Bill4Time Staff

A legal blog has a ton of value for law firms looking to improve their legal marketing and drive new customers to their website. Prospective clients often search for legal topics to familiarize themselves before consulting an attorney, and if a law firm can provide that information, that puts them at the forefront of the client’s mind when they’re ready to get their case started.

Law firms should keep in mind, however, that a prospective client isn’t seeking legal information to handle a complex case on their own. Instead, they’re seeking clarity, expectations of their case, and help identifying the right legal team to bring to their side.

The right legal blog topics are essential for the success of a law firm’s legal marketing tactic. Here are some ways law firms can come up with brilliant law firm blog topics with useful content to attract clients and establish thought leadership in the industry.

Utilize Recent News Reports

The newspaper, news websites, or other legal blogs offer inspiration for timely, relevant topics that are content-worthy. Law firms can browse headlines and identify potential content ideas based on what’s trending in the news, even if it’s not directly related to the legal industry. Perhaps a news story prompts questions about the law related to a broad topic that will be useful to prospective clients.

Try Doing Interviews

Along with written content, podcasts and videos are popular for online audiences. One of the best topics for a podcast or video is an interview, and law firms can leverage this with live interviews with local judges, other lawyers, or clients that had favorable case outcomes. This not only provides valuable information to the viewer but can be helpful for law firm networking and building relationships in the industry.

Use Your Legal Blog as a FAQ

In any legal practice area, clients often have a lot of the same questions about their general cases. The details may vary, but quick keyword research reveals general questions like “what to look for in a lawyer?” and “what’s the timeline for my legal case?”

Law firms can use these questions to their advantage. In addition to having a dedicated area of practice page and frequently asked questions on the law firm’s website, law firm blog topics can follow the most common questions asked by clients. Law firms can consult with other lawyers, paralegals, and staff at the law firm to determine the most valuable questions to answer.

Incorporate Educational Legal Blog Topics

Much like frequently asked questions, law firms may find that prospective clients have a lot of the same questions and concerns about their case and experience. Law firms can provide valuable educational legal blog topics to address these questions and concerns and give prospective clients a little peace of mind.

Here are some ideas for law firms to provide educational content:

• Case Studies: This content is ideal for covering broad law topics and how they apply to specific cases. Typically, case studies are more in-depth than a general blog and cover most of the details and conditions of a case, giving readers an understanding of how a case may unfold. Case studies are particularly useful when they cover landmark decisions or precedents.
• Success Stories: If a law firm had a recent win or exciting outcome, it’s worth posting a success story to show prospective clients that the law firm’s clients’ successes matter to them. Even if the case outcome wasn’t ideal, an inspirational story can serve the same end.
• Q&A Sessions: Q&A sessions can be longer blogs that cover the commonly asked questions with in-depth answers and examples, or hypotheticals, that illustrate a case more comprehensively. With podcasts or video, these Q&A sessions can be live to address questions as they come up.
• Glossary: Legalese can be challenging for non-legal people. Often, these unfamiliar terms have long answers, so law firms can provide legal content that covers the terms and gives them a deeper understanding of the area of practice. Law firms should consider the most mystifying or intimidating terms in their area of practice, such as “tort,” “negligence,” and “prima facie.” The blog should define the terms in lay terms, including pronunciation, how the term is used, how it may apply, and practical examples.
• Events: Blog content can highlight upcoming seminars or conferences that a law firm is attending or that may be of interest to the audience. Not only prospective clients keep up with legal content – industry professionals, including other lawyers, may be interested in these topics.
• Staff Highlights: People want to know the people behind the brand, and that’s no different for law firms. Perhaps a paralegal got admission into law school, or an employee won a distinguished award. These types of stories are inspirational and give clients insights into the day-to-day of the law firm and the people they may want in their corner for their case.

Promote Your Legal Blog to Drive Traffic

Creating content is excellent, but it needs somewhere to go to generate awareness and interest in a law firm. Once the content is created, law firms should promote blog posts on social media and email to drive traffic. Law firms should also keep SEO best practices in mind to make the content discoverable.

