Part 2 in the Series
In part one of our series “Visibility For Plaintiffs’ Lawyers In The New Millennium: Back In The Day” ,I outlined the methods used to market lawyers and law firms up to the late 1970s. Then things began to change for the better.
1977 United States Supreme Court Case Bates vs. Arizona
It was this bombshell case that provided lawyers the constitutional right to advertise! Over the next ten years, the yellow pages were flooded with flashy trial lawyers advertising their wares. Newspaper, magazines, and billboards advertised personal injury lawyers.
Then came the television and radio ads. PI lawyers used this media to solicit victims of every possible injury, especially auto accidents. Still, advertising by lawyers remained controversial and many trial lawyers did not believe in it.
The Web Changes Everything
Fast-forward to the beginning of the new millennium. Something was happening that would dwarf all of the legal advertising of the past 20 years: the Internet was upon us! People were finding lawyers— particularly plaintiffs’ lawyers—by surfing the Net.
Large law firms and some progressive Plaintiffs’ lawyers utilized the following tools to bring clients into their firms:
- New flashy websites
- Findlaw
- West Group
- Lexis
Welcome To The World of Social Media: 6 Ways To Connect
Now, after a decade or so of eye-catching websites, we are beginning to find a new way to promote ourselves on the Web through:
Blogging: Creating written, audio, and video content that is informative and helpful to peers and prospective clients. Utilizing my blog to deliver my content to multiple social networks.
Facebook: Leveraging Facebook to network, chat with friends and colleagues, broadcast events and news, and provide feedback to my growing network via my profile or J Gary Gwilliam page.
LinkedIn: Providing a comprehensive online resume of my work, delivering content through updates to my network, networking, and prospecting for opportunities within our legal community.
Lawlink: Producing documents, blog articles, and content aimed at networking on one of the most powerful social networks for the legal community.
Newsletter: delivering information to my list of contacts announcing events, broadcasting news, or providing expert insight into legal issues of the day.
Plaintiff Magazine: as a columnist, Plaintiff magazine provides the opportunity to connect with people who prefer to read their news via a print publication.
