Despite years of trying to stay away from social media, individual lawyers and law firms are beginning to deploy social networking tools to build practice and firm awareness as well as that of individual attorneys. Swarms of law firms are joining the ranks and reaching out to this once uncomfortable platform; the level of comfort and understanding of this online world of communicating has definitely evolved.
As law firms wake up and recognize the potential of social media networking, marketing and advertising, law firm leaders will begin to pay closer attention to this rapidly growing new online source.
JMI offers comprehensive consulting and implementation services in this unique arena. We are available to help individual attorneys and law firms establish their social media pages, profiles and all related linking functions.
Being well informed of the new online networking mediums is simply a smart strategic marketing move to ensure that you and your firm are keeping pace with the competition. Consider these astonishing statistics:
> 71 percent if in-house counsel have joined an online network
> 1.3 million laweyrs have LinkIn profiles
> Facebook has 400 million users and gets 37.4 trillion page views a year
> Twitter transmits 50 million tweets per day
> there are 234 million web sites and counting on the Internet
Online networking will never replace face-to-face business development but it is changing the face of the way many conduct business and this includes the legal industry. Many lawyers and law firms argue that social media/networking is of questionable value and further say they do not believe their clients and in-house counsel contacts are using these tools. This may be true, to some degree, but social media and networking are still integral to any law firm’s client development efforts.
If your firm does not already have an internal Social Media Policy then it is definitely time to establish and post one. Online networking sites, web sites and online discussion forums generally consist of commentary on a defined subject and frequently include links to other sites pertaining to the same subject. While online networking sites can serve a useful function, if improperly used, they can result in unintended attorney/client relationships being established, sensitive information being disclosed and defamation and copyright issues being created.
Contact us if you need assistance identifying and deciphering the various Social Media options, determining what’s right and most appropriate for you or your firm, and establishing an online Social Media Policy for your firm or setting up individual attorney and firm profiles.