With the right practice management system, integrations allow law firms to seamlessly integrate into software like content management systems (CMS) and email platforms. This streamlines the content creation and promotion process to ensure that content is consistent and timely, creating more value and interest for prospective clients.  

Lawyers have a lot to juggle, from client meetings to research to court appearances. Because of this, it may make sense to outsource legal blog content to third-party services to save time and focus on billable hours.

The concept is simple — law firms hire a writer or team of writers to handle the writing and publishing of legal blog content. This may be freelancers or agency writers, but either way, the idea is to outsource some of the work and free lawyers to focus on law.

Legal content outsourcing has a lot of advantages, including expert writing and freeing up time, but it has downsides as well. How does a firm know when it’s the right time to outsource?

The Value of a Legal Blog

Content marketing for a legal blog or guest posts for thought leadership is a valuable component of a digital marketing strategy. Done well, it can be a persuasive tool to boost conversions, attract more website traffic, and build brand awareness.

There’s a catch, however — legal blog content has to be well researched, well written, and aligned with the law firm’s goals and objectives. Poor quality writing does more harm than good, so it’s vital that the firm hires writers familiar with legal writing and concepts.

This is a big motivation behind many firms handling their content writing in-house. But adding content writing to an ever-growing list of tasks and demands for a firm takes away from what lawyers are supposed to do — practice law.

Options to Outsource Legal Blog Content

In-house hires: For the best of both worlds, law firms can hire legal content writers in-house as part of the full-time team. These writers can tackle the legal blog and other content writing, ensuring that the content is high quality and available, but it can be expensive and inefficient.

Professional content writers: Legal marketing agencies, SEO agencies, and other agencies have access to teams of professional content writers and handle law firm campaigns. This option offers plenty of expertise and less upfront effort and investment than an in-house hire, but it can be expensive as well.

Contract writers: If the law firm doesn’t need a full team, whether in-house or from an agency, a contract writer is a valuable third option. With just a few contract writers, law firms can outsource blogs and guest posts to capable, knowledgeable writers who are more flexible than full-time writers.

Benefits of Legal Blog Outsourcing

Hiring an agency or a contract writer has several benefits, including:

Saving Time

Content writing takes time. Most writers take a few hours to write a standard 500-word blog post. If a law firm is trying to have a consistent content marketing strategy with plenty of blog posts, this can add days of work to the month and take away from mission-critical tasks. Hiring a content writer not only saves time directly, but professional writers are also much faster than non-writers.

Saving Money

Hiring a writer or an agency can be expensive, but it’s worth the money a law firm can save over time. A full-time, in-house writer is going to be more expensive than outsourcing, and working with an agency or contract writer ensures professional results and a better return on investment.

Expertise

A law firm’s writers may have all the necessary legal knowledge for the blog, but may not know the ins and outs of marketing and writing content effectively. An agency or contract writer understands SEO, content marketing best practices, and other details that help content perform better.

Scalability

Agencies typically have several writers that can be drafted for your project. As the law firm grows, agencies can provide more writers to handle growing content needs. Many agencies offer tiered plans or packages as well, so outsourcing is accessible to small, new firms and established firms alike.

Consistency

Consistency is vital to content marketing. Agencies have standards or formatting that their content must follow, ensuring that the content is consistent across the board. Agencies also have editors to do a final check of articles before they’re published, so law firms can count on quality content that reflects well on their brand.

Downsides of Legal Blog Outsourcing

Outsourcing is an excellent option for many law firms, but it’s not for everyone. Agencies and contract writers have downsides, including:

Quality Concerns

Not all agencies are created equal. Law firms can find virtually limitless agencies, contract writers, and freelancers to choose from, and they can range from experts and professionals to inexperienced and low quality. Some agencies don’t maintain high-quality standards, which will be reflected in the law firm’s content. It’s vital for law firms to thoroughly vet possible agencies before choosing to partner.

Reliability Concerns

Reliability is important for content writing, especially if a law firm is outsourcing to ensure that content is always available. Reliable writers can be hard to find, especially as contractors, and can result in inconsistencies and poor quality. Agencies are typically more reliable than freelance writers, but not always.

