Indian law firms and social media- why not?

Lawyers, and law firms, have never been known to be at the forefront of the social media revolution. This is true around the world, and India is no exception. The reasons for this are many: a profession that is inherently status quo-ist, lack of (perceived) importance, a completely out of touch regulatory body..Here is a true story that may just illustrate this point better..In the early 1990’s the then head of IT at British law firm, Charles Russell, proposed the adopting of email at the firm. But the partners asked for an idea of ROI – how long would it be until email paid back its investment? The person who had pitched this had to admit that email didn’t have an ROI timescale – it wasn’t about recouping investment directly, it was about adopting the communication medium of the future..In the early 1990s, this might have sounded a bit rash to a law firm managing partner. Now, of course, we know better – email is the standard communication medium for lawyers..Social media, also known as Web 2.0, has spread like wildfire and, as most of us will agree, is here to stay. In fact, the permanence of the Internet can be a huge asset to lawyers, who can use consistent contributions to a legal blog as evidence of their expertise and knowledge on an area of law..While law firms in the US & the UK have started seeing the benefits of social media, Indian law firms are still far behind..Good2bsocial, a marketing agency for lawyers and law firms based in USA, has been conducting social media studies for lawyers since 2013. While the benefits of social media presence were relatively unknown to lawyers at the time, there has been a significant increase in their participation in the last three years..Which is not the case in India. Far from it. And as mentioned earlier, the reasons for this are many..According to Sandeep Parekh, Partner at Finsec Law Advisors,.“While social media can be somewhat addictive, it can be used to share views on issues and sometimes analyse legal issues quite productively. The problem with social media is of course the ‘noise to signal’ ratio being very low. That is probably why few lawyers have signed up. I doubt any lawyer uses social media to reach out to potential clients, but it can be a good means to reach out to people about the work that you do.”.Then there are the regulatory hurdles..The Bar Council of India (BCI) does not allow lawyers to advertise their services beyond permissible limits. What Rule 36 of the BCI Rules does is a) restricts lawyers from soliciting work by the means of circulars, advertisements, touts, personal communications and, b) enables them to share (basic) information about the firm provided for in the same Rule..So things get a bit complicated in the Indian context. Rahul Matthan, partner at Trilegal, explains,.“Creating a handle by itself means nothing when compared to creating a website. But if you use your LinkedIn page to publish information in excess of what the Bar Council regulations permit, it would amount to violation of the rules.”.Why be on social media?.With India being host to over five hundred law firms, some of which are essentially fighting for a piece of the same pie, now would be an appropriate time to adapt to the environment and use social network to enhance the business standards..And this can happen in multiple ways..One, using social media as a Discovery tool. While good quality content is important, so is discoverability. Good content if not disseminated intelligently, will serve a very limited purpose. Solely relying on owned channels such as firm’s website or blog can limit the outreach. Using a prudent mix of owned, earned and paid channels affords firms the opportunity to be heard by newer audiences, thus generating brand awareness..Adds Rahul,.“There are lot of international law firms using social media, but it hasn’t really caught on in India as yet. The idea is, that rather than going to the website, people will follow the Twitter/ Facebook page to see updates and information. But, this is not the case in India.”.Two, using social media to build credibility. Clients hire lawyers, not law firms. Continuously publishing useful content of your area of expertise will lend credibility. Social tools and practices are increasingly becoming an important factor that potential clients use when choosing a firm to do business with..According to Mrinal Ojha, partner at Phoenix Legal,.“Credibility is a larger issue and a function of things beyond just social media. But these tools certainly help in expanding presence and being credible to a larger pool. Much depends on the choice of platform too. Twitter, for example, may work well standalone for reputed and well-known individual lawyers who use it to air views, sometimes beyond just legal issues, and which many people may find relevant. .For law firms, Twitter is better at complementing other existing platforms including their websites for a greater reach. Twitter is also great for picking up information and not just disseminating. ”.Three, Business Acquisition. A business development analysis by Blank Rome LLP shows that efficient use of social media increases lead generation and profitability for law firms..However, this may not particularly be true in the Indian context, just as yet. Mrinal adds,.“We are not in the marketing or client acquisition zone with Twitter or other platforms. We created our handle as it seemed logical to have another platform to extend the information which is already there in the public domain to a larger set, and provide news and views relevant to our practice areas.”.Four, using it as a mode of recruiting. Be where your target audience is. Sure, some law students may have LinkedIn profiles, but they’re mostly defunct or rarely checked. Instead, students are more likely to be spending significant amount of their time on channels such as Facebook, Youtube and Twitter. If recruiting campaigns are effectively executed like marketing campaigns, it will attract better talent. Turn your employees into advocates. Most firms publish content, which is all about them, instead they should publish content that will benefit the target audience. Tell them how being a part of your firm will benefit them..However, both Mrinal and Rahul said they personally don’t feel that social media would be good platform for attracting talent. Mrinal adds,.“We are still in the phase where we have the usual suspects from where you would want to pick up your resources. And we have a variety of traditional ways to identify them, such as directly targeting students finishing up their 3 or 5 year law courses or through headhunters for other levels..So have law firms really taken the bait?.The Good2bsocial score for the top 100 American Law firms has jumped from 27.8 in 2013 to 64.3 in 2016, demonstrating the increasing participation shown by these firms on social media channels. The top 5 firms which have demonstrated the greatest comprehensive adoption, integrating and use of social media to market and grow business via online means and methods, include: DLA Piper, Latham & Watkins, Norton Rose Fullbright, Morgan Lewis & Bockius, Greenberg Traurig. In fact, almost all of the Amlaw 100 have a social media presence (other than LinkedIn).But again, do Indian firms see any tangible benefits from this?.Here is a non-exhaustive list of law firms with their (active) social media handles. This table takes into account only Facebook and Twitter, because of the relatively healthier presence on LinkedIn..According to Rahul,.“It’s difficult to attribute direct tangible benefits. Interacting on social media has the same benefit(s) as presenting at a conference- it depends on whether the content is interesting and who the people are who are listening.”.(Image: Source)