This article appears as it was seen in the Legal Marketing Association’s Strategies magazine in April/May 2010:

In the March 2010 issue of Strategies, the LMA International Education Committee introduced five of the 10 core competencies. As Amy K. Smith, co-chair of the committee explained in her article: “The Core Competencies are the common threads binding every educational endeavor such as e-learning, sponsored Webinars, senior programs and accreditation.” The following pages include details on the remaining five competencies not previously covered in March.

Core Competency: Branding
I wrote the definition of competency in branding some years ago and see no need to change it. The entire idea of branding has been challenged over the past few years by the pendulum swing toward business development. Who was it that said, “Nothing like being hanged will focus your attention more”? Is business development critical to your success? Absolutely. But during this last and greatest recession of the past 80 years, we did not abandon a single program to reinforce our brand. In fact, we took the opportunity to extend the brand even further online. Without a brand, you have nothing to sell except hours. You have no differentiation from competitors. You have no engaging personality and thus, no engagement. You atomize your efforts, becoming “one lawyer, one ranger.” Based on this approach, there is no reason to be a firm at all except to share expenses for the copier. A brand is bigger than any individual. A brand represents a commitment to the collective good, a tall order for the culture of independence that characterizes law firms.

Constant training. Weekly meetings to share new techniques, knowledge, software, etc. Create a learning culture and stick to it. This requires true dedication and devotion to the belief that lifetime learning is the only way to stay current.

Last year Nixon Peabody was a finalist in the LMA “Your Honor Awards” (YHAs) for their Image and Awareness Survey that provided tremendous strategic guidance for the firm’s marketing and business development efforts. This year Nixon Peabody submitted its Client Loyalty Program, which has provided demonstrable ROI in support of the firm’s tactical client value efforts—it, too, has been selected as a finalist.

“Our lead attorney said…the client told her “at least three times he was thrilled to have participated and have had the opportunity to provide feedback.” - Nixon Peabody

“I sincerely appreciate that Nixon makes this effort and does it through a professional. I think it’s very important, and I applaud them for doing it.” - Nixon Peabody client

“I view this interview as a very valuable sign that they want the work and I greatly appreciate that.” - Nixon Peabody client

Clearly Nixon Peabody’s research efforts, led by Mark T. Greene, Ph.D., the firm’s CMO, are providing significant value for the firm and its clients.

Stay tuned…

Nixon Peabody will receive the firm’s YHA award this week at the LMA’s annual conference in Denver. Congratulations to Mark Greene, Melissa Croteau and the entire Nixon Peabody marketing team!

In response to a client question about average marketing budgets and expenditures for the legal and accounting industries, I conducted some research with the help of the Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM), the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) and a good old-fashioned Google search. View full article