One of the main complaints of Barnwell Whaley's managing partner (my boss) was that associate attorneys and even some firm partners did little to market their services. He felt, and rightly so, that in order for the firm to grow, such direct marketing was required.

In law firms (except those that chase ambulances), the best kind of marketing is person to person. Clients hire attorneys, not law firms, especially in small markets like Charleston where no large corporations are headquartered.

After review, it was clear to me that there were no explicit and few implicit incentives for attorneys to market themselves: no time allowances/requirements, no entertainment budgets, nada.

I wrote the marketing plan below with those factors in mind. I implemented the elements of the plan that were within my control: new logo, website, collateral and so on, but I was not able to get the firm to commit to standards and accountability for the attorneys.