Law Firm Management Insights

Note: Prices are Microsoft UK list prices, per user per month, annual commitment, excluding VAT, as of 26 October 2026.

Author bio

Frank Manning is the technology specialist at Carton & Co, advising law firms on technology strategy, practice and case management system selection, Microsoft 365, IT reviews and project delivery. He has over 25 years’ hands-on experience across professional services and other sectors, with projects delivered in the UK, Europe, the Americas and Asia.

Upgrading Technology in Law Firms: A Practical Guide

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Are your people struggling with the tools they use every day? Re-keying the same details, hunting for documents, waiting for reports? Is your technology up to date enough to take full advantage of the modern, user-friendly systems now available, the ones that make life easier and improve the working environment for everyone in the firm?

If any of that strikes a chord, it's worth planning your next step properly. The firms that get most from technology plan it, involve their people early and judge every option by what it does for the business.

This guide sets out how Carton & Co approaches technology selection and implementation, whether you're replacing practice or case management systems, moving to the cloud or bringing in AI. It's written for managing partners, COOs and senior teams at law firms. Projects succeed or fail on how well the people and process side is handled, as much as on the technology.

acarton@cartonconsultants.com

People before technology

You can get good results from adequate technology if your people are motivated and engaged. The best technology will struggle if they are not.

Engage lawyers and staff early. Don't present them with a done deal.

Listen to their frustrations and requirements. Involve them in the decisions.

Name champions in each team who will test, give feedback and help others.

Paint a clear picture of the destination, so people keep going through the inevitable setbacks.

Technology projects involve dozens of small decisions and compromises. A clear view of why you're doing it and what good looks like keeps everyone pointed the same way.

The market has changed

The legal technology market has moved further in the last two years than in the ten before. Broadly there are three generations of system in use:

On-premise systems built on SQL Server, many now approaching end of life.

Cloud legal systems, where the legal supplier builds and runs the whole product, including hosting, security and AI.

Newer platforms built on Microsoft or Salesforce, where the platform provides security, CRM and AI and the supplier builds the legal layer on top.

The established cloud products are capable and well proven. The platform-based products are newer and carry more delivery risk, but CRM and AI come with the platform.

A few years ago the selection criteria were cloud, open APIs and low-code configuration. They still matter. AI now belongs on the list too, because much of the future value comes from AI working on your documents, matters and processes. Ask every supplier:

What their AI does today, in production, for firms like yours.

What's on the roadmap and when.

How AI is charged for and what's included in the base price.

What it's likely to cost at your size once people use it every day.

Key steps to evaluate options, suppliers and solutions

1. Start with the business and IT strategy

There needs to be a business strategy in place for the next three to five years before choosing a new system: the areas of work the firm wants to grow, how it wants to work with clients and what needs to change to improve performance. If that isn't written down yet, that's where to start.

Our first step is usually to help the firm develop an IT strategy that fits its business plans, covering systems, infrastructure, data and AI. Because we also advise on business development and client relationships, it reflects how the firm wins and keeps clients. Talk to partners and team leaders about where time is lost and what clients expect. Detailed workflow design comes later, once the system is chosen and you're configuring it with the supplier.

2. Evaluate current systems & usage

Before investing in replacement, check whether current systems can be configured or used better. It often saves money and disruption.

Are we using 60 to 70 per cent of what the current system can do?

Can better configuration of what we already have solve the problem?

What works well that we must keep?

Where are the real gaps? Which are configuration issues?

What does the current estate cost to run, including hosting and support? That's your baseline.

Focus first on your most important and profitable practice areas, where better technology drives most value.

3. Agree objectives & priorities

No system does everything perfectly, so every selection involves trade-offs. Agree the objectives with the partners before anyone looks at software.

What outcomes matter most? Client service, efficiency, integration, management information, AI.

Where can you compromise? Where are requirements absolute?

What would differentiate suppliers in the areas critical to your practice?

Write them down. They become the brief for suppliers and guide you when comparing proposals and negotiating contracts.

4. Explore the full technology spectrum

Look at how the parts of your technology environment work together:

Core systems: practice and case management, accounts, document management and CRM.

Infrastructure: cloud, Microsoft 365 and security.

Intelligent automation and AI.

Business intelligence and reporting.

Bring accounts in early. Legal accounting and SRA compliance often take longer than case management and can end up setting the timetable. If your core systems are inadequate, fix those first, because AI works from the data and documents they hold.

Talk to key clients about your plans too. Technology that improves internal efficiency but makes life harder for clients won't work.

5. Focus on what truly differentiates

During evaluation, identify what actually differentiates suppliers in the areas critical to your practice. Use a lean selection process to understand quickly how systems would work for you.

Play back the challenges from the demonstrations and see how each supplier would tackle them.

Technology constantly evolves. You're selecting a long-term partner as well as software, one who will collaborate with you to adapt and develop systems over time. Assess their capability and willingness to work with you alongside their current feature list.

6. Structure the selection process

A clear process saves time and improves decisions. A typical outline for reaching a supplier decision:

Initial engagement (weeks 1 to 2). Form the IT steering group. Document current state and requirements. Request outline responses from three to six suppliers and shortlist two or three.

Demonstrations (weeks 3 to 6). Half-day demos focused on your priorities, with end users in the room. Probe further on critical requirements. Gather structured feedback.

Detailed evaluation (weeks 7 to 12) . Pilot on your own workflow where you can. Expand the specification with the preferred supplier. Take up references and visit reference sites. Start contract and implementation discussions early.

Decision and planning (weeks 13 to 16) . Finalise the selection, negotiate the contract, develop the implementation plan and secure resources.

Larger firms, or selections that span case management, accounts and CRM together, usually need longer.

7. Model the full cost

Build a five-year model for each route and for staying put, on both a cash and a P&L basis. Include licences, implementation, accounts, hosting, data migration, dual running and the cost of the legacy estate while it's still live. Keep quoted figures apart from estimates. Say which is which.

A per user licence is only part of the programme cost. The expensive parts are often the ones missing from a proposal. Rerun the model at each decision point as quotes firm up.

8. Compare options systematically

Create a structure for comparison from the outset, but don't over-complicate it. Focus on areas that matter for your practice. Engage with a preferred supplier early to refine specifications and implementation plans, moving beyond comparisons to actionable improvements.

Don't spend equal time with all suppliers. Invest progressively more time with your preferred partner to develop detailed implementation plans and strong working relationships.

Questionnaire : Gather initial baseline information.

Meetings/Interviews : Compile detailed information, identify issues, explore options.

Steering Group : Form a group to lead the project and engage key people.

Briefings : Submit to suppliers for comparable responses.

Initial Demonstrations : Conduct half-day demos and evaluate feedback.

Extended Demos : With preferred supplier(s), refine plans and contracts.

Modify your specification : If need be, based on all you have seen and learned.

Invest Time with your preferred supplier : to add more detail to your specification and plans for implementation.

Confirm and Plan : Finalise selection and plan implementation.

9. Get ready before the system arrives

Most of what decides whether an implementation succeeds is the firm's own work. None of it needs to wait for the supplier:

Client and matter data cleaned up before migration.

Templates rationalised.

Processes defined in the departments that go first.

Champions in place and trained.

Project management resourced, with time for this work defined and protected.

For how we help firms through this, see our practice and case management system selection service .

Plan AI adoption alongside the system

AI doesn't create competitive advantage on its own. The advantage comes from the playbooks, judgement and legal knowledge your firm enables AI to apply. A new platform is the right moment to set that up.

Agree the rules once: which tools are approved, in progress or prohibited, plus how much review each task needs, from a lawyer checking every line to AI running a defined step under the lawyer's governance. Then choose a small number of use cases with the lawyers and build from there. There's more on our approach on the AI Adoption for Law Firms page.

Other critical considerations

Cloud or on-premise

Look at Microsoft 365 capabilities and cloud hosting options. For most firms under 100 people, cloud gives better security, reliability and cost-effectiveness than running your own infrastructure. Larger firms moving off a hosted desktop estate should plan that move alongside the new system.

Implementation challenges

Keeping the firm running during the transition.

Keeping momentum through an implementation that can run 6 to 18 months or longer.

Integrating with other applications.

Data migration quality.

Training different groups of users effectively.

Opportunities

Moving towards paperless working.

Redesigning workflows for efficiency.

Better business intelligence and management information.

Better client communication.

The IT steering group

The steering group is where decisions get made and work moves on. Keep it small and give it the authority to decide. Too many firm committees talk things through and then meet again. A steering group decides, acts and checks the actions were done.

It should:

Agree objectives and plans.

Take the decisions that keep the project moving.

Engage champions across the practice.

Oversee selection and implementation.

Keep a single decision log, so what's agreed with suppliers lives in one place.

Communicate progress firm-wide.

Resolve issues and get acceptance.

Keep developing the systems well beyond go-live.

Fix meeting dates in advance and keep meetings short. Each one reviews the actions from the last, takes the decisions that are due and ends with a list of who does what, by when.

How Carton & Co helps

We advise law firms on business strategy, business development and client relationships as well as technology, so every technology decision is tied to how the firm grows and serves its clients. You get all of that in one experienced team who will understand your business and your people quickly.

Decide early whether consultants can help you structure the project and make decisions with confidence. For firms without recent technology selection experience, that expertise is our day job. We work alongside your team, doing as much or as little as you need, depending on your internal resources, technology experience and the time you have available.

Full support. We draft the specifications and briefing documents, manage all supplier communications and lead the demonstrations with prepared agendas. We carry out the detailed evaluations, provide the evidence you need to negotiate the contracts, develop the implementation plan and provide project management through to go-live.

Targeted assistance . You lead. We come in where it helps most, providing templates for specifications, attending demonstrations to challenge and probe, reviewing documents you've prepared and advising on specific technical decisions, with periodic reviews to keep the project on track.

Strategic oversight. For firms with strong IT teams that want validation and challenge. We check your approach and priorities, review supplier proposals, give an independent assessment at key decision points and challenge assumptions so risks are identified early.

We offer fixed prices for defined stages, day rates for flexible ongoing support or a mix of both.

Getting started

If you're considering a technology upgrade, start with a confidential discussion about your situation, priorities and timeline. From there we can give you an initial assessment of your options, guidance on approach and process, a recommendation on the engagement model and a fixed-price proposal for specific stages.

See here how we run a practice and case management system selection for law firms.

Contact: Allan Carton

Tel: 07779 653105

About the author

Allan Carton is the founder and Lead Consultant at Carton & Co, specialist consultants to law firms on technology adoption, client relationships and business development. A qualified solicitor with an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School, Allan has advised law firms on business development and client relationships since 1990 and on technology selection and adoption since 1992. He works directly with managing partners and senior leaders as an independent sounding board - helping firms make confident decisions on AI, legal technology and client strategy.

Connect with Allan on LinkedIn

Keeping Control as AI Does More: Creating a Firm Where Lawyers Stay in the Loop and AI Can Be Trusted to Do More

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 15:46:15 GMT

Updated 1 October 2026. First published in March 2026.

Most law firms have the same instinct about AI: a lawyer should review everything it produces before it reaches a client. That instinct is sound. Professional responsibility, client confidentiality and the reputational cost of getting something wrong all point the same way. Keep a person firmly in control. For most tasks, that remains the right approach, but we are not talking here just about legal work.

As AI becomes more capable, though, applying the same level of review to every task, from high-stakes client advice to routine document filing, stops being practical. Firms need a way to decide how much review each piece of work needs, and to write that decision down.

