In this episode, Sophia catches up with Jim Walton about all things brand related.

Jim runs Ascend Studio, a strategy, design and digital consultancy. They work with the emerging innovators and global leaders that know that to just stand out is not enough. They want to stand up for what they believe, through powerful ideas and purposeful design that means as much to their audiences as it does to them. Big or small, old or new, we stand for brands that matter.

Donna O'Toole, founder of August Recognition and an expert in awards strategy, shared essential tips to help law firms maximise their chances of success when entering awards. Here are the key takeaways that will help you navigate the awards landscape and elevate your firm to new heights.

In this episode, Clare and Sophia delve into the findings of the 2024 Law Firm Marketing Club's Professional Services Marketing Survey, highlighting key insights and notable headlines.

In this episode, LFMC Community Manager Sophia and Haydn Wakeling discuss video content for law firms and the importance of storytelling.

Haydn  helps law firms to connects with audiences and expresses lawfirms/brands as a personality, as a story, as a mission or as a high-quality service. With video, this can be an emotional or straight-forward message that allows the audience to connect with. 

In this episode, the host,  LFMC Community Manager Sophia and guest Simon McNidder, embark on a comprehensive discussion surrounding law firm CRM. They dissect the common hurdles encountered in implementing CRM systems within law firms, brainstorm innovative methods to enhance organisational buy-in, and delve into strategies for optimising CRM usage to its fullest potential. 

This podcast episode primarily focuses on the experiences and insights of Pat Coyle, who works in marketing at Rollits. The discussion covers various topics related to marketing in the legal sector, including the importance of portraying the firm's values and culture on their website, the process of redesigning the website, ongoing projects such as charity events and social media presence, and the cautious approach towards utilising AI in marketing. 

Listen for insights on how Rollits approaches marketing in 2024. 

This episode was created from a recent LFMC webinar in which trusted partner Alex Barr talks about how law firms can best approach their business development and planning in 2024. 

In a recent podcast featuring Maddie from Conscious Solutions, the multifaceted nature of law firm marketing roles comes to the forefront, offering valuable insights and parallels for professionals in the legal marketing sphere.

In this engaging podcast episode, we delve into the world of client relationships with two experienced professionals, Clare Yates, interviewed by Clare Fanner. Join their candid conversation about the pivotal role of first impressions in the legal and estate agency industries.

Picture this: you're excitedly arriving at a hotel for a weekend getaway, only to encounter unexpected hiccups. Clare uses this relatable scenario to highlight how initial interactions profoundly shape client experiences. From phone etiquette to reception professionalism, email responsiveness, and confidentiality, each detail plays a significant role.

In this ep, Clare hints at strategies for crafting strong initial impressions on potential clients, they pique your interest without giving away all the secrets. Tune in to this insightful podcast episode to discover how the art of first impressions can revolutionise your professional relationships.

In this podcast, host Clare Fanner, Ben from Awesome Panda productions and Sophia from the LFMC discuss all things podcasts from creation to promotion. 

If your law firm is considering making a podcast, why not give our latest episode a listen?

In this podcast Clare talks to Matt Fretten about the family business and how the impact marketing has had on the firm’s journey.  

Throughout their exchange, several key insights emerge. Clare and Matt emphasise the importance of continuous progress, highlighting that remaining stagnant or regressing can be detrimental. 

Given Frettens' position as a full-service law firm, Matt stresses the necessity of moving forward to thrive and remain relevant. They also delve into the essence of growth, emphasising the need to understand the underlying reasons behind the pursuit of expansion. 

Listen now for more interesting insights. 

In this podcast, Clare engages in a conversation with Jackie Carter, delving into the intricacies of her non-linear career trajectory, ultimately culminating in her current professional role as Head of Operations & Strategy, Litigation. The discussion primarily centres on the significance of client centricity and the paramount importance of building and maintaining strong professional relationships. 

In this episode, Peter Grundy, CEO of The Partnership, shares his top strategies for law firm leaders looking to build lasting relationships with clients and differentiate themselves in the market. From business-driven coaching and reframing "selling" legal services to mastering meaningful conversations and developing influence, Peter’s insights offer actionable advice for leaders ready to thrive. Tune in to learn how to build trust, adapt to market changes, and set yourself apart in the legal profession.

In this podcast Clare talks to Sarah Whitemore about developing a community for clients, getting client engagement and how things have changed in the 30 years Sarah has been with Warner Goodman.  Sarah is the senior partner and Head of Peace of Mind at Warner Goodman.

