Rumpole And The #Hashtag – It’s All Legal Alchemy

MARLOW, U.K. - Dec. 9, 2013 - PRLog -- Hence the launch of Legal Alchemy - an agency specialising in Direct Access Marketing for Chambers, individual Barristers and the Bar in general.

Recent changes (known as Public or Direct Access) allowing members of the public to instruct barristers directly without the need for a solicitor, mean that this traditionally insular profession is facing the same pressures of public scrutiny and engagement as every other consumer facing business.

And whilst visions of senior learned counsel attempting to get ‘down with the kids’ may be a touch fanciful, it is probably fair to state that not all members of the Bar, be it chambers or individuals, are entirely comfortable with the process.

“Their people skills are exemplary” observes Kevin Butler, “but getting potential clients into a position where those skills count is the real challenge.”

For most businesses the range and variety of digital platforms on which to engage with potential clients represents a significant opportunity. But for a profession experiencing this environment for the first time, the choice can be overwhelming.

For individual barristers, there are further complications. Do chambers’ websites’ profiles maximise their direct access potential, or should they have their own web presence?

According to Kevin Butler, “In marketing terms, each barrister is a brand in his or her own right, and there is no doubt that it’s far easier to achieve visibility and prominence if a website is focussing on one individual and a limited number of specialisms. And of course social media is much more effective as a communication tool if potential clients feel that they are engaging with an individual not some faceless group. Remember - People buy from People!”

The look and feel of a website and its related social media platforms can be designed purely to promote the individual concerned, free from the style of the Chambers' website and the hierarchy of barristers in it. It enables barristers who may be relatively junior to have a persona way beyond that which the visitor will see by just looking at the Chambers' website.

Chambers can also benefit from a Search Engine Optimisation point of view by linking to their members’ individual sites, thereby raising their prominence and ranking.

“Most chambers and some individual barristers have a web presence, but when we analysed almost 200 sites for our ‘Direct Access Marketing’ survey, we found a decidedly mixed picture. There are a few outstanding examples but most could do a lot better. Hardly surprising really; Google seems to change the rules almost on a daily basis without telling anyone."

"What is regarded as accepted practice one day can get you penalised the next."

"It's like standing up in court to present your carefully constructed legal arguments, only to find that the Law has changed overnight! That’s why we set up Legal Alchemy.”

Legal Alchemy’s comprehensive range of digital marketing services (http://www.legalchemy.co.uk/services.html) is designed to address the specific issues of Direct Access Marketing for the Bar. From the initial Direct Access Audit (http://www.legalchemy.co.uk/process.html), which examines every aspect of an individual Barrister’s or Chambers’ competitive landscape and opportunity, to detailed implementation of strategy which could include website (re)design, pay per click advertising or social media marketing. For instance, which social media platform is best suited to promote which legal specialism?

“In helping to design and launch the direct access directory,GoDirect2Barristers,” asserts Kevin with confidence, “ we learnt a huge amount about what works and what doesn’t in this particular digital environment. Combining that knowledge with almost 20 years of online marketing experience and innovation gives Legal Alchemy an unequalled advantage. We firmly believe we can help anyone, barrister or chambers, achieve their ambitions.”

Well nearly everyone. Kevin suspects that Rumpole might have been a challenge too far.

But he would have enjoyed discussing the merits of “maximising the ongoing search engine opitimisation of client focussed conversion architecture” with the old darling in Pommeroy’s over a bottle or two of Chateau Thames Embankment.