AI agents, systems that plan, research, draft, check their own work and take action with little direction, are now practical and can handle multi-step tasks that used to need constant supervision. Moving towards agents, your roadmap needs to cover levels of review as your use of AI develops.

Developing your AI Adoption Roadmap

The roadmap is where a firm sets out how it will use AI, in the legal work and in running the firm. It is a good deal more than an AI policy. A policy tells people what they may and may not do. The roadmap adds why the firm wants AI, who decides, how use cases are chosen and approved, how people are trained and how the technology is kept fit for the purpose. It is a living document, reviewed as the technology and the firm's experience move on, with a named person responsible for keeping it current.

The main sections likely cover:

Our approach to AI: objectives, guiding principles, the four levels of review and the adoption journey from Assist to Automate
The traffic light for tools and uses, and the approved tools list
Use stages, agentic AI and the use case development pathway
Playbooks and skills
Client engagement and disclosure
Professional responsibility, supervision and record-keeping
Data protection and security
AI in HR and people management
Incidents and reporting
Training by role
Governance structure, including how lawyers and IT work together
Technical implementation and applications with embedded AI
Metrics and reporting
Vendor requirements, risk management, exceptions and policy review

Appendices can add more detail with some core registers, documents and templates.

Each firm develops and agrees its own approach in these areas to establish a platform to work from that should be constantly kept under review and developed further as people learn more.

Four levels of review

We see human oversight at four levels, matched to the work. Most people are currently at Level 1 and will be for some time - and that's ok, provided you have that roadmap with a sound starting point and shared plans to develop from there.

Level 1: Human-led, AI-assisted. The lawyer does the work. AI drafts, summarises, researches or suggests from what it's been given. The lawyer reviews everything it produces, corrects and takes responsibility for it. This covers most of what people in a firm do with AI today: asking a question, testing an idea, improving a draft, a first version of a letter, a summary of a file, in legal work and in running the firm. Most of it has nothing to do with legal authorities. General tools are unreliable for case law and legislation unless they draw on a dedicated legal research source or the firm's own approved materials, and a firm gets a long way before it goes near that. The rules on confidentiality and approved tools need to be defined and respected from the outset. This can also where standards start to be written: what lawyers keeps correcting should be in the playbook later. For high-judgement, high-risk work it's the right model for the foreseeable.

Level 2: AI-led, human-supervised. Lawyers have written down what good looks like for a piece of work: the steps, where the decisions are made, what must be checked, what gets escalated. That's content for the playbook. AI applies it to a defined task or set of documents and the lawyer supervises: reviewing at agreed checkpoints, checking the flags and the cited facts, sampling for quality. The lawyer's role shifts from doing the work to checking it against a standard.

Level 3: AI-managed, human-governed. AI runs a (perhaps short, for starters) defined workflow or step end-to-end on a path the firm has fixed: trigger, inputs, checks, output. It completes the step and refers anything it can't handle to the legal team. The lawyer governs it: reviews the exceptions, audits samples and signs anything that reaches a client.

Level 4: Agentic AI, autonomous within boundaries. An agent plans and runs multi-step work within guardrails the firm has set, choosing its own steps: researching a question, drafting, cross-checking sources, presenting findings for review. The difference from Level 3 is that the firm approves the guardrails and the monitoring, since it hasn't fixed the path. Nothing that acts on a system or a client reaches Level 3 or 4 until the firm's governance group has approved it, use by use.

For everyone in the firm the roadmap puts these into three stages: Assist (Level 1), Assist+ (Level 2) and Automate (Levels 3 and 4). Automate is recognised as Red, not to be used until approved.

The same four levels apply across the firm: client onboarding, complaints handling, billing queries, HR processes, tender and questionnaire responses as much as drafting and advice. Some of the earliest candidates for Level 3 are administrative steps with a fixed timetable and a defined output.

Traffic lights for AI tools and uses

Alongside the levels of review, the roadmap can classify the tools themselves and the uses they're put to. Green means approved: the firm has looked at the tool, the data protection terms and the configuration, and it can be used with client data under the agreed level of review. Amber is in progress, under evaluation or being set up, so no client data until it moves to Green. Grey is on the list but not yet even evaluated. Red is prohibited, which in most firms means the free consumer tools with no data protection and anything the firm has decided against. Anything that isn't on the approved list is Red until the governance group has considered it.

Where law firms should be now

Most firms are at Level 1. Some are moving into Level 2. That's entirely appropriate.

The firms that will be best placed as AI matures are the ones building the structure now: the roadmap agreed, the playbooks written by the people who do the work, a governance group that decides what moves up a level. With that in place a firm can move deliberately as confidence grows. Without it, every move has to be debated ... probably time and again.

The pace of change in AI is accelerating. Firms that build this foundation now will be ready to take advantage of what comes next while keeping the professional standards and governance that clients expect.

From roadmap to everyday practice

The roadmap gives the firm the environment to work in: people who understand what AI can and can't do for their work, the technology set up so it can be used safely, and the agreed way of deciding what gets used, by whom and with how much review. On that footing lawyers and managers bring their own knowledge and judgement to the work, with AI-enabled tools doing the parts they're good at, and the combination develops as the firm's experience grows.

The purpose is to give lawyers more of their time back for the parts of the job that need a human: thinking through the client's problem, advising, negotiating, building the relationship. That delivers more value for the client and makes the work more rewarding, financially and intellectually. The knowledge the firm has built up is written into playbooks, one for each piece of work, that a trainee can follow, a partner can supervise against and an AI application can safely work to.

This is the sequence of our approach: establish the foundations, identify and prioritise the use cases, develop and test them, then extend across the practice. It's set out at AI Adoption for Law Firms.

AI does not create competitive advantage on its own. Competitive advantage comes from the playbooks, judgement and legal knowledge your firm teaches AI to apply.

Practical questions for managing partners

Does your firm have a way to decide which level of review each piece of work needs? Is that decision written down, governed and understood across the firm?

If the answer is "everyone uses their own judgement", you have the problem most firms have: inconsistency, unmanaged risk and no defensible position when a client, the regulator or your insurer asks how you manage AI.

Where to start?

The AI adoption review gives the partners a clear picture of current AI use across the firm, the governance and policy gaps, the priority opportunities and practical next steps. It stands on its own if the firm goes no further.

If you'd prefer to talk it through, I'm happy to have an initial conversation.

Contact: Allan Carton

Mobile: 07779 653105

Good News for SME Law Firms: Enterprise-Grade AI and Data Protection Now Accessible

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 13:26:31 GMT

For years, advanced AI tools and enterprise‑level data protection and security have been out of reach for smaller law firms.

That’s changing. Microsoft has introduced licensing updates that make Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Purview available to firms with up to 300 users - all on Microsoft 365 Business Premium.

This is a game‑changer for SME law firms wanting to innovate without compromising client confidentiality or compliance.

What’s Changed for firms with up to 300 users?

Until recently, firms needed to buy costly E3/E5 licences to access Microsoft’s most powerful compliance and AI tools. Now, if you’re already on - or upgrade to - a significantly lower-cost Business Premium licence ( which includes Purview and Defender for enterprise level governance, compliance, and data protection ). You can then make the most of the growing range of AI applications with potential to radically improve productivity when implemented and rolled out effectively.

You can currently get a 25% promotional discount for a 365 Business Premium AND 365 Copilot Business bundle. Well worth taking!

We recommend Business Premium and Teams Premium alongside Copilot 365 and/or other legal-specific tools with the benefits and potential readily justifying the investment - backed up with an affordable, effective route to enterprise‑grade security and AI governance. If you are considering AI or looking to upgrade your data management, security and cyber protection, now will be the best time to do it.

��We can help you put these tools in place and work with you on the Strategy, IT Framework, Plans, Policies, Training and Procedures needed to make AI work for you.

What these tools unlock for your firm .. to let you get started:

Purview Suite with AI data protection gives you a similar level of data security, compliance, and monitoring as the largest firms - without the complexity or cost. Including tools for data loss prevention (DLP), sensitivity labelling, auditing, and insider risk management. Also the new AI data protection features like DSPM for AI which is critical to effective AI adoption in practice - it helps monitor and secure sensitive data in AI workflows.

Microsoft Defender for Business gives SMEs enterprise-grade endpoint security comparable to large firms - without the complexity or extra cost. Included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium, it offers next-generation antivirus, endpoint detection and response (EDR), automated investigation and remediation, plus attack surface reduction to combat ransomware, malware, and phishing across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android devices. Its AI-powered features like automatic attack disruption and vulnerability management enable simplified, wizard-driven setup ideal for legal practices securing client data during AI adoption.

Microsoft 365 Copilot brings together secure, advanced AI features across Word, Outlook, Teams, Excel, and PowerPoint in a single, seamless experience. Using your firm’s own data securely, and with legal-specific controls. All at a price point designed for firms with up to 300 users

Activate one-click policies to protect client data , monitor AI usage, and meet regulatory requirements

Benefit from simplified licensing, free trials, and seamless integration with your existing Microsoft 365 environment

Why are Purview and these new AI data protection features important for law firms?

As AI becomes part of daily legal work, it’s vital to know exactly where your client data is, how it’s being used, and that nothing confidential is slipping through the cracks. Purview and its new AI-focused protections give you:

Visibility : See who is using otherwise untraceable AI tools (like Copilot, ChatGPT and an array of other legal and non-legal tools) and how they interact with your firm’s documents and emails.

Control : Set clear boundaries to ensure that sensitive information is only accessed by the right people and never leaves your secure environment.

Compliance : Meet SRA, GDPR, and client requirements with automated monitoring and reporting - without extra admin burden.

Peace of mind : Know that your firm is protected against accidental data leaks or misuse as you adopt new AI-powered ways of working.

At Carton & Co, we help law firms move from informal AI experimentation to a structured, strategic approach - balancing innovation with risk, and giving your teams the confidence to use AI safely.

Would you value a conversation about:

How to upgrade to Business Premium and activate Purview Suite
What effective AI oversight looks like for SME law firm leaders
How to ensure your firm’s policy is practical, not just theoretical
Ways to build engagement and confidence across your teams

Get in touch to find out about these new options and how they can help your firm build confidence in innovative use of technology, protect your clients, prevent security breaches, track use of and unlock the full value of AI. Also with easier administration without an enterprise level price tag.

Contact: Allan Carton

Set up a call here >>

Mobile: 07779 653105

#LawFirmLeadership #AIinLaw #AIGovernance #LegalTech #SMELaw #Microsoft365 #Purview #Copilot #Innovation #LawConsult

Author Bio

Allan Carton is the founder and Lead Consultant at Carton & Co, specialist consultants to law firms on technology adoption, client relationships and business development.

A qualified solicitor with an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School, Allan has advised law firms on business development and client relationships since 1990 and on technology selection and adoption since 1992.

He works directly with managing partners and senior leaders as an independent sounding board - helping firms make confident decisions on AI, legal technology and client strategy.

Connect with Allan on LinkedIn | Carton & Co

Are you confident in your firm's plans to adopt and develop AI?

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 12:55:24 GMT

Ready to move beyond experimentation to a structured, strategic approach that balances innovation with risk, giving your teams the confidence to use AI safely?

There are real, practical opportunities for SME law firms to benefit from AI - one step at a time, with the right guidance. With expert support, you can focus on what matters and tap into the know-how to get (and stay) on the right track.