In this podcast Clare talks to David Gilroy, who is the Managing Director of Stuff & Things at Conscious Solutions, about marketing for law firms covering social media, video marketing, AI and specifically what Conscious Solutions do.  

In the second part of this podcast, Clare continues her discussion with Lewis Barr who is the Marketing & Commercial Director at Frettens solicitors. They discuss getting partner buy in, the importance of digital and the blend with traditional marketing and how marketing permeates other bits of the business. 

In this podcast Clare talks to Lewis Barr who is the Marketing & Commercial Director at Frettens solicitors. They discuss getting partner buy in, the importance of digital and the blend with traditional marketing and how marketing permeates other bits of the business. 

In this podcast Clare talks to Sarah Walker-Smith who is the CEO of Shakespeare Martineau, a top 50 UK law firm. 

In the podcast, Sarah discusses a range of things including:

• Leadership & what we can learn from role models (those getting it right and getting it wrong);
• The legal sector and 'challenging the norm';
• Legal as part of the wider business market;
• The importance of teamwork between lawyers and non-lawyers (and let's stop using the terminology 'fee earners'!);
• How change is crucial;
• Marketing & BD - what should firms be focusing on'; and
• Much more

The title of this podcast - "The Model CEO for a Law Firm" was inspired by Sarah being called this on LinkedIn. It seems both relevant and true based on the evidence.

In this podcast Clare talks to Dawn Beschorner and Alison Mitchell who both have senior marketing roles for professional services firms and who also have significant roles as part of the UK200Group, the UK’s leading professional services group of independent quality assured chartered accountancy and law firms. They discuss marketing and business development within professional services and the benefits of being part of a membership organisation. 

In this podcast, Clare talks to Helen Freeston and Sue Murphy from Paris Smith, a leading law firm on the South Coast about all things to do with marketing, BD digital, & events in a post pandemic world.

Between them, Helen and Sue have over 50 years marketing and BD experience in professional services.  

 In this podcast style chat, we focused on improving customer service but accepting that it will cost both time and resource.
- How can you raise the bar of customer service without the money to invest in staff and tech?
- If you put up your fees in order to raise the revenue to improve service, are you then open to questions about meeting or failing to meet expectations?
- If you don’t put up your fees, are you able to offer a higher level of service or are you trapped in a bargain basement bracket? 

 Declan Swan, UK200Group took us on a journey to understand what collaborations are, he shared examples and discussed what a good collaboration looks like. 

Most importantly, Declan related the topic to professional services firms and shared examples. 

He covered: 

• Reflections about collaboration in society to warm us up 
• Considerations about the topic and what it means in business 
• Practicalities where he focused on professional services

In this session Steve Fretzin highlighted top tips from the US legal marketing including what BD works for US lawyers.

Zenplans is a digital estate planning tool, designed to help you provide your clients with priceless peace of mind and create more rewarding relationships.

In this episode, Sophis talks with Stephen moses, the founder of Zenplans about the importance of clear, accessible estate planning, the role of legal professionals in supporting clients, and how digital tools can enhance the process for both clients and their families. 

 Why are we so surprised when our customers praise us and when they complain about us? It shouldn't shock you to find out that one of the secrets to customer loyalty is about expectations management. It might surprise you that employees are more likely to stay with you when you manage their expectations too! 

This episode looked into how our brains work and enlightened us on why a boring topic like 'expectations' might be the amazing game changer you weren't expecting! 

Delivered by Clare Yates - CY Training Works, Alex Barr - Third Bounce, Bernadette Bennett - Moneypenny, David Gilroy - Conscious Solutions & Clare Fanner - Find Get Grow

This fast paced packed session included the following horror stories:

- How communication can go “horribly” wrong!
- Spending money on Google adverts and not tracking the leads when they come in
- A website project where the client dropped 50% of their content.
- Operational challenges when existing clients rely on a firm more combined with huge demand for new clients
- Why cross selling matters

The LFMC Partners shared their stories and offered top tips and solutions to avoid the scenarios happening to you.

Jeremy believes that humour is not something you're born with, it's something that anyone can learn. He shared with us ways to get a laugh when delivering a talk, presentation or workshop.

There are not many things that Jem is serious about but comedy is one of them.

