Last Exit Benchmark Studies: Legal Sector 2012

© DIGITAL BENCHMARK
LEGAL SECTOR 2012

LEGAL SECTOR TABLE OF CONTENTS

2 INTRODUCTION
3 METHODOLOGY
4 THE BENCHMARK
8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
10 MOBILE
11 USABILITY: CALLS TO ACTION
14 USABILITY: SITE SEARCH ENGINES
16 USABILITY: LAWYER FINDER TOOL
18 CONTENT MARKETING
22 RECRUITMENT
25 REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
27 SOCIAL MEDIA

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LEGAL SECTOR INTRODUCTION

“The fact that LAST EXIT LEGAL SECTOR DIGITAL BENCHMARK
increased revenue is not The United Kingdom’s £23bn legal market is undergoing transformation. Law firms are facing
the worst financial crisis in a generation. The period of rapid profit growth in the legal sector

necessarily resulting in that had lasted since the mid 1980s is widely acknowledged to be over.
In this new era, costs are being scrutinised, there's pricing pressure from clients and ever

increased profits shows increasing competition between firms. Add in the liberalisation of the profession through the
Legal Services Act, and it's no suprise that companies are strategising, looking to growing

that law-firm margins markets abroad, and demanding that their existing assets work ever harder.
It's our belief that a law firm website is a key asset. As an important, though perhaps neglected,

are continuing to be tool for marketing, reputation management, recruitment and generating new business, its
performance is increasingly important and deserves thought and attention.

squeezed. ” The Last Exit Legal Sector Benchmark
Building on expertise gained contributing to digital industry think tank reports for L2, Last Exit
Tony Williams has conducted a study to benchmark the desktop websites, mobile and social presences of 30 of
Founder of Jomati, quoted in the FT, July 2012 the largest UK-based law firms, measured by worldwide revenues. Covering 34 different
touchpoints, the findings of the benchmark are summarised in this document.
For more detailed information and analysis please contact me.

“The use of social media Fred Brown

for marketing of an
Partner and Managing Director, Last Exit

organisation's brand is
inevitable, but it is not
to be feared. ”
Danvers Baillieu & Kathryn Wynn
Social media strategy article, Pinsent Masons LLP

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LEGAL SECTOR METHODOLOGY

Design, technology
& marketing
Multiple touch-points, delving into
technical excellence, organisation of
information, usability, content
quality, and content marketing.

Search engine excellence
User personalisation
Mobile Identification of user types
Research is no longer confined to desktop Recruitment sections
computers. CEOs and chief legal officers own Calls to action
iPads and smartphones. We looked for website Thought leadership content
optimisation for mobile phones, and whether Topical communications
the sites employed responsive design. Excellence of rich content
Global credibility
Mobile optimised template Reputation management
Responsive design Search engine optimisation

Social Media
We looked for an understanding of LinkedIn,
Twitter and Facebook and the quality of

Scoring system engagement in those spaces.

We examined the websites of 30 leading UK law firms. Our three Social media and website integration
main criteria are Design & technology, Marketing and Social Share buttons
Media, which were then divided into 34 touch-points. Each
touch-point is given a score between 0-5 (5 being very good).

136+ 135-102 101-68 <68
Excellent Good Mediocre Weak


LEGAL SECTOR THE BENCHMARK

RANK COMPANY SCORE DESCRIPTION

1= 126 / 170 BLP’s web presence reached high scores in nearly
Good every category. Well organised and with clear calls to
action. Includes topical, rich, content and an excellent
graduate recruitment section.

1= 126 / 170 A well laid out website. Contains an excellent lawyer
Good finder tool, great thought leadership content and
clear graduate recruitment sections.

3 125 / 170 A clean, clearly laid out website that signposts
Good related content. Contains a rarity; an excellent
predictive search engine.

4 118 / 170 Attractive careers pages, excellent thought
Good leadership content and multi-lingual facility but an
underwhelming presence on LinkedIn and social
platforms.

