Secrets of Online Legal Marketing in India

Introduction

Online marketing is one of the most difficult tasks when it comes to the legal sector because of the already existing legal structure. Rule 36 of the Bar Council of India Rules has put a legal restriction upon advertising the work online. Namely, there are five things which a lawyer is allowed to advertise, i.e. Name of the firm, address, telephone number and email id, Details of enrollment, registration, areas of practice, and qualifications.

But not all marketing campaigns are producing a perfect result, but that does not mean you are going on the wrong track. In this article, some ways of online legal marketing will be discussed. A right strategy in the place with the right target audience can help achieve targets. Advertising is one of the most used marketing strategies which can be done through various methods.

Read Also: How to get more clients online in India 

The essence of online legal marketing

Every business runs with the help of clients, and online legal marketing helps to get clients because it increases your brand position. Branding has many unturned aspects that are not only limited to letterheads or business cards and winning marketing awards. Every law firm should have a fundamental strategy.  Primarily have the fundamental image of what you want to market.

Communication is the key to marketing. Be sure as to what you want others to know about you be it your capabilities, areas of expertise, team, etc. There must be a goal that is sought to be accomplished by online marketing. Some of the tips are:

1. Having a website that is fast and responsive, maybe enabled by bots that generate instant responses.
2. The website should be mobile friendly and compatible with devices (android and iOS)
3. Finding out about the law firm or lawyer should not be difficult, the online presence should be significant
4. The website or social media handle should not be boring and non-appealing. It should be attractive and have a designer outlook. But that is not all.

Ways of online legal marketing

1. Social media marketing:

Social media marketing and advertising are two different concepts. Social media marketing can be done in an unpaid manner.  Social media flows with the technology, and technology is improvising at a faster pace,  always leaving scope for improvement and a chance of being creative in marketing the products. Social media can be a big-time failure if not used appropriately. The return from such sites is not quantifiable as there is no fixed yardstick to measure the success of this approach.

Social media can be used to build referrals. What I mean to say by this is don’t expect your reader of the post to be your client (which may or may not happen), but it should create such an impact that you earn a referral for yourself. Increase the list of people who suggest your names. Not all the clients that a law firm or lawyer has are proper clients, and some may be friends, relatives, colleagues, or acquaintances, and their referred clients. So, this is how social media will help create awareness about you amongst the potential readers to act as a referral for the law firm.

What should you share on social media? Current cases, any landmark judgment passed by the Judiciary, any new legislation made, or any interesting amendments, take polls on legal questions, pose questions ethics v. law, and many such ideas to engage clients in your social media page.  Conducting surveys, organizing online polls will help you determine the actual user engagement.

2. Search engine optimization

This is a process in which the website traffic is increased by increasing the visibility of a website to users of web search engines. This is an unpaid method, i.e. natural. First understand who the target audience is and what search is are you trying to optimize like image search, video search, content search, academic search. The local area of your residence, business is where your target area is. The reason that follows is, whenever a person wants to see a lawyer, most searched is “lawyers near me” so such optimization can help give a boost to the marketing strategy. The business profile (search google my business for desired results) of google eases up this task for you and helps you create directory profiles.

By way of SEO, you are increasing your visibility and increasing presence by google maps. Google has access to the location of the individual (if enabled), and it filters the searches accordingly. Having an online presence in online directories can also give beneficial to increasing SEO.

3. Blogging and content creation

Blogging is a very significant tool in marketing. It is important to blog about the right thing. Blogging at the right time with the right content at regular intervals is the key.

Primarily understand your target audience, is it meant for lawman or layman, because layman may not be interested in a supreme court judgment about divorce until and unless it is of significant importance to them. So, lawmen can be the target audience in this case. However, the language used by the framers of the constitution is too complicated to understand, and thus simplifying law is for the layman’s target content.

Keep a list of topics considering what your competitors are doing and what topics are covered by them, identify the frequently asked questions, and prepare what needs to be addressed first, it will help create better content. There are many topics of law of which even today are not addressed properly, add them to the list. You can also engage in designing courses, creating educational infographics, providing online teaching on subjects of expertise. There are many sites where there are questions put forward by the users of the internet; answering them also comes under the domain of content creation. Email tracking, sending newsletters, and follow-up are a few methods to keep in line with the existing and previous clients.

Conclusion

It may so happen that even after doing everything right, the engagement on social media handles or website viewership is not high. It is nothing to get disappointed about, but it is about generating new potential ideas to get clients and have patience because this success cannot be quantified.

