Law Firm Marketing: Attorneys Should Hold Onto Their Briefs

December 29, 2009
8:10 am

Rene Perras

Rene Perrras-Staff Writer/Senior Editor - Rene Perras is a writer and editor for Justice News Flash with a background in marketing and advertising for law firms. Rene a native Canadian, was born and raised in Montreal and recently transplanted to America. For the last 10 years he has helped educate attorneys to better understand the power of language and the written word when it comes to promoting their law firms. His experience writing copy for advertisements in a wide variety of media provides an important dimension to the news desk.

Law Firm Marketing: Attorneys Should Hold Onto Their Briefs

In the extremely competitive arena of personal injury law, most law firms are looking for that key creative element that clearly differentiates them from the rest of the field in what appears to the consumer to be an almost homogeneous group. One of the most important lessons to be learned by attorneys is that ad copy is not written with the same inflection, grammar or tone that a legal brief is. The key to successful legal marketing is to align your firm with a team of marketing professionals that you trust and allow them to craft campaigns that are not reduced to legalese.

In spite of the multitude of Bar regulations that would seem to prevent any “big ideas” from being executed effectively, choosing an ad agency that specializes in law firm advertising will help you navigate the murky waters and help you find the appropriate solution to the challenge. In addition to promoting your practice, their focus should also be to uplift the image of the profession as a whole.

It is often difficult for attorneys to view ad creative crafted for their firm in the same manner as they would read an ad in a magazine or view a TV spot while at home in their off hours. When they see ads, when they are not wearing their attorney hats, they either relate to them or not, just like other typical consumers. However, when they review creative for approval, especially ads targeted at attorney referrals, the type of grammar used in advertising often puts them off. Starting a sentence with the word “and” in a brief would be viewed as an error, yet in an ad it is an old trick to get the reader to keep reading. The same can be true for the conversational tone in many TV spots where time is so limited.

Personal injury firms can create compelling advertising that brands their firm and breaks through the clutter, but they have to build a relationship with a marketing partner that they have enough confidence in to allow them to create a distinctive message that sets them apart. Most importantly, they must let them practice their craft and focus on practicing law.

Press Release Contact Information:

Rene Perras – Cepac Law Firm Marketing