Marketing is becoming more multi-faceted in the digital age. Greater competition, clients expecting more for less and uncertain times and solicitors being reluctant to do it means marketing for law firms can be a challenge. We help support your firm to differentiate itself and attract clients.
Rachel Brushfield was a judge in the Marketing and Communication category of the Law Society 2019 Excellence Awards.
Marketing Strategies
Many solicitors dislike marketing – and lack the time to do it.
However, more competition and with solicitors able to work in a wider variety of ways, marketing becomes more and more important. Rachel Brushfield has done more events helping solicitors to overcome blocks about marketing themselves than any other topic and is a published author for the Law Society ‘Smarter Legal Marketing. Practical Strategies for Busy Lawyers’. (October 2018)
We help
- You pinpoint your blocks about marketing and overcome them
- You gain a practical marketing strategy that works for your business
- Create a step by step marketing plan to deliver your marketing strategy
- Create content if you want us to
We support
- Using our niche marketing experience
- With insights and ongoing support
- By making our approach suit your need with marketing strategy workshops and individual marketing mentoring
Services
- Individual marketing mentoring
- Practice group workshops
- Client journey experience workshops
- ‘Blowing your own trumpet’ events
- Content for workshops
Client Testimonials
Insights, tools and new ideas
“Coaching with Rachel Brushfield at Energise provides energy, insights, tools and new ideas to invigorate a busy fee earner. The sounding board and time and space that the 121 personalised time enables re-energises you, provides different perspectives on challenges, leads to new contacts & networks, and gives shortcuts about the role of social media in business development.”
Caroline Wallis, Partner, Boyes Turner.
Actually we have all the skills
“Marketing and brand awareness is something lawyers tend to think should be done by the firm’s marketing team. Rachel showed us that actually we have all the skills, which will focus and can build
and grow our practices into what we want them to be. I have really enjoyed working with you and I have learnt a lot.”
Rachael Smethurst, Equity Partner, Henmans LLP.
Useful, enjoyable marketing
“Useful, enjoyable marketing to develop your business.”
Helen Taylor, Associate, Henmans LLP.
Inspiring and practical
“Inspiring and practical guidance that was made enjoyable by Rachel.”
Gemma Nicholls, Solicitor, Henmans LLP.
Provided us with all the right tools
“Rachel has lots of down to earth practical advice. She provided us with all the right tools to go out and win new clients.
She’s relaxed and easy to communicate with.”
Louise Golding, Partner, Dehns.
Very knowledgeable
“Rachel is knowledgeable in a wide variety of different marketing areas, and very willing to apply her knowledge to our needs.”
Phillip Webber, Partner, Dehns.
A good mixture of inspiration and practical suggestions
“It was a good mixture of inspiration and practical suggestions. Rachel listens to what you want and helps you to see how
you can achieve it.”
Adrian Samuels, Partner, Dehns.
Refreshing
“Advice on marketing is legion and often depressing to read. It leaves the unwilling or unhappy marketer feeling impotent, inadequate and a misfit. All the more refreshing therefore to be met with Rachel Brushfield’s premise that you should find what you love to do and do more of it.
Hooray, we cry – no more awkward silences at networking events, no more cold-calling or uncomfortable trumpet blowing! The mythical concept of what is marketing is comprehensively debunked. As a result of this deconstruction, all of those promotional activities that make many lawyers squirm, are broken down into more manageable tasks that therefore lose their ‘queasy’ nature. The advice is ‘to start small and easy’ and be comfortable with ‘imperfect actions’ as being better than no action at all is wise counsel.”
Katherine Southby, Former Editor, The Association Women Solicitors (AWS) Link magazine.
We would recommend her to anyone in a client facing role
“Rachel provided valuable team training on helping clients in difficult times and real insight into communication and empathy skills. We would recommend her to anyone in a client facing role.”
Slater & Gordon
Content Creation
The creation of content is a cost-effective form of continual professional development. Webinars, case studies and downloads enable your budget to go further – and sharing these across a number of online platforms can significantly enhance reach. A white paper can be an effective way to position your firm strategically as part of your marketing assets.
We help you
- High quality unique content for your business including webinars, free reports and case studies
- Quality content in specialist areas including career, talent, marketing and brand
- Ghost written articles and white papers
We support
- Create a content schedule to meet the needs of your business
- Save time by creating content for your LMS (Learning Management System)
- Get the credit for quality content – whilst we do the work
Services
- Articles
- White papers
- Webinars
- E courses
- Books
Reviews
Excellent stuff
“I just read your chapter on the gender balance. Excellent stuff, it’s good to see the analysis is finally getting beneath the surface and working out what it is about the business model that pushes women out.
Personally, I’ve always felt that it’s just that women are smarter than men and more prone to making rational, non-ego driven choices. And it simply doesn’t make sense to stay in a big law firm, for anyone. Anyway, congratulations on another great piece of work.”
