1. #LMA16
When The Rubber Meets The Road:
From 0 to 60—
Practice Group Business Plans
Powered by Public Relations
John Eix
Regional Business Development, Texas
Hunton & Williams
Leslie Delfs
Business Development Manager
Stinson Leonard Street

2. Learning Objectives
By the end of the session learners will be able to:
• Collaborate with attorneys to elicit the business
plans of a practice group
• Capture these ideas into the basic sections of a
business plan template
• Develop PR plans tied to business objectives
• Identify top media targets
2

3. BUSINESS PLANNING FOR PRACTICE GROUPS

4. A critical step to conducting
the business of law
Firm Strategic
Plan
• Vision
• Mission
• Goals
• The End state
Desired
Practice Group
Business Plan
• How these
goals will be
turned into
action
• By Who and
When
• Measures and
Metrics
Stuff Getting
Done.
• Business
Development
• Marketing
• PR / Thought
Leadership
• Budgets
• Other Admin
4

5. The Sections
I. Executive Summary
II. Practice Management
III. Business Development & Marketing
IV. Talent
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6. I. Practice Management
1. Practice Group Profile
• Types of legal services provided
• Client niche served, geography
• Names of core lawyers, affiliated lawyers
2. Economics
• Goals and their metrics
• Key Financial Indicators & Reporting
• Marketing Budget
(AKA Operations)
6

7. I. Practice Management
3. SOTW Analysis: Strengths & Weaknesses
• Consider strengths or weaknesses from
an internal perspective, from the point
of view of clients, and in relation to the
competition.
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8. #LMA16
8
STRENGTHS
• We are established and well
known in the natural gas
distribution industry.
WEAKNESSES
• Arriving at AFAs for proposals
takes too much time. We need to
respond nimbly and quickly with
AFAs upon request.
STRENGTHS
• We are established and well
known in the natural gas
distribution industry.
WEAKNESSES
• Arriving at AFAs for proposals
takes too much time. We need to
respond nimbly and quickly with
AFAs upon request.
Examples

9. #LMA16I. Practice Management
3. SOTW Analysis: Opportunities and Threats
• An opportunity or threat is any feature
of the external environment / market
which creates positive or negative
potential for the practice.
9

10. #LMA16
10
OPPORTUNITIES
• The merger of a local competitor
presents us with potential
lateral candidates unhappy with
its new structure.
THREATS
• The demand for natural gas is
waning as more renewable energy
sources come online.
OPPORTUNITIES
• The merger of a local competitor
presents us with potential
lateral candidates unhappy with
its new structure.
THREATS
• The demand for natural gas is
waning as more renewable energy
sources come online.
Examples

11. III. Bus Dev & Marketing
1. Target Market Analysis
• Describe common traits, aspects of target
clients
• Trends affecting target clients
2. Market Strategy
• Marketing, communications and public relations
goals
• Relationships with key clients
• Increase the number of new clients
• Process, metrics and reporting
11

12. III. Bus Dev & Marketing
3. Competition
• A list of Who: Lost work, Admire or Want to
Emulate
• Legal Industry trends affecting
12

13. IV. Talent
• Gap Analysis
• Growth plan
• Succession plan
• Retention & Development
(People things)
13

14. I. Executive Summary
• Brief statement: 2-3 sentences
• Simple: where we are now
• Touch on: Services, type of Clients, Geography or
Industry covered
(Now write it.)
14

15. What questions do
you have?

16. Powering Up: Biz Dev Meets
PR Similar Fundamentals
Firm Strategic
Plan
• Vision
• Mission
• Goals
• The Desired
End State
Practice Group
Business Plan
• Competitors
• Key Messages
• Spokespeople
• Budget and
ROI
Stuff Getting
Done.
• News Triggers
• Campaign
Approach
• Leverage on
Social
• Budget and
Measure
16

17. PR Planning
Based on Firm Objectives
• Raise constituency awareness,
• Develop thought leadership content
• Increase the media share of voice
• Position in front of strategic audiences
17

18. Based on Practice Group’s Business Plan—
SET PR GOALS
• Media and Social metrics
• Identify key spokespeople; practice drivers, rising
stars
• Measure against competition
• Thought leadership metrics; articles, speeches,
conferences, blogs, quotes
• Rankings metrics; Chambers, Legal 500, Benchmark
Litigation
PR Planning
18

19. PR Tactics:
Practice Meets the News
Identify News Triggers: What is in the News
• What is trending—related to the practice
• What is in the headlines
• Check for client conflicts
• Who can comment
• What’s our take
19

20. PR Tactics:
Campaign Approach
• Editorial Calendar Opportunities
• Webinar series
• Speeches/seminars
• Bylined articles
• Video, Q&A’s
• Client events
• Social media programming
20

21. PR Tactics
Measure It All
• Media-hits, period over period
• Impressions
• Page views
• Unique visitors
• Tone
• Social, period over period
• Followers, acquired, engagement, shares, likes,
retweets
21

22. PR Tactics
Measurement cont.
• Rankings, Speeches, Bylined articles
• More:
• Requests for information
• Contacts added
• Invitations to speak
• Invitations to write
• More media inquiries
• Invitations to meet, to bid, to present
• New matters opened
22

23. Case Study:
Corporate Board Advisory the
Brand
1. Get ranked – Be considered for two main corporate board
rankings by Corporate Board Member and Directors & Boards
2. Become go-to sources – Establish members of the group as
go-to resources for media on key issues impacting boards and
directors
3. Encourage other practices – Get lawyers in other practices to
speak/be quoted on board topics. Leveraging their contacts
and making them aware of our services
4. Speak before key audiences – Become involved in more
name-brand conferences
5. Design an event to build our brand – Create or sponsor a firm-
branded thought leadership event
• Proxy Access Calls – Shareholder Activism – Three events
• Board of Directors Roundtable – March 2016
23

24. Building the Brand
PR Activities
To Achieve Goals
• Develop Source Guide
• Expand opportunities on key issues at strategic
publications
• Generate meet-and-greets with key reporters and
editors
• Utilize social media to share placements and reach
board contacts
24

25. 347 media and thought leadership hits
on corporate board issues
since 2014
200 were in 2015
25
Media and Thought Leadership Hits

26. Firm was ranked in Top 25 Corporate Law Firms of
2015 by Corporate Board Member magazine for first
time
44 media hits mentioned
firm’s ranking
26
Rankings

27. Focused on Key Issues –
Virginia Corporate Law
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28. 43 media hits quoting
Steven Haas on insurer
deals
44 media hits quoting
Scott Kimpel on Avon
takeover bid
Focused on Key Issues –
Mergers & Acquisitions
28
Lawyers Quoted

29. PR Drives Traffic
Google Analytics
Web bio traffic spikes after being quoted
Scott Kimpel quoted by Reuters on faux Avon takeover bid: posted May 14, 2015
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30. PR Drives Traffic
Steven Haas quoted in multiple outlets on
proposed Anthem acquisition of Cigna:
posted July 24, 2015
30

31. PR Opens Doors
46% increase in new contacts
added to corporate team list
from 2013 to 2014
“NAM has become a new business
opportunity for us”
“New business may be too soon to
quantify, but definitely our contacts
have expanded”
“We are getting business that we
might not have gotten”
“We are establishing a niche in
shareholder activism”
31
New Contacts and Internal Reviews

32. What questions do
you have?

33. When The Rubber Meets The Road:
From 0 to 60—
Practice Group Business Plans
Powered by Public Relations
John Eix
Regional Business Development, Texas
Hunton & Williams
Leslie Delfs
Business Development Manager
Stinson Leonard Street