The practice of law is all about relationships. As Jaffe CEO/Owner, Marketing and Branding, Terry M. Isner wrote in a blog post, “We used to sit face-to-face and negotiate the terms, scope of work, goals and cost of an engagement. Sometimes we would agree, and we’d shake on it. Sometimes we’d disagree. But these in-person interactions made the business development process much shorter and more effective while expanding our professional networks.”

While one-on-one conversations at conferences and networking events are excellent opportunities to cultivate new relationships and nurture existing ones, law firms also can invest in creating their own opportunities by producing and hosting industry-related events.

What Are the Benefits of Producing an Event?

The main benefits of hosting an event are control and connections. By producing the event, the law firm gains the advantage of managing topic selection, panels/speaker slots, venue selection and attendee invites. This means that the law firm can choose subject matter that is both in line with its target audience interests and its attorneys’ subject-matter expertise. It also means that the firm can keep competition away by ensuring that panels are filled with industry professionals, outside non-lawyer consultants and the firm’s own attorneys.

As for connections, not only will the firm be able to take advantage of the person-to-person interactions that will inevitably take place at the event, it also can capture valuable lead information through the event’s registration page.

What Are Some Event Best Practices?

When planning an event as a way to showcase your attorneys’ thought leadership and a networking opportunity, consider the following best practices.

  • Choose a topic of interest to your target audience. This topic should be something trending in their industry, such as anticipated regulatory changes or navigating industry changes in light of increased competition or new technology.
  • Staff your panels with experts other than your own attorneys. Find thought leaders in the industry, such as heads of industry associations and senior-level professionals at prominent companies. This will add credibility to your event.
  • Capture registrant information and have an opt-in choice for attendees to receive future updates. Those who register for your conference have entered your sales funnel. Nurture these leads with follow-up communications.

How Can Jaffe Help Your Law Firm with Its Events?

Jaffe takes an integrated marketing approach to move our clients toward their ultimate business development goals. Our marketing strategists and business development experts can help you organize and plan your law firm event, from identifying your primary target audience to selecting topics that are most likely to draw a crowd. Our content and digital strategists will work with your team to develop a promotional strategy for your event in a variety of media, including your law firm’s website, eblasts, and digital and social media ad placements. Meanwhile, our public relations professionals can leverage the reach of industry and business media by conducting media outreach to generate pre-event buzz and event coverage. 

Want to learn more about how Jaffe can help you develop and promote law firm events? Contact Terry M. Isner at tisner@jaffepr.com.