WARNING: This is not a comedy show, it's a professional look at how to structure your talks for maximum impact using humour as a tool. There might be a few laughs along the way but these are not guaranteed, so prepare yourself for a lecture with the odd smile, some of them very odd.

B Corp certification is independent verification that a for-profit business meets the highest social and environmental standards. The movement is gathering pace across the world with over 6,000 globally certified companies. The UK is the fastest growing cohort outside of the US with around 600 companies including Danone, Coutts, Innocent, Bodyshop, Finisterre...

Certification is available for a business of one, to global multinationals, so it’s probably relevant to you.

This session is being presented to help you understand what’s involved with B Corp and how it might turbo charge your business in the new era of sustainable and conscious business leadership.

Tim Wookey is MD of amamus, a fast-growing B2B coffee company who achieved B Corp certification in April 2020. He can share his own experience, the benefits and the challenges.

Nancy Hyne runs True Horizon who provide sustainability consultancy, advice and support services and achieved B Corp certification in July 2021. Nancy is also a B Leader, which means she is qualified to provide businesses with support in successfully approaching and completing B Corp certification.

Tim and Nancy work together as Nancy is retained by amamus to help them deliver on their sustainability objectives. Plus Tim and Nancy are Co-Chairs of B Local Hampshire, a voluntary group committed to inspiring and encouraging more businesses to consider B Corp certification as part of their own success strategy. 

Getting recognition in the legal directories is more than just an accolade, it’s a reflection of your quality and experience, it demonstrates to potential clients that you are regarded as one of the ‘best’. Getting recognition is a combination of many factors. But it’s not enough to ‘just’ do good, interesting and complex work, although you clearly need to have this as well!

Getting recognised by Chambers & Partners, the UK’s leading legal directory recognising expertise across the UK, requires, in the first instance a good submission supported by feedback from your referees. This is the foundation upon which Chambers will conduct its research.

But what makes a good submission?
Which referees should you include?
How can you make a submission that has the best chance of getting your ranked?
How do Chambers conduct their research and what are they looking for?
What are the simple things you can do to give your submission a better chance of being successful?

These are just some of the questions Katie Read & Eloise Haines, Research Managers of the Chambers & Partners UK addressed when they presented this session for the Law Firm Marketing Club.

In this podcast, Oscar Trimboli talked us through how to listen and how to use listening skills in our work for better results. 

Communication isn’t just about what you say, it is 50% speaking and 50% listening. Most programs about effective communication focus on speaking with influence and leading change by setting a compelling vision, yet over 93% of change initiatives fail. There is a missing ingredient – leaders who listen. 

Listening happens before, during and after the conversation. The difference between hearing and listening, is the action you take. 

Oscar Trimboli is an author, host of the Apple award-winning podcast Deep Listening and a sought-after keynote speaker. He is passionate about using the gift of listening to bring positive change in homes, workplaces and cultures around the world 

In this raw and real conversation, Clare Fanner spoke to Nick Bailey. On 4th March 2018 Nick became contaminated with the nerve agent Novichok when he attended the home of former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal.

Nick spoke about the impact that a shock like his Novichok poisoning can have on a person’s psychological health, overcoming adversity and the resilience needed to pick up and move forward, as well as the importance of mental wellbeing.

He also discussed leadership, not only from his own experiences as a Police Officer but from the positive and empathetic leadership shown by his own chain of command towards him and his family in the aftermath of the Salisbury poisonings.

About Nick Bailey

Nick Bailey is a former Police Officer. Nick was propelled into the public consciousness during the infamous Salisbury Poisoning event in 2018 that saw the former Russian KGB officer Sergei Skipral and his daughter Yulia, attacked with the nerve agent, Novichok. Nick was inadvertently contaminated with the nerve agent when he touched the door handle of the Skripal’s home. Not only did Nick have to fight for his life in intensive care, but he and his family lost their home and all their possessions, due to Novichok contamination.

A dedicated Police Officer for 18 years, Nick decided to leave the Police after deciding that it wasn’t possible for him to continue in the same role that had exposed him to such a traumatic event – an event that no other Police Officer had been through. Nick has talked of the “emotional battering” and psychological impact that the event had on him.

In this Q&A Panel session Clare Fanner chatted to Ed Whittington from Moore Barlow, Matthew Fretten from Frettens and Helen Spencer from WR Partners to understand their challenges, opportunities and focus and asked them what they are looking for from their marketers.

