass.-based Legal Insight Media Inc., which specializes in media consulting for law firms.
Firms are reluctant to disclose their spending on videos, but Marx said his company’s videos start at around $20,000.
Videos can help law students narrow down their choices and decide which firms they want to visit, said Marx. Legal Insight has produced videos for Latham & Watkins and has just started a project with the U.S. Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps.
"The majority of firms have not dipped their toe in the water yet," Marx said. "Those that have are taking advantage of the capabilities of impact, personalization and connection. I would expect it to be big in 2007." ‘Huge’ for recruitment
The video will be a "huge recruiting tool" for the Navy JAG, said Lieutenant Commander Colleen Shook, Navy JAG Corps detailer for accessions and recruitment. Shook said JAG is reviewing its recruiting Web content to see if it meets the needs of law students, who like to do their own research online.
"The law student today is much more technologically savvy," Shook said. "We want to have as much information available to them as I can in the technological medium they’re using the most." |
