This is a presentation I gave to the South Carolina Law Review Symposium entitled: On Task?: Expanding the Boundaries of Legal Education, February 28, 2014.

1. Engagement
and
Consumer Law
Stephanie L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014

2. Empowered Consumers
Stephanie L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014

3. Online Legal Conversations
Consumers
Rocket Lawyer
Pearl.com
LegalZoom
Other Branded Networks
Bloggers
Press
Where are the lawyers?
Stephanie L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014

4. From placeholders to
conversations
• Online marketing tools are a part of
the online conversation around legal
services.
• Integrated with social media these
tools expand the engagement.
Stephanie L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014

5. • Positive experience
– Removing the intimidation of working with lawyers
– Encouraging people to learn the law and their legal rights
BEFORE something happens
– Identifying Legal Need
• 2014 LSC
Report of the Summit on the Use of Technology to Expand A
• Kimbro’s International Report for Ark Publishing
Stephanie L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014

6. Engagement Comes First
• How?
– Educational, self-help resources available online
•
•
•
•
•
•
Web advisors, web calculators
Expert systems, checklists
Document Automation and Assembly
Free legal forms with instructions
Video tutorials
Online tri-age methods to identify
the existence of a legal need
• Matching legal need of consumer with appropriate
service – whether that’s the law firm, unbundled, selfhelp, legal aid, etc.
Stephanie L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014

7. What We Know
• Easier with a personal or law firm brand in
place and an online presence
• Human touch is still necessary
– Middle-person, virtual assistant or receptionist
– Minimal handholding before transfer and/or
conversion from lead to paying client
• Consumers still prefer to find lawyers by
referral from friends and family
– But are they using Social Media to obtain these
referrals? Are they online when they are making
this connection? L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014
Stephanie

8. Gamification of
law firm websites
Games for legal
services
Example
Engagement Methods
Collaborating
with Branded
Networks
Stephanie L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014

9. Games for Social Good
• Teaching legal
issues,
creating
engagement
and
empowering
with fun.
• Proven
psychology
behind games
Copyright 2014 (c) Stephanie Kimbro

10. Experimenting with Games for Legal Services
Stephanie L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014

11. Branded Networks
Stephanie L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014

12. Online Marketing Tools
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Q&A sites, Forums
Online profiles
Hosting and sharing content
Online brand building
Secure online communication
space
Video conferencing tools
Document automation and assembly systems and document
libraries
Expert systems to advise decision making
Matching services to connect the user to a consumer
Stephanie L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014

13. Outcomes?
• Analytics to determine successful engagement
– Depends on the method(s)
– What data do you want to collect?
– Define successful
• Tailor to meet needs of law firm target client
base
• Different from Lead/Conversion Monitoring?
• Tools:
– Hubspot
– Google Analytics
– Wordpress Analytics L.-Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014
Lead Generation Monitoring Tools
Stephanie

14. AFTER Engagement
• The transfer and conversion
• Mobile Access
– Secure Client Portals
– Video conferencing, real-time chat, virtual
assistance, etc.
– Alternative methods of communicating with the
lawyer
• Unbundling
– with Adequate Self-Help Resources and instructions
• Alternative Payment Methods
Stephanie L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014

15. Ethics
Stephanie L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014

16. Stephanie Kimbro, M.A., J.D.
 www.virtuallawpractice.org
 @StephKimbro
BOOKS:
-Virtual Law Practice: How to Deliver Legal Services Online,
ABA/LPD (2010)
-Limited Scope Legal Services: Unbundling and the Self-Help
Client, ABA/LPD (2012)
-Consumer Law Revolution: Lawyer’s Guide to the Online Legal
Marketplace, ABA/LPD, (2013)
- Online Legal Services for the Client-Centric Law Firm,
Managing Partner, Ark Group Publishing, 2013
Stephanie Kimbro Copyright (c) 2014