The always on Law Firm


 Earning whilst you sleep sounds too good to be true – unless your a partner at a large law firm with juniors working all hours. But even for sole practitioners and small firms earning its not just an impossible dream.

Websites with engaging, informative tools and content can deliver useful marketing and client engagement 24/7. Coming in to the office on a Monday morning to find sometimes 8 or 10 instructions from new clients via the www.trademarkdirect.co.uk website during the weekend was always particularly satisfying and a great motivational start for the week.

As was reviewing the self-help logs to see which clients had asked questions at all hours, had tailored or personalised information returned to them in real-time, which they could then rate for quality and service. This was overwhelmingly positive, as having answers at the time of the question and not having to wait removes cognitive load.

Cognitive load on clients, and the value they place on having this reduced, is perhaps under appreciated by the legal profession. For any of us being immersed in an unfamiliar knowledge domain and may have significant financial risks, is stressful and tiring. Having to hold unresolved questions in our heads until office hours, remembering to follow up or chase for answers, or switching from other activities when the answers arrive all add to the cognitive load.

Moving house, getting divorced and changing jobs are often held as three of the most stressful activities people often experience. It is no accident that each has a significant legal process that will be unfamiliar to most. Yet each has recurring questions and answers that can remove much of the uncertainty. Giving personalised, legally exact, answers through automation may not always be possible. But in most cases general answers will be enough to remove fear and uncertainty of the unknown, and allow clients to frame the range of possible outcomes. So their cognitive load is less.

Our opinions of, and the connections we form with, business service providers can be hard to fathom. But removing uncertainty and stress must be one of the most powerful ways of turning clients and customers into fans and advocates.

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