Read Also : 3 Habits That Can Help Lawyers to Get More Clients

4 Benefits of ERP for Law Firms

 Enterprise resource planning (ERP) uses network technology to connect various operations — such as human resources, production, logistics, accounting, inventory- across an entire organization. ERPs originate from the material resource planning (MRP) systems that were originally made by and for producing companies. The purpose of an ERP is to assist in business preparation, share data, and employ judgment-making on a company-wide level.

ERPs include the entire company and are a means of doing invoicing, marketing, collections, strategizing, and anything else important to the progress of a firm or business. ERPs have gone way ahead of manufacturing and have accessed businesses of all kinds, including the legal field. With cloud-based ERP software, you will see a huge improvement in productivity and communications among co-workers.

Read Also — Legal Management Solutions

Several law firms today still work without ERP solutions. Well, the main reason is change. Each lawyer and team member have their own system of tracking firm-related information that’s “working for them.” We are here to tell you that your spreadsheets aren’t serving the objective anymore. There are countless benefits why you should choose ERP solution, but I’ve reduced it down to 4 particular benefits to consider:

Enhanced Transparency

Choosing an ERP indicates lawyers and the team members of the law firm can know and keep a record of fundamentally anything significant going on with the center processes and commerce of the business. This is a plus since maximum law firms are seriously lacking in transparency. Associates are usually uninformed of how many hours they bill, their co-workers’ status, or what they are paid. Once an ERP solution has been executed into place, all of that report will be easily attainable to those inside the firm, formulating more organization and helpful spending practices.

Better Efficiency

ERPs grow efficiently within law firms because they regulate data so it moves smoothly throughout the firm. Limited manpower is required to maintain that current of data, and it flows faster. With an ERP solution, data simply has to be entered once and the rest follows automatically. There is no longer a requirement to take paper-based information and insert it into a separate system. This saves loads of time and energy that can better be used on cases and running the firm.

Increased Independence

When your law firm uses a cloud-based ERP solution, it means that all staff members of the firm can operate from any place at any time, keeping everyone updated. Legal work and report prep can be outsourced and you can observe their progress in real-time. Lawyers out of state can also be hired to grow your firm faster. Cloud-based ERPs enable each member of the firm to have access to files and reports that are up-to-date, on-need, at any place via any device.

Swift Decision Making

With an ERP solution for your law firm, you can control your business at a really macro level. Often it is difficult to get to that level with old systems, mostly because crucial information for growing important business metrics is not in a form that is useful or not in the system. An ERP solution will include critical data across the entire organization.

Read Also — How Technology Can Help Lawyers Win Cases

If you have come this far and you think your firm is ready to take the plunge and pursue a practice of ERP solution, then we have a perfect solution for you, that is Legodesk.

Legodesk is integrated legal management software specifically designed for law firms. Now you can keep track of your cases, team members’ work, bills, and everything else.

It’s easier than ever to assign daily tasks to your staff and keep track of them, generate bills and send to clients automatically via automation, connect with clients and team members securely, sync your calendars to set events, meetings and get reminders, etc.

Read Also — Embracing Law and Technology:

Furthermore, with Legodesk, you can store an unlimited number of files and documents of any type (image, text, video, and audio), track time and generate more billable hours, conduct your legal research via the research feature, and so much more.

Legodesk is packed with so many helpful features for your law firm, hence signup today to get a 14-day free trial and see for yourself that Legodesk will really increase the productivity of your firm.

Originally published at https://legodesk.com on November 10, 2021.

Legal Filing System: How to Organize Your Files in 2021

 A legal filing system is a pillar on which successful law firms thrive. Anyone who attempts to prove to you that they work adequately in a messy office is just dodging the fact that there is disorganization. When you do not have an excellent organizational process in place, you build a situation in which disorder, chaos, and unproductivity live. Being unorganized is a vicious cycle that leads to disappointment and lower productivity. Order and arrangement are some solutions to be successful; however, for lawyers and law firms, organizational practices are necessary for functioning efficiently, ethically, and productively.

If your law firm is disorganized, your team does not work adequately, which costs you time, which costs you money. You cannot charge clients for the time it takes to find a lost file or a misplaced document, nor can you bill a client for the time it takes your team to duplicate work that has been misplaced because of the absence of office organization. Furthermore, you go on the risk of endangering the progress of each of your clients’ cases. Being disorganized leads to misfiled information, missed deadlines, possible conflicts, and a host of other misbehavior scenarios that will not only cost you money and credibility in the legal industry.

Tips for organizing your legal files

1. Declutter

The pretty essential start would be to declutter your current files. It is practically impossible to organize while working under clutter. Therefore, discard the clutter first. Do a crude inventory and classify all your files. This makes it simpler to create your legal filing system from scratch.