Lack of Ownership

Even if time is strained, lawyers can take pride in writing their own content and promoting their own firm. While agencies and writers are invested in a business’s content, it’s not quite the same as what a stakeholder brings to the table. Because of this, law firms may prefer to handle the writing in-house instead of outsourcing.

High Upfront Costs

Law firms writing the content themselves have no upfront investment – just time. Agencies and contractors have upfront costs that can be challenging for some firms, especially when they’re just starting out. Content marketing is a marathon, not a sprint, and it could take months before that investment pays off.

When Should Law Firms Outsource Legal Blog Content?

If the strain of writing content in-house becomes too much for a law firm, it may be time to consider outsourcing. Here are some ways law firms can tell if they should outsource:

• The workload is piling up and deadlines or important tasks are missed
• The staff is short
• The firm is a solo operation or small firm just starting out
• Writing content takes up non-billable time
• Current content writing is low quality or inconsistent

If any of these apply, it may be time for a law firm to consider outsourcing content writing to an agency or contract writer. Legal blog content writing is a valuable marketing strategy, but it takes time. With the right content writers, however, legal content can offer incredible returns for a law firm.

2022 brings a new start, but a world still dealing with the ongoing pandemic. Law firms looking to adjust to the “new normal” are looking toward legal technology trends to address client demand and continue with growth.

The speed and flexibility of the cloud, automation, and other tools allow law firms to deploy solutions without developer support or long wait times for IT. According to Gartner, the legal and technology predictions for 2022 include the notion that the legal department will automate over 50 percent of legal work for key business transactions.

With increasingly capable technology and evolving client expectations, legal technology is the best choice for many law firms to stay competitive. These 7 legal technology trends are a must for law firms to see success in 2022.

What is Legal Technology?

Before we dive into the legal technology trends, it’s important to understand what this technology is. Legal technology uses new technologies, from artificial intelligence to automation to blockchain technology, to deliver more efficient and effective legal services.

In the past, legal technology was used to refer to law firm technology for practice management, billing, document storage, or accounting. Being a traditional industry, law firms weren’t quick to adopt these solutions and preferred the tried-and-true methods.

Legal technology has come a long way in a short time, however. Now, legal technology can be used to adapt a law firm to the modern challenges of practicing in a post-pandemic world and delivering better, faster, and more comprehensive services to clients. It also enhances the lives of lawyers with remote work opportunities, constant connectivity, better timekeeping and billing, and more.

1. Digital Transformation

Digital transformation is sweeping industries everywhere, and it’s found its way to law. Consumers are moving toward digital, and law firms need to get onboard to reach clients where they want to be.

At the least, law firms should make sure they’re discoverable on search engines and business sites, such as Google My Business, and that all the information is current and accurate. Clients are using search to find law firms, so it’s vital for law firms to keep that information relevant.

2. Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a lucrative technology in virtually all industries, and law firms are realizing the value of AI for managing day-to-day tasks. Data volume is expanding, so law firms must use technology to streamline data management and improve the client experience.

In fact, according to Zion Market Research, the global AI legal technology market is poised to generate over $37 billion by 2026. With AI, law firms can be free of mundane, repetitive tasks and focus on client and legal practice.

3. Cybersecurity

Cybercrime is on the rise, especially in the legal sector. As law firms shift from in-person to a remote or hybrid work environment, more and more sensitive information is at risk from a hack or breach from bad actors.

According to a report from the National Cyber Security Centre, over 60 percent of law firms reported an information breach. Law firms have a lot of sensitive business and client data and are increasingly moving toward remote systems and cloud-based storage, so it’s more important than ever for them to protect data with rigorous cybersecurity measures.

4. Automation

Workflow automation is a valuable tool for law firms to stay productive. Oftentimes, law firm management and leadership are tasked with non-legal work, such as marketing, client communications, and accounting and billing, which takes away from billable time working on client cases.

Automation is already popular for law firms, but it’s likely to increase in 2022 to improve efficiency and lower expenses. Legal automation technology can handle many repetitive tasks, such as billing and invoicing.

5. Client Focus

Like the rest of the business world, the legal industry is expected to shift to a more client-focused approach in 2022. Clients want more remote legal solutions, such as meeting with lawyers over a video call.

