Legal Marketing Studio

Robert Weiss of Multivision Digital, one of the top video production companies in NYC, signs off his emails with the tagline, "See you in front of the camera." These days, we're all being seen in front of the camera. Not only are we in front of cameras more often than ever, but we're all watching more video than ever before. There is an opportunity to produce that content and means to do so safely despite the pandemic. In this episode Robert and I discuss three approaches to safely creating content now, during the pandemic, with a focus on remote video capture. We look forward to a post-pandemic period when remote video capture will remain a means of producing content at scale and across a broad geographic footprint.

In this episode I turn the host's reins over to author and marketing consultant Carol Schiro Greenwald and her guest Roger Barton, Managing Partner of Barton LLP. Carol and Roger discuss the evolution of his networking as he grew his practice and grew his firm. Roger describes how he has used networking externally and internally to the firm to form strong relationships, develop business, help train associates in building their practices, foster a culture of cross selling (in combination with innovative compensation policies), and encourage forward movers to join Barton LLP. Carol's most recent book is Strategic Networking for Introverts, Extroverts and Everyone In Between, available through the ABA website.

Michael F. Schein returns to the podcast to discuss his forthcoming book: The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World's Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers. We revisit how Hype can be applied in the professional services context and draw lessons from his research. More info on his website: https://michaelfschein.com/.

Jason Lisi of Legal Internet Solutions Inc joins us on this episode to consider what it means to have a complete digital presence in an environment in which the tools are rapidly changing, one's resources are easily over taxed, and competition is ever increasing. Jason discusses LISI's approach to structuring clients' digital strategies and what he sees as having a complete digital presence.

Tiffany Yarde joins me on the first episode of 2019 to discuss the every day gestures through which marketing professionals can push for positive change. Our conversation touches on team building, career development, and diversity and inclusion. Rather than look solely to grand programmatic or policy solutions, we explore the quotidian efforts that leaders and junior team members can employ to drive change in individuals' careers while expanding diversity at their firms and throughout the industry.

Sometimes things go sideways. Raj Jha of Practice Alchemy joins me on the final episode of 2018 to look back at the year and describe the three biggest marketing mistakes he saw law firms make in 2018. And, of course we pull out the lessons from these failures so our listeners can avoid making similar mistakes in 2019.

At the 2018 Legal Marketing Association's Northeast Regional Conference, Susan Peters (President, Greybridge PR) moderated a podcasting panel featuring Angela Robinson (Marketing Communications Manager, Finnegan), Robert Ambrogi (host, LawNext podcast) and Michael Meyer (host, Legal Marketing Studio). The panel discussed topics such as their strategic goals, what useful content sounds like, the nitty gritty of producing a podcast and how to grow one's audience.

In this episode, Greg Fleischmann makes the point that few lawyers went to law school because they want to sell. He and I discuss the potential of bringing externally facing salespeople into law firms so that lawyers can spend more of their time doing the high quality work that is central to a firm's success. Our discussion covers the challenges that such a role creates as well as the very real opportunities.

Paul D. Webb and I begin this episode with a general discussion of the relationship between marketing and business development from his perspective as Director of Marketing and Business Development at Richards Layton & Finger. We move on quickly to the heart of the conversation: a discussion of diversity in the legal industry. Our conversation touches on the business imperative of having a diverse firm, what it means to be a diverse firm and the processes and systems that will be needed to bring about diverse firms. We explore the need for advancing diversity not only among the ranks of attorneys (particularly leadership) but also among legal marketing teams.

In this episode, Brian Zimmet of the Zimmet Law Group joins me to expand on how he recognized the opportunity that being a preferred vendor on legal insurance plans presents, their place in his marketing strategy and the business development benefits that they have reaped for his firm. We also go on a brief tangent to discuss his firm's use of digital and social media and why he's brought these efforts in-house.

In this wide ranging conversation, Osborne Clarke partner Steve Wilson discusses how the role of the attorney has evolved in relation to business development. As the head of firm's New York City office, he has a unique perspective on attorneys' need to develop new business and manage existing client relationships. Other topics that we touch on include cross selling, non-lawyers' ability to sell legal services and the challenges and opportunities that the digital revolution and the commodification of legal services have brought.

At a Deliberate Solos meeting at the end of 2017 I heard Jim Shenwick recount how he'd built a niche content strategy to reach taxi medallion owners facing financial stress in the face of the industry disruption from apps like Uber, Lyft and Via. In this conversation, Jim describes how after reading an article in Crane's business he recognized an un-met client need and business development opportunity and began creating content to reach these potential clients. Deftly implementing a strategy of writing content of value for these clients, he's become a go to resource not only for underwater taxi medallion owners but also journalists and investors.

Rather than look for grand ideas and massive disruption, Josh Rosenzweig, the founder of Wibnilabs, discusses how modest investments by firms to support even small innovation initiatives can lead to revenue growth and new business opportunities. Our conversation touches on design thinking, client feedback, the unfortunate conflation of technology and innovation and where innovation comes from.

Digital marketing is no longer an also ran in marketing discussions. In many ways, digital is front and center. Within the digital realm, engaging social media is becoming a necessity. This creates a number of challenges, both practical and ethical. Ethan Wall joins me on this episode of the Legal Marketing Studio Podcast to discuss the state of digital marketing in 2018, engaging in social media strategically, planning content production and staying within the ethics rules. He shared so much good content I had to break it out into three separate episodes—this is part 3 of 3.

Digital marketing is no longer an also ran in marketing discussions. In many ways, digital is front and center. Within the digital realm, engaging social media is becoming a necessity. This creates a number of challenges, both practical and ethical. Ethan Wall joins me on this episode of the Legal Marketing Studio Podcast to discuss the state of digital marketing in 2018, engaging in social media strategically, planning content production and staying within the ethics rules. He shared so much good content I had to break it out into three separate episodes—this is part 2 of 3.

Digital marketing is no longer an also ran in marketing discussions. In many ways, digital is front and center. Within the digital realm, engaging social media is becoming a necessity. This creates a number of challenges, both practical and ethical. Ethan Wall joins me on this episode of the Legal Marketing Studio Podcast to discuss the state of digital marketing in 2018, engaging in social media strategically, planning content production and staying within the ethics rules. He shared so much good content I had to break it out into three separate episodes—this is part 1 of 3.

Dana Heitz and Zara Watkins join host Michael Meyer to talk about Deliberate Solos, the networking group they built and run for solo attorneys and the professionals who assist them. They discuss how the group's three pillars, networking, business development incubator, and "pop-up law firm", work together to support solo attorneys' practices and overcome the challenges they face.

LMS host Michael Meyer sits down with Jeff Leitner following his keynote speech at the LMA Northeast Conference in Philadelphia. Building on the themes of his keynote, he discusses how to spot opportunities to challenge existing norms and push firms' cultures forward.

LMS host Michael Meyer follows up with Bill Schroeder after the Brand Strategy panel at LMA Northeast Conference to discuss the importance of solid research in building a strong firm brand that can not only inform its marketing collateral but can positively shape its culture and point the way towards a firm's future.

LMS host Michael Meyer follows up with Jennifer Manton after the Brand Strategy panel at LMA Northeast Conference. She discusses how asking questions as part of the firms rebranding process opened up new opportunities for surveying partners and building buy in for initiatives beyond the rebrand.