{"id":783,"date":"2016-02-11T07:00:17","date_gmt":"2016-02-11T12:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.law.temple.edu\/10q\/?p=783"},"modified":"2016-02-11T07:00:17","modified_gmt":"2016-02-11T12:00:17","slug":"why-dont-we-teach-marketing-in-law-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/law.temple.edu\/10q\/why-dont-we-teach-marketing-in-law-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Don\u2019t We Teach Marketing in Law School?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few months ago an attorney whose business development efforts were lagging said to me, \u201cit\u2019s not like they taught me this in law school.\u201d While he was a good lawyer\u2014and certainly wanted to make partner\u2014he was reluctant to reach out to potential clients to develop business. Like many attorneys, he felt the natural tension between maintaining a profession and being a salesperson. And he had overlooked one minor fact, they did<\/em> teach marketing in law school.<\/p>\n

The first lesson is called a law school application. It\u2019s the first thing that we put together to show the world what kind of lawyer we intend to be. Another lesson is the resume we send out to firms to land that first job, which sets out the individual\u2019s central value proposition. This is marketing. Most lawyers\u2019 efforts to develop a business cannot stop there.<\/p>\n

In the \u2018traditional\u2019 practice model, a young lawyer gets into law school, becomes a summer associate at a firm in their second year, does a good job, and then works at that firm after graduating and passing the bar. There the associate puts their nose to the grindstone, until almost a decade later when they are promoted to partner. As a partner, work falls from the sky and their book of business grows. There are a select few service partners for whom this tradition of inheriting clients might still be a reality, but for the most part, the \u2018traditional\u2019 model is a thing of the past.<\/p>\n

As lawyers, there are specific ways that we need to communicate our value proposition in order to develop business. We must keep our essential value proposition central: we are trusted and credible advisors to our clients. Any marketing plan has to be built upon this basis.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The legal market is changing. Summer associate programs have been cut back, associates often make moves once they become \u2018mid-level\u2019, lateral Of Counsel and Partner moves are also common, and it isn\u2019t unusual for a partnership track to last 10-15 years (if making partner happens at all). At the same time, contract attorneys and outsourcing have driven down fees for many. In other words, the competitive landscape has changed. In today\u2019s competitive environment, effective marketing is part of the practice of law.<\/p>\n

That being said, we lawyers aren\u2019t Proctor and Gamble or Coca Cola. Marketing oneself as lawyer is much different than packaging a product for mass consumption. Rather, attorneys act as trusted advisors who must clearly communicate their specific value proposition to potential clients. While law schools might teach us the basics of how to get selected for law school and how to get that first job, many of these marketing skills do not get honed and the lessons remain incomplete.<\/p>\n

As lawyers, there are specific ways that we need to communicate our value proposition in order to develop business. We must keep our essential value proposition central: we are trusted and credible advisors to our clients. Any marketing plan has to be built upon this basis.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, here are a few central tenants to marketing yourself as a lawyer:<\/p>\n