You can exclude the duplicate copies and store only the original ones. Declutter one part at a time. Go through each section to get rid of everything that you do not require. You can do this by separating them into several sections according to communication, proposals, pleadings, or even client names.

2. Clean out the waste documents

You don’t need to store all records forever. One of the main problems that often stop law firms from remaining organized with their files is failing to discard undesirable ones. It takes up significant storage space. By discarding unnecessary documents, your firm can free up space to organize.

Review your firm’s rules to preserve files and know if you can remove some old documents and files. You can also build centralized file preservation policies for your firm. Describe the practices and procedures for what needs to be stored and for how long. Also, specify how to discard these files. Usually, most law firms have a file preservation policy that describes all method(s), from how files are kept to how they’re disposed of correctly.

Having this kind of policy in your firm can help you exercise effective file management and limit excess clutter. This way, you can dispose of unnecessary files and documents properly.

3. Organize your current legal filing system

Once you have cleared your firm of records, documents, books, etc., that are not used or required, you must arrange the leftover items. To start, you will need to formulate standard operating procedures for the firm. The solution to maintaining a law firm is to have a standard set of rules that every employee follows. This generates constancy and transparency throughout the entire firm. Your standard operating procedures will be custom made for your law firm and the field of law that you practice, but usually, they involve instructions for how to manage the following tasks:

• Adding new client files
• Managing office supplies
• Closing, archiving and disposing of client files
• Receiving payments
• Registering new client consultations
• Making appointments for present clients
• Making trial notebooks
• Everyday filing

4. Create a filing system for your firm

Your document management system is the strength of your law firm’s organizational plan. Arranging offline files and computer files is crucial to functioning efficiently. Create a system that suits all files and documents to ensure progression throughout the firm. This helps every employee know where to search for a particular document within a file. Set up a safety plan to preserve confidentiality by adopting locked file cabinets and passwords for computers. Color-coding is an efficient way to classify different types of cases as well as the case state.

5. Switch to digital platforms

Nearly all law firms use some kind of technology; however, if you are not using technology, you are blowing an opportunity to make your law firm function more efficiently and be more organized. For instance, legal invoicing software to record billable hours is more effective than offline billing and provides you with a searchable record of all accounting activities. Specialized software for handling case files and documents and managing schedules and indexing reduces paperwork, offers immediate access to data, and enhances communication within the firm. Cloud-based document management software makes it very simple for lawyers and administrators to handle assigned tasks and track them. Paperless affidavits will save your lawyers and colleagues hours making presentations.

Cloud-based legal filing system

Particularly for law firms, there are numerous benefits to going paperless. When you first hold a client to the end of the case, it serves legal firms in various ways.

1. Easy client onboarding and maintenance

You won’t need to scan files for record-keeping if you use software with an electronic signature. You can automatically transfer copies to all individuals involved once they’re signed.

2. Automated workflows

If you set up a software system correctly, you can automate a customized welcome email to the clients. You can offer FAQs and knowledge on their case and about your firm. You can automatically send them the input forms and requests asking for different documents. This saves a significant amount of time, and your associates won’t have to do all this job manually.

3. Rapid information search

The advantages are even greater once you have held the client. You can scan all the records into your file management software. With features like text-search files, it will only take you seconds to explore through a client’s file and immediately find the data you’re searching. This won’t seem like a big deal to you now, but when you’re in the courtroom with opposition, you can draw out a fact or document within a few seconds as you’re paperless.

4. Help your clients better

With a cloud-based legal filing system in your firm, you can help your clients better. You can do more in less time. For instance, if a client calls you amid a hectic Monday to inquire for updates about their case document, you can immediately type in a query in your system rather than scrape through the filing cupboards.

5. 24*7 Information Availability

Finally, it is necessary to mention the massive benefit of working from anywhere, at any time. You can be sitting on one edge of the world and fortunately solve clients’ questions on the other corner of the world, mainly since we are working during an active pandemic.

The bottom line of it is, managing a paperless practice is easier than you think. It is evident than ever that the flexibleness that the paperless route provides you is essential.

Which is the best file and document management software?

Now that you know how to declutter, stay organized, and the importance of a legal filing system; you must be thinking about which software to choose among so many. Don’t worry; we have a perfect solution for your filing problems- Legodesk.

