The legal sector remains a strong focus of my work.
The research that resulted in the White Paper on "Social media in selling and relationship development in the professions" (see the knowledge section) resulted in a number of new assignments with existing clients to incorporate social media into their strategy as well as several new clients.
During the first half of 2011 I spent a considerable time working with one of the country’s leading sets of family barristers. As well as talking to a number of the members and interviewing 20 of their solicitor clients, I helped them develop a new strategy and worked closely with the senior clerk and marketing committee to support its implementation.
I continue to visit Royds near St Paul’s in the City every week which I have done since the start of 2008 and we continue to make solid progress on a number of fronts – particularly in the international arena and in the commercial sector. In the early part of 2011 we introduced a social media campaign and redesigned the web site – www.royds.com – with www.Fresh01.com.
A long standing client, I still regularly work with Rix & Kay (www.rixandkay.co.uk) – a thoroughly modern practice in Sussex – on strategic issues (and have enjoyed watching the roll out of the bold
“Business. Life. Community” programme) as well as playing an ongoing part in its management development programme and providing planning support to teams such as private client and family. During 2011 I returned to assist with the integration of social media into its sector strategy.
I still return to Kent on occasions to work with Thomson Snell & Passmore (www.ts-p.co.uk) and am delighted to see the continuing success of its Thames Gateway initiative with which I have been associated since the start. Late in 2011 I returned to take the next generation of lawyers through the business development training and coaching programme.
I have recently started working with Brachers (www.brachers.co.uk) in Maidstone on its marketing and business development training programme. I continue to work on occasions in London, Putney and Kingston based Russell-Cooke (www.russell-cooke.co.uk). Throughout 2011 I have worked on training, coaching and consultancy assignments with FBC Manby Bowdler (www.fbcmb.co.uk/) in Wolverhampton.
I remain in touch with the London and Southampton based trade mark and patent attorneys D Young & Co (www.dyoung.com/) after completing a major strategy and research project in Spring 2009. I also spent a considerable amount of time in Southampton again during the first half of 2010 working with the partners in the business development leaders team at solicitors Paris Smith (www.parissmith.co.uk/) – and I return there on occasion. In the Midlands, I worked with the commercial team at Fidler & Pepper (http://www.fidler.co.uk/) with a fantastic research initiative with local businesses.
In summer 2011 I was asked to join the Media Board of The Society for Computers and the Law (www.scl.org) to assist with their social media strategy.
Training and coaching remains a large part of my work within the legal sector – whether this is for partners and lawyers or for the inhouse marketing team. Recent assignments have included London based work for S J Berwin (www.sjberwin.com) where, during the summer of 2011, I started a coaching programme with the real estate team. As 2011 draws to a close, I have some training with associates at US firm WilmerHale (http://www.wilmerhale.com/).
I have continued to provide sessions at conferences organised by CLT (www.clt.co.uk) – most notably for its private client and family events – and have delivered a number of full day courses on “Developing a privately funded family practice” which continue to run in 2011/2012. I was also encouraged to develop and deliver a number of interactive webinars for CLT – on topics ranging from networking to business development for young lawyers.
For Falconbury (www.falconbury.co.uk), I worked with Robert Mowbray, to deliver the marketing and business development module of the Mini MBA for lawyers. This has also been delivered in-house to a national law firm based in Sheffield.