Overall ranking: 136+ Excellent, 102-135 Good, 68-101 Mediocre, 68– Weak Ranks 5 – 13 overleaf




5 Eversheds 114 / 170 Excellent lawyer finder tool, good cross linking and thought leadership content. Lost points for some
Good poor search engine optimisation.

6 Wragge & Co 108 / 170 Excellent trainee recruitment website with animated design and clear calls to action for their
Good newsletters.

7 Pinsent Masons 105 / 170 A stylish, easy to navigate website, that makes it easy to put a face to the expertise on offer, clear
Good about its intentions. Little use of social media.

8 Squire Sanders LLP 104 / 170 Comprehensive lawyer-finder tool and useful Services pages that refer to the firm's "Representative
(was Hammonds) Good Experience". Limited integration with their social media presences.

9= Bird & Bird 103 / 170 Attractive explanation of the firm's history and the site signposts its sections clearly. Let down by a
Good poor search facility.

9= CMS Cameron McKenna 103 / 170 Good search engine and excellent content demonstrating the firm's expertise. Few calls to action and
Good sections are not always signposted clearly. Design looks a little dated.

11= Simmons & Simmons 102 / 170 Excellent elexica legal resource. Though the sector pages are clearly laid out, they do not encourage
Good exploration as there is little related content offered. Recruitment pages are quite "dry" and text-heavy.

11= Norton Rose 102 / 170 Site is optimised for mobile and features an excellent lawyer finder tool. Though the graduate
Good recruitment website is stylish, the recruitment pages for other parts of the business are slightly dull.

13 Herbert Smith 101 / 170 Attractive recruitment sections, but the search engine returns irrelevant pages, there are few calls to
Mediocre action and social media is not integrated with the main website.





14 Irwin Mitchell 101 / 170 Clever search engine that returns results in a grid pattern. Lawyer interviews on their profile pages is a
Mediocre nice touch, but the library of publications appears to be out-of-date.

15 Withers 100 / 170 Excellent publications section that's easy to navigate, and an updated blog. Pages poorly optimised for
Mediocre search engines.

16= Clifford Chance 98 / 170 Useful search engine and excellent lawyer-finder tool, but the expertise pages are densely written,
Mediocre and inconsistent in navigation.

16= SJ Berwin 98 / 170 Expertise section could be easier to navigate, publications section relies on cumbersome .pdf files.
Mediocre Social media is being used but not integrated with the main website.

16= Macfarlanes 98 / 170 Excellent 'Practice Areas' pages, but dry recruitment section and few clear calls to action.
Mediocre

19 Linklaters 97 / 170 Good graduate recruitment section, but otherwise the website is text-heavy and the search engine did
Mediocre not return relevant pages.

20 Ashurst 95 / 170 Inaccurate search engine, publications section relies on .pdf files, but does have an excellent graduate
Mediocre recruitment section with high-quality video.

21 Field Fisher Waterhouse 94 / 170 Few calls to action for new business, lacks rich content and information about the firm's corporate
Mediocre culture. Reliance on .pdf files.

22 Nabarro 93 / 170 One of the few websites to identify client types 'Entrepreneurs and SMEs', but also one of the few sites
Mediocre that does not identify business support in its careers section. A very basic lawyer finder tool.





23 Clyde & Co 92 / 170 Inaccurate search engine. Good tab system in the sector pages, but lacking in case studies. Too many
Mediocre .pdf files.

24 Taylor Wessing 91 / 170 The lawyer finder tool works well, but the contact form uses quaint, unfriendly CAPTCHAs. Poor
Mediocre quality video and a remarkably thin recruitment section.

25= Slaughter and May 89 / 170 Lots of accessible publications, but some poorly search optimised pages and lack of social media
Mediocre presence cost S&M points.

25= SNR Denton 89 / 170 Stylish site for trainee recruitment, but few calls to action and little rich content on the main site.
Mediocre Undeveloped LinkedIn presence.