�� Talk to us

At Carton & Co, we’ve developed action-focused AI strategies and adoption policies, helping law firm leaders to guide and oversee:

✨ A tiered risk model for AI tools - so people know what’s permitted, what’s not, and why

✨ Layered controls for different use cases - from productivity to legal work and automation

✨ Clear, practical guidance - so everyone understands the boundaries

✨ Robust data security and compliance - protecting client confidentiality and reputation

✨ Central registers and governance - for effective oversight, not just hope

✨ Ongoing training and development - to build buy-in and maintain momentum

✨ Technology to track and manage AI usage - e.g. Microsoft Purview and DSPM for AI, giving visibility and assurance

You can’t make every detailed decision about AI for your practice or department, but your leadership is essential - to set direction, provide oversight, and ensure your team and your practice make the most of what’s available now and in the future. You don’t need to be the technical expert, but you do need to set the tone, ask the right questions, and ensure the approach is joined-up and future-proof.

Would you value a preliminary conversation about:

What effective AI oversight looks like in your role

How to ensure your firm’s policy is practical, not just theoretical

Ways to build engagement and confidence across your teams

How to use technology to monitor and govern AI use

We’re happy to discuss our frameworks and user guides - and what is likely to work in practice for you - so you can lead with confidence, even if you’re not controlling every detail. You’ll be talking to a lawyer with experience in practice, deep legal tech knowledge, and empathy with your team.

Get in touch to discuss how we can help you develop the leadership you want from here for your firm's secure, effective and engaged AI adoption - so it delivers the best results for your practice.

Contact: Allan Carton

Mobile: 07779 653105

Author Bio

Allan Carton is the founder and Lead Consultant at Carton & Co, specialist consultants to law firms on technology adoption, client relationships and business development.

A qualified solicitor with an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School, Allan has advised law firms on business development and client relationships since 1990 and on technology selection and adoption since 1992.

He works directly with managing partners and senior leaders as an independent sounding board - helping firms make confident decisions on AI, legal technology and client strategy.

Connect with Allan on LinkedIn | Carton & Co

FREE DOWNLOAD: How to Win More Conveyancing Clients from the Best Prospects to Grow Your Private Client Business

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 12:09:19 GMT

If you’re a law firm looking to grow your private client base through residential conveyancing, this post is for you.

With only 11.2% of clients overall returning to the conveyancer they used last time*, there is plenty of opportunity for well equipped and capable firms to win a lot of business with people who have used another conveyancer last time around.

These are likely to be amongst your best prospects when they get in touch, so how do you help your people win and keep them?

At a time when clients expectations are understandably increasing, conveyancers need to continuously review opportunities to improve the service to deliver what clients perceive as good value and how they communicate that to clients and new prospects.

In our internal workshops, we explore what really matters to home movers aged 35 to 60, who are the best prospects for many High Street firms to build a highly profitable private client business, working for "clients for life" - and how law firms can use that insight to grow their private client base and improve profitability.

�� Download PDF version here >>

These people have both children and parents to provide for and protect, so confidence in lawyers advising them all is essential. They are busy, time-challenged people, who have already bought or sold houses, so they understand the challenges you want to help them deal with - and have friends and work colleagues you would also like to be introduced to.

We are sharing the core presentation from one of these sessions to help other firms across the legal community reflect on their own sales process, messaging and client experience at this point as you aim to further develop your conveyancing and wider private client marketing strategy.

How to Win More of the Right Conveyancing Clients - Key Takeaways:

Focusing on how people think about and deal with clients at the point of making a first enquiry - or in any discussions with clients too, as just one part of that strategy, some key points include:

Decide who you want to work for to build your business and tailor your approach accordingly.

Ban the word “Quote” – it’s not all about price.

Always want to speak to your prospect before sending an estimate to establish a personal connection

Work harder to understand their position and help them.

Think about making them (their family, friends and work colleagues) “clients for life” from the beginning.

Open any discussion with “Open” Questions (always have them in mind).

Get to know the client and what will help them. Talk about similar situations.

Close with “Closed” Questions. Make it easy to remember what works best for you.

ALWAYS ask for the business – know how you feel comfortable doing that. Stop them calling someone else next.

Agree a follow up – note it and do it.

Look for feedback as the matter progresses and their testimonial when it’s all done.

DOWNLOAD our Blueprint for Growing Profitable Services:

We’ve made the full presentation available for download below to help inform your own internal training, marketing planning, or client engagement strategy - but we would of course welcome the opportunity to discuss how we can supplement that for you and I would welcome your feedback. Whether or not this fits for your practice depends on the strategy you have decided to pursue and shape of your practice.

We hope this resource helps spark new ideas in your firm. If you’re exploring ways to improve your conveyancing messaging, technology or client experience, we’d love to hear from you.

Contact: Allan Carton

Mobile: 07779 653105

More information available here >>

* This is based on current reliable research analysis of 30,000 live conveyancing sales transactions produced by Twenty Convey.

This post is for Residential Conveyancers, Solicitors, Heads of Conveyancing Departments, Managing Partners, Chief Executives, Finance Directors, Marketing and Business Development teams in Law Firms who are aiming to grow their residential conveyancing and wider private client practice.

Target Potential to Improve Profits - NatWest's new 2025 Report

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 13:23:30 GMT

The 11th Annual NatWest Legal Report is out - packed with insights that law firm management can use to benchmark performance, identify growth opportunities, and future-proof your practice.

Drawing on data from 110 UK law firms, the report goes beyond surface-level metrics. It offers a strategic framework for improving profitability, productivity, and resilience in a fast-evolving legal market. We see that effective adoption of technology will continue to grow as an increasingly significant factor in maintaining and improving performance.

�� Profitability & Fee Income Growth

Median fee income growth hit 12% in 2025, up from 10% in 2024 - Section 3.1 (page 16).

Fees per fee earner rose to a median of £158,000, up from £144,000.

Profits per equity partner (PEP) surged by 23%, with larger firms seeing a 31% increase - Section 1.4(c) (page 9).

These gains stem from reducing lockup, sharper time capture, matter scoping, and fee earner productivity, not just market conditions - Section 1.4(b) and Section 3.2 (pages 8 and 16).

Takeaway : Firms that focus on productivity - especially time capture (where there are some new, powerful and affordable AI enabled tools available now) and matter scoping ( again, where new tools are becoming available to support better pricing ) - are outperforming peers and driving sustainable growth.

�� Technology & AI Adoption

Technology is reshaping how law firms operate, with AI adoption accelerating across the sector. We believe lawyers are being held back because there is still a lack of knowledge about how to ensure safe, secure adoption, which requires clearly defined and communicated internal policies and practices.

50% of firms are actively using AI, mainly for admin and matter management - Section 1.4(g) under “Other topical issues” (page 11).

In 2023, only 2% of firms reported using AI, confirming the recent rapid uptake but with half of respondents not yet engaged on this.

The strongest performers are those integrating technology with a clear long-term vision.

Takeaway : AI is no longer optional. Firms not yet exploring its use risk falling behind.

�� People Costs

Employee costs as a percentage of fees dropped slightly

Total people costs came in at a median of 64% of fees - down from 65% last year.

Productivity gains are driving margin recovery, with firms investing in time capture, scoping, and matter management to boost chargeable hours and recovered time.

Headcount planning shows cautious optimism: 49% expect modest growth (up to 5%), 21% expect no change.

Takeaway : After years of margin pressure, 2025 marks a turning point. Firms that actively manage people costs and invest in productivity tools are seeing real improvements in profitability.

�� Talent, Diversity & Inclusion

Law firms are making progress on diversity and talent development, which is increasingly linked to profitability.

Top-performing firms prioritise talent development and productivity.

66% of firms report that over 60% of fee earners are female, showing progress - Section 1.4(g) (page 11).

But only 21% of firms report over 60% of equity owners are female , so there is more work to be done here.

Takeaway : Investing in people is a key driver of profitability and long-term success. The influence of women is growing, but there should still be more female equity owners.

�� Sustainability & ESG

66% of firms have or are considering green energy investment – see Section 1.4(g) (page 11).

ESG is mentioned as a growing priority, though only 6% place it as a high priority .

Takeaway : ESG initiatives are increasingly linked to brand value and client expectations.

�� Why This Matters - with much more here to digest!

As David Weaver, Head of Professional and Business Services at NatWest, puts it: “This report is far more than a collection of data. It offers a strategic framework to help firms identify where they excel and where there are opportunities for improvement.”

For law firm management, this creates a good opportunity to:

Benchmark your firm against peers.

Identify gaps in productivity, tech adoption, or talent strategy.

Make informed decisions to improve cash flow, profitability, and client service.

�� Download the Full Report

You can access the full NatWest Legal Report 2025 here >>

Helping Law Firms Find the Right Path to Working Smarter

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 11:13:16 GMT

AI (Augmented or Automated Intelligence to us) is certainly high on every firm’s agenda - but it's only one piece of a much bigger picture. For many firms, the real challenge is understanding what will actually make a difference - whether that’s AI-enabled tools, smarter use of existing systems, better internal processes or engagement with people.

✨ Our Smarter Working Project helps solicitors and law firms take a structured, confident approach to help improve how people work, deliver more of what clients value, grow and manage the business more effectively. Empathy with lawyers - as a lawyer - and wide experience of the legal technology tools available, enables us to work collaboratively with with you to:

Understand what technology is already in use, what is and isn't delivering value

Where people can fit better and achieve more for themselves and the practice

Identify where efficiency, client service or compliance can be improved - adopting AI or otherwise

Get a sound, AI Adoption policy in place so you can develop that with confidence

Ensure data and systems are structured and secure for any form of digital transformation

Run focused pilots to test, learn, and embed better ways of working, whatever that entails

This is about helping your firm find the right solutions, adopted safely and sustainably, with AI explored where it adds genuine value.

Get in touch if your practice is ready to take a practical, confident step forward, I would welcome a chat to share experience and explore how this approach might help your practice.

Contact: Allan Carton

Mobile: 07779 653105

 Author Bio

Allan Carton is the founder and Lead Consultant at Carton & Co, specialist consultants to law firms on technology adoption, client relationships and business development.

A qualified solicitor with an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School, Allan has advised law firms on business development and client relationships since 1990 and on technology selection and adoption since 1992.

He works directly with managing partners and senior leaders as an independent sounding board - helping firms make confident decisions on AI, legal technology and client strategy.

Connect with Allan on LinkedIn | Carton & Co

Master Client Listening: A Strategic Imperative for Law Firms

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 11:56:13 GMT

Add more value to your Legal Services

Proactive client engagement is no longer a luxury for "client centric" firms - it's essential now as clients become more critical and aware of the benefits of collaborative relationships.

Client expectations change constantly as more and more options to do things differently become available in all aspects of life.

And, now that alternative legal service providers and in-house teams are challenging traditional models, your ability to truly listen and respond to client needs can be your strongest differentiator.

For UK law firms aiming to stay ahead, mastering the art of client listening can be transformative. However, recent research confirms that professionals are frustrated by not doing enough when listening to clients when the ammunition it provides is the best catalyst for positive change to support growth.

This is a simple blueprint for establishing enduring client relationships in the legal sector.

1. Understand the Client's World

Deep Dive into Client History: Begin by delving deep into the client's history with the firm. Understand their journey, past interactions, challenges faced, and the nature of legal assistance they seek.

Industry Intelligence: Research and stay abreast of industry trends and challenges relevant to the client's business. This knowledge demonstrates your firm's commitment and expertise.

2. Strategic Client Selection

Diverse Representation: Choose clients representing diverse sectors, ensuring a mix of industries and legal needs. This diversity enriches the firm's experience and knowledge base.

Client Segmentation: Categorise clients based on their needs and preferences. Tailor your listening approach to suit each segment, recognising that one size doesn't fit all.

