We’ve been reflecting on the power of communication and the role we as marketers play in pushing the needle of progress forward after hearing a powerhouse presentation from Gia Altreche, Director Of Diversity And Inclusion at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and Sona Spencer, Chief Legal Talent Officer at Troutman Pepper, at the 2024 LMA Annual Conference.
As we prepared for our clients’ Juneteenth content messaging, the significance of our role as legal marketers became profoundly clear: we hold the profound power to be true changemakers. With every word we craft, every email draft we provide for lawyers, and every seemingly minute form of outreach we touch, we can foster genuine authenticity and drive impactful change within our firms and spaces.
Leading the Charge in Embracing Diversity
In the grand orchestra of the legal profession, think of authentic DEI as the harmony that turns mere notes into a symphony of justice and progress. Legal marketers can step up to the podium as conductors, wielding words like a baton to guide perceptions, strengthen bonds, and inspire real change.
At By Aries, we proudly embrace our role with passion and are dedicated to orchestrating a future where inclusivity and equity resonate through every chord of our communications – and we want you to feel empowered to do the same.
That’s our goal. Not to wax poetic about the necessity for law firms to implement DEI initiatives (which, by the way, we 100% support), but to empower other legal marketers to recognize their own critical role and opportunity to play a part in building a more inclusive environment in the work they’re already trusted to perform.
How to Harness the Power of Inclusive Words in Legal Marketing
Legal marketers stand at the powerful intersection of law and communication. Our words wield significant influence, capable of molding perceptions, fostering relationships, and propelling societal change. In a profession often viewed as exclusive and traditional, our messaging can either maintain the status quo or challenge it, pushing for a more inclusive workplace and community.
Reimagining Perceptions
With its storied traditions, the legal profession is often seen as unyielding. Yet, we can reframe this perception through a strategic DEI communications strategy in everyday practice. By highlighting a firm’s commitment to communicating diversity, celebrating diverse voices within the firm, and showcasing community engagement in DEI initiatives, we can portray a law firm as progressive and inclusive. This not only attracts a diverse clientele but also entices diverse talent to join the firm.
Cultivating Authentic Relationships
Marketing strategies can be built on genuine human connections, which are paramount in DEI efforts. Building relationships rooted in authenticity and inclusivity requires transparent messaging that employees, clients, and their prospective counterparts can see and feel. Conveying a firm’s dedication to DEI is genuine and integral to its culture and operations. It’s how we can meaningfully promote diversity in every interaction.
Inspiring Transformation
Legal marketers are powerful agents of change, promoting DEI initiatives through various communication channels. Whether via social media, newsletters, blogs, or webinars, our communications can underscore the significance of DEI and the firm’s efforts in this domain. Consistently advocating for these values helps normalize DEI practices within the legal profession, inspiring others to adopt similar stances and embrace diversity.
Strategies for Meaningful DEI Impact
To truly influence DEI initiatives, legal marketers must move beyond superficial efforts. Here are some strategic, actionable ways to ensure messaging is impactful and authentically inclusive.
Conduct a Comprehensive DEI Audit
Begin by evaluating your current communications. Identify gaps and areas for improvement in the language used, the diversity of individuals featured, and the inclusivity of the topics covered. This audit provides a critical baseline for measuring progress and guiding future efforts, fostering an inclusive work environment.
Elevate Diverse Voices
Incorporate diverse perspectives and stories into your marketing materials. Feature diverse attorneys in blog posts, spotlight minority-led cases, and share testimonials from diverse clients. Highlighting these narratives not only showcases the firm’s diversity but also inspires by celebrating the achievements of underrepresented groups.
Embrace Inclusive Language
Language shapes our realities. Ensure your messaging employs inclusive language that respects all genders, races, and identities. Avoid jargon and legalese that can alienate, opting instead for clear, accessible language that welcomes everyone. This inclusive communication fosters a more inclusive workplace and reaches diverse audiences.