Legodesk is an integrated document management system specially designed for lawyers and law firms. This software provides you with an easy-to-use intelligent document management system for lawyers and law firms to handle and store their case documents and files, all on a single platform. With Legodesk, you can create custom-made form templates for your clients to collect information, sign documents digitally with the e-signature feature, store an unlimited number of documents (text, image, audio, and video), etc. 

Aside from the document management system, you can experiment with several other features like automating all your redundant tasks with automation, conducting your legal research via the research option. Also, manage and track all your cases on an all-in-one dashboard, manage and assign tasks to your team members, manage bills with e-billing, and whatever else you need to run your law firm.

You can signup and experience this intelligent solution for yourself with a 14-day free trial. A reliable legal document management system may not appear exciting, but it can make an enormous impact on your law firm’s productivity, performance, and success. Taking the time to get organized by adapting a file management system will unquestionably help enhance your law firm’s filing system.

Try our all-in-one Legal Practice Management Software       START FREE TRIAL!

 

Average Salary of a Corporate Lawyer in India

Corporate lawyers are always accountable for all corporate affairs in law practice. These corporate law practices include all the issues related to the formation, governance, and operation of a corporate entity. It is viable for any company who is having limited liability, alliance, or partnership companies. The corporate lawyers are held responsible for setting up a new corporation. This new corporation includes holding on to all the legal, state, federal, and local rules and directives. It needs reporting of all corporate articles. Once the corporation is launched, the corporate lawyers handle the licensing and regulations of the legal entities. Hence, the salary of a corporate lawyer is generally good if he has his skill sharpened. They also give advice regarding the management and settlement of all legal disputes. Not only this, but they also help incorporate mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic deals that are long-scale in nature.

Automate your practice with our legal practice management software – Sign Up Now!

Corporate officers generally carry out their regular work from their offices. Sometimes they also work overtime in the case to meet their demand and the face moving corporate atmosphere. This happens mostly in the cases of corporate acquisitions and mergers. Corporate workers act very closely with lawyers like patent and trademark lawyers in order to ensure that they are maintaining legality in all aspects. They visit regulators to bargain and certify obedience to the laws and regulations. These visits may cause them to travel, watch, and counsel at satellite corporate sites and offices. These lawyers must have a degree known as a ‘Juris Doctor degree’ and also a membership in a state bar. This designation requires experience of up to 10 years as it is associated with a wide range of responsibilities.

Read Also – Salary of a lawyer: Litigation V. Corporate

The Tasks of a Corporate Lawyer

• To signify the existence of their client’s interests before the government agencies, review and present the case to judges.
• Meeting judges, raising a question to the witnesses during the time of trial, selecting jurors, and dispute motions.
• Giving advice to clients regarding their business transactions.
• To form a shield to the lawsuits or to the legal rights and claim liability.
• Collecting evidence to fight the case or to form the defense.
• Developing strategies to assess findings and making arguments for cases and their presentation.
• Analysing and interpretation of laws, rules, and regulations.

Corporate Lawyers are paid for some of the popular skills that they pose. These skills are paid less than the market rates, although sometimes. The skills and their respective pays are as follows:

• Legal compliance: Rs 4,78,587
• Corporate: Rs 4,00,000
• Mergers and Acquisitions: Rs 4,91,318
• Reviewing legal documents: Rs 5,80,000
• Legal research: Rs 4,80,000

  Read Also – Highest Paying Fields of Law

In the sector of Corporate, a higher salary is provided for the lawyer with qualified certification and practice. After you complete the course, you may be hired by the MNCs and business firms with a package of a good salary. The salary that you earn as a Corporate Lawyer depends on the skills from the colleges from where you’ve earned it. In general, you may get paid between Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 per month in India. This may rise after you earn some experience and can easily make Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000 per month. The salary they get may vary with the dynamic factors that include company, candidate’s skill, and also the education and work skills.

Read Also – Non-payment of Salary by an Employer in India

Pay by Experience Level for Corporate Lawyers:

A Lawyer at entry-level who is having experience of less than a year can expect a pay of Rs 606,782, which is based on 52 salaries’ references. This average total pay also includes overtime pay, tips, and bonus. A lawyer who is at an early stage of his career that is one who is having experience of 1-4 years earns an average total pay of Rs 512,440, which is based on 61 salaries’ references.

A lawyer who is at a mid-level of their carrier can expect a total average compensation of Rs 987,342 whereas a well-experienced corporate lawyer who is having experience of 10-19 years can earn a total average compensation of Rs 1,463,872 and this is based on 7 salaries’ reference.