27 DAC Beachcroft 86 / 170 Some poor search engine optimisation. Few calls to action. Sector pages subheadings include 'What
Mediocre our clients say', then doesn't mention clients.

28 Freshfields Bruckhaus 85 / 170 A responsive website containing good CR content, but also featuring a poor search engine, lots of .pdfs
Deringer Mediocre and a rather dry graduate recruitment section.

29 Addleshaw Goddard 82 / 170 Weak legal recruitment pages. Publications sections displays a lot of old content, has some broken
Mediocre links.

30 Holman Fenwick Willan 78 / 170 Site has been technically optimised for search engines, but then relies on too many .pdf files. Is not
Mediocre using its publications to efficiently market the firm.

Overall ranking: 136+ Excellent, 102-135 Good, 68-101 Mediocre, 68– Weak


LEGAL SECTOR EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In the current financial climate, law firms should ensure that their web presences
are engaging, attractive and efficient at converting passing visitors into clients. Yet
this admirable aim is complicated by changing best practice as the web grows in
WEBSITES CAN BE USED TO complexity. More and more firms are highlighting their creativity and client focus
BUILD AWARENESS, TO ENGAGE AND but our research reveals that these claims are undermined by the quality of their
CONVERT VISITORS INTO CLIENTS websites and digital presences.

ARE LAW FIRMS
The law may be dry to some, but that’s no reason for law firm websites to make their important
information difficult to find and digest. As the web evolves and customer expectations rise, we’ve found
that it’s common for law firm sites that were once “business-like” to now appear staid and unhelpful.

MAKING THE MOST We are unable to grade any of the 30 sites belonging to the UK's top law firms as 'Excellent' overall.
Twelve are 'Good', 18 'Mediocre'. Mercifully, all have escaped being judged 'Weak'.

OF THE WEB? Why so many mediocre law firm websites?
Our benchmarking research and analysis has examined law firm website design and technology,
marketing and their use of social media. Findings, and recommendations, include...

Despite more and more business people owning smartphones ( just look around at any train carriage
packed with commuters) only five of the 30 websites we’ve ranked have optimised their websites for
mobile.

Visitors to law firm websites are often faced with too much information that is poorly presented. It’s a
confusing experience trying to navigate masses of information that is not clearly signposted.

Some in the legal sector may feel that marketing their services is a little unseemly, but we’d like to see
more clear calls to action on the pages of law firm websites. It’s not “pushy” to use web pages to clearly
highlight relevant experts or content that will assist the visitor.

If the visitor does not become disheartened and clicks off to a competitor, they will often attempt to use
the website’s search engine to find the information they want to locate. Whether they find the
information that they seek depends on which site they’ve landed on. We ranked only five of 30 law firm
search engines as “excellent”.

’


LEGAL SECTOR EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

“A lawyer is a There have been many advances in search engine technology. But of the 30 websites we ranked, only
Allen & Overy are taking advantage of them, using helpful predictive search to assist their visitors.

person who writes a Those looking for a named lawyer may be more fortunate. We ranked more of the lawyer finder tools are
excellent, as they should be.

10,000-word document Major law are firms are ideally placed to use their expertise and publications to engage clients and reach
new customers via the web and content marketing. All of the 30 law firms dedicate large sections of

and calls it a ’brief’.” their websites to their publications and news, but what is suprising is how difficult it is for users to
engage with this knowledge. Too many publication sections are poorly organised with a reliance on
search engine unfriendly .pdf files.
Attributed to Franz Kafka
The widespread use of .pdf files points to a wider issue with legal sector websites; there seems to be
little acknowledgment of the wider web, of the user journeys that lead visitors to a website’s door. For
example, only nine sites display 'share' buttons, allowing visitors to easily tell others on their social
networks about the page they are visiting.

