How to build a solid marketing and PR foundation for your law firm when you’re growing fast but flying solo.

There comes a time in every growing law firm’s life when the attorney or staff member who moonlights as the “marketing person” starts to feel — how should I put this? — less sane than they used to. What was previously a random but manageable side gig has mutated into a multiheaded beast of Chambers submissions, half-finished attorney bios and sporadic social media posts.

If you’ve reached this point, I’m sorry. But also, congratulations. It means you’re growing. Every successful midsize law firm has stood exactly where you are now, at the crossroads of “we’re too big to rely on word-of-mouth” and “we’re not big enough to justify a marketing department.” 

You know you need to up your game, but there’s no chief marketing officer awaiting you with a vision and a blueprint. For now, it’s just you, and that’s OK. However, the strategies that took your firm this far won’t get it where it’s going next. 

This guide explains where to begin when you don’t have a marketing team but you do have ambition, an impressive roster of attorneys and just enough time to read this post before your next meeting. Let’s go.

(Hint: It’s not about making things look pretty)

Imagine two attorneys entering court for an important hearing. One strides in donning a crisp, tailored outfit. The other shuffles through wearing a wrinkled T-shirt and sneakers — and let’s throw in some coffee stains, too. Without saying a word, both lawyers have established impressions of their professionalism, reliability and attention to detail. 

About 94% of first impressions are design-related. 

And those perceptions form fast — within 50 milliseconds, to be precise.

Graphic design functions in the same way. Every design choice you make communicates your law firm’s values, capabilities and credibility to those who interact with it, even if they don’t realize they’re making those inferences. Whether it’s your firm’s website, logo, marketing materials or email signature, visuals establish the first and most frequent impression of your law firm.

About 94% of first impressions are design-related, according to Stanford Web Credibility Research. And those perceptions form fast — within 50 milliseconds, to be precise.