3. Crafting a Bespoke Client Listening Process

Brand your client listening programme: to make it tangible, easier to introduce and talk about to your people and clients. Develop clear, consistent messaging for internal and external communications.

Personalised Communication: Initiate the conversation with a personalised approach. A direct, respectful invitation from a senior partner often resonates well.

Open-Ended Questions: Frame questions that encourage clients to express their thoughts freely. Avoid leading questions; instead, focus on open-ended queries that elicit detailed responses.

Quantitative Research too: Follow up one-to-one discussions with a survey focused on the themes and trends that flow from your discussions. In those areas, ask clients to rank their response from 1 to 10 so you can benchmark and do direct comparisons.

4. Active Listening and Feedback

Attentive Engagement: During meetings, focus on active listening. Show genuine interest, maintain eye contact, and take notes. Clients appreciate undivided attention. Learn to make the best use of poweful "Columbo Moments". Get personal - what are their business objectives, what would make them more successful and be prepared to explore how you can help then achieve that?

Be Open to All Feedback: Ask for feedback explicitly. Encourage clients to share both positive experiences and areas needing improvement. This openness fosters trust and honesty.

5. Post-Listening Action Plan

Early Follow-ups : Promptly follow up after client meetings. Acknowledge their input and outline the steps your firm plans to take based on their feedback.

Collaborate on Actions: Translate feedback into tangible actions, doing that in collaboration with others in your practice. Not just within your own team but more widely. Whether it's refining internal processes or tailoring legal strategies, ensure that client suggestions lead to meaningful changes.

6. Continuous Relationship Nurturing

Regular Check-ins: This should not be a "one-off". Maintain regular contact beyond formal reviews. Periodic check-ins demonstrate your firm's ongoing commitment and interest in the client's success.

Proactive Communication: Anticipate client needs and share relevant legal insights and updates proactively. This proactive approach showcases your firm as a trusted advisor.

7. Embrace Technology

Lack of time and resource is a major obstacle for the client-centric law firms that know they need to work with more feedback from clients to develop and grow the business. Recent reseach shows that, disappointingly:

71% are not collecting feedback from enough of their clients

Only 30% ask more than half consumer clients

Only 25% ask more than half SME clients

Only 24% ask more than half corporate clients

57% are not sharing the feedback they have received.

Automate this where you can to make sure it happens and to release time to discuss and act, not just compile.

Feedback Surveys: Use digital surveys and other options to capture, share and collaborate on feedback post-meeting. Analyse and explore this data regularly to identify trends and areas for improvement.

Centralise CRM & Feedback Data Integration: Ensure seamless integration of feedback into a centralised Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, so everyone across the practice can get the full picture on client feedback and interactions.

Use Automation & AI: Lack of time to carry out, evaluate and share research has been a major obstacle for law firms wanting to capture more feedback. There are now tools available to automate the data capture process with the option of "always-on" feedback from multiple sources. Also to automatically help identify and visualise themes and trends from higher volumes of data.

Conclusion: Nurture Client Relationships to Grow your Business

Embedding these strategies and initiatives into the fabric of your law firm's operations - being pro-active and open - can nurture client relationships to unprecedented levels. Remember, effective client listening isn't a one-time activity. It is an ongoing journey of understanding, adapting, and evolving.

Now that alternative legal service providers and in-house teams are challenging traditional models, your ability to truly listen and respond to client needs can be your strongest differentiator.

By consistently refining your approach based on client feedback, your law firm can not only meet but exceed client expectations, setting the stage for enduring partnerships and mutual growth.

TO DISCUSS your client listening strategies and initiatives to improve client perceptions of value, get in touch with Allan Carton .

You can set up a free call h ere or just email acarton@cartonconsultants.com

Why it's time now to embrace Low/No-Code Technology & AI

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 08:45:04 GMT

Technology in the legal sector is evolving rapidly. Traditional case and practice management is giving way to sophisticated intelligent automation and low/no-code platforms from wider business that are transforming how lawyers work - and will keep moving. There's a lot to learn and it will take time to adapt and modify working practice as this develops, to make the most of the opportunities. These tools, once exclusive to top-tier firms, are now within reach for most law firms, enabling streamlined operations, enhanced client service, and stronger compliance.

While the full transformative impact of AI-enabled systems and integrated workflows will be realised in 2026 and beyond, the imperative to start now has never been clearer. Firms that adopt advanced technology today will get ahead when others hesitate.

A key enabler of this transformation is the emergence of truly low-code and no-code platforms with built-in AI. Unlike earlier “halfway” solutions that required significant technical expertise or customisation, these modern platforms empower firms to rapidly build, configure, and integrate sophisticated workflows without heavy IT dependency. This accelerates digital transformation, streamlines workflows in ways not possible just a very short time ago, and speeds up throughput.

What This Means for Your Firm

Truly low/no-code platforms enable rapid deployment of customised (AI enabled) workflows, reducing reliance on IT teams and accelerating implementation for more legal teams.

AI-powered automation across these workflows, document drafting, billing, conflict checks, and due diligence slashes manual effort, freeing legal teams to focus on high-value client work while cutting drafting time by up to 50%.

Seamless system integration removes inefficiencies caused by disparate systems, enabling smooth, real-time data flow and collaboration. However, there is a need to be cautious and inquisitive about APIs. They vary widely in their capability.

Intelligent workflows enhance client communication during a matter and nurture the relationships beyond that where most firms have struggled in the past because of the manual effort required. All capable of making services more transparent, building trust and client satisfaction.

Why Start Today?

Firms starting today will be positioned to seize growth opportunities in 2026 with greater resilience, efficiency, and profitability. The holiday-free months now leading up to the end of the year present a good window of time to lay the technology foundations that will drive success in 2026 and beyond.

Technology is advancing at a pace that many law firms struggle to keep up with. New tools and platforms are emerging almost weekly, making it challenging to know which direction to take. That's where external expertise comes in: we stay ahead of these developments, helping firms make confident, informed choices that lead to sustainable success.

Delaying initiatives to explore and adopt AI, low/no-code, and other new technologies risks falling behind competitors who are rapidly upgrading their capabilities. Early adopters will realise greater efficiency, improved profitability, and stronger client relationships.

How Carton & Co Can Help

We work closely with law firms to explore and harness the power of AI and low-code/no-code technology – bringing a combination of technology, legal, and business operations experience. Our focus is not just on technology adoption, but on helping you:

Achieve your growth ambitions

Improve the working environment for your people

Deliver better value to clients

Strengthen profitability and long-term competitiveness

Ready to take the next step?

To get in touch with Allan Carton you can schedule a free consultation - or email acarton@cartonconsultants.com

Working together, we can build the right strategy for your practice that future-proofs your business, positioning you ahead of the competition in 2026 and beyond. Getting this right also makes you a more attractive proposition when it comes to generating investment or selling your business when the time comes.

Contact: Allan Carton

Mobile: 07779 653105

Schedule a free Teams call here >>

#LegalTech #AIinLaw #LowCode #NoCode #LawFirmGrowth #OperationalExcellence #LegalInnovation #UKLaw #CartonAndCo #LawFirmManagement #CRM #CMS #FutureOfLaw

Author Bio

Allan Carton is the founder and Lead Consultant at Carton & Co, specialist consultants to law firms on technology adoption, client relationships and business development.

A qualified solicitor with an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School, Allan has advised law firms on business development and client relationships since 1990 and on technology selection and adoption since 1992.

He works directly with managing partners and senior leaders as an independent sounding board - helping firms make confident decisions on AI, legal technology and client strategy.

Connect with Allan on LinkedIn | Carton & Co

KEEPING AN EYE ON US LAWYERS: Adoption of Augmented and Automated Intelligence

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 09:11:33 GMT

It's always useful to monitor and compare developments in the US, Canada and Australia as these legal markets are often early indicators of technology trends and shifts that will also impact in the UK. This review of an extensive research project in the US gives that kind of insight - perhaps as a catalyst to help prompt and plan new initiatives here.

We regard the "AI" discussed here, not as "Artificial" Intelligence, but as both:

�� " Augmented Intelligence " - to enhance human decision-making, enabling lawyers to focus on high-value tasks while improving accuracy and efficiency

�� " Automated Intelligence " systems designed to streamline routine, repetitive tasks, freeing up valuable human resources for more complex legal matters.

Augmented Intelligence, in particular, reinforces the essential role of the lawyer by providing intelligent assistance rather than replacing human judgement. It’s about complementing human skills, not competing with them - and learning how best to do that.

C HECK OUT THE AI TRENDS here courtesy of Richard Ambrogi .

Now that use of AI can genuinely deliver results across many areas of practice and is quickly accelerating, a key challenge is getting people engaged and informed about AI's potential and implications. Resistance to change, lack of understanding, and misconceptions around AI can hinder implementation. To drive effective adoption, lawyers should be actively working on:

�� Education & Training : Providing tailored workshops and continuous learning programmes to enhance digital literacy and demonstrate AI’s practical benefits.

�� Transparent Communication: To clearly articulate how Augmented and Automated Intelligence improve workflow efficiency, reduce mundane tasks, and enhance client service.

�� Internal Champions: It is time to identify and empower key individuals within the firm to advocate for AI adoption, demonstrating successful use-cases and tangible results.

By developing initiatives to introduce more Augmented and Automated Intelligence, UK law firms can enhance client service, improve efficiency, and position themselves strategically to grow and be more profitable.

Always happy to discuss how we can help you accelerate your AI plans!

Author Bio

Allan Carton is the founder and Lead Consultant at Carton & Co, specialist consultants to law firms on technology adoption, client relationships and business development.

A qualified solicitor with an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School, Allan has advised law firms on business development and client relationships since 1990 and on technology selection and adoption since 1992.

He works directly with managing partners and senior leaders as an independent sounding board - helping firms make confident decisions on AI, legal technology and client strategy.

Connect with Allan on LinkedIn | Carton & Co

Time to Refresh Your Digital Marketing? 30 Practical Tips in this Guide to Help Law Firms Achieve the Best Results!

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 13:34:39 GMT

By Allan Carton and Oliver Eardley

At Carton & Co and Add People , we have seen first-hand how the right marketing mix can transform a law firm's efforts to acquire new clients and support cross-selling of services, regardless of size or practice area.

Digital marketing remains one of the most cost-effective ways to grow your client base, no matter the size of your firm or the type of legal work you do, but it requires strategic balance between Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising, SEO, LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), email marketing, and content creation.

This guide refines and builds upon core principles, highlighting cost mitigation strategies, the role of local SEO, realistic social media expectations, and deeper automation in email marketing.

The Importance of Tailoring the Mix to Your Firm’s Needs

Marketing principles apply universally, but the precise balance of tools varies based on a firm’s size, specialty, and goals.

Small law firms or niche practices benefit from PPC and local SEO to generate leads quickly and build a strong local presence but need budget-conscious ad strategies to avoid overspending.

Larger or full-service firms typically need a broader approach, blending SEO, LinkedIn outreach, Facebook retargeting. Also, content marketing across multiple practice areas to attract a broad audience.

Highly specialised firms focus on niche areas like IP or construction law often see the best results from thought leadership and industry-targeted PPC campaigns.

PPC can be costly in legal markets. Incorporating negative keywords, geo-targeting, and exploring Bing Ads can reduce costs and improve ROI.

Getting this mix right is challenging, especially for SME law firms where time and resources are often stretched. That’s why working with a specialist advisor is so valuable. They can assess your firm’s unique needs, fine-tune your campaigns, and ensure that your marketing efforts deliver maximum return on investment (ROI).