“Users often leave web When researching legal services, many clients will turn first to their search engine of choice, probably
Google. But few of the sites we examined have been search engine optimised to a high standard. Only

pages in 10–20 seconds, two ranked as technically excellent in our benchmarking study; Nabarro and Holman Fenwick Willan.
This should be of concern to the legal sector, as it is currently possible for competitors, or even “brand-

but pages with a clear hackers” to push certain law firms off the front page of Google.

Finally, we turn to social media. The arguments are well rehearsed, and we are not going to deride the

value proposition can legal sector’s often half-hearted attempts at Twittering. Their Facebook pages aimed at graduates
indicate that they can “get” social media when they want to. As younger executives rise through the

hold people's attention ranks, and ROI becomes more obvious, social media is bound to become more important for major law
firms. But for now we point you at LinkedIn, as it’s been adding new features that few law firms are

for much longer.” taking advantage of. It’s worth investigating.

In conclusion, the web offers many opportunities to firms vying to be leading international legal

Jacob Nielson businesses, but our increasingly connected world also presents challenges. The legal sector is in danger
of appearing out of touch and overly introspective if its web presences do not move with the times.


LEGAL SECTOR MOBILE

OBSERVE BUSINESS PEOPLE Website optimised for mobile
COMMUTING BY TRAIN, OR GATHERING
AT A CONFERENCE. THEY’RE CARRYING 5 YES
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer / Hogan Lovells /
Holman Fenwick Willan / Slaughter and May / Norton Rose
SMARTPHONES AND TABLETS.
25 NO
Two fifths of UK adults now own a smartphone, with the same proportion saying that
their phone is the most important device for accessing the internet, reports OFCOM.

For UK businesses, allowing staff to work remotely on mobile devices is a priority,
according to research from the National Computing Centre (NCC). The NCC's 2011
benchmark survey finds that 72% of companies expect to see an increase in the use of
tablets in the next two years, 70% expect to see smartphone use grow too. Mobile version of website

But of the 30 top law firm websites we've looked at, only five were optimised for Hogan Lovells / Holman Fenwick Willan /
4 YES Slaughter and May / Norton Rose
mobile. Many law firms are missing an opportunity to connect with potential clients.

26 NO

100%
73%

80%
57%
52%
60% Responsive web design
40%

43%
48% 1 YES Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
20%
27% 29 NO
0%
2007 2011 2015

Mobile web surfing is estimated to overtake desktop web surfing by 2015
Source: Morgan Stanley Research data

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LEGAL SECTOR USABILITY: CALLS TO ACTION WE'VE LOOKED AT USER JOURNEYS AND EASE OF NAVIGATION.
© DIGITAL BENCHMARK A website that makes it difficult for a visitor to find what they're looking for, is making it difficult for that site visitor to
become a paying client. Some law firms may feel that "laying out their stall" is a little unseemly, but surely that's no
excuse for not communicating clearly. Few of the websites we examined excelled at signposting their sections or "calls to
action", for new business and newsletters.

Of the 30 websites we analysed, Allen & Overy, Pinsent Masons, Berwin Leighton Paisner and Wragge & Co employed the
best calls to action.

Allen & Overy Pinsent Masons
A&O encourage exploration of their website in the footer of their Pinsent Masons signpost their newsletters clearly.
pages.


LEGAL SECTOR USABILITY: CALLS TO ACTION

Berwin Leighton Paisner Wragge & Co
Berwin Leighton Paisner encourage their website visitors to get in Wragge & Co ask the site visitor to engage on their front page.
touch.


LEGAL SECTOR USABILITY: CALLS TO ACTION

Aggregated scores for calls to action and section signposting, out of 15.

