It wasn’t just Big Law who stepped up big over the last year. Small and midsize firms stepped up big as well.

Clients point to 43 small and midsize firms — by name — as punching way above their weight class. Top legal decision makers look to these firms with the same level of confidence as the large firms. Clients tell us they are:

• Quick with an opinion
• Skilled and empathetic listeners
• Know their way around the issues
• Understand how to help
• Get things done
• Make deep connections

Please join me in congratulating these 43 firms for not just stepping into the ring — but exceeding the expectations of the most demanding clients in the world:

Law firms hit the search engine jackpot. Organic traffic broke records and changed a few firms’ thinking about digital marketing. But, in the end, law firms built it and clients came — in droves.

Organic traffic grew 36% for the Am Law 200. The growth is uneven — with 23% of law firms’ websites suffering a decline in organic traffic.

Here’s how the numbers break down and some of the standout firms:

• Baker McKenzie

• Gibson Dunn

• Greenberg Traurig

• Jones Day

• King & Spalding

• Latham & Watkins

• Quinn Emanuel

• Alston & Bird

• BakerHostetler

• Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath

• Foley & Lardner

• Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson

• Mintz

• Perkins Coie

• Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman

• Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton

• Troutman Pepper

• Vinson & Elkins

• Bradley Arant Boult Cummings

• Carlton Fields

• Dickinson Wright

• Dinsmore & Shohl

• Munger, Tolles & Olson

• Quarles & Brady

• Wiley Rein

The growth started as the pandemic crept into our world in March 2020. We measured organic traffic through last week. Top legal decision makers (and a few practicing attorneys) incorporated pandemic-induced searches for:

• New insight
• Industry-specific insights
• Strategies for WFH
• Plans for RTW
• Vaccine plans and policies
• Where litigation is headed
• What’s happening with M&A
• Risks
• Regulatory interpretations
• What to expect
• Local regulations

RFPs reached a fevered pitch during the pandemic. Clients report they met more new partners and associates than they have in years. These clients visited their law firms’ websites to checkout bios and profiles.

Law firms now face the challenge of engaging these clients — getting them involved and starting the digital conversation. Your visitors are conversing with you through their actions. Engagement includes any kind of interaction, comments, likes, celebrations, sharing, downloads, and a host of other analog responses.

But this is the beginning, not the end. Boosting organic web traffic is foundational to digital and integrated marketing — no traffic, no clients. Digital engagement drives conversions — which means new business.

Stay tuned as we are evaluating digital engagement on a law firm-by-law firm basis. Send me an email if you want to know when it’s ready for a sneak peek.

Engage well. Engage often.

MBR

The Mad Clientist

(Source: Semrush and law firms)

82% of top legal decision makers say they know virtually nothing about their law firms’ DEI strategies and actions. The only thing resembling a silver lining here is this number was 92% 3 years ago.

The closest these clients ever get to law firms DEI plans are the statistics they see in a proposal, on a website, or firm correspondence. Outside of this, mum is the word.

They indicate they don’t know anything about their law firms’:

• Initiatives
• Strategies
• Goals
• DEI leadership
• Success stories
• Level of commitment
• Leadership commitment
• Head of the effort at the firm

This lack of awareness is one factor behind clients taking unilateral action like establishing requirements for hours billed by diverse attorneys and similar programs. These clients want to set the pace and drive change. They don’t know what law firms are doing — which is often interpreted as not doing anything — so these clients take action and impose standards and metrics.

There is only one proven strategy to fill the DEI effort knowledge gap — educate clients. We recommend every firm outline its strategy, commitment, goals, and progress with clients. Not just a conversation, but a fully developed thought piece — with the same gravitas as pursuing a global transaction or winning the court decision creating new law.

Communicate your DEI investment and plan through relationship partners, DEI leaders, and firm leaders. It takes these 3 levels of communication to prove to clients the firm has a fully developed plan and is fully committed.

Ask your top clients to advise your DEI committees, diversity leaders, and the firm. Your clients have ideas and opinions to help you improve. They have seen their own company’s programs and heard from a lot of law firms. Invite them to share, comment, and help your initiative. You will learn how to improve public DEI efforts and enjoy the added business of better understanding your client.

The best outcome is when you invite clients into your process. You exchange ideas and both walk away with new and better strategies to drive improved DEI.

MBR

The Mad Clientist

Some firms manage to impress the living daylights out of their clients. These clients notice and say really nice things. They may not say them in the moment to their attorneys, but they are sure thinking it. Clients have had a lot of time to think about this over the last year or so and shared their thoughts with BTI. You can learn so much from these 14 examples.

Before you dive in, note the mix of smaller, mid-size, and larger firms. The pandemic opened the playing field and firms of every size stepped up. Congratulations to the firms earning high and unprompted praise from the most demanding clients:

“We stay with them because they deliver concepts quickly while remaining insightful and fresh. They will speak their mind and take a stand.”

“They go all in. They put their shoulder to the grindstone. They take the confusion and make it simple and actionable. And they don’t hedge about it.”

“They are very good at tagging things early and giving us an opportunity to handle them. They raise solutions along with issues.” 

“They have been my Sherpas through this crazy journey, and everyone needs a Sherpa.”

“They are our litigation and construction firm. They know construction like nobody’s business. We only use others if they have a conflict, and we can’t use them.”

“They got me in a gentle bear hug almost 23 years ago and never let go. They helped me with my litigation, my career, and my family. They are as relentless in winning my litigation as they are in making me more successful. It’s hard to beat that.”

“They are like watching a great symphony. The partners play together well, everyone knows their role, and they are always in communication no matter where in the world something is happening. They are relentless and get you to where you want to be.”

“They are very engaged. They understand our business and our legal requirements. Most importantly, they have the trust of my business partners who might ask for an investigation and know that Maynard knows how to manage it.”

“They are laser-focused on the client — it’s almost intangible. They are always all about the client.”

“They take the time and effort to create a relationship. They have been able to help us identify the questions we should be asking and provide actionable, executable advice.”

“They are practical and not at all cookie cutter. They look at each case as an individual matter. Is it something we can knock out or resolve easily with settlement? They work within their budget. It’s significant that they treat each case independently.” 

“They do a great job at litigation. They understand facts quickly, get right to the point, and don’t run up fees. They provide solid practical advice.” 

“They just stepped up and made a litany of practical recommendations. They didn’t wait to be called or asked. They knew exactly how to help me and keep helping me throughout this whole thing.”

“At the end of the day, they are very practical and can get you the answer you need faster than any firm and get any deal done while others are still wondering.”

The common themes are commitment, practicality, teaching, acting before being asked, and helping instead of just providing advice.

If you want more of your clients talking about your firm this way BTI can get you there quickly with our new accelerated programs. Please reach out to discuss.

Best,

MBR

The Mad Clientist