Clients are also interested in diversity, sustainability, and inclusion in future-focused law firms. Adopting remote processes and a hybrid work model allows law firms to widen the talent pool and bring in talent from more diverse backgrounds, as well as providing better learning and development opportunities.

In addition, practice management systems allow legal teams to text with clients via the platform, automate emails, and access client information from anywhere with an internet connection. Now, lawyers who work in the field, whether at client lunches or at the courthouse, can keep to a schedule and speak with clients when it matters most.

6. Digital Interfaces

Lawyers often have to contact courts and other government agencies, and digital interfaces are offering opportunities to streamline this process. While there’s only a small number of vendors providing these solutions at this time, the pandemic has pushed governments and courts to a more digital approach to address these needs in remote environments.

7. Available Lawyers

Along with a client-focus, modern clients are more anxious than ever and want fast responses to questions and concerns from legal teams. Instead of searching the internet, clients are looking for attorneys who are available and ready to answer questions and provide comfort with case stress.

This puts considerable strain on lawyers, but many law firms are investing in solutions that deliver this type of service. To promote work-life balance, law firms are adopting partner organizations with 24/7 website and phone access to help clients when lawyers and legal teams aren’t available.

Adopt Legal Technology

Though traditional in its approach, the legal industry is becoming more and more comfortable with automation, remote hearings, video conferences, and other technology offerings that improve client communications streamline workflows, and enhance work-life balance.

Done correctly, legal technology can remove existing barriers and have a positive impact on the legal industry. Bill4Time is a leading law practice management solution that offers intelligent solutions designed specifically for law firms, including document management, client management, task management, timekeeping, customizable invoices, and more. The software also integrates to existing storage systems, calendars, email services, and more to streamline day-to-day processes. Request a demo to see how Bill4Time can help you grow your practice!

Goal-setting is a key professional skill that all lawyers need to master in order to achieve client satisfaction, career growth, and meaningful life accomplishments. Every lawyer should take the time to identify ways to improve their professional skills and set achievable goals that will help them reach their fullest potential. While there are many goal-setting techniques available, one of the most effective methods is to establish SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based.) Setting SMART goals for lawyers eliminates the guesswork and encourages lawyers to take responsibility for their future in a way that will help them become more effective professionals.

What Are SMART Goals?

The SMART goal system is a widely accepted method of goal setting. By understanding what the acronym stands for, lawyers can develop a process for setting and achieving their goals in record time.

Specific 

In order to achieve success, every lawyer needs to establish specific goals. This means that they must take a moment to identify what they want to accomplish and create a plan for how to make it happen.

For example, if a lawyer wants to build their client base, they need to set more specific goals. Identifying what type of clients the lawyer would like to attract is an important first step. Is the goal related to increasing business from existing clients? If so, which ones?

Measurable

It is important for lawyers to identify what will be measured to determine how well they are doing in pursuit of their goals.

For example, if a lawyer wants to increase referrals from the existing client base, then the lawyer needs to understand that “more” means different things to different clients. By establishing a goal that states that one or two new clients will be referred each month, the lawyer can easily measure whether or not they have been successful.

Achievable 

While it is important to set goals that challenge people, it is also important for lawyers to set goals that are achievable. This means that the lawyer needs to take a realistic look at what they have to offer and who they can attract as clients.

For example, if a client base consists of small businesses and individuals, then the goal of attracting multinational corporations will likely be too difficult for them to achieve.

Relevant    

In order to avoid setting goals that are not actually relevant, lawyers must take a moment to evaluate whether or not the goal is likely to help them become more effective in their profession.

For example, if a lawyer’s big vision for their career includes building a robust clientele of big corporations, it’s not relevant for them to set a goal to go after a certain number of small business clients.

Time-Based

One of the most critical components of setting SMART goals for lawyers is to establish a timeframe in which they should be accomplished. This does not mean that they have to set a specific date by which their goal will be completed, but it does mean that they should identify how much time they will allow themselves to reach the goal.