The 5 Pillars of Effective Legal Digital Marketing

1. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) for Immediate Results - With Smarter Budgeting

PPC is your fastest route to generating leads. It ensures your firm appears at the top of search results when potential clients are actively seeking legal services. However, law firms can face high CPCs (cost per click), so a strategic approach prevents wasteful spending.

Practical Tips

Target the Right Keywords : Focus on keywords that potential clients are likely to use when searching for legal services. This ensures your ads appear at the top of search results when prospects are actively seeking your services.

Use Negative keywords to avoid costly irrelevant clicks.

Implement “geo-targeting” to avoid spending in regions where competition is high.

Test click-to-call ads for high-intent searchers who need legal help immediately.

Create Compelling Ad Copy : Your ad copy should be clear, concise, and compelling. Highlight the unique benefits of your services and include a strong call to action.

Design Effective Landing Pages : Ensure that your landing pages are well-designed and provide a seamless user experience. They should be relevant to the ad and encourage visitors to take the desired action.

M onitor and Adjust Your Campaigns : Regularly monitor your PPC campaigns and make adjustments as needed. This includes refining your keywords, ad copy, and landing pages to improve performance.

Optimise Your Budget : Allocate your budget strategically to get the best return on investment. This may involve focusing on high-value keywords and adjusting your bids based on performance.

2. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to Build Long Term Presence

While PPC drives immediate traffic, SEO builds long-term visibility. By optimising your website for relevant search terms, you ensure that your firm becomes a trusted resource for potential clients when they search for legal solutions. SEO and PPC complement each other – keyword insights from PPC can inform your SEO strategy, and a strong organic presence supports your paid efforts.

Practical Tips

Conduct Thorough Keyword Research : Identify the keywords and phrases that potential clients are likely to use when searching for legal services. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs to find high-volume and relevant keywords. Incorporate these keywords naturally into your website content, meta descriptions, and titles to improve your search engine rankings.

Optimise for Local SEO : Focus on local SEO to attract clients in your geographic area. Claim and prioritise your Google My Business profile and include your location in your website content and meta tags. Encourage satisfied clients to leave positive reviews on Google and other review platforms.

Optimise Your Website for Mobile : Ensure that your website is mobile-friendly and responsive. With more people using mobile devices to search for legal services, a mobile-optimised website will improve user experience and boost your SEO rankings.

Create High-Quality Content : Develop informative and engaging content that addresses the needs and questions of your target audience. Regularly update your blog with articles, case studies, and legal insights. High-quality content not only attracts visitors but also encourages other websites to link to your site, improving your domain authority.

Publish structured Q&A content optimised for Google’s “Featured Snippets” with options to use lists, tables and video in addition to normal text.

Build Backlinks : Acquire high-quality backlinks from reputable websites in the legal industry. Backlinks act as endorsements for your website and can significantly improve your search engine rankings. Reach out to legal directories, industry publications, and other relevant websites to secure backlinks.

Improve Website Speed : Ensure that your website loads quickly. A fast-loading website provides a better user experience and is favoured by search engines. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix any issues that may be slowing down your website.

Use Schema Markup : Implement schema markup on your website to help search engines understand your content better. It can enhance your search engine listings with rich snippets, making your website more attractive to potential clients.

Monitor and Analyse Your SEO Performance : Regularly track your website's SEO performance using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Analyse the data to identify areas for improvement and adjust your SEO strategy accordingly.

By incorporating these practical tips into your SEO strategy, you can improve your website's visibility, attract more organic traffic, and ultimately, gain more clients. SEO is an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring and optimisation to achieve the best results.

3. Social Media: Raise Awareness, Thought Leadership

Social media platforms allow you to engage with specific client groups but law firms should not expect it to be a primary lead source. Instead, it builds credibility and brand recall.

LinkedIn is best for thought leadership (not direct lead generation), so publish insights, comment on industry trends, and engage in professional discussions. Facebook and Instagram work well for brand awareness, especially for family law, estate planning wills, or probate services.

Use a mix of organic posts (to build credibility and engagement) and paid ads (to amplify your reach) for the best results.

Practical Tips

Optimise Your Profiles : Ensure that your profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X are complete and professional. Use high-quality images, compelling headlines, and detailed summaries that highlight your expertise and services. This helps create a strong first impression and builds credibility.

Share Valuable Conten t: Regularly post informative and engaging content such as articles, case studies, legal insights, videos, and client testimonials. Use a mix of text, images, and videos to keep your audience engaged. Hosting live sessions like Q&As or webinars can also be effective in interacting with your audience in real-time.

Engage with Your Audience : Actively engage with your connections and followers by commenting on their posts, responding to comments, retweeting relevant content, and participating in discussions. This increases your visibility and helps build relationships with potential clients.

Use Targeted Ads : Use the advertising platforms of LinkedIn, Facebook, and X to target specific demographics, industries, job titles, interests, and locations. Sponsored content, InMail campaigns, and promoted tweets can be particularly effective in reaching decision-makers and potential clients.

Monitor and Adjust Campaigns : Regularly monitor the performance of your social media campaigns using the analytics tools provided by each platform. Analyse the data to identify areas for improvement and adjust your campaigns accordingly to improve engagement and ROI.

By incorporating these practical tips into your social media advertising strategy, you can enhance your online presence, engage with potential clients, and achieve better results from your digital marketing efforts.

4. Content Marketing: Demonstrating Expertise

Thoughtful, informative, high-quality content establishes credibility, supports SEO, and nurtures leads. However, law firms must create content with a clear purpose and distribution plan.

Blog posts, guides, or videos can answer potential clients’ questions while supporting your SEO and PPC efforts. For instance, a downloadable guide on “The Legal Aspects of Starting a Business” could attract corporate clients via PPC ads and capture their contact details for email marketing.

Practical Tips

Understand Your Audience : Knowing your audience is crucial. Create personas to understand their needs and pain points. Tailor your content to address their specific legal concerns and use language that resonates with them. Providing valuable information will keep them engaged, build trust and position your firm as an expert.

Create High-Quality Content : Your content should be well-researched and accurate. Focus on providing value through detailed articles, guides, and FAQs. High-quality content enhances your law firm's reputation and helps establish authority in your practice areas. Ensure your content is easy to read and free from jargon. Use visuals like infographics to simplify complex topics and regularly update your content to keep it relevant.

Publish legal guides optimised for search intent, answering common client questions.

Offer downloadable resources (e.g., “Legal Essentials for Startups”) to capture leads.

Use video content (brief legal insights, FAQ answers) to boost engagement.

Optimise for SEO : Search engine optimisation (SEO) is vital for visibility. Use relevant keywords in your content, such as “online visibility” and “attorney branding.” Make sure your website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly to improve user experience. Include internal and external links to boost credibility, write meta descriptions, and use alt text for images.

Leverage Social Media : Social media is a powerful tool for digital outreach. Share your content regularly on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and X to engage with your audience. Respond to comments and messages to build relationships and highlight your firm’s successes and expertise. Stay active and consistent with your postings to maximise reach and impact.

Monitor and Analyse Performance : Analytics are essential to measure your content’s performance. Track metrics like traffic, engagement, and conversions using tools like Google Analytics. Analyse which content performs best and why, and adjust your strategy based on data to improve results. Regularly review and act on your findings to refine your approach.

By incorporating these practical tips into your content marketing strategy, you can enhance your online presence, engage with potential clients, and achieve better results from your digital marketing efforts.

5. Email Marketing & Lead Nurturing: Converting Interest to Action

Email remains a cost-effective tool, but automation must be optimised to prevent leads from going cold.

A structured email marketing programme nurtures relationships with prospects who aren't ready to engage immediately – and a cost-effective way to stay in touch with leads generated by PPC or social media. Whether it’s an automated follow-up after a consultation request or a newsletter sharing legal updates, email keeps your firm top of mind and builds trust.

Practical Tips

Segment Your Email List : Divide it into segments based on criteria such as client interests, behaviour, and stage in their buying journey. This allows you to send targeted and relevant content to each group, increasing engagement and conversion rates.

Craft Compelling Subject Lines : Your subject line is the first thing recipients see, so make it count. Use clear, concise, and intriguing subject lines that encourage recipients to open your emails. Personalisation can also boost open rates.

Personalise Your Content : Tailor your email content to address the specific needs and interests of your recipients. Use their names, reference their past interactions with your firm, and provide content that is relevant to their legal concerns.

Provide Valuable Content : Offer valuable insights, legal tips, and updates that your recipients will find useful. This positions your firm as a trusted authority and keeps your audience engaged. Avoid overly promotional content, focus on providing value.

Use Automated Drip Campaigns : Implement automated email sequences to nurture leads through the buying process. For example, send a welcome email to new subscribers, followed by a series of educational emails that address common legal questions and concerns. Keep contact with people who visit the site but don’t immediately engage.

Include Clear Calls to Action : Every email should have a clear call to action (CTA) that guides recipients towards the next step, whether it's scheduling a consultation, downloading a resource, or contacting your firm for more information.

Write interactive emails (e.g., embed appointment booking tools) to make it easier for people to buy your services.

Optimise for Mobile Devices : Ensure that your emails are mobile-friendly and easy to read on all devices. Use responsive design, concise text, and clear visuals to enhance the user experience on smartphones and tablets.

Monitor and Analyse Performance : Track key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions to measure the effectiveness of your email campaigns. Use this data to refine your strategy and improve future email marketing.

By incorporating these practical tips into your email marketing and lead nurturing strategy, you can build stronger relationships with potential clients, increase engagement, and drive more conversions for your law firm.

The Value of Expert Guidance

Digital marketing is intricate. SEO takes time, PPC can be costly, and social media is best suited for credibility rather than direct lead generation. Working with specialists ensures:

A strategy tailored to your goals and audience, whether you’re a niche boutique firm or a larger regional practice.

A marketing plan that works for your specific objectives.

Cost-efficient PPC management using negative keywords and alternative platforms.

Local SEO optimisation to dominate search rankings in specific geographic markets.

Integrated content strategies that work across search, email, and social.

Automated lead nurturing that converts website visitors into long-term clients.

Better efficiency and ROI , using data to refine campaigns and avoid common pitfalls, they ensure every pound spent delivers value.

Balanced mix of PPC, SEO, LinkedIn, Facebook content and email marketing

You stay on top of trends : Digital marketing evolves quickly. Specialists keep up with changes, so you don’t have to.

Taking Your Next Step

Whether you're a sole practitioner or managing partner at a regional firm, the principles of effective digital marketing remain the same, but the right mix will vary based on your firm’s specific needs. Firms that take a coordinated approach - rather than relying on isolated tactics - see the best results.

By refining key strategies (cost-efficient PPC, stronger local SEO, realistic social media goals, and deeper email automation), your firm can maximise its digital marketing ROI.

Carton & Co and Add People specialise in fine-tuning digital marketing strategies for law firms. Contact us today for a free evaluation of your firm’s online presence and opportunities for growth.

About the Authors :

Allan Carton , Lead Consultant at Carton & Co , has over 30 years’ experience helping UK law firms grow their client base with tailored marketing and business development strategies.

Oliver Eardley , Principal Consultant at Add People , brings 8 ⁺ years of experience helping law firms stand out with smart online marketing and strong branding. He also hosts The Eardley Bird Business Podcast covering digital strategies for professional services.

