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27 July 2017 / Kristina Oliver
Issue: 7756 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Marketing: a view from the inside

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Kristina Oliver explains how in-house marketers can add value to law firms & the bottom line

For many legal marketing departments, one of the biggest frustrations is how partners and fee-earners interact with them. The hierarchical divide alongside the preconception of being a cost centre does little to help this situation. However, by changing your approach and adopting the changes outlined below you can revolutionise collaboration levels and improve relationships across the firm.

Think like a business owner

Marketing mangers should think of their team as their own marketing agency. Start thinking and treating lawyers as if they were clients—ask questions and find out exactly what they are looking to achieve. A happy, engaged client will almost certainly return and spread the word about your services. Equally, an unhappy client will be just as vocal about their experience so always put them and their needs first. Respond quickly to contact—even if it is just an acknowledgement that an email has been received.

Know your brief

While a brief might seem like

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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