For example, if a lawyer sets a goal that they will increase their client base by one new client each month, it is important for their timetable to include what happens after the first month (such as making more of an effort to contact those who did not refer business last month and those who referred possible leads).

This way, the lawyer can identify whether or not the goal was achieved and determine how to move forward.

Tips for setting SMART Goals for your law firm

Creating goals based on the SMART system is just half the battle. Putting the method into practice means taking a moment to revisit goals periodically, make necessary adjustments, and establish new ones when the time is right.

Tip #1: Take time to plan

SMART goals drive success. That means that it is important for lawyers to take time to plan what they hope to achieve and develop a strategy for building on previous successes. Don’t rush the SMART setting process, and time-block at least an hour for creating new goals. There is legal technology that allows you to gather data on how much time you spent on matters or areas of improvement to better plan your goals.

Tip #2: Adjust as necessary

While it is important for lawyers to make time to plan, it is also important to take the time necessary to evaluate what is and isn’t working. This means adjusting goals when they no longer feel relevant or productive for where their career is heading or what they want.

Tip #3: Schedule deadlines

Often it is the act of scheduling deadlines that helps lawyers stay on track. Put the timeline that was identified in the SMART system and put it on the calendar. By blocking out specific times to work on the goal, lawyers can help ensure that they stay organized and focused.

Tip #4: Make the goal public

Setting SMART goals is a great way to increase their likelihood of success, and making the goal public is another way to help ensure it comes to fruition. When lawyers share them with others in the industry or even friends and family outside of work, they can further motivate themselves by getting others involved.

Tip #5: Use a reward or punishment system

For some people, setting SMART goals is enough of a challenge. For others, they need to get creative by establishing reward or punishment systems for themselves if they are unable to reach their goal. Whether it means allowing themselves one night off at the end of each month or taking on an additional project if they don’t hit the mark, this type of system can be very effective.

Tip #6: Revisit goals every 3 months

Not all SMART goals will be relevant for a lifetime. In fact, most lawyers will find that their goals will change as they continue to grow in their careers and add new challenges. That’s why it is important to revisit goals every three months. If the goal hasn’t been reached by then, consider if it still has merit or if it is time to set a new one.

SMART goals for lawyers takes consistency

Goal setting is an important task for lawyers and one that allows them to increase their chances of success. The SMART system can make the process more manageable and help lawyers increase their efficiency in the industry. By creating SMART goals, lawyers are setting themselves up for success at every turn.

Task management for lawyers can be difficult. Many lawyers struggle to prioritize and manage their overflowing to-do lists because everything they do feels important—and it is.

Between phone calls, emails, depositions, hearings and meetings there are dozens of tasks clamoring for their attention every day. Juggling multiple clients and pressing deadlines can make it hard to distinguish what needs to be done first. But failing to prioritize time-sensitive tasks can lead to missed deadlines, lost clients, and even malpractice lawsuits.

Organizing urgent tasks is all about time management and task management. By effectively managing time, lawyers can reduce stress, stay on top of their workload, be available to handle the crises that arise, and keep their clients happy.

1. Write it all down
2. Identify long-term goals
3. Give everything a deadline
4. Organize by importance and urgency
5. Prioritize single-tasking
6. Practice time-blocking
7. Plan for fires

Tip #1: Write it all down

Lawyers are responsible for a lot; they need to remember details about their cases, follow up with key witnesses, research legal issues and keep up with court-appointed deadlines. Trying to retain all this information in one’s head is a recipe for disaster.

To ensure that nothing falls through the cracks—and to get a clearer understanding of what needs to be done—write down every task, time commitment, and action item. Whether this list is recorded in a physical notebook or electronically, be sure to include the following for each task:

• The time it will take to complete
• Any deadlines
• Any obstacles that are preventing the task from being completed

Tip #2: Identify long-term goals

While time management is key, it’s also important to keep in mind the reason why lawyers are working so hard.

Running a law firm isn’t simply about maximizing billable hours or raking in revenue, it is about helping clients solve their problems. Lawyers need to maintain perspective on the end goal—a satisfied client—and prioritize tasks that will have the biggest impact on this outcome.