Publicize DEI Initiatives
Law firms often have robust DEI policies and initiatives, but these efforts need to be communicated effectively. Use your platforms to promote the firm’s DEI committee, share updates on DEI training programs, and highlight community involvement. Transparency in these efforts builds trust and demonstrates a genuine commitment to DEI, reflecting the company culture.
Develop DEI-Focused Content
Create content regularly that addresses DEI issues. This could include articles on the importance of DEI in law, interviews with DEI leaders, and case studies on successful initiatives. Consistent DEI-focused content positions the firm as a thought leader in this critical area.
Engage Actively with the Community
Community engagement is vital for DEI. Encourage the firm to participate in community events, sponsor DEI initiatives, and partner with diverse organizations. Highlight these efforts in your communications to show the firm’s active role in promoting DEI beyond its immediate environment and enhancing workplace diversity.
Equip Your Team
Provide your team with the knowledge and resources necessary to create inclusive messaging. Offer training on DEI best practices in marketing, guidelines on inclusive language, and resources on current DEI trends. An informed team is better equipped to produce impactful and authentic content, fostering continuous improvement in DEI communications.
Measure and Communicate Progress
Set specific goals and KPIs for your DEI marketing efforts and regularly measure your progress. Share these results within the firm and use them to refine strategies. Transparency in reporting fosters accountability and showcases the firm’s commitment to continuous improvement in DEI, demonstrating a visible commitment.
Inspiring Change in the Legal Profession
The role of legal marketers extends beyond promoting services; we are catalysts for profound change in the legal profession. We help build a more inclusive and equitable environment by prioritizing DEI in our messaging. Here’s how we can inspire others:
Leading with Purpose
As marketers, we have the opportunity to lead with purpose. By implementing robust DEI strategies and showcasing our commitment, we set a standard for others to emulate. Our success stories serve as blueprints for other firms looking to enhance their DEI efforts and communicate their organization’s commitment.
Educating and Advocating
Education is a cornerstone of change. Use your platforms to educate clients, colleagues, and the broader community about the significance of DEI in the legal profession. Advocate for inclusive practices and policies, using your influence to encourage others to prioritize DEI and promote diversity.
Creating a Ripple Effect
Every action taken to promote DEI creates a ripple effect. When one firm embraces inclusive practices, it sets a precedent for others. By consistently advocating for DEI, we contribute to a larger movement within the legal profession that values diversity and strives for equity and inclusion.
Building Truly Inclusive Spaces
Our ultimate goal as legal marketers is to help construct truly inclusive spaces within the legal profession. These are spaces where every voice is heard, every individual is respected, and everyone has the opportunity to succeed.
Through intentional and authentic messaging, we can help create these spaces and drive lasting change. But what does authentic VS performative messaging look like in practice?
Genuine DEI Communications VS Performative DEI Communications
Genuine DEI communications involve ongoing, specific, measurable actions demonstrating a true commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. On the other hand, performative DEI communications tend to be vague, superficial, or lacking in follow-through, often serving more to enhance the firm’s image than to effect real change.
Sometimes, you don’t know it until you see or feel it, and here are some examples to show you what we mean.
Genuine DEI Communications in Law Firms
- Authentic Stories from Diverse Employees
- Example: “Meet Maria, one of our senior associates. Maria has been with us for five years, and her journey as a first-generation lawyer inspires us daily. Here’s how Maria’s diverse background enriches our team and our approach to client service.”
- Why it’s genuine: It highlights real experiences and contributions from diverse team members, demonstrating the firm’s commitment to diversity through authentic storytelling.
- Transparent Reporting on DEI Progress
- Example: “We are committed to transparency in our DEI efforts. Last year, we set a goal to increase our minority representation by 15%. We’re proud to report that we’ve achieved a 10% increase so far, and here’s our plan to continue this progress.”
- Why it’s genuine: It provides specific, measurable data about the firm’s DEI goals and progress, showing accountability and a genuine commitment to improvement.