CHECK OUT HIVELIGHT: Proactive Transaction Management for Corporate & Commercial Lawyers

acarton@cartonconsultants.com (Allan Carton) — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 18:39:01 GMT

Clients expect greater transparency, faster turnaround times, and demonstrable value for money. Forward-thinking firms are finding that Legal Project Legal Project Management (LPM) - when implemented effectively - addresses these challenges, also enabling you to increase profitability while managing workloads, however simple or complex the work.

Why Legal Project Management?

Legal Project Management works in situations where Case Management doesn't fit. For example, in managing corporate and commercial transactions - particularly when there are internal teams involved.

Traditionally, this kind of legal work has been managed through a combination of email chains, spreadsheets, and matter management systems (PMS). While these tools serve a purpose, they lack the structured coordination needed for modern legal practice. LPM ensures that legal work is planned, tracked, and executed efficiently - just like in other professional services industries. The benefits?

✅ Avoid Bottlenecks : Hivelight provides instant visibility of where every matter and task is up to, colour-coded and sorted by urgency.

✅ Minimise Delays: Stay on top of tasks and urgent deadlines with smart dashboards, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.

✅ Reduce Errors, Better Risk Management: Easily create workflows and adapt them on the fly, so everyone knows what to do, how, and when it’s due.

✅ More billable time: Reduce administrative overhead and maximise the time spent on substantive legal work.

✅ Improved profitability: Increase the efficiency and productivity of fee earners, leading to higher margins.

✅ Stronger client relationships: Provide clear progress updates and demonstrate value more effectively.

To make legal project management work effectively requires the right technology - which is where Hivelight comes in. You can use it standalone or tightly integrated with Actionstep , Clio or Smokeball legal practice and case management systems. Also, other systems via APIs and webhooks.

What Makes Hivelight Different?

✅ Implementation takes just weeks , not months.

✅ A dedicated legal project management platform designed to help law firms run matters efficiently - not complex, or generalist.

✅ Global Recognition as winners of the highly-respected 2024 IILPM Award for Legal Project Management and Legal Process Improvement.

✅ An intuitive interface that requires minimal training, so this is an opportunity to enhance efficiency without major disruption.

Already well-established and proving very successful in Australia with clients in North America too, Hivelight is now making its way to the UK legal market - offering firms a purpose-built solution that integrates seamlessly with their existing practice management systems that includes:

✅Pre-configured for legal teams – Hivelight is built specifically for legal workflows, meaning it works out of the box with minimal setup.

✅Live analytics and reporting – Gain real-time insights into matter progress, team performance, and key deadlines.

✅Automated workflows – Standardise processes, delegate work effectively, and train junior staff at scale.

✅Seamless integrations – Connects with modern practice management systems to ensure data consistency and reduce duplication.

✅Risk management built-in – Automatically reallocates tasks when team members leave, ensuring no work falls through the cracks.

Making the Transition

Law firms in the UK have been slow to adopt LPM compared to industries like finance and consultancy. But firms that invest in the right tools now will gain a competitive advantage.

For firms considering LPM adoption, the key is to choose solutions that offer quick implementation and minimal disruption. The most successful implementations we've seen share common elements:

✅ Clear communication about the benefits to both staff and clients

✅ Phased rollout starting with specific practice areas or matter types

✅ Integration with existing systems to maintain workflow continuity

✅ Focus on practical improvements rather than theoretical perfection

Taking the Next Step

If you're interested in exploring how Legal Project Management could benefit your firm, we'd be happy to share our experience and insights. Whether you're just starting to consider LPM or looking to enhance your existing processes, there's never been a better time to evaluate your options.

Get in touch for a demo to explore the potential of Hivelight to radically improve and streamline how your people work.

Contact: Allan Carton

Mobile: 07779 653105

FREE TEMPLATE to help you lead your law firm's conversation with clients on sustainability

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 16:20:58 GMT

It's clear that sustainability is becoming a crucial component of many law firms' strategies and operations. However, despite the growing interest, many firms are still in the early stages of fully integrating sustainability into their practices.

To drive initiatives in the right direction and build momentum, law firms should engage clients in meaningful discussions about sustainability. These conversations not only demonstrate your commitment to clients' values but also create opportunities for deeper collaboration, innovative legal solutions, and long-term relationships.

By being seen to be proactive to understand and support your clients' sustainability initiatives you will:

Help both you and them navigate regulatory challenges, mitigate risks, and drive positive environmental and social impact.

Equip your practice to lead the way in making sustainability a core element of your client relationships.

Strengthen your relationship with them to position your firm as a valuable long term partner in their journey toward greater sustainability.

The long term value from this type of exercise with clients results from asking the right questions, exploring them with an open mind, meaningful interpretation of the feedback (where independent evaluation helps), then in developing sound plans to respond to it. Followed by implementation over time of the prioritised initiatives that flow from it.

Your people need to believe in it too and these clients are the best source of validation. Innovation, AI adoption and Training will be part of that discussion too – all explored during this session too.

Some questions you ultimately want to be able to answer – but there’s a route to having that discussion in the right way - where independent, objective client listening with a good understanding of technology, AI and ESG options helps:

How can we, as your legal partner, support your sustainability goals?

Are there specific areas where you need legal advice or services related to sustainability?

Are there opportunities for us to collaborate on sustainability initiatives or projects?

How are you addressing potential legal risks associated with your sustainability efforts?

Are there legal considerations in your stakeholder engagement processes that you would like us to review?

FREE TEMPLATE to lead your discussion with clients. If you would like to check out our starting questions to open up this discussion with clients and lead it in the right direction, email me at acarton@cartonconsultants.com and I will send that to you.

#lawfirmmanagement # businessdevelopment #ESG #sustainability #clientlistening #legaltech #lawfirm

CLIENT ONBOARDING: Tackle the complexity of options to make the right decisions with confidence.

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 12:52:55 GMT

Introduction

With the growing number of suppliers and software options available, each constantly adapting and developing, selecting the right onboarding system can be daunting. Evaluating and comparing these options to make confident decisions is challenging, especially when you need to get people from so many areas of your practice on board with the chosen system. This is particularly true as onboarding impacts all areas of your practice - lawyers, support staff, compliance, marketing, technology, finance - and because there are so many variations in the options available.

acarton@cartonconsultants.com or fmanning@cartonconsultants.com

This article will help clarify what you ought to evaluate and compare to decide where best to compromise and balance pros and cons to meet the top priorities for your practice. There is a lot of "grey" to consider when you ideally want black-and-white answers.

Among the prominent players in the market are: Verify 365, Checkboard , Minerva , Sharedo , Perfect Portal , InfoTrack , Claimsgate , Propero , Legally Quoting, QMP , Legl , Smartsearch , Credas , Thirdfort , Hoowla , QuoteXpress , Veriphy , Legal Bricks , Brighter Law, InCase , Armalytix ... Many of the legal practice and case management system providers would also say they have tools of their own or from third parties - and their own selection of third party providers - that can be used for some of this. Clio Grow is a good example.

No doubt suppliers will let me know who we have missed off here … please, if you want to be included?

Why This Matters?

As your clients become more IT-savvy, meeting their increasing expectations for simpler and more efficient legal services is crucial.

Introducing the right onboarding and quoting tools is not just about meeting client expectation s - it’s about transforming your practice .

More significantly than most firms yet recognise, getting this right will help you capture invaluable client and matter data that will become crucial to enable your firm can tap into opportunities to harness AI in the future .

Efficient onboarding will streamline client intake , reduce administrative overhead and enhance compliance.

Accurate quoting improves client satisfaction and financial predictability .

In a competitive market, using these tools effectively can significantly differentiate your fir m - leading to a more profitable business , an easier working environment for your people, better client relationships from the outset, improved compliance /risk management, and increased client retention , while building information that will help you to proactively maintain and nurture lifelong relationships .

What Should You Evaluate?

Start by deciding what current issues and gaps do you want to address and improve upon. Map out your process and current providers now. Which components of the onboarding process are your people and/or clients currently struggling with, or will do going forwards. Are you already working with and have good relationships with some of the components that make up some of the offerings that you don't want to and may not need to break. The key components are potentially:

What areas of legal work do you want to cover?
What duplication of effort (for you and for clients) do you want to remove?
Where are current costs too high?
Providing quotes , tracking and converting them?
Standardisation of process and documentation?
AML, ID verification and source of funds?
(Intelligent) Automation of your other compliance procedures?
Better, reliable data capture and verification, where client self service helps streamline the process?
Client portals to help reduce the volume of email exchanges and increase security?
E-signatures to enable digital working for you and for clients - get rid of printing?
Easier ongoing communication with clients - using tracked texts and messaging?
A streamlined sign-up process for clients - giving them the option to use digital or not?
Secure online payments to enable clients to make payments on account easily - and allocate them?
Better management information on volume of instructions, conversions etc.?
Better access for and collaboration with business partners e.g. estate agents?
Reliable, up-to-date licensed forms?
Property searches - part of the conveyancing process?
Integration with your case management and workflow systems?

Providers offer a wide mix of options, so you will often not be comparing like for like. Start by checking which of these are part of the offering from potential providers, check them off against your requirements and compare options in these areas:

Practice Coverage : Will you be able to use it consistently across the whole of your practice or just for some areas of work? Multiple processes are difficult to manage, waste time and resource.

ID Checks & Source of Funds: Does it (directly or through integrated third parties) support individual or corporate checks, including NFC and open banking technology? To what extent are these actively monitored? If clients struggle, how easy is it for them (and your people) to find their way again and get help?

Conflict of Interest checks - how effective and integrated with other systems?

Basis of & Approach to Pricing : Any minimum numbers, term of contract, cost of and ties to ancillary products?

Cost of implementation: Both financial and time needed to get things up and running?

Mode of Access: Can clients access the system via smartphones and/or desktops?

Quotes & Estimates: What is the level of automation and intelligence in generating quotes? How integrated are these features with your case management? Do documents and data synch automatically or is it "drag and drop"? Are there tools to help you follow up?

Email Communications: Can you use your own business email domain and logo in emails to avoid confusion and reduce the risk of emails being sent to spam?

AML Checks – and what more is available to help you deal with compliance?

Are Property & Other Searches part of the deal? How does that impact on the suppliers’ business focus and pricing?

Electronic Signatures: How easy is it for clients to electronically sign onboarding documents?

SMS text options : and how they integrate with your case management systems.

Onboarding Document Templates: Are there templates available for different areas of work to make setup easier and are your people prepared to adapt to fit.

Client Portal: How easy is this for clients to access and use when you want to move away from emails both to reduce volume and increase security? What functionality does the client portal offer? What can be stored there?

Secure Email & Messaging: How secure are your communications with clients?

Secure E-Payments: Are electronic payment options available? How well do they match what you need and fit with your accounts and case management systems?

Collaboration Options with Introducers: Can you give access to e.g. estate agents and/or their clients.

Compliance: Does the software comply with SRA, HMLR, and Safe Harbour standards?

Management Reporting - to report what you want on transactions and the business overall.

General Considerations:

PMS & CMS Integration: How well does it integrate with your practice and case management systems? Are there tried and tested APIs, and is the integration two-way?

"Out-of-the-Box" or to be modified and developed with you? Should you choose a supplier that provides “out-of-the-box” modules, or one that will also work with you to adapt and continually develop, which adds value but might require more time and resources to implement? How easy has this been for other users and what flexibility will you have to adapt wording and presentation?

User-Friendly: Is the platform intuitive and easy to use for your team and your clients?

Technical Support for your team : Can the need for support be kept to a minimum? How available and good is it when called upon? How is it delivered? How will implementation be rolled out and what support will you get? What do current users say about this experience.