Allen & Overy
Pinsent Masons
Berwin Leighton Paisner
Wragge & Co
Eversheds
Linklaters
CMS Cameron McKenna
Taylor Wessing
Herbert Smith
Norton Rose
Bird & Bird
Irwin Mitchell
Clifford Chance
Hogan Lovells
Ashurst
Simmons & Simmons
Clyde & Co
Squire Sanders LLP (was Hammonds)
Nabarro
Macfarlanes
DLA Piper International
Slaughter and May
SJ Berwin
DAC Beachcroft
Holman Fenwick Willan
Withers
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Addleshaw Goddard
SNR Denton
Field Fisher Waterhouse

weak excellent


LEGAL SECTOR USABILITY: SITE SEARCH ENGINES LAW FIRMS PRODUCE A LOT OF PUBLICATIONS...
© DIGITAL BENCHMARK Their websites often carry large archives. These archives are necessary, and they offer evidence of expertise.
Unfortunately, the sheer amount of information available can be challenging for clients and potential
customers if the documents are not organised clearly.

A technically excellent internal search engine will help site visitors to cut through the clutter and allow them
find what they're looking for.

We've found that with the exception of Allen & Overy, the top UK law firms are not making the most of
advances in search technology.

Allen & Overy Pinsent Masons City University London
A&O's search engine is the only one in our benchmark Another top scoring law firm search engine belongs to We believe that law firms could learn from the higher
study that assists users by offering a predictive search Pinsent Masons. It's search engine works well and education sector. Universities are increasingly using
mechanism. employs a friendly approach - it displays photos of advanced search technology to help make sense of
staff members. their large, information-rich, websites. See City
University London's search engine


LEGAL SECTOR USABILITY: SITE SEARCH ENGINES

Below is a list of the law firms ranked by search engine excellence, scored out of 5.

Allen & Overy
Irwin Mitchell
Macfarlanes
Nabarro
Pinsent Masons
Clifford Chance
CMS Cameron McKenna
DAC Beachcroft
Eversheds
Simmons & Simmons
SJ Berwin
Slaughter and May
SNR Denton
Addleshaw Goddard
Clyde & Co
Herbert Smith
Hogan Lovells
Norton Rose
Taylor Wessing
Withers
Wragge & Co
Linklaters
Ashurst
Bird & Bird

weak excellent


LEGAL SECTOR USABILITY: LAWYER FINDER TOOL PEOPLE ARE AT THE HEART OF EVERY LAW FIRM.
© DIGITAL BENCHMARK Lawyer finder tools tend to be central to legal sector websites, reflecting the importance of the human
connection. On this page we want to highlight the best of the tools in use.

Berwin Leighton Paisner Herbert Smith Squire Sanders
The A-Z whole directory listing is one of the more A clean design, based around a simple but Doesn't display its list of staff by default, but does
stylish that we have seen. It displays senior staff in a comprehensive list of staff. It displays its list by offer a multitude of options for visitors. It's possible to
user friendly grid pattern, complete with colour default, allowing visitors to browse. search by language, courts, school as well as position
photos. and name.


LEGAL SECTOR USABILITY: LAWYER FINDER TOOL

Law firm websites ranked by the excellence of their lawyer finder tools, scored out of 5.

Clifford Chance
Hogan Lovells
Herbert Smith
Eversheds
Norton Rose
Pinsent Masons
Linklaters
Allen & Overy
Simmons & Simmons
Clyde & Co
Taylor Wessing
SNR Denton
Irwin Mitchell
Wragge & Co
Withers
Macfarlanes
Slaughter and May
Ashurst
CMS Cameron McKenna
Bird & Bird
SJ Berwin
Addleshaw Goddard
DAC Beachcroft
Nabarro

weak excellent


LEGAL SECTOR CONTENT MARKETING WHICH FIRMS ARE MAKING THE MOST OF THEIR PUBLICATIONS?
© DIGITAL BENCHMARK Documented expertise, properly presented, can become content marketing - attracting and converting site visitors into clients. In
the 'content excellence' section of our benchmarking report we looked at thought leadership areas, the use of video and
photography, topical communication and how the websites talk about a firm's expertise and employees.

Allen & Overy Hogan Lovells
A&O present their expertise in easily readable formats. Hogan Lovells use webcasts.


LEGAL SECTOR CONTENT MARKETING

DLA Piper International Simmons & Simmons
DLA Piper offer a number of blogs. Simmons & Simmons operate a separate site for their publications,
elexica.