Read Also: Know About Difference Between Corporate and Commercial Law

The difference in Pay By Location 

Average employees who are having Corporate Lawyers as their job title and reside in New Delhi earn an average salary of 61.3% more than the national average of pay. The people having this designation are also paid higher than the average salaries in Karnataka, particularly Bangalore, which makes it up to 46.7% more. The corporate lawyers residing in Mumbai, Maharashtra earn an average total pay, which is 3.8% more than the national average. The corporate lawyer with the lowest average salary is given in Tamil Nadu, Chennai, which totals up to 14.2% less than the total average. It is also 8.5% less in Delhi and 6.5% less in Pune, Maharashtra.

Conclusion

The average pay for Corporate Lawyers is Rs 34,100 per month in India, which is based on a reference of 42 salaries on an average basis. This is based on data submitted anonymously by Corporate Lawyer employees who are working in the corporate industry. Substantial data has also been collected from past and present job advertisements from the last 36 months.       

7 Attorney Business Cards Rules

INTRODUCTION

Business cards are an essential marketing tool and an identification mark. It is usually exchanged informal meetings or with clients. This is used to give references and also share the contact details. They are a part of the formal introduction exchanged between people.

The advertising restrictions might always be in your mind while preparing a business card. So, compliance, while designing a business card is important. Business cards are offering growing connections and networks and also create an impression. In this article 7 most crucial rules which need to be followed will be discussed in this article.

Read Also – Using the Internet to build Professional Network

WHY BUSINESS CARDS?

One may wonder, in the era of technology, why using a business card is relevant? There may be valid reasons for this like not everyone uses technology, technology can backstab at times like you lose the contact details, the phone gets formatted, etc. other reasons might be a preference of the traditional methods, effective marketing, and networking tool. You may not have thousands of them as earlier, but you still exchange the same as not everyone can connect you through LinkedIn or your email id.

EFFECTIVE BUSINESS CARD FOR LAWYERS: THE RULE BOOK

Rule 1: Represent your name and the name of law firm; Address and virtual existence

Who are you? This is the primary question that is answered by a business card. So clearly put your name and the organization for which you work or the organization you are representing. This information should be truthful and must not be creating false facts or misleading clients. The identity should be clear and not misleading. Some states allow some liberty with respect to the first name, surname as long as it refers to only that person to which the business card belongs.

Where to find you? It is important to write where will you be available at. The address is usually written at the backside of the business card or after providing contact information. Details of virtual existence, i.e. details of the website must be mentioned so that people know where to read about you and your firm.

Rule 2: Mention the area of operation

What do you work upon? The area of operation means with what aspect of law are you currently dealing with. Like M&A, or taxation, etc. This will clear out your position, and also people know your area of expertise or what is your current nature of work. This will give clarity of jurisdiction. For example, “Senior Advocate of Supreme court, India,” “registered with the bar council,” “Advocate on record” is allowed. However, statements like “top attorney For constitution law” are not allowed to be put in business cards.

Rule 3: Include the company logo and contact information

Who do you work for? It is very important to include the logo of your organization because pictures create an impression and are easier to remember. Contact information is the most important thing as that is the very purpose of exchanging a business card as it creates ease of communication. If the company has any slogan or tagline, it is permissible to include the same in the business card.

Rule 4: White space and simple font

As this is a piece of art and includes designing, but the purpose of it should not be forgotten and thus going simple than funky or cool helps to understand that professionalism and professional ethics are yet intact. Any business card you have a look upon has a lot of white space because it helps to focus on the matter which is of actual importance. The design should be based upon the audience for which you are designing. So, a lawyer needs to have a simple, elegantly designed business card.

It is not necessary to use only white colors. The color used and the color of the font should be in contrast for easy readability. You can also use a visually appealing background.

Rule 5: Avoid full coverage of the space

Covering up the entire space will make things look hazy and not legible for reading. So, make sure some space is left blank intentionally. Do not include too many designs because then it does not look like a business card but rather a greeting card.

Rule 6: Do not keep the backside of the card empty

It is usually not advised to keep the backside of the card blank. If you are running out of content, then it may include some value that the firm/company believes or the areas of expertise of the law firm.

Rule 7: Do not use the superlative degree to brand your own self

Superlative degrees like “best,” “top-most” should be avoided. Because it sounds self-certified and must often be avoided. However, if you have been awarded such a title from the organization or any award ceremony, then you are free to maintain with entire details. But not incomplete statements like “best lawyer in corporate law,” it should be

Read Also – How to organize your files using Legodesk?

CONCLUSION

There is no hard and fast rule while coming to the formation or designing of the business card. The rules mentioned above are for the effective solving of the purpose for which a business card is made. However, the things to avoid like using superlative words must be followed.