- Ongoing DEI Initiatives and Programs
- Example: “Our firm has launched a mentorship program to support minority law students. This initiative pairs students with our attorneys to provide guidance, networking opportunities, and career development support.”
- Why it’s genuine: It showcases a tangible program designed to support underrepresented groups, reflecting a long-term commitment to DEI.
- Engaging in DEI-Focused Community Service
- Example: “We partnered with [Local Nonprofit] to provide pro bono legal services to underserved communities. This partnership reflects our commitment to social justice and giving back to the communities we serve.”
- Why it’s genuine: It highlights meaningful actions to support DEI causes outside the firm, demonstrating a broader commitment to social justice.
- Inclusive Policies and Practices
- Example: “We have updated our hiring practices to ensure they are inclusive and equitable. This includes blind resume reviews and structured interviews to reduce bias and promote diversity.”
- Why it’s genuine: It shows the firm is making systemic changes to its policies and practices to support DEI, reflecting a commitment to creating a more inclusive environment.
Performative DEI Communications in Law Firms
- Vague Statements Without Action
- Example: “We believe in diversity and inclusion. Everyone is welcome here.”
- Why it’s performative: It lacks specific actions, initiatives, or examples, making it sound like a generic statement rather than a genuine commitment.
- Highlighting DEI Only on Specific Dates
- Example: “Happy International Women’s Day! We support all the incredible women in our firm.”
- Why it’s performative: If DEI is only mentioned on special occasions without continuous effort or action, it can be a superficial attempt to appear inclusive.
- Tokenism in Marketing Materials
- Example: Featuring a photo of diverse employees on the website or in marketing materials without them being genuinely integrated into the firm’s culture and decision-making processes.
- Why it’s performative: Using diverse individuals for appearance’s sake, without substantive inclusion or support, demonstrates tokenism and insincerity.
- Lack of Follow-Up on DEI Commitments
- Example: “We are committed to improving our diversity.” (No follow-up or report on progress)
- Why it’s performative: Making a commitment without providing updates or evidence of progress can make it seem like the statement was made for show rather than a genuine intention to change.
- Superficial Celebrations of Diversity
- Example: Hosting a one-time cultural celebration event without any ongoing DEI initiatives or support for diverse employees.
- Why it’s performative: One-off events without sustained efforts or structural changes can appear as though the firm is engaging in DEI for appearances rather than genuine inclusion.
Conclusion: The Power of a Legal Marketer Leading a DEI Communications Strategy in Every Form of Messaging
Shaping Perceptions
As a team of former lawyers and former in-house legal marketers, we know the bottom line at law firms is often the strongest decision-maker, and let’s face it:
Generic statements just don’t make dollars or sense in 2024.
Legal marketers hold a tremendous amount of power here, and it’s easy to make a case for leaders. Strategic communication allows law firms to craft their public image, highlighting their expertise, values, and unique services. By communicating their firm’s commitment to justice, ethical practices, and client success, legal marketers can enhance their reputation and credibility in the eyes of potential clients and the legal community.
Driving Change
Legal marketers can drive change within the firm and the broader legal industry by promoting innovative practices, advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and supporting social justice initiatives. Effective communication can help implement new policies, inspire professional growth, and encourage the adoption of forward-thinking legal practices.
Building Relationships
Strong relationships with clients, employees, and stakeholders are at the core of a successful law firm. Strategic communication fosters trust, loyalty, and collaboration. Often at the center of these crosssections of the firm, legal marketers ensure that all parties feel heard, respected, and engaged, thereby strengthening these crucial relationships.
Influencing Decisions
Legal marketers can influence client decision-making by providing clear, persuasive messaging about the firm’s capabilities and successes, and not just through RFPs and RFQs. Through strategic, everyday communication, they can also impact policy-making within the firm, encouraging the adoption of best practices and ethical standards.