Client Support: it is increasingly being recognised that clients need help too, so how is this delivered?

Automation: Does the software automate repetitive tasks to save time and reduce errors?

Making the Right Choice

This is not easy and can be very time consuming when starting from scratch.

Choosing the right system involves balancing these factors against your firm’s unique requirements and priorities to minimise compromises - where expert advice can make a difference. We understand the intricacies of legal tech, the nuances of legal processes, and the importance of getting buy-in from your team. We can also offer insights from your clients' perspective. Let us help you navigate these crucial decisions that impact your practice to ensure you get the best possible return on your technology investment.

Get in touch

For more guidance on selecting the right onboarding and/or quoting system for your law firm - the best tools for your firm to succeed in today's competitive legal market - get in touch. We can give you a comprehensive evaluation of options that will be the best fit for your particular practice, systems and needs.

Contact: Allan Carton or Frank Manning

Tel: 0161 929 8355

For more of the rationale and recent history of e-onboarding in law firms, check out this article from Allan Carton in the Internet Newsletter for Lawyers.

#LegalTech #LawFirmManagement #ClientOnboarding #LegalInnovation #LegalServices #Lawyers #LawFirmTechnology #LawPractice

Find More Time for Business Development - A Checklist

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 09:46:27 GMT

Proactive and focused business development is crucial for the growth and success of any law firm but many in the UK still face similar challenges to these highlighted by Alistair Marshall for Australian firms. Making use of new tech-supported solutions can free up time, allowing you to be more creative and persistent in putting your unique understanding of your business and opportunities to work.

Exploring external support with experience of these new tools can help you do some of this better and faster.

Your Current Challenges?

Limited partners/fee earners generating new business.
Ineffective website in producing leads.
Lack of business development in lawyers' personal development.
No incentives for new business generation.
Few documented individual business plans.
Professionals without influential leadership roles.
Willingness to market without effective strategies.
Cross-selling efforts falling short.
Unclear target market sectors.
No effective referral strategies.
Low impact from networking events.
Underutilisation of social media and content marketing.
Poor tracking of marketing efforts.

How to make the right things happen more often and foster a robust business development culture?

You’ve heard this before of course, but new tech-supported solutions can help you now to free up time to put your unique understanding of your business and your opportunities to work. External support with experience of new tools that can help you and your team do this better and faster is worth exploring to help you take any of these steps ...

Develop or Update your Business Development Plan: Encourage partners and fee earners to create and maintain individual business plans that align with the firm's overall strategic objectives and target specific client segments. Then help them to make it work, review it as a matter of routine and keep the momentum going.

Incorporate Business Development into People Development : Make business development a regular part of performance discussions. Set clear, measurable goals and reward achievements with incentives and bonuses. Don’t just focus on fees . Give them some freedom to do it their way, but make sure they have and can use the right tools to keep it going.

Collect and publish more positive feedback : Actively seek and share positive feedback from clients and introducers. Simplify the process for clients to make it easier for them to provide recommendations, as these are often the best source of new business.

Optimise your Online Presence : Enhance your website and leverage SEO to attract potential clients. Regularly update content and use analytics to track conversions and adjust initiatives accordingly. There are some great sources of readily available content to work with.

Maximise social media and content marketing: Learn how automation and AI can help you leverage social media platforms, blogs, podcasts, webinars, and online videos to reach a broader audience. Create engaging content that addresses your target market's needs and interests.

Review and adapt your approach to referrals: Establish a structured referral programme to make it easier for everyone to make it work. Incentivise existing clients and partners to refer new business. Track and measure the success of these referrals to continuously improve results.

Focus on Cross-Selling : Train your people to identify and act on cross-selling opportunities. Regularly review what services your clients or groups of them are and are not using to find areas where additional services can be offered or developed. Build personas that your people can understand to help crystallise thinking and clarify opportunities.

Engage in Targeted Networking : Encourage everyone to identify key industry events and networking opportunities that align with your firm's business areas. Help them to follow up on potential meaningful connections so they don’t just disappear into the ether.

Track and Measure Marketing Efforts: Introduce tools to measure the effectiveness of your marketing activities. Use this data to c onstantly develop and refine your plans and initiatives and to allocate spend and time on the right prospects.

Our Expertise

At Carton & Co , we specialise in helping UK law firms in these areas to develop and implement effective business development strategies. Our tailored approach ensures that your firm not only addresses these challenges but also builds a sustainable business development culture that drives long-term success.

Contact us today to explore how we can help your firm build a proactive business development culture where developing relationships and new business is routine.

Contact: Allan Carton

Mobile: 07779 653105

Or, you can schedule this discussion here >>

#BusinessDevelopment #LawFirmGrowth #UKLawFirms #ClientEngagement #LegalMarketing #Lawfirmmanagement

Small & Mid-Size Law Firms: Make client onboarding so much easier and effective for you and your clients

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 09:13:30 GMT

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE >>

Check out this video showing how Clio's practice management system can help you streamline client onboarding to make the process easier for you and your clients - then taken you through AML and other challenging compliance requirements.

To find out more, call us on 0161 929 8355 or book a meeting online to explore options here>>

ARTICLE: Why and how to make more of the Voice of your Clients

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 17:21:07 GMT

The voice of your clients – and others you deal with – has potential to play much more of a leading role in the ongoing development and evolution of law firms.

Read the full article here to find out:

How to harness the voice of your clients.
The potential wide-ranging positive impact that can have.
How to make that happen.
How far and how fast you could/should move.
How this is likely to develop for you and your competitors.
Potential next steps for your practice.

First published in the infolaw newsletter, March 2023.

For how we help firms set up client listening today, see Client Listening for Law Firms.

Want to talk through what your clients could be telling you? Let's Talk.

4 Essentials to Drive Your Law Firm

Thu, 05 Jan 2023 09:35:04 GMT

With reliable data, better understanding, empathy and an appetite to deliver more value

There has never been a time quite like now, when feeling and showing empathy with clients, understanding their changing expectations and finding new ways of delivering better value to them has been so critical. Read more below about these 4 essential initiatives:

The right strategy, made tangible and shared in context, with coherent plans and visual measures.
Reliable data and tools - onboarding, always-on listening, automated capture and enrichment.
The right mindset and skills - Agile, O-shaped, Project Management.
Structured, responsive persistence to constantly develop more value in relationships.

KEY CHALLENGES

Too many firms still struggle to make enough time for contact with enough clients .
Lawyers struggle too often to establish enough meaningful empathy with business clients .
Not a surprise as they often don't have the right, reliable and complete ammunition to work with.
Client contact and relationship data held most firms is unreliable, not trusted and not used.
Most lawyers are fearful of exposing their emotions and don't feel the need/confidence to do it.
Talking about the transaction in hand is the easiest option - and most lawyers will focus time there.
It's difficult to be confident about talking more widely, when background information is not available .
Few lawyers yet feel comfortable exploring use of technology with clients - with many new options to explore.
Lawyers rewarded on billing figures based on time , struggle to commit time to anything else anyway.

WHAT TO DO FROM HERE?

1] Agree and communicate a coherent strategy and business development objectives for the practice that - at least - the leaders are determined to commit to and drive with persistence for the next 3 years. Share an understanding of why that matters and the kind of culture you want to see here in 3 years' time. Use visual dashboards to constantly display, share and discuss performance on the key measures adopted to evaluate and drive performance.

We work objectively alongside your leadership team to research, evaluate opportunities and challenges, add new thinking to challenge established perceptions and test plans to bring this together, with the benefit of our experience of lawyers and the wider market for legal services.

2] Use reliable up-to-date data without the need for lawyers to do anything more than they do now to get it. Take advantage of automation to capture and enrich data on clients, introducers and prospects as your people work - to populate CRM, evaluate "always-on" client feedback, prompting pro-active engagement - compiling it all centrally for everyone to see and use, all the time.

We can help you find and implement the right solution for your practice, taking account of your objectives and systems already in place.

3] Equip your lawyers and others with a different understanding of what a client relationships should feel like, identifying the current gaps, failings and opportunities - where the strongest ammunition comes from the clients themselves. Provide new skills to support more effective listening and engagement with clients. Develop a better understanding of project management and what "agile" means in all areas of the business, from management projects to handling the legal work - and the tools ( much of it available within Microsoft 365 - from simple to complex) that are available to support that. Engage clients more to make use their input more on how to develop services that give them more of what they value.

You can tap into our experience of listening to clients to take you through an independent exercise, listening to a selection of your clients to identify opportunities, trends and gaps. Then feed this back to your people as part of your initiatives to develop and embed the culture you want at your practice.

4] Get pro-active, persistent and structured in managing client relationships with this reliable data (captured automatically) and a very different attitude amongst lawyers with a better understanding of what good client relationships look like. There is an opportunity to take advantage of the clear imperative now to develop new, innovative, probably more collaborative and tech-supported services that can deliver more value for clients, more cost-effectively for you.

We can help you to define, communicate and implement your marketing strategy with clear shared objectives that lawyers (with the tools and skills made tangible for the first time) can support. With an effective approach to managing your client relationships and adoption of more digital marketing tools, you can segment both clients and prospects to communicate more meaningfully with them in the background - supporting the up front work of lawyers and others.

TALK TO US NOW

TO FIND OUT MORE about our approach and the tools we use to help you down this path, contact Allan Carton at acarton@cartonconsultants.com to set up a free 60-minute preliminary video or telephone call in confidence, with no obligation.

Taking the next steps on your client onboarding journey

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 14:47:23 GMT

Lawyers need digital onboarding now because clients’ expectations of easier digital transactions and communications ramped up during the lockdowns – and because we see now that working digitally can radically improve efficiency of our operations and productivity. Based on my experience as a user of legal services, it’s a must have.

We fared relatively well during the lockdowns and most law firms managed to implement working from home successfully, with much done out of necessity for immediate results. For many, there wasn’t a lot of long-term strategic thinking or planning. Some things just had to get done, with digital onboarding remarkably high on that agenda.

The 7 Steps identified here are for you if you want to build on what your practice, other firms and suppliers have learned from their experience of digital onboarding so far. There is an opportunity now to build on that, if you are:

Stepping up to a more appropriate solution to better match your objectives and understanding of what is possible now, which may well have changed; or
Refining what you’ve got or expanding use of the tools available to cover more of the process and other areas of work; or
Getting started for the first tim e.

Read about the 7 Steps and Why in this article by Allan Carton and Frank Manning in the Internet Newsletter for Lawyers >>

Ten top tips on how to win a public sector tender

Tue, 24 May 2022 12:38:54 GMT

By Philip Norman, Managing Director at Winning Tenders

We've spoken to many businesses recently who are convinced that SMEs hardly ever win public contracts. The truth is that 25% of public procurement spend is with SMEs and most public contracts are won by SMEs. Plus, in uncertain times the public sector can be a good, solid option.

If you've been unsuccessful with public sector bidding in the past, we thought it would be useful to send you our ten top tips on how to win a tender to help you re-consider.

Here they are:

Read the instructions and tender specification . Highlight all the areas that demonstrate the buyer’s important factors. These will definitely be the evaluation criteria, (ie. how will they evaluate your response, and set against what?) and probably be key objectives, visions, key themes etc. Determine how they need the response to be completed and when they want it submitted.

Read each question with your own questions in mind . Why are they asking this? What information are they looking for?

Raise clarification questions in good time as there will be a clarification deadline. Once it passes, that’s it, no more clarification.

Present the key benefits of your offering. Don’t be a feature-centric bidder. Your features will mean nothing without you explicitly presenting the benefit. Align the key benefits of your offering to their vision or key objectives. Spell it out.