Berwin Leighton Paisner Berwin Leighton Paisner
Berwin Leighton Paisner scored highly for their engaging news section BLP's website also excels at explaining what the firm does, complete
and rich content. with slides.



List of law firms websites, ranked by their content excellence. Aggregated scores, out of 25.

Allen & Overy
Simmons & Simmons
Eversheds
Norton Rose
Withers
Hogan Lovells
Herbert Smith
CMS Cameron McKenna
Pinsent Masons
Wragge & Co
Clifford Chance
Ashurst
Slaughter and May
Irwin Mitchell
Macfarlanes
Linklaters
Bird & Bird
Clyde & Co
SNR Denton
Taylor Wessing
SJ Berwin
DAC Beachcroft
Nabarro
Addleshaw Goddard

weak excellent


LEGAL SECTOR RECRUITMENT TRAINEE, LAWYER & BUSINESS SUPPORT...
© DIGITAL BENCHMARK We've examined how law firms use their web presences for recruitment. Most emphasis is placed, by the legal sector, upon trainee
recruitment. Many law firms operate separate graduate recruitment websites, designed specifically for students. Competition is fierce.

A&O operate a stylish website for trainees. A stylish lawyer recruitment section from Hogan Lovells.


LEGAL SECTOR RECRUITMENT

Ashurst Berwin Leighton Paisner
Ashurst use video with high production values to enhance their Berwin Leighton Paisner host an engaging game for potential
trainee website. employees on their graduate site.


LEGAL SECTOR RECRUITMENT

Law firm websites ranked by the excellence Law firm websites ranked by the excellence
of their trainee recruitment web presences of their lawyer recruitment sections

Ashurst Allen & Overy
Clifford Chance Clifford Chance
DLA Piper International Herbert Smith
Hogan Lovells Slaughter and May
Irwin Mitchell Squire Sanders LLP (was Hammonds)
Linklaters Withers
Norton Rose Ashurst
Pinsent Masons Bird & Bird
Withers Clyde & Co
Wragge & Co CMS Cameron McKenna
Clyde & Co DAC Beachcroft
CMS Cameron McKenna DLA Piper International
Eversheds Eversheds
Field Fisher Waterhouse Field Fisher Waterhouse
Herbert Smith Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Macfarlanes Irwin Mitchell
Nabarro Linklaters
Simmons & Simmons Macfarlanes
SJ Berwin Pinsent Masons
Slaughter and May Simmons & Simmons
SNR Denton SJ Berwin
Addleshaw Goddard Addleshaw Goddard
Bird & Bird Holman Fenwick Willan
Holman Fenwick Willan Norton Rose
Squire Sanders LLP (was Hammonds) SNR Denton
DAC Beachcroft Taylor Wessing
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Wragge & Co
Taylor Wessing Nabarro

weak excellent weak excellent


LEGAL SECTOR REPUTATION MANAGEMENT

THE FRONT PAGE OF GOOGLE
IS VALUABLE REAL ESTATE

WHICH LAW
Search engines are a popular research tool for potential clients, job applicants and the media. Google
calls it the Zero Moment of Truth, “that moment when you grab your laptop or mobile device and start
learning more about a product or service.” We looked at how UK law firms are managing how they are

FIRMS EXCEL AT portrayed on Google. Are they appearing on page one?

We searched for key terms, partners and five key clients/cases per firm, then examined whether their

SEARCH ENGINE website pages were search engine optimised.

If we focus on which law firms appear on page one of Google when we search for five of their key clients,

OPTIMISATION?
we find that 19 firms are found on page one. Which is a positive result.
However if we dig a little deeper into how many of the law firm websites are technically optimised for
SEO we find that only two firms reach the maximum score.
Or in other words, only two sites have been deliberately designed with SEO in mind. Which leaves many
UK law firms vulnerable to being pushed off Google's first page by canny competitors.


