Copywriters Make the Best Legal Writers

Apr 25
08:14

2012

Nigel Graber

Nigel Graber

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These days, it's more vital than ever for law firms to market themselves properly. But, too often, the vital task of copywriting is handled internally when it should be given to a skilled legal copywriter.

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In today's challenging business environment,Copywriters Make the Best Legal Writers Articles legal copywriting can't be left to chance. Law firms need to attract the cream of the graduate crop each year and also market themselves to the corporate world in the most effective way possible. This means great website copy, Facebook and Twitter updates, and online articles and press releases.

Naturally, rumours of the death of traditional print marketing are grossly exaggerated. Law firms have a desperate need for great recruitment brochures and corporate brochures that they can take to recruitment fairs and leave on the leather-bound desks of the big corporations.

Any law firm blundering on without a quality corporate brochure or recruitment materials will soon find themselves among the sheep in the law world, rather than prowling and snarling around the flock, which is where they should be. Attracting the leading candidates of the day and selling themselves to large corporations is par for the course for major law firms.

So who's going to do all this legal copywriting? Sadly, it's frequently the intern or junior partner with time on their hands and an A grade in A-level English who's tasked with selling the firm to the world. In reality, it should be a highly qualified and experienced marketing professional who knows how to sell a business in writing.

I'm not saying that solicitors are unintelligent people. They’ve been to law school and hold down very demanding jobs. They just might not have the right skills for legal copywriting. The other factor is that they won't have the time; they're busy people. What time they do have is usually charged out a £200 an hour. Why waste all that valuable budget on a task that diverts the solicitor from his or her core legal tasks?

Checking out those former solicitors who have established themselves as legal writers doesn't bring much joy, either. Their websites betray some pretty fundamental errors in spelling and grammar. Those former solicitors also have trouble seeing the wood for the trees and filtering complex legal material into easily understood, media-friendly copy.

No, that all-important legal copywriting for your law firm marketing is best suited to the professional copywriter. Find one who's got in-depth experience of working for Magic Circle firms or leading international companies and make sure they understand the different legal disciplines, the seat system and how to write winning legal recruitment literature.

The task of promoting your law firm in writing is so vital that it can't be left to chance. Think about it: would you send a copywriter into court to defend a client?