A lively, fast paced, engaging and fun session suitable for the Managing Partners and Marketers at law firms of all sizes.

Podcasts are growing in popularity and present a great opportunity for professional services firms to engage with their clients, referrers and wider community. It’s also a great platform to share content. And it’s not as hard as you may think!

In this interactive session, Liz Drury shares her top tips on why you should be creating podcasts and how to do it.

She also shares anecdotes and insights about her life as a voice over artist.

Listen and and leave with a clear understanding and plan of action to start podcasting.

Making your idea a reality: How to take that idea to improve the business and construct the case such that everyone buys in to make it happen.

We are always looking to improve both the cultural and commercial prosperity of our businesses.  We come up with our own ideas and hear from others what they have done (well the good bits anyway) and then proceed to get our ideas across.  
We work hard to get everyone on board but not all the ideas succeed or even make it to implementation.  So often ideas tend to run out of energy, others become disinterested, and it feels like you are pushing water uphill, within six months a new idea is being pursued.

 In this session Richard explains a logical approach and methodology to ensure that:

• Your ideas are in fact good ideas for the business; 
• How you can get everyone on board; and 
• How to make it happen 

So that you realise not only the ROI (Return on investment) for the project but also the ROC (Return on Culture) and the ROV (Return on the valuation of the business).

This was an experimental podcast created by some AI software.

The team at Conscious Solutions research AI and regularly experiment with softwre which could be beneficial for law firms. 

This week, Ben Foord showed me some new tech from Google called NotebookLM (https://notebooklm.google.com/) which turns written documents into podcasts.

Hear me out... 

We fed it the Law Firm Marketing Club What Clients Want report (80+ pages!), and it turned the whole thing into a conversational podcast. 

Instead of reading through the entire report, you can listen to it while you're on the go or in the background when working from home - which is my favourite time to listen to podcasts. 

This got me thinking: could this be useful for other long reports or resources you have? Could turning documents into podcasts help make them more accessible and easier to consume - even if they're not for public consumption? 

Have a listen and let me know your thoughts... 

Learn the simple (and very often overlooked) things that you need to consider when engaging with the media.
Key things covered include: 

• The key considerations for media engagement 
• How to ensure the time you spend on media engagement is focused and has a high chance of success 

Presenting this session is Vaughan Andrewartha. Vaughan is a consultant at Chilli Communication which provides communications support to professional services businesses. Prior to this he was CEO of Votive Communications an agency specialising in strategic counselling for UK and international clients serving providers in the financial services, legal, insurance, technology, property, pensions and mortgage sectors. Before this he was a board director at top City PR firm Citigate Dewe Rogerson.

In this webinar Clare Fanner talks to Simon McCrum, author of The Perfect Legal Business.

Simon shares insights, tips and pointers from his many years of running a law firm.

Running a law firm, let alone growing it, is a very complex and difficult affair. There are huge opportunities to create value and to make money, but all too often firms focus on the wrong things. 

The Perfect Legal Business is made up of a small number of jigsaw pieces, which – when all joined together – make for a smooth-running profitable, risk-free, cash-generating machine that changes the lives of its people and its clients. 

Simon knows – he ran a large law firm for a decade, and got some of these things very right, and some of them very wrong!

Getting Better Results from your Marketing by joining up your Marketing with Operations 

We spend a lot of time and money creating leads or opportunities via our marketing and BD but are we doing everything we can and should to ensure that we don't drop the ball once the opportunity is created?

Are we answering calls quickly enough? Since the move to home working, do you know that all calls are being answered, messages returned? Do we have the right people with the right skills in place, what are our processes, are we measuring ROI, are we tracking leads? etc. etc.
As the saying goes, what isn't measured cannot be managed.

These are just some of the things that Vidisha Joshi talks about, drawing on her experience as a Managing Partner at a leading law firm plus her experience of working with other firms as a consultant.

This event will provide you with some valuable insights, practical pointers and top tips. 

In this podcast Clare Fanner interviews Sandra Thompson about emotional intelligence and client experience ... and relates it to professional services firms.

Packed full of examples and anecdotes, focused on what it is and why it matters, this is a session that all professional services firms should take time to listen to.
Sandra talks passionately and shares real-life examples which bring the topic to life.

Sandra Thompson is the founder of EI Evolution, a CX Educator, the 1st qualified Goleman Emotional Intelligence coach in the UK, a TEDx speaker and ranked 17th Top CX Star in the UK.

