Legal Directories, League Tables, Publications – How are you seeding?

Given that team TGM has been talking all about farming and hunting analogies for practice development, it is critical we talk about seeding. In the context of practice development, importance of seeding the market with information about who you are and what you do is a no-brainer, but how you choose to do it depends on your risk appetite or your out-of-box thinking. For instance, you cannot help but notice how gripping the website of BTG Legal is, or just how innovatively Veritas Legal represents the accolades and awards won! The fact is they cared enough to pay attention to those aspects.

Some firms don’t want to write much and want easy navigation, whilst others have numerous layers to every single page on their website. Now why are we fixated on the website? Is that the only way to seed? The answer is an obvious NO! So why is the website important and what are the other ways? Here are some answers to these questions.

• Website:

Your home in the virtual world is your website. The pictures, colours, the content has to speak of YOU! You, the firm, the people, the culture. This is the landing place for anyone conducting research about you (either to work with or work for you!)

• League tables:

A league table is a quarterly and annual ranking (jurisdiction-wise) comprising of companies/bankers/legal advisers based on a set of metrics, such as revenue, earnings, deal size, deal volume etc. These rankings are organized into lists, centered on data collection and analysis which can then be used for investment research purposes.  There is no cost attached to sharing your deal information with them.

They are the most cost-effective and reliable way of providing real time access to potential clients and employees about the work you do on the corporate side – M&A, Private Equity, Venture Capital, Banking, Capital Markets and some publications cover litigation matters too. Protip: [Why don’t you download a format here!]

• Legal Directory Submissions:

They have been around for decades now. The annual submissions made by law firms and lawyers to international legal directories. These legal directories come up with exclusive guides offering reliable recommendations by ranking the best lawyers and law firms in particular jurisdictions and practice areas. There is no cost attached to making the submission. Protip: For Chambers & Partners and Legal500 – make sure you write to them to create a user id and password for the firm.

There are some legal directories and legal publications that come up with annual legal awards per jurisdiction for lawyers and law firms. While most entry submissions to these legal awards have no cost attached, there are a few which charge you per submission.

• LinkedIn:

There are some basic boxes you need to tick for an individual profile like a photograph, a compelling headline, work experience and summaries clearly stating what you do and showcasing your expertise.

For a firm page, set out a proper description of the firm’s expertise and practices. Add your current workforce on to the ‘people who work here’ tab. On the firm page you can upload subject matter articles/ accolades received/ promotions at the firm/ thought leadership articles or simply share relevant judgements, orders, and notifications to engage with your audience. 

• Other forms of social media:

Some firms have consciously taken to Instagram and Facebook too. These platforms are used to talk about causes that are close to them as a firm and/ or to bring out the cultural aspect of the firm. It is fresh and relatable for many!

Here is List of the most relevant legal league tables, directories and awards to kick start your seeding exercise.

While we can elaborate a lot more on each of the above pointers and mind you, we have not even touched upon google reviews, google ads, search engine optimization because those are aspects that are personal to each firm. We are always a phone call or an email away to answer all your questions!