Reader Surveys

Does Your Firm Measure and Reward the Non-Billable Time that Its Lawyers Invest in Marketing & Business Development Activities? If a law firm wants its lawyers to invest non-billable time in marketing and business development activities, it should find ways to measure and reward the desired behavior. Many firms consider origination credit (i.e., the result of successful marketing effort) in determining lawyer compensation. Yet, few firms are willing to reward the effort. December 11, 2007
How Do You Personally Feel about Casual Dress for Lawyers? How Does It Influence Clients’ Perceptions? Our Reader Survey reveals that 70% of our readers have observed a more casual dress code in recent years. Last month, we asked how they feel about it. 162 readers participated. 54% say they oppose casual dress in their law firms and a whopping 70% believe it has a negative influence on clients’ perceptions. October 23, 2007
How Do You Dress for the Office and What is the Overall Trend in Dress Codes for Lawyers? We hit a “hot button” issue with our most recent Reader Survey that asked how our readers dress for the office and what they see as the trend in dress codes in the legal profession. A record 233 readers participated. Less than 25% wear a suit every day and over 70% observe a trend toward more casual dress in recent years. September 11, 2007
Do You Believe Clients Are That Unhappy? Our recent Featured Article highlighted research indicating that 70% of in-house counsels are dissatisfied with their primary outside law firms. We asked our readers whether or not they believed that client dissatisfaction was that high. An astonishing 53% of our 108 readers who participated in the survey said they don’t believe it! July 17, 2007
Does Your Firm Administer Some Kind of Personality Profile Test to Its Lawyers and Staff? Our survey asked readers whether or not their law firms administer personality profile tests to lawyers and/or staff. Clearly, they do not, as 90% said they have never used such an instrument. Only 3% saying they are considering it. 129 readers participated. June 12, 2007
Does Your Law Firm Have an Annual Firm Retreat? Our survey asked readers whether or not their law firms held an annual Firm Retreat and, if so, who attends. Almost half (48%) of the survey participants said they have an annual Firm Retreat and an additional 17% say they have one, but not every year. 29% reported that don’t have one at all. A record 180 readers participated. April 10, 2007
Ratio of Lawyers per In-house Marketing Professional at Your Law Firm Our survey asked readers to tell us the ratio of lawyers to in-house marketing professionals and whether or not there were plans to grow the size of the marketing department this year. 179 readers participated. About 1/3 of survey participants said they had a staffing ratio of 30 lawyers per marketing professional or less, while almost 30% said that they have no marketing professional on staff. 20% of firms say they plan to grow the size of the department this year and 2/3 say it will remain the same size. Although not scientific, it is food for thought. February 13, 2007
What Are Your Plans for New Year’s Eve? We thought we might have some fun with our December Reader Survey and find out what you, our subscribers, had planned for the big night. 117 readers participated and most of you were planning a pretty low-key evening. We also asked which team you favored to win the BCS championship: Florida or Ohio State. January 09, 2007
Which of the Following Marketing Tactics Has Your Law Firm Found to be Most Effective at Generating New Revenue? Our Reader Survey asked what marketing tactics law firms find to be most effective. 138 law firms participated and “Visiting Clients” - with 59% of the vote - was by far the #1 answer. (No surprises there.) “Organizational Involvement” was the #2 answer with 12%, followed by Firm-sponsored Seminars with 9%. December 12, 2006
What Percentage of Revenue Does Your Firm Invest in Its Marketing and Business Development Program? Our Reader Survey asked about the percentage of revenue your firm invests in its marketing and business development programs. 154 firms participated and 55% said they spend less than 2%. That’s strikingly low compared to other professional services firms. November 14, 2006
Does Your Law Firm Send Holiday Cards to Clients and Friends of the Firm? We asked whether or not your law firm sends Holiday Cards to clients, referral sources and friends of the firm. 114 firms participated and 81% said that they do, in fact, send cards. Most firms (52%) say they use a master list for this purpose, while 27% say that it’s left up to the individual attorneys. The remainder uses a combined method to get those dreaded cards in the mail. October 10, 2006
Does Your Law Firm Require Individual Attorney Marketing Plans? Our Reader Survey asked whether or not your law firm requires Individual Attorney Marketing Plans. 132 firms participated. 60% said they do not require individual plans. Of those that did, the majority required plans for both partners and associates. September 12, 2006
Does Your Law Firm Have a Written Strategic Plan? In June, we introduced our monthly Reader Survey asking about written Firm-wide Strategic Plans. 110 law firms participated, with over 80% reporting that they do not have one. Yet, the overwhelming majority of law firms that have a Firm-wide Strategic Plan attribute improved profitability as a direct result. Naturally, we strongly recommend that every law firm develop and follow a written strategic plan. If implemented, they will contribute to higher profits per partner. August 02, 2006