Don’t settle for the bare minimum . It will never win. If there are word limits, go as close to them as possible as this represents the importance placed on the question. Expand on your answers, give detail, but don't blag or repeat.

Keep the language simple . Remember that your intention is to clearly communicate the benefits that your organisation can bring to the contract. Unnecessarily elaborate words will not gain you extra points – if anything they might go against you.

Write in bite size chunks with a clear heading structure . Use headers that are aligned to their key considerations. Make it easy for them to pick out the salient areas to ensure your response is positively evaluable.

Where possible, evidence your response with testimonials and stats. Convince the buyer of your organisation’s strengths through experience.

Have your submission proofread and reviewed by someone who has not been involved in the preparation. A professional, fresh pair of eyes can spot costly mistakes and weak areas and see it from the viewpoint of the evaluator - an incredibly worthy investment.

Submit on time. Of course!

The public sector is a fantastic foundation to build your business strategy upon, so we recommend that you explore the opportunities, at the very least. Winning Tenders was set up because every viable company, irrespective of size, has the potential to win public contracts. They use their knowledge of the tendering process to help more companies win their fair share of the business.

Please contact Philip if you would like to explore some potential public sector opportunities or have a bid you need help with - call 07944 847014 , email philipnorman@winningtenders.com or look him up on LinkedIn .

Your business case for an "always-on" client listening programme

acarton@cartonconsultants.com (Allan Carton) — Wed, 11 May 2022 09:40:21 GMT

Conclusions from the 2022 Future of Client Listening research

Get in touch to find out more about how we help professional practices to create a cost-effective and affordable "always-on" client listening programme, supported by automated intelligence.

Firms are collecting the voice of the client in many different ways ; from formal interviews and surveys through to informal emails and conversations. Much of this data is unstructured - text and verbatim comments- making it difficult to analyse manually.

Despite receiving feedback from multiple formats, the core challenge remains the "top of funnel"- getting enough data in one place so that insights can drive actions.

Most client feedback is collected at the end of a project, or periodically (e.g. annually) when it's too late to impact those experiences.

Firms are finding it hard to access the voice of the client, because it's stored in multiple places or formats . This makes it hard see the big picture of overall client experiences, and to discover common themes and root causes.

Many firms aren't doing enough with the data they already collect . 37% of respondents said insights from feedback prompts action across the firm.

The firms that do share insights across the firm, are seeing a range of benefits including stronger client relationships, decision-making agility and continuous improvement.

Over the last two years, firms have been introducing additional forms of online and face-to-face feedback . However, the underlying driver of progress is linked to how well the firm's leadership embraces the resulting insights.

Looking forwards, firms are planning to evolve both the input and output stages of their client listening programmes. They are seeking ways to listen to more clients more often, and also looking at how they do more with the insights they create.

Insights from client listening are being used to drive a wide range of decision s. The most prevalent being to improve the overall client experience and to improve client interactions.

Firms with more than 150 people are investing to improve the scale and impact of client listening. 57% of respondents said their budget will increase, either a little or significantly.

The majority of respondents said their firm had changed its approach to client listening over the last two years , finding new ways to gather and analyse feedback. In some cases this is through making the process more systematic.

Client listening is e nabling firms to better understand their own firm, as well as the needs and expectations of their clients . Combining these insights enables them to focus on what sets them apart from the competition.

Firms are seeking ways to listen to more clients more ofte n, and also looking at how they do more with the insights they create.

Regardless of the type of client less than 35% of firms said that, in a typical year, they will ask more than half their clients for feedback . This is consistent with the earlier result that the most common challenge is collecting enough feedback.

Firms of all sizes still struggle with the challenges of collecting enough client feedback, and then gathering it together in one place.

NEXT STEPS

Does your firm want to listen to more clients more often? Do you want to do more with the client-related data you already have?

Would you like to see what "always-on" client listening looks like? To explore your options, find out what it costs, how it might work for you?

GET IN TOUCH for a no obligation demo and discussion. Email solutions@cartonconsultants.com

Easier still, choose a time for a telephone Teams call with Allan Carton here .

15 Actions to take now if you don't have enough new work coming in. No excuses ...

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 09:29:05 GMT

From Alistair Marshall

I think we can agree that the economy is unstable. While some firms are flourishing, others are not.

Likewise some professionals are exceeding their targets and others, I would say up to maybe 50%, are moaning about their poor or static results and blaming the economy, covid, staffing issues etc

I see it every day, with professionals not achieving their revenue goals asking for advice on how to generate new work in a slow market. The first comment I make to all of them is this:

"If your market has slowed and you have slowed with it, you will soon be out of business. So tell me, what have you done to ramp up activity this last year?"

Usually that question is met with silence and then another excuse about how no one new has been/is buying. "No one?"

Of course some people are buying professional services, someone always is. So my question to you is this:

"If your market has slowed, or maybe only half of your market's buyers are buying, what are you doing to ramp up your activity, working both smarter and harder to raise your visibility and credibility, to capture a greater share of spend in your slowed market?"

Sadly, it's been my experience that many people give up when their markets slow down. They resign themselves to the fact that it's going to be a bad year and they don't even try to hit their targets.

Many professionals used Covid to down their Business Development tools for an extended period, not realising that many of the activities that work well, still did so even in a remote working environment.

Top performers refuse to wave the white flag. They want to earn their bonus. These professionals attack their markets with renewed effort.

They approach more clients, prospects and referrers with new and increased business development activities. These are the few people who, even in a slow market, are doing more.

So, before you complain about the economy and make excuses regarding Covid or global events hurting your revenues, I need to ask:

Are you taking any of the following actions?

1] Reach out to your current client database at least once per month with a value-based, content-rich communication. Educate, don’t sell. Use different media to deliver your message.

2] Attend at least 1 networking event per week . On or offline. 2 would be even better.

3] Ask for a referral a t least once per week.

4] Prospect every day to keep your funnel full.

5] Identify new target markets/clients to sell to.

6] Attend trade shows/exhibitions/conferences in your chosen sectors regularly and follow up with the leads within 24 hours.

7] Hold client review meetings and cross sell services.

8] Implement a reactivation campaign to win back lost clients.

9] Change your pitch/presentation to place the clients’ values first and your corporate marketing messages last.

10] Talk to your five best clients. Ask them to evaluate your situation and make suggestions for new markets/clients.

11] Take you Top 5 referrers to lunch. Good things happen when you talk to people.

12] Look at your digital footprint. Website, LinkedIn profile etc. Would you agree to a meeting with you? Do you give people a real genuine reason to give you their time? Do you offer a signature piece of content in exchange for an email address?

13] Start a content marketing campaign using blogs, webinars, seminars, podcasts, videos, social media etc

14] Stay away from the complainers. Don't make your situation worse by hanging around the motivation suckers and underachievers.

15] Get a coach or a mentor . Even Olympians have a coach. Invest in a training programme. Stay away from negative people. Learn from the winners.

You can change your results in any economy. Once you accept the fact that you can change your results, you can begin to recover one step at a time.

Don't try all 15 ideas at once. Simply pick one or two new ideas per week. Implement them every day. Own them and make yourself accountable.

Continue to use them as you pick one or two more the following week. In two or three months time, you may find yourself in a much better place.

If you need help with any of this be sure to reach out >>

CRM Case Study: Lupton Fawcett leap ahead on client relationships

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 13:35:32 GMT

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“I absolutely recommend Introhive for any firm that has an established CRM where you're struggling with system adoption and the cultural shift required to maintain accurate data quality. Introhive is definitely that perfect overlay to make sure that you’re not just collecting the right information, but also ensuring that data stays clean over time. Providing a solution that’s pretty much plug and play.” James Hood, Head of Information Technology, Lupton Fawcett.

Lupton Fawcett realised a 350% return on investment - CRM

Lupton Fawcett is a commercial law firm with offices in Leeds, Sheffield and York. Given its dedication to surpassing expectations, Lupton Fawcett has created a diverse team of 280+ passionate experts with a refreshing take on the full spectrum of commercial and personal legal services. In 2018, the firm sought a relationship intelligence platform to accelerate cross-firm collaboration and key account client

experience management. Since deploying Introhive, Lupton Fawcett has seen a 350% return on investment in the first nine months.

Business Challenge

As a full service law firm, Lupton Fawcett is always seeking new and innovative ways to better support their client base. The firm had three core business objectives tied to growing serviceable revenue and enhancing client experience management:

Discover gaps in their client service model : Lupton Fawcett needed to understand the gaps of services they provided to their current clients and determine how to strategically approach each key account based on firm-wide relationships.

Map client relationships for succession planning : Lupton Fawcett needed a better way to manage succession planning to support retiring members, including assigning the appropriate partner to take on clients and ensuring the retiring partners are properly onboarding their colleagues to their client base.

Improve technology adoption and lasting change managemen t: To help better realise the value of a firm-wide database, the CRM needed to have accurate, updated information, but lawyers did not have time to focus on data entry. Lupton Fawcett needed a way to automate the process of capturing contact, account and activity data to drive change management and break down cultural barriers to encourage cross-firm collaboration.

"Every business needs a contact management system in order to better understand your client base and your relationships with them. Unless you exist in a utopian environment where your people are all delighted to manually key information into a CRM system, you need a solution like Introhive that automates important data collection. It takes all the heavy lifting out of the process for professionals. From an investment perspective, it’s a no brainer.” Neil Cormack, Head of Business Development & Marketing, Senior Associate at Lupton Fawcett.

The Solution

Introhive’s AI-powered data automation and relationship intelligence solution was deployed to support Lupton Fawcett’s Microsoft Dynamics CRM system. The integration of these two systems enabled the firm to quickly improve CRM adoption, accelerate cross-sell and upsell opportunities, and better manage their succession planning for key client accounts.

The specific solutions deployed include:

Introhive’s Contact and Activity Sync was deployed to efficiently map missing contact and activity data from email to MS Dynamics, eliminating manual data entry for lawyers and staff

Firm-wide relationships were mapped and scored in CRM to improve visibility into client coverage and collaboration on key accounts

Client engagement scoring, activity tracking and relationship trend line analysis was deployed on key accounts to better manage and exceed clients’ expectations

Pre-Meeting digest reports were dynamically prepared and automatically distributed to professionals prior to client conversations to enhance meeting preparation

“Working in a law firm, our people are naturally reluctant to log information in our CRM. Introhive has revolutionised our approach through the way in automatically harvests information into our CRM and presents it in a very useable and useful way. It is a great product, it is constantly being refined and improved.” Neil Cormack

The Results

In the first year with Introhive, Lupton Fawcett has seen a remarkable increase in their CRM adoption and practitioner productivity, resulting in the following outcomes:

ROI from data automation alone - 350%

I ncrease in CRM contact data accuracy - 220%

Hours saved by automating pre-meeting research - 675+

Hours saved by lawyers by automating data entry - 440+

T otal contacts enriched with more accurate data within CRM - 22,000+

Increase in activities synced to CRM - 213%

Since deploying Introhive, Lupton Fawcett has been able to efficiently increase the volume of accurate relationship data in Microsoft Dynamics. Additionally, they have been able to accelerate change management and better encourage cross-firm collaboration.

With Introhive’s solution, Lupton Fawcett is progressing its goal of representing the full suite of legal needs for each its clients, while eliminating unproductive administrative time for its lawyers and staff. Overall adoption and utilisation of it’s Microsoft Dynamics deployment has never been higher.

Contact: Allan Carton

Mobile: 07779 653105