What Are the Best Law Firms Doing to Improve in 2020?

If you wonder what other lawyers say about the challenges, hopes and goals that shape their law firms, well, you can always ask Firmidable.

As a legal marketing agency, we have a unique vantage point that comes from talking to lawyers all over America for a living.

And in this blog post, we’re happy to share what we’ve heard about the resolutions and aspirations of attorneys around the dawning of the New Year, and new decade, in 2020.

For insights and inspiration from peers in the legal profession around the country, keep reading.

Take More Advantage of Digital Advertising

Joe Houle, managing partner at Levine Benjamin Law Firm in Detroit, said in 2020 he wants to increase the role digital advertising plays in his firm’s overall law firm marketing and revenue-generating efforts.

While TV has long been a major part of Levine Benjamin’s marketing, Houle said he wants to do more with tools like paid search advertising because of its ability to reach specific audiences and increase the firm’s overall web presence.

Never Stop Improving the Client Experience

At the George & George Law Firm in Gallatin, TN, attorney Chris George is confident that he, the other attorneys and the staff provide top-notch service to their clients.

“We are pretty efficient and are readily available for client contact,” he said. “We want to continue to strive to provide the best representation to every client.”

The quality of client relationships is an area where George & George constantly looks for ways to improve, he said.

Set a Record for Signing New Legal Clients

“My resolution for the firm is to continue to beat the previous year’s record of most new clients signed up in a year!” wrote Gary Bimberg, managing partner at Levine Benjamin.

“For the last three years in a row, we’ve beaten the previous year’s record, which I thought would be impossible to beat.”

Take Law Firm Performance to Even Higher Levels

Firmidable heard from law firms over the past year who sought to change the types of cases they focused on, strengthen their referral networks from other attorneys, doctors and professionals, try new approaches to TV advertising and new tools in digital marketing, sharpen their case management systems and improve the reputation management of their online reviews.

Many law firms want to gain more returns from their legal marketing investment by improving their client intake processes to turn more of the people who call—or click—into clients. That includes installing a high-quality client relationship management (CRM) system.

Some want to get more involved in their communities through event sponsorships, board seats and more. Some want to expand the geographic areas they serve.

And some want to improve the way they gather data on how their firms are performing, so they can best identify what to improve.

For its part, Firmidable encourages and supports law firms in pursuing any of these changes that are right for them, and we analyze and strategize the most prosperous courses of action.

Reflect on Great Legal Careers, Look to the Future

For some of the most experienced and accomplished lawyers, the New Year is a time for new phases in life.

Two lawyers recently told Firmidable about their plans for retirement—or semi-retirement.

“I’ve been a lawyer for 45 years,” said Bob Crowe of Crowe & Shanahan in St. Louis, a longtime Firmidable client. “My first resolution is to apply for parole. I have a lot of other interests that I’d like more time to pursue: improve my photography skills, read everything I can get my hands on, do all those home maintenance projects that no one ever gets to, develop a meditation practice, see more of the world, figure out the late Beethoven string quartets.

“When we are in law school, we all hear the old saying that ‘The law is a jealous mistress.’ It’s time for a separation,” Crowe said. “I hope for the best for the two superb lawyers who will take over the practice, Don Derse and Kelly Staley. As Mr. Spock said, live long and prosper.”

And McKinley Morgan of Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer, a firm with seven offices in Kentucky, isn’t stepping all the way out the door, but is looking for a more serene pace in 2020.

“My New Year’s Resolution is for my partners and associates to work harder and me less,” Morgan said.

“After being blessed with a remarkable career that spans almost five decades, I’m ready to try new fishing holes, different sunsets and different challenges. The law has been a wonderful companion all of these years, but I’m finally ready to accept other challenges with a much diminished role in our firm.

“I’m not riding off in the sunset; I’m just going to take some time to admire the sunset!” he said. “I’ll be around, just not answering the bell on a daily basis.”

If you dream of a long, challenging legal career followed by a fulfilling retirement or laid-back semi-retirement—and you want to make sure your law firm prospers enough in the meantime to make that happen—talk to Firmidable about strategies for growth in 2020 and beyond.

Firmidable has been a national expert in legal marketing for almost 30 years. It brings law firms customized, data-driven marketing strategies and services, including online and traditional media for a wide range of legal practices. From Maine to Hawaii, it has transformed the lives of attorneys—and their clients.