Page 193 - Leaders in Legal Business - PDF - Final 2018
P. 193
Refining Core Skills
As legal marketing professionals look to further position themselves at the center of the
firm’s evolution, the need to consistently refine their set of skills is vital. These skills must be
founded in both the business and practice of law.
The Legal Marketing Association (LMA) — the “authority for legal marketing” with
4,000 members — defined the core set of skills for legal marketers in a foundational resource
called the Body of Knowledge (BoK). The BoK clearly defines the essential and accepted
domains, competencies, and associated skill sets within the legal marketing profession at every
level.
This resource helps legal marketers hone their skills, assists legal marketing managers to
develop themselves and their teams, and provides a universal benchmark against which legal
marketers can be assessed. We invited leaders in each of the six BoK core competencies to share
their insights on key trends and developments in each area.
The Business of Law
Those marketing and business development professionals who are appropriately
proficient in the business of law understand the legal profession and are able to evaluate firm
financial and operational performance, build strategies to leverage market opportunities, and
implement practices that maximize performance.
When you look at the specific competencies that define these abilities, you start to see
important areas of expertise that should be familiar to anyone who aspires to lead within a law
firm.
Many competing opportunities exist, which means that legal marketers must play a role
in being able to choose those with the highest return and then collaborate to put them into action.
The work of realizing opportunities must integrate the efforts of multiple departments. For
example, a new practice area will require new promotional materials, but it will also likely
involve recruiting new attorneys to fill in missing capabilities; other functions will also have an
important role to play.
The “business of law” is changing rapidly because of two factors. The first is technology,
which requires efforts across multiple fronts (Technology Management is one of the BoK core
competencies); the second involves the evolving nature of client expectations. Leaders
understand how these two forces will change a firm, and can be prepared to address and exploit
them. Leaders must show the way and not respond after events have already swept by.
Increasingly, an important feature that will differentiate successful and unsuccessful
firms is the capacity to bring all talents to bear, irrespective of their position in the firm and legal
training. Firms must draw on the talents, perspectives, and energies of all attorneys and
professional staff; the perspectives of all roles and responsibilities should inform strategies and
tactics.
179
As legal marketing professionals look to further position themselves at the center of the
firm’s evolution, the need to consistently refine their set of skills is vital. These skills must be
founded in both the business and practice of law.
The Legal Marketing Association (LMA) — the “authority for legal marketing” with
4,000 members — defined the core set of skills for legal marketers in a foundational resource
called the Body of Knowledge (BoK). The BoK clearly defines the essential and accepted
domains, competencies, and associated skill sets within the legal marketing profession at every
level.
This resource helps legal marketers hone their skills, assists legal marketing managers to
develop themselves and their teams, and provides a universal benchmark against which legal
marketers can be assessed. We invited leaders in each of the six BoK core competencies to share
their insights on key trends and developments in each area.
The Business of Law
Those marketing and business development professionals who are appropriately
proficient in the business of law understand the legal profession and are able to evaluate firm
financial and operational performance, build strategies to leverage market opportunities, and
implement practices that maximize performance.
When you look at the specific competencies that define these abilities, you start to see
important areas of expertise that should be familiar to anyone who aspires to lead within a law
firm.
Many competing opportunities exist, which means that legal marketers must play a role
in being able to choose those with the highest return and then collaborate to put them into action.
The work of realizing opportunities must integrate the efforts of multiple departments. For
example, a new practice area will require new promotional materials, but it will also likely
involve recruiting new attorneys to fill in missing capabilities; other functions will also have an
important role to play.
The “business of law” is changing rapidly because of two factors. The first is technology,
which requires efforts across multiple fronts (Technology Management is one of the BoK core
competencies); the second involves the evolving nature of client expectations. Leaders
understand how these two forces will change a firm, and can be prepared to address and exploit
them. Leaders must show the way and not respond after events have already swept by.
Increasingly, an important feature that will differentiate successful and unsuccessful
firms is the capacity to bring all talents to bear, irrespective of their position in the firm and legal
training. Firms must draw on the talents, perspectives, and energies of all attorneys and
professional staff; the perspectives of all roles and responsibilities should inform strategies and
tactics.
179