Michael Bradley, Managing Partner, MARQUE
Lawyers Pty Ltd.
A concentrated burst of thoughtful analysis
“I can honestly say I am very impressed and would be delighted to provide a review. In particular, I thought your chapter dealt with a slippery and sometimes controversial issue with clarity and a degree of practicality not often seen. I will be recommending this section to those involved in our Women Partners initiative.
This is a concentrated burst of thoughtful analysis and practical pointers. In a jargon-prone discipline, the author quickly gets to the heart of their topic, bringing clarity to key talent-related issues affecting law firms with a minimum of theatrics. This little volume punches above its weight.”
Stephanie Abbott, Director of Knowledge and Learning, Herbert Smith Freehills (about the IBA Talent development book for which we contributed a chapter on ‘Women in the law’).
Very relevant
"Rachel first told me she was going to write this publication she asked me if I thought the topic was a relevant one; I confirmed that indeed it was! Highly relevant given the changing landscape of the legal sector in the UK with Market Consolidation, Outcomes Focused Regulation, Alternative Business Structures and potential external investment into law firms all driving firms to develop different strategies and approaches; the “do nothing” option is no longer an option.
There has never been a more important time to focus on the development of law firm talent. The traditional levers of high salary increases and bonuses are not as accessible as they used to be to the majority of lawyers, their need/desire for more engagement has never been greater and we are seeing the different aspirations and needs of the new generations of lawyers. So Rachel’s timing for this publication is spot on as is the breadth of the subject matter she has covered; a testimony to her skill and dedication!
Rachel has sketched the landscape well by capturing the key issues firms are facing and the methodologies they are employing. She has identified the drivers of change very well and then gone on to express the needs of the different levels of legal professionals from graduate recruit through to Partners be they newly promoted, established or brought in as lateral hires. Also are included in the analysis are other important groupings like women and the new Generations Y and “Millennials”.
Rachel then analyses the different types of professional development delivery and how to engage with the lawyers around them; a very thorny topic! A very good section analyses the traditional skills lawyers need in the new market but more importantly the new skills which will become more prevalent in the changing market including such as pricing, project management and people engagement; the new breed of law firm professional will need to be very different in the future. Throughout her analysis Rachel backs up her own views and ideas with a wide range of experts from within the legal sector who operate in a variety of roles in recognised firms.
The publication ends with a series of very relevant case studies from a variety of firms, in terms of geography and size,
around topics that have been discussed earlier in the book. They are very readable and practical and give the reader good insights into what has been achieved already by leaders in the marketplace. It is a good way for Rachel to complete the portrait! So all in all a very good and relevant publication which will give good ideas and insights to Managing Partners, Chief Executives, HR and L&D Directors and more broadly to those interested in the future of the legal market in the UK and beyond.”
Charlie Keeling, Global HR Director, Clyde &Co LLP (about “Professional development for lawyers”, Ark, October 2012.)
A comprehensive guide to the current state of professional development for lawyers
“If you’re looking for an up to date exploration of the world of professional development in the legal sector then the “Professional Development for Lawyer” report by Rachel Brushfield will fit the bill. Rachel has interviewed numerous people including managing partners, lawyers at various stages of their careers, L&D professionals and people in law firm management roles, and as a result Rachel has produced a comprehensive guide to the current state of professional development for lawyers. The report provides a number of perspectives and case studies but it also provokes thinking, and I’m sure learning, for those already well versed in learning and professional development.
Rachel covers everything from explaining what CPD is and the current work of the LETR to highlighting the changing landscape of the legal marketplace and the emergence of ABS following the Legal Services Act. The report contains a collection of approaches for delivery used in law firms of different sizes and focus. The essential skills for the legal market and what firms are now doing in the leadership and management development space and social media are also addressed in some detail. This report provides an all-round view from international as well as UK based contributors of the role of professional development in an ever-changing environment for law firms and is a useful reference for all involved in the professional development of lawyers.”
Sue Beavil, Senior Training and Development Manager, Mayer Brown International LLP (about “Professional development for lawyers”, Ark, October 2012.)
Find out more
Events
The Law Society Newbury ‘Personal branding.’ (October 2019)
South Cheshire Law Society ‘Personal Branding’ event July 2019.
AWS London ‘Personal branding and social media’, ‘Blowing your own trumpet’.
AWS Manchester ‘Blowing your own trumpet’.
AWS Surrey ‘Blowing your own trumpet’.
Publications
The Law Society ‘Smarter Legal Marketing’ book.
Contributor to:
The Rise of Specialist Career Paths in Law Firms
https://www.globelawandbusiness.com/books/the-rise-of-specialist-career-paths-in-law-firms
Articles include:
‘Diversity for innovation’ for Managing Partner Magazine
Equality for innovation‘Self-Promotion parts 1 and 2’ for AWS’s national magazine Link.
Self Promotion - part 1 Self Promotion - part 2, Solutions and tips