In this episode of The Verdict is Marketing, Kim Sailer is joined by Todd Blackmon and John Sailer to recap key insights from recent discussions on building a strong personal brand, fostering law firm culture, and ensuring your website is ADA compliant. Tune in for practical advice that will help elevate your law firm’s marketing strategy and client relationships.
LawBard Recap Resources – Episodes 2-4:
- accessiBe – https://accessibe.com/a/al1hsit
- Learn more about our contributors – https://www.lawbard.com/about-lawbard/
Transcript:
Kim: Hello, and welcome to The Verdict is Marketing podcast. I’m your host, Kim Sailer, founder of LawBARD.
Kim: In today’s episode, we dive into the highlights of our latest episodes, packed with actionable insights to elevate your law firm. From building a strong personal brand to navigating the complexities of web accessibility, this recap offers valuable takeaways to help you succeed.
Kim: Joining me to break down these key points are LawBARD Co-founder Todd Blackmon and LawBard Advisor and Expert Contributor John Sailer. Welcome and thanks for joining us today.
LawBard Recap – Episode 2 with Scott Perry – Building a Strong Personal Brand, Networking and Referral Marketing
Kim: Our first recap is from our discussion with Partner Scott Perry of Murray Guari Trial Attorneys. Scott discussed The Importance of Building a Strong Personal Brand, Networking and Referral Marketing.
Kim: What stood out for me or one of the things that stood out for me in Scott’s presentation was that he emphasized that personal branding should tie closely to the firm’s brand. I think that’s very important to have those two aligned. This creates a consistent message and an image to your prospects, your client, your partners, and the public. And it helps to build the trust and the credibility that you need. It helps you attract ideal clients and even attract and retain top talent. This alignment ultimately contributes to both personal and firm wide success and helps them give them a competitive edge.
John: Kim, it’s funny, right? This is marketing 101, right? Don’t confuse the customer. Don’t confuse the client. They’re looking for easy answers. And when you don’t have continuity between what you’re saying and what your, firm’s website says, that’s a problem. While you can have separate brands, they do need to work in concert. And I think Scott’s point was there, right? Which was really that, his brand and the firm’s brand, if you overlay them, there’s a lot of overlap, and I think that makes a lot of sense, and again, marketing makes a lot of sense. And again, marketing 101.
Kim: Another key point he brought up was the importance of building referral relationships over time. That’s something I completely agree with. Networking and referral marketing is about cultivating trust, understanding, and building mutual, mutually beneficial relationships, which inherently requires time to build and to develop. That process is usually gradual. It involves consistent effort and authentic engagement in order to build that solid supportive professional network. It really is a long-term strategy. And if it’s done well, it can be a powerful tool for not only career advancement, but professional growth.
Kim: Another key point that Scott made that I wanted to highlight was the importance of establishing oneself as a thought leader in the legal field. This involves sharing insights and expertise through various channels, maybe writing articles, speaking at events engaging even on social media. By demonstrating knowledge and providing values, lawyers can enhance their credibility and attract more referral opportunities as well.
Kim: Another key point that Scott stressed was the important and need for mentorship, especially for these young lawyers. Mentorship creates a win situation for everyone involved. Mentorship is vital for fostering a supportive environment where attorneys can thrive professionally and personally. It promotes skills development, career progression, job satisfaction, ethical practices, and even leadership, all which contribute to the overall success and stability of a law firm. It’s
John: Yeah, Kim, it’s funny when I listen to his podcast, as you mentioned, I heard him talk about keeping in touch with past clients, check, right? I heard him talk about mentoring younger attorneys, as you just mentioned, check. I heard about being philanthropic, check. You know what? These are all table stakes. They’re all foundational actions for law firms to be successful. We, and me included, we love to talk about digital marketing, we love to talk about AI, and all these other cool things. But I think these three, topics that you and Scott talked about, they’re foundational, right? They’re more important. And, whether you’re an attorney, or you’re a doctor, or you’re, even a realtor, right? These three things are where he needs to start. You can have short term success without doing these things and by putting up a website and by using AdWords and, spending money on your digital marketing, but you’ve got to have a local presence. You’ve got to have a brand. You’ve got to have a reputation, and you’ve got to build a tribe. And I think, again, these are the right three things and sometimes, I feel Again, a bit concerned because, again, we all talk about AI and video meetings and digital marketing. And because of that, I think it’s easier to not actually go out there and, hustle. I think it’s easier to not go to that bar meeting. It’s easier to not go and give that presentation. It’s easier to not go spend that night networking, but when you don’t do this, you’re not building that reputation. You’re not hustling. And I think, this will be a problem for many attorneys, and I don’t want that to age me and make me look like one of those old guys. But I really think these are the foundations, whether you were a firm that started out 20 years ago or you’re a firm that’s starting out today.
Kim: And the last thing that I wanted to make sure I mentioned about our discussion with Scott was Scott at the time was running for reelection to the board of the Palm Beach County Bar Association. I’m happy to report that he has been reelected. So, congratulations, Scott. And I hope you meet all of the goals and things you’ve set out for your next term.