Tasks that may not necessarily produce immediate results can be just as important. Lawyers need to focus time and resources on their long-term goals while keeping a pulse on what’s happening in the present time.

Tip #3: Give everything a deadline

Deadlines are what keep the legal industry moving ahead. While most tasks that fall on a lawyer’s plate will have deadlines associated with them, it is important to indicate time restrictions on everything.

Identifying time limits not only allows lawyers to better manage their time but also helps clients prioritize legal matters and make informed decisions about how to move forward.

Tip #4: Organize by importance and urgency

When it comes to time management and task management, lawyers need to consider both importance and urgency when determining what needs to be done first.

Some tasks might be time-sensitive—like filing research for an upcoming project—whereas others may be more important but not necessarily time-sensitive, like reviewing a client’s correspondence or drafting their will.

In the classic self-help read, The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey gives a process to this concept by recommending people organize tasks based on one of four categories:

• Urgent and important
• Important but not urgent
• Urgent but unimportant
• Neither urgent or important

The urgent and important tasks should be done first, with important but not urgent tasks taking second place. If a task is urgent  but unimportant, it should be delegated to someone else, and neither urgent or important tasks should be  eliminated entirely. 

Tip #5: Prioritize single-tasking

In the age of smartphones and tablets, it is easy to feel like a time management hero while juggling multiple tasks at once. But while trying to multitask may save time in the short run, it can also increase stress levels and decrease productivity.

Focusing on a single task allows lawyers time to concentrate and think through complicated legal matters. Like other professionals, lawyers may find that brainstorming or time away from the office is necessary to come up with solid legal solutions and strategies.

To effectively focus on one task at a time, eliminate other distracting tasks that could interrupt and redirect focus. This includes checking email and social media accounts, returning phone calls and texts, or talking to coworkers.

Tip #6: Practice time-blocking

While the unpredictable nature of law makes it hard to keep a consistent schedule, time-blocking can help establish time limits for working on specific tasks, like checking email, returning phone calls and planning. Identifying certain parts of the day where those tasks are most likely to get done will make it easier to create a schedule one can stick to.

For example, if client requests and demands tend to pop up more during post-lunch hours, a lawyer could set block time off every morning for other important, but non-urgent tasks. By time-blocking time throughout the day to complete tasks, lawyers can find more time to focus on what matters most.

Tip #7: Plan for fires

In the legal world, it’s not uncommon for a day to quickly become consumed with client meetings, phone calls and emails. Because of this, it’s crucial to get the important stuff on the to-do list done first so time isn’t wasted on time-sensitive tasks at the end of the day.

Urgent tasks are frequent for lawyers. So rather than hoping nothing pops up and ruins a well-laid plan, simply plan for things to come up. Get the most important work done before the client calls start rolling in and time is wasted trying to catch up.

When time management is a priority, time can be found in even the busiest schedules. Lawyers just have to know what time management tips work best for them and then start planning accordingly.

How technology can support task management for lawyers requires

When time management and task management is done effectively, lawyers can not only save time for themselves,  but also their clients—which will provide the peace of mind everyone needs during times of  great stress and time crunch.Being time and task-management savvy can be a huge benefit to any lawyer. Adopting automated time tracking practices also helps ensure that time is optimized and isn’t wasted on mundane tasks.. By practicing time-blocking, single-tasking and prioritization strategies, time is maximized, stress is reduced and more cases are won.

Today, Bill4Time along with the broader Paradigm team is thrilled to announce that we have teamed up with a new investment partner, Francisco Partners, to drive further innovation and growth within our product, team, and infrastructure. With more than $25 billion in assets under management and a track record of investing in more than 300 technology companies over the last two decades, Francisco Partners is one of the most active and longstanding technology-focused investment firms in the world.

This news is especially exciting as it allows us to double down on our commitment to you, our customers. With Francisco Partners’ financial support and extensive expertise in software and payments, we will be able to accelerate the pace of innovation within our world-class product while continuing to provide you with best-in-class customer service to help you manage, automate and grow your firm.

We are extremely grateful to our customers and the industry at large for helping us reach this milestone. We are proud to continue serving you as we embark on this new chapter together.

You can read the complete press release, here.