The Law Firm Marketing Summit, established as the leading European forum for senior business development and marketing professionals in the legal industry, now enters its 5th year as a virtual event.

The Summit unites like-minded colleagues to explore the biggest challenges facing law firms in an increasingly complex and competitive business environment.

And this year the challenges are like none seen before.

With law firms under more pressure than ever in these difficult times, managing partners are having to rethink their strategy amidst the Covid crisis. Priorities are shifting, budgets are being revised and marketing and business development executives are having to chart a path through this fast-moving crisis.

This year’s Law Firm Marketing Summit addressed how to emerge from the pandemic in a stronger position whilst helping the firm retain clients and build new relationships. With technology now driving law firm performance and interactions, it looked at how BD and Marketing professionals influence core strategy and add value to the bottom line.

The event will bring managing partners, clients and peers together to discuss what success looks like in this challenging environment.

Sessions included:

Please note that this agenda is a work in progress and speakers and sessions may differ somewhat on the day.

DEVELOPING BUSINESS THROUGH UNCERTAINTY: MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FROM THE CORONAVIRUS

This session focuses on how to strengthen client relationships while laying the foundation for growth when the rebound happens. With clients more open than usual to new thinking and new relationships, communication is, however, subtly changing – becoming more personal and authentic whilst the importance of trust has never been higher. Our only certainty is that the market will return. The challenge is, therefore, which law firms will emerge from Covid-19 in a stronger or weaker position than before.

The issues covered were:

• The clients´ perspective of what marketing is or is not currently appropriate
• Building trust, being able to make a personal connection without a sales agenda
• Focusing on the right connections, adopting a coordinated approach to relationship-building
• Creating more upfront conversations to uncover new opportunities
• Understanding the catalysts that are triggering new client needs and higher value legal needs

ENSURING A PLACE AT THE TABLE: INFLUENCING SKILLS FOR BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS

Business Development professionals are increasing acting as change agents, driving cultural change, innovation and collaboration around clients and markets and ultimately pricing and profitability. But despite an increasing investment, law firms can still remain a difficult environment for marketing professionals. Many are willing to pay the high salaries now required, but fail to listen to the advice given.

In this session, we will explore the challenges and celebrate the success stories, hearing from both sides of the divide – law firm leadership and BD experts.

Topic covered included:

• Roles, responsibilities and reporting: structuring and positioning the BD function
• Empathy and credibility: Overcoming cognitive bias – empathy, EI and those “softer” skills
• Understanding where to add value (and where not too): ROI, reporting, ROI and insourcing versus outsourcing models

PLUS:

• Developing your team: The challenge of learning and career development when there is no L&D budget and no promotions
• Please turn your microphone on: pitching for work in a virtual world
• Making the client matrix work? Why sector postioning is so successful for law firms despite partners trying to destroy them
• So I want to win more work: the challenge of developing your profile and practice while working from home
• What discounts are you offering? How and why law firms should be having a different conversation with their clients

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