(I am writing this from Edinburgh airport on my iPhone so please excuse the typos – yes maybe more than usual for any regular readers)!
I have been with clients in Edinburgh today. If you knew who they were or looked at their website you would probably describe them as a High Street law firm and that is the point of this blog. Two years ago this description would probably have been accurate and could apply to many other firms. But they realised that being a High Street law firm and doing things the way that they always had done no longer worked. They realised they needed to change, adapt and evolve. As part of that process they called me in. They listened to my ‘crazy ideas’ and over time embraced them and started applying them to their practice. They realised that perhaps they were not crazy, but just ways of reaching out to clients that they had never used. They now use them and see results. They interact and engage much more with their clients. They now surprise me with their willingness to test new ideas as long as they work for them and their clients.
This is the new High Street law firm, it’s just not a High Street law firm anymore.
I’m pleased to see someone else saying there is still life in “high street” firms. I agree entirely — those law firms who survive will do so by adapting and changing . Improved client care, a full web presence, innovative marketing, listening to what actually clients want and delivering services in a more convenient way to clients must be at the centre of any successful long-term survival strategy.