LawBard Recap – Episode 3 with Denise Lehr on Finding Fulfillment in the Legal Profession
All right, let’s move on to our second recap. This comes from our discussion with the Director of Professional Development, Denise Lehr, of Kelly Kronenberg, where we discussed finding fulfillment in the legal profession.
Kim: One of the things that Denise highlighted was that effective culture building practices are accessible to all firms, regardless of size and budget. Let me repeat that. It’s accessible to all firms, regardless of size and budget. I usually hear, we’re too small, we can’t afford it, we can’t do it. Denise says, nope. That’s not true. Keeping your team happy and engaged is key to a thriving law firm. She offered a bunch of practical advice on how to achieve this. Some are very simple, yet effective. Fostering collaboration regularly with your team, having team lunches, rather. Keeping everyone connected through instant messaging platforms. These are things that could create a more positive atmosphere, environment and connected work environment. Investing in your team’s growth through intern mentorship and partner led training sessions. Hey, this not only saves you on your costs, but it leverages your valuable in-house resources. She recommends doing something as simple as recognizing your achievements. There’s no, none of them are too small or too big. Keep people motivated. Helping them map out their career paths within the firm gives them a sense of purpose and direction. Another important thing is encouraging breaks and paid time off. I’m still surprised at how many lawyers still do not take the needed time off. This helps combat your burnout and promotes work life balance but also providing constructive feedback and maintaining open communications can foster supportive and collaborative atmospheres. These are just simple things that anyone, any firm could do that can help create a culture that helps employees stay happy and engaged, which ultimately leads to a more successful and productive team.
John: Kim, as I’m a culture guy. I’ve written several white papers and articles about corporate culture and sales culture. I would tell you that I do agree with Denise that culture is very unappreciated in law firms. I look at law firms being very binary, right? Either you’re getting the billable hours or you’re not, either you’re a good trial attorney or you’re not. And I think that as in every other business. Culture matters, morale matters, turnover matters, right? And these are the things that keep a good firm or that separate a good for a good firm from a great firm. And I think that firms don’t kid yourselves, you’re going to have to invest. And again, there are some things that are easy to do, there are some things that are low cost to do, but you have to invest. Management training, you’ve got to invest in that. And again, I think whether the firms are for profit entities, because the firms are for profit entities, they do expect things from their lawyers. They do expect some level of performance. So, I do agree that culture is a two-way street. And I do also think that in a lot of cases, it’s up to the lawyers themselves to find fulfillment. It’s up to the lawyers themselves to find. If you were to start a new law firm.one of the things that I, that I would recommend you do is focus on culture. And I think, a culture drives accountability, and accountability is really what you want out of everybody. Accountability is really what you want out of everybody.
Kim: Another thing that Denise emphasized that I thought was interesting is the failure of law firms to invest in the firm culture and attorney satisfaction leads to high attrition rates. And she was talking that within her firm, it was estimated to be about 100,000 per attorney. That’s a lot of money. High turnover can severely affect not only, your law firm’s reputation, it can affect your client relationships and your overall effectiveness. The last thing a law firm wants to become is a revolving door type of organization where they have a hard time recruiting top talent. And they certainly do not want to frustrate their current or future clients who expect continuity and reliability. And law firm leadership needs to create a work environment with those opportunities for professional growth, recognition, and a healthy work life balance. Firms need thorough vetting and onboarding processes to hire the right fit and for the firm’s culture and their longer-term needs. They need to implement mentorship programs. Again, that’s something Scott Perry was very passionate about. And continuous learning opportunities to support employee development and satisfaction. And again, regular feedback and communications to address these concerns to improve employee retention. It’s vital
John: Yeah, I agree. And again, it, it strikes me that when I listened to that podcast and I listened to what Denise talked about, it reminds me of something that I’ve always said. Lawyers go to law school to learn how to practice law. They don’t go to law school to learn how to run a business. And these are the same issues that Businesses in every profession have, right? You’ve got to go build that, that culture. You’ve got to go do those things, to keep your lawyers happy. You’ve got to go and, and I think one of those things is just communication, I think that’s the biggest thing is just that communication, whether it is the team lunches that you talked about or whether it is monthly state of the business that’s got to happen. But, again, it’s no different than any other business that’s out there trying to go make money. I would also say that attorneys, if they’re good, they can always, they will always have a job, right? So, the burden to some degree is on the law firm because the guys that leave are the ones that you don’t want to leave typically because they’re the ones that have the most mobility. You’ve got to make sure, don’t, you can’t go in with the attitude that, that people will not, never leave because they need a job. I would disagree with that. I would say again, the good attorneys will leave first and that, that starts the problem. But I would also say, as I mentioned earlier, that it is a two-way street. And I do think going back to Scott Perry’s podcast, that the attorneys themselves have to go out and have to get involved in the bar movement. Have to go out and get involved in bars, have to go out and get involved in the community, have to go build a brand, and they need to be part of a tribe. And by doing those things, I think that the attorneys themselves and the law firms can meet halfway and work together to go build that culture, to work together to go build, the firm that they want to, work at.
