When I was a young sales rep working for LexisNexis, I would spend a lot of time in the waiting rooms of law firms. As someone who becomes very antsy if I do not have something to read at all times (which is why my favourite app is Flipboard), I would always try and have a book in my handbag. However, sometimes I would forget it, and in a desperate attempt to while away the 30 minutes or so I was sometimes kept waiting (Kiwi lawyers can be very tardy), I would pick up the firm’s newsletter. What struck me about these newsletters, even back then, is they always seemed to be written for other lawyers rather than clients.
And often, they were deathly boring.
Today, as well as newsletters which are emailed out, (although the GDPR has made email marketing a precarious route to reaching clients), most law firms have a blog which they regularly update. And with so many legal blogs and articles on the web, every law firm needs to make their blog not only appeal to their client base but stand out from the crowd.
So how does a legal blog achieve this, whilst conveying the characteristics many clients view as desirable in a solicitor or barrister, ie they are sensible, intelligent, and honest?
‘Have I Got News For You’
The simplest way to make your law firm’s blog engaging and relevant is to tie the legal issues your practice specialises in to the big news stories of the moment. For example, the recent case of the poo jogger can be linked to issues around privacy law and laws surrounding public decency. The news that the British government has rejected over 2,000 doctors visas is a perfect base for an article on Tier 2 Visas. And if you cannot find something to connect the law to Brexit developments or anything Donald Trump does, says or tweets, you probably need to pass the updating of the firm’s blog onto a colleague.
Remember the Reader
Remember your reader is not a solicitor. They do not necessarily want to know the exact details of a case, only what was decided and what it means for them. They also want to read something interesting as they sit at their desk with their sandwich or procrastinate over writing a dull report.
Contrary to much of the information out there about writing for the web, you do not need a separate paragraph for every sentence and writing at the level of a 13-year-old is not required. Most law firms use their legal blog to target high-net-worth clients, and it is safe to assume most of these prospects will be reasonably intelligent, educated and sophisticated. Talk down to them, especially those in the commercial sphere, and you risk having them think your firm is not capable of handling their type of work.
Write About the Areas of Law that Interest You
Every writer knows the best way to fail to write something engaging, be it an article, book, blog or screenplay, is to try and anticipate what the market wants and create something around your assumptions. Forget trying to figure out the financial return on every article you produce and simply write what you are passionate about. Your law firm’s blog is about getting individual solicitors and departments to ‘speak’ to prospective clients. If you love helping families work out childcare arrangements, write about that. Do you find deep satisfaction in being part of a team putting together a cross-border M&A? Then blog about the challenges such a complex matter delivers and how clients can overcome them. Your commitment to your work and clients will come through, as long as you are being authentic.
Also, don’t be afraid to play with words. Most lawyers have a gift for language, and in an age where we are constantly being told to ‘dumb’ things down, I fear many people are becoming afraid to move past a very limited vocabulary. I love the word ‘whilst’ as I feel it provides a comforting, old-fashioned feeling to a sentence. Although most blog writing advice states you should only use the word ‘while’ I stubbornly continue to support the unfashionable ‘whilst’, along with ‘plethora’, ‘blithering’ and many others.
When it comes to the power of words, Francine Prose in her classic book, Reading Like A Writer, puts is beautifully when she says:
“Every page was once a blank page, just as every word that appears on it now was not always there, but instead reflects the final result of countless large and small deliberations“.
Final Words
Keeping a legal blog and writing regularly is one of the best ways to connect with prospective clients, develop a loyal following on social media, and improve Google rankings. Contrary to popular belief, readers will read long copy (it has been proven to sell more), what they won’t put up with is boring articles. Think about what you love reading – the type of blog which will keep you at your desk for a few extra minutes whilst your colleagues make their way to the nearest pub on a Friday evening. Study what makes the article so interesting and try to emulate the writer’s style, whilst remaining true to your own. And then simply write what you love.
I promise it works.
The Legal Copywriting Company has been writing articles, blogs and web content for solicitors and barristers for over four years. To find out how we can help you, please call us on 01691 839661 or email corinne@thelegalcopywritingcompany.co.uk.