The Modern Firm, LLC

Keeping good clients is important for the financial health and viability of every firm. According to a survey performed by BTI Consulting of Boston, law firms that actively track and measure client retention see 12% higher profits per attorney. Client retention rates are key indicators of client satisfaction. And we all know that a happy client doesn’t leave their law firm.

However, most law firms are still not monitoring their client retention rate. If you do nothing else in marketing this year, I strongly suggest you start your marketing program here. (more…)

I’m often asked by law firms to assist them in determining whether their advertising programs are cost-effective. Yellow Pages advertising is heavily used by small and mid-size law firms, primarily with consumer oriented practices. In fact, attorneys are the #1 category of advertising expenditures in the Yellow Pages, followed by doctors, insurance and dentists.

If you are running ads in the Yellow Pages, are they working for you? (more…)

Brendan Chard, president of The Modern Firm, has been invited to speak at the first annual Ohio State Bar Solo and Small Firm Conference in Columbus, OH on December 14th. This marks the 3rd state in which Brendan has done continuing legal education presentations on law firm website design and marketing.

The two presentations are entitled:

• Creating a Great Law Firm Website
• Searching Engines and Online Marketing, Make Them Work For You

More details and a copy of presentation materials will be posted soon.

Check out the Ohio State Bar website at http://www.ohiobar.org

Without a doubt, clients can be your best source of referrals. Yet in my 18 years of marketing work with lawyers, I have met few who actually ask clients for referrals.

Some may believe that their clients will automatically refer business to them if the opportunity should arise and therefore, there is no need for the lawyer to ask. Others may be reluctant to ask a client for fear that the client would say no because they may not have been completely satisfied with some aspect of the lawyer’s handling of their case.

If you want to increase your business, get in the habit of asking your clients for referrals. (more…)

Brendan Chard, president of The Modern Firm, will be speaking as part of a panel of experts on the future of law office technology. The WebCast will air live on February 20th at 12:00PM CST.

Brendan will be speaking specifically on new and emerging trends for online technology available to lawyers including online marketing and hosted software services.

For more information see:
http://www.minncle.org/AABuy0.asp?ITEMTYPE=S&ITEMNMBR=123860701

Brendan Chard, owner of The Modern Firm, will be appearing as an expert guest on “Tech Tuesday” a live internet show being recorded at the new, state of the art, Minnesota CLE webcast studio.

On Tuesday, November 21st, Brendan and Todd Scott, Vice President of Risk Management Services for Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance, will be speaking in regards to online marketing ethics and how to stay out of trouble with your website and online conduct.

The course is good for 1 Ethics CLE. Learn more and sign up at www.minncle.org

Brendan Chard, President and CEO of The Modern Firm, spoke at the ICLE Solo and Small Firm Conference on Friday, October 19th in Dearborn, Michigan. The topic, Websites and Online Marketing: Make Them Work For You, covers the reasons small law firms should have a website, shares ideas for content and functionality, debunks common website myths and explains how search engines work and rank websites. This is a favorite presentation for Brendan; he has delivered it to audiences in both Michigan and Minnesota.

If you attended the conference, copies of the course materials are available at http://www.icle.org.

There are many reasons why a law firm should have a website but few of them apply across all firm types and sizes as well as referral conversion and online image control. If you do not have a website, there is no telling what will appear when a prospective client searches for your name. In fact, check yourself out by visiting Google and searching for yourself.

Put yourself in the shoes of a prospective client. If they have your name from a referral and decide to look you up online, what to they see, in what order to they see it, and is it easy to find you? If the answers to those questions aren’t coming up in your favor, you’re losing the best type of business there is.

To learn more about the benefits of websites for attorneys and law firms, continue to explore our website and our work. Or, simply give us a call and pick our brains, we’re always happy to talk.

Reprinted With Permission of Minnesota Lawyer

Assessing your law firm’s online marketing strategy

A Website need not be elaborate to be effective

By Michelle Lore | August 14, 2006
michelle.lore@minnlawyer.com

View PDF Copy of this article

There is no good reason for a law firm not to have a Website, at least according to Web designer Brendan Chard, who last week spoke at a MinnCLE conference devoted to solo and small firm practitioners.

A Website need not be elaborate to be effective, Chard told the crowded room of attorneys. “The primary information your Website needs to include is who you are, why you are great and how to get in touch with you,” he said.

Chard’s comments were made during “Websites and Online Marketing: Make Them Work For You” one of many continuing legal education (CLE) seminars offered at the second Strategic Solutions for Solo and Small Firms conference in Duluth. The 2 ½ day event was sponsored by Minnesota CLE. (more…)

Brendan Chard, of The Modern Firm will be presenting and exhibiting at the Strategic Solutions for Solo and Small Firms in Duluth, MN August 8-9.

Topic: Websites and On-Line Marketing, Make Them Work For You.

Description: This program will show you how to make a website a key part of your marketing and business operations. You will learn how a website can generate leads, save time/money, enhance your image and improve client service. We will demystify how websites, search engines and online advertising work so that you can make informed decisions that save and earn you money.

Learn more about this and other MinnCLE events at www.minncle.org