LawBard Recap – Episode 4 with Brenda Pagliaro of MediationWorks on ADA Compliance
Kim: Okay, let’s talk about our third recap. This is from a discussion with mediator Brenda Pagliaro of MediationWorks where we discussed website ADA compliance for law firms.
Kim: One of the first things that struck me, and I thought was very important was Brenda stated that websites are accessible to everyone. A website, which is a public accommodation, and because it is deemed a public accommodation under the law, is subject to the website content accessibility guidelines, as well as the ADA guidelines and the law.
John: It’s funny because of everything that, I’ve listened to in those podcasts, this struck me the sharpest, being compliant is a no brainer. There are a lot of things that are hard, again, we talk about culture, we talk about networking, we talk about getting cases, we talk about all these things. Being ADA compliant is not hard. We talked about, and Todd, who I think will be talking here we talked about tools like accessiBe, easy to install, relatively low cost, and it’s just the right thing to do.
Kim: One of the things Brenda highlighted was beyond avoiding a lawsuit, which could happen if you’re not compliant, there are benefits to having a other benefits of having an ADA compliant website. Todd can you talk to one or two of those?
Todd: Sure. There, there are amazing amounts of benefits. The list is like huge. It surprised me when I really started getting more exposed to the accessibility guidelines and getting more up to date on all of this years ago. There’s, one of the big ones is you expand your base. There’s statistics out there that show up to 70 percent of people with disabilities will leave your site if you’re not accessible. That’s a good chunk of people. It’s more than most firms and most companies realize. There’s, there’s a better corporate image. Just doing the right thing. Basically, like we talked about, before you want to be compliant and it’s just really the right thing to do. You got a better corporate image. Who doesn’t want that? And then you have the SEO benefits, which are huge. You have, you create that credibility and trust for one, but that’s the issues for, SEO or, you got local SEO benefits. You got, your long-term strategy benefits with SEO. You got quantifiable results that you can see once you implement these accessibility procedures. You gain a competitive advantage which is, what everybody wants to achieve also. Yeah, it’s huge. The list is huge. It’s a no brainer. Easy link on the lawBARD website. You can get started very quickly. It’s just amazing that not everybody is accessiBe.
Kim: And it’s easy to install?
Todd: Very easy install. In most cases, but not all sites are the same. If your site is a larger corporate site, you’ll obviously have an IT staff and that will be a very easy thing for them to handle.
Kim: Brenda stated It is generally agreed that websites should conform to the WCAG guidelines at a Level AA is recommended (A, AA & AAA). It is recommended you can be A, AA, or AAA, AA, AAA. If your website is not compliant yet, she says to get compliant, which we all agree. And if you’re not compliant, but you can at least show you’re doing due diligence and acting in good faith to become compliant, or you’re at a level A, but you’re working towards a double A, it is a much better alternative and a better good first defense and could save you money as you work towards becoming compliant. Otherwise, you could risk litigation and some legal fees. And she went into a bunch of those on the full podcast. Which you do not want.
Kim: So, I think that’s important to discuss. Let’s talk about, too some other, these solutions. When you do implement these solutions, what do they do for you? Do you get reports? What are some of the things that the benefits?
Todd: Yes, they’re amazing. You get instant. You get access to the tools for colorblindness people that have visually, that are visually impaired you have readers that read text on your screen, and all these you would think are super complex and take tons of programming. No, it’s a simple install in most cases, especially with acessiBe, and you’re up and running. And these things are like we said earlier, they’re huge benefits to your computer. Your site and your just in general corporate image.
Kim: one other thing that I think we mentioned or was mentioned in the podcast too, which is to highlight that while we have all these great tools and they are game changers, there is still need for human oversight. And this is this is an ongoing commitment. Things are going to constantly change – maybe need to be updated or changed or fixed, but you can’t oversee the importance of human overviewing and overseeing these changes. You can’t just rely on the technology a hundred percent.
Todd: Yes, absolutely. Especially with the enhancement of AI. It’s early in the whole artificial intelligence game. A lot of these tools are taking advantage of artificial intelligence. And so, it’s something you do just, keep an eye on but it’s not hard to do. It’s really easy to monitor those types of things.
Kim: Excellent. And I think one of the other things too is these tools are affordable.
Todd: Yes, absolutely. I just think it’s an easy thing to do your research. You’ll see if you just do a Google search. Accessibility, assessiBe. If you click the link on our website, go to their web page. There is tons of information there. You’ll get all the information you need. And you’ll see how easy of a process it is.
Kim: If you would like to listen to these full podcasts or read the transcripts, visit lawbard.com/verdict. Check the show notes for additional links to resources mentioned, including the ADA Compliance tool accessiBe.
Kim: Thanks to LawBARD’s Co-founder, Todd Blackman and Expert Contributor John Sailer for joining me today. Thank you for listening. Feel free to drop me a line at kim@lawbard.com or visit us at lawbard.com. Until next time, the Verdict is Marketing is adjourned.