Clare Fanner is the founder of the Law Firm Marketing Club and one of the UK's leading legal sector marketing experts. 

Prepare to be inspired, energised and uplifted in this, the first of our keynote speaker series in 2021.
Our Keynote speaker series is designed to provide firms with the inspiration and direction to put the right strategy and approach into their marketing. 
And who better to kick things off than Penny Power OBE – entrepreneur, author and founder of the world’s first social network for business.
Penny was awarded the OBE in January 2014 for her contribution to entrepreneurship in the social digital sector. 

This session is thought provoking, uplifting and practical – exactly what we all need right now. 
With a focus on how we can stay relevant in a changing world Penny shares her experiences. Penny talks about many things including: 

• How to stay relevant when all is changing around us 
• How to keep close to and understand your clients 
• The importance of your brand and your values and how you connect and build your reputation 

Penny 'bares all' in her frank review of her personal trials and tribulations. She references her experience of setting up the world’s first social network for business as well as drawing from her two books – “Know Me, Like Me, Follow Me” and “Business is Personal: Be the Leader of Your Life and Business”.

In this episode, Sophia and David talk all things law firm PR.

David Opie is the Managing Director of Today's Media, a UK-based company focused on publications, events, and marketing services for the legal and property sectors. Under his leadership, Today’s Media oversees several well-regarded outlets, including Today’s Wills and Probate, Today’s Conveyancer, and Today’s Family Lawyer. These platforms aim to bridge gaps in the legal industry, particularly between regulated and unregulated sectors, while providing valuable insights and updates for professionals in those fields.

In this episode, Joanna Gaudoin talks about how law firms can more effectively work within the framework of a hybrid model. Jonna is a consultant who specialises in helping professionals in the financial and legal sectors build strong, effective relationships that lead to business growth, client retention, and improved workplace culture.

Alex is a CSR expert and is passionate about making an impact where it's needed most. In this episode, we dive into:

💡 Alex's experience at Shakespeare Martineau and her key learnings for law firms

💡 Why it's critical for law firms to make a social impact, and why it should extend beyond their local communities

💡 Practical steps for law firms starting their CSR journey

💡 How marketing professionals can elevate their firm's social responsibility efforts.

If you work in the legal sector or are simply interested in how businesses can drive positive change, this episode is for you. 

We delve into the critical role of networking for legal professionals, covering the significant impact of networking on professional growth, effective strategies for expanding your network both online and offline, the influence of digital platforms and social media on modern networking, how to build genuine relationships with peers and colleagues, and tips for overcoming networking anxiety, especially for introverts. 

In this insightful episode, Anna Lake of Client Talk discusses the merger of her consultancy with Claire Raison’s and their shared mission to improve client listening and experience for law firms across the UK and beyond. Anna outlines the multifaceted services they offer, from consultancy and training to a supportive community for firms conducting their own listening exercises.

A central theme is the importance of commitment at three levels – firm-wide, individual partner, and client variety – to create a meaningful client listening programme. Anna stresses the need for law firms to engage not only satisfied clients but also those with criticisms, as the richest insights often stem from less positive feedback. She advocates for independent voices in the process, ensuring unbiased input.

Client Talk’s “Gather, Reflect, Act” framework enables firms to collect feedback, consider it holistically, and implement changes that close the feedback loop. This approach helps firms tackle points of friction such as onboarding or billing, and identify opportunities like cross-selling or training.

Anna also emphasises listening beyond clients – to teams, support staff, and referrers – to foster a culture of responsiveness and continuous improvement. She advocates blending qualitative and quantitative feedback for richer insights and explains how thoughtful reporting and storytelling around feedback strengthens internal engagement.

Key challenges addressed include demonstrating ROI, fostering psychological safety, and improving soft skills like giving and receiving feedback. Anna notes that firms often overemphasise technical skill development at the expense of relationship-building and internal collaboration.

The episode closes with encouraging signs from the latest Professional Services Marketing Survey, revealing a small but meaningful increase in law firms actively engaging in client listening, signalling growing recognition of its strategic value.

In this episode, Karen Clarkson, Marketing & BD Partner at Parker Bullen, joins us to share how intentional, people-first networking has transformed her personal brand and the firm’s visibility. From preparing for events to smart follow-ups, Karen reveals her top tips for creating meaningful connections, supporting lawyers in the field, and turning networking into a powerful marketing tool.