A Guide to Planning and Marketing Law Firm Events

Relationships are at the heart of every successful law practice. Hosting an event is a great way to strengthen existing client relationships while developing connections with new prospects and potential referral sources. Events offer opportunities to engage on a deeper level, which is key to forming the trust that is crucial for business development.

Face-to-face interaction continues to be a powerful way to build relationships and better tap into client needs. A 2018 joint survey by Bloomberg Law and the Legal Marketing Association found that 45 percent of attorneys identified firm-hosted events as the most effective tactic for business development, second only to client meetings. Around 27 percent expressed a desire to see more event planning and execution from their firm’s legal marketing team.

Regardless of whether they are informative or social in nature, events can be a valuable part of a law firm’s overall marketing strategy.

They can help lawyers obtain new leads, generate positive publicity and position themselves as thought leaders, among many other benefits.

The phrase “event planning” may conjure up images of cavernous auditoriums full of rows of people staring at a stage. While certain events do indeed require a robust marketing budget and extensive preparation, not all of them have to be large-scale undertakings to have significant impact. There are several types of events that lawyers can put on themselves, both offline and online, without expending considerable resources.

Educational events

Educational events allow law firms to engage with the local community and demonstrate their professional knowledge in person. While such events can take on various forms likes classes and workshops, seminars are especially popular in the legal industry. For example, an immigration attorney can host a seminar about updates to state and federal laws that may affect their client base.

Littman Krooks LLP is a New York-based law firm with a track record of hosting successful community seminars and webinars that focus on topical issues in their practice areas like long-term care, special needs planning and elder law. “The seminars provide us with enhanced visibility as well as an opportunity to interact with our community,” said Littman Krooks Marketing Manager Maria Mirto Brill. “Webinars enable us to communicate to those that may only be available to attend online. Our goal is to provide individuals with information that they may need to properly plan for their future.”

With attorneys serving as seminar speakers, potential clients can get a sense of what a law firm is like. Remember, avoid using such events as sales pitches. Instead, focus on providing value to attendees. Initially it may take a few sessions to get people in the door when you first start off with educational events. As your law firm builds credibility, your seminars will start to fill up.

“Importantly, these events are successful because our attorneys are well-regarded in their fields and are experienced public speakers,” added Brill. “Additionally, our seminars and webinars are successful because we choose topics that are of interest to people and address their questions.”…[Read More]