Crisis Management
In the legal industry and our current global society, crises can arise unexpectedly, and marketing teams are the gatekeepers of messaging. Strategic communication is essential for managing these situations effectively. Legal marketers must not only help their firms to respond swiftly and transparently to mitigate negative impacts, maintain client trust, and uphold the firm’s reputation during challenging times, but they should also feel empowered to push back when their firm’s messaging isn’t ringing true or is performative.
Promoting DEI Initiatives
Promoting workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion is critical for modern law firms. Strategic DEI communications highlight the firm’s efforts to create an inclusive workplace, celebrate diverse perspectives, and support underrepresented groups. This attracts diverse talent and resonates with clients who value inclusivity.
This is especially impactful for law firms that still struggle to recruit diverse leadership. As marketers typically structured professionally as support staff, we’re usually part of a much more diverse pool of workers, bringing more diverse perspectives to leadership’s doorstep. It’s a powerful place to be and speak up for what’s right, best, and authentic.
Enhancing Engagement
Engaging clients, employees, and the broader legal community is key. Legal marketers can communicate strategically to keep these audiences informed, involved, and motivated. This could be through newsletters, social media, events, and other external communication and internal communication channels, ensuring continuous and meaningful engagement.
Advocating for Causes
Law firms often advocate for social, environmental, and legal reform, and legal marketers and business development departments are at the forefront of investigating those initiatives, requesting funding, and allocating these forms of outreach to specific parts of a firm’s budget. Strategic communication effectively raises awareness, mobilizes support, and influences public opinion on these causes. Legal marketers can drive significant impact by championing the right initiatives through well-crafted messages – and asking thoughtful questions to help firm leadership realize issues before they arise or push back when a sponsorship is performative or disingenuous.
Supporting Leadership
Law firm leaders rely on strategic communication to convey their vision, inspire their teams, and navigate complex legal landscapes. Most firms utilize their marketing departments for this. Effective communication strategies empower leaders to connect with their audiences, build trust, and lead with confidence, ensuring the firm’s strategic objectives are met while expanding inclusion initiatives.
Facilitating Collaboration
This is the most powerful punch of leading DEI communications in daily practice at a law firm. Strategic communication breaks down silos within the firm and promotes collaboration across different practice areas, backgrounds, and perspectives. Legal marketers can foster a more innovative and cohesive working environment by encouraging the sharing of ideas, resources, and expertise.
Educating and Informing
Legal marketers play a key role in educating and informing both internal and external audiences. This includes clarifying complex legal issues, providing updates on legal trends, and sharing the firm’s insights and knowledge. Leaning toward the goal of building more open and inviting spaces for audiences of all backgrounds ensures that clients and staff are well-informed and can make educated decisions that matter to them.
Enhancing Firm Loyalty
By consistently communicating the firm’s values, mission, and unique selling propositions that traverse cross-sections of our communities, legal marketers strengthen brand loyalty. They create a strong emotional connection with clients, ensuring long-term loyalty and advocacy for the firm’s services.
Creating a Competitive Advantage
In a competitive legal market, leading the charge of strategic communication with diversity efforts at the core can set a law firm apart. By clearly articulating the firm’s unique expertise, successful case outcomes, and commitment to client service, legal marketers can attract new clients and top talent, and build a competitive edge.
Recognizing the profound impact our words can have on the legal profession and all of the spaces we inhabit at the beginning of impacting the real change we want to see in the world around us. As legal marketers, we bear a unique responsibility to use our influence to foster inclusivity and drive positive change. Wilding our commitment to authenticity, quality, intentionality, integrity, collaborative respect, and forward-looking strategies can guide our DEI initiatives during strategic seasons and foster real change all the time.
By realizing the strength in your duties as legal marketers and implementing these actionable strategies, we hope you feel empowered to create a meaningful impact on the people and places in your life and professional career and motivated to inspire others to join you in building a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive legal profession and community.
After all, everybody knows the pen is much mightier than the sword. What change will you put into practice with strategic messaging today?