LEGAL SECTOR REPUTATION MANAGEMENT

Which law firms excel at getting found on page one
of Google, via searches for their work with key clients? Which firms score highest at technical SEO excellence?

Addleshaw Goddard Holman Fenwick Willan
Ashurst Nabarro
CMS Cameron McKenna Clyde & Co
DAC Beachcroft Eversheds
DLA Piper International Field Fisher Waterhouse
Field Fisher Waterhouse Hogan Lovells
Hogan Lovells Irwin Mitchell
Irwin Mitchell Norton Rose
Linklaters SJ Berwin
Nabarro Slaughter and May
Pinsent Masons Squire Sanders LLP (was Hammonds)
Simmons & Simmons Wragge & Co
SJ Berwin Allen & Overy
Slaughter and May Ashurst
SNR Denton Clifford Chance
Squire Sanders LLP (was Hammonds) CMS Cameron McKenna
Taylor Wessing DAC Beachcroft
Wragge & Co DLA Piper International
Allen & Overy Herbert Smith
Bird & Bird Macfarlanes
Eversheds Pinsent Masons
Herbert Smith Simmons & Simmons
Macfarlanes SNR Denton
Norton Rose Taylor Wessing
Clifford Chance Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Clyde & Co Linklaters
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Withers
Holman Fenwick Willan Addleshaw Goddard
Withers Bird & Bird

weak excellent weak excellent


LEGAL SECTOR SOCIAL MEDIA

Many major law firms are still not convinced of the
merits of social media.
“Nearly half of survey Of the 30 law firms we looked at, all but two operated Twitter accounts, 15 of the 30 maintained

respondents [US law firms] Facebook pages and all have a LinkedIn page by default. But outside of graduate recruitment,
many of the law firm social media efforts look a little half-hearted, often just broadcasting a feed

said that blogging and social of news stories. They’re present but often only in name. Only nine of the 30 law firm websites
link out to their social media pages. It’s almost as if they are reluctant to acknowledge their

networking initiatives had existence.

New business is central to this debate. There’s still a lack of compelling evidence that social

helped produce leads for new media directly leads to new business for large law firms. The corporate legal sector knows who
their clients are already, and are experts at engaging them socially, just not through social

matters or clients, and about media. As younger executives rise through the ranks, the web's social networks are sure to
become more important.

40 percent said that such For now, we’re favouring LinkedIn for the legal sector, over Twitter and Facebook. Recent research
reveals, for example, that LinkedIn is the one social network that Fortune 500 CEOs do engage

efforts had actually helped with. According to research by CEO.com, 25.9% of Fortune 500 CEOs use LinkedIn compared to
just 3.8% using Twitter.

them land new work.” We believe that the growing potential of LinkedIn is being overlooked by many major law firms.
LinkedIn is keen to facilitate connections between business people. As of the end of the second
ALM Legal Intelligence quarter, professionals are signing up to join LinkedIn at approximately two new members per
second.

To help companies engage with potential clients and other professionals, LinkedIn has been
rolling out new interactive features that many law firms are not taking advantage of.

DLA Piper International is the owner of the most popular LinkedIn page in our benchmarking
report, and they use some of these more advanced features. They post status updates about
their expertise and news, they use extra pages and tabs, and are now followed by 11,488
professionals, thousands ahead of their nearest LinkedIn rival, Allen & Overy.


LEGAL SECTOR SOCIAL MEDIA WHICH LAW FIRM HAS THE MOST FOLLOWERS ON LINKEDIN? WHICH
© DIGITAL BENCHMARK FIRMS ARE ACTIVELY USING WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS? WHICH
LAW FIRMS ARE LINKING TO THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES?

FOLLOWERS
12.000

9.600

7.200

4.800

2.400

0

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TWITTER PRESENCE

FACEBOOK PRESENCE

LINKS TO SOCIAL MEDIA SITE

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Last Exit Benchmark Studies: Legal Sector 2012

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Last Exit Benchmark Studies: Legal Sector 2012