Toronto Estate Law Blog : Toronto Estate Lawyer : Hull & Hull Law Firm : Trust Mediation and Succession Planning : Serving Ontario, Ottawa, Mississauga, Hamilton

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This is the first time I have ever contributed to a blog, legal or otherwise, so you can imagine my delight when I noticed an article in the June 11, 2010 issue of Lawyers Weekly entitled "Legal blogs that work”.

The article, written by Geoff Kirbyson, discusses the benefits of legal blogging and includes helpful hints on running effective law-blogs.

Mr. Kirbyson points out that legal-blogging has become more common amongst law firms. This assertion comes as no surprise to me. My colleague, Sharon Davis, recently discussed the growing popularity of blogging amongst members of our profession. She noted that blogging is not an alien concept for lawyers as writing has always been a large part of our professional lives. You can find her blog here.

The increased attention given to on-line media makes sense when you consider the number of individuals who rely on social media for their information. A 2009 study by CNW Group and Ledger Marketing found that 50% of those surveyed accessed social media tools once per day.

So, what makes a legal blog effective? A managing partner of a Winnipeg-based firm opined that an effective blog showcases activity at a law firm, highlights developments in particular legal areas, demonstrates a firm’s knowledge and expertise, and enables a firm to engage in client service through social media. This is certainly true.

In my opinion, however, there is one more necessary component to effective legal blogging. In addition to being accurate, relevant, and current, a legal blog should be FUN.

Happy blogging everyone! I know that we’ll talk again soon.

Kathryn Pilkington - Click here for more information on Kathryn Pilkington.
 

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Client satisfaction is a tricky maze to navigate. In some ways, we are most successful as lawyers when clients on both sides are equally dissatisfied. The object of the game is to settle on a solution that is fair to all concerned. This necessarily means that no one side is going to get the key to the city and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

That said, we risk great lawyer dissatisfaction if our clients do not refer us to others or come back when the need arises. 

In "Three Secrets to Effective Communication"   Walter Bristow, a US lawyer who practises estates law (amongst other things) says that to convince people to act or buy a service we need to:

• Involve them by asking questions, not simply tell them the law or what we think;
• Motivate by telling an illustrative story that engages them and evokes their curiosity; and
• Use analogies to turn the abstract into something tangible - he gives an example of how to explain a trust as akin to a warehouse with trustees as security guards 

Most people make decisions based on emotion. Advertisers already know this - I'll bet you've seen an ad or two with kittens or babies in them. How, then, do we constructively harness this knowledge with a view to providing client satisfaction and excellent service in the legal industry?  At the end of the day, it is not how a client does, but how he or she feels that will determine the level of satisfaction and the number of referrals sent our way. Since clients are usually human, this just might have very little to do with the relative degree of success in court. 

So, the next time you get a phone call or e-mail from a client, try responding just a little quicker than usual and make someone's day!

Sharon Davis

Sharon Davis - Click here for more information on Sharon Davis.