The Gazette 1995

GAZETTE

MAY/JUNE 1995

clients behalf and how much it is costing the client.

í firms in Scotland have not addressed the area of advertising. However, the Law Society of Scotland ran a promotional campaign to raise the j awareqess of solicitors among the i public. The slogan ran "it is never too early to phone your solicitor". This was an extremely successful campaign. Kenneth Ross said that in Scotland there was a very liberal regime in regard to advertising. Unfortunately, a lot of advertising was done on the basis of dropping price and there is no bottom j line as to how far some solicitors are Northern Ireland said that a solicitor should not advertise a fee which is : uneconomical to apply. It results in buying clients from other solicitors and the membership ends up paying for it by Professional Indemnity insurance. Charles Elly, President of the Law Society of England and Wales said that most solicitors get most of their business by word of mouth. The Law I Society of England and Wales gives the j following advice to members - give a ; good service to existing clients and this convinces others to become clients. ; Spending money on getting new clients and not being able to cope is not to be recommended. The Law Society of ! England and Wales produces ; newsletters which members can send ; out to clients. Marketing for solicitors written by Matthew Moore has been published under the aegis of the Law Society. They help members to promote ! their practice and look after clients as j this has the knock-on effect of reducing the number of complaints. Aidan Canavan said that the Law I Society of Northern Ireland has a Law Society Quality mark with regard to prepared to go. Aidan Canavan, President of the Law Society of

conveyancing. All solicitors who have the quality mark must carry out a ! conveyance in a particular way and ; officers of the Law Society check that S this is so. Pat O'Connor from the floor felt that this may be seen as more ; regulation if the Law Society of Ireland Í introduced such a scheme. In conclusion the keynote speaker said that solicitors need to communicate more effectively with clients. Solicitors should ask clients: why did they come here? and are they satisfied with the service transacted? Social Events A selection of activities were arranged for Friday afternoon. One could choose from: golf, fishing, a hike (specially | arranged by Brendan Walsh, Solicitor), : a tour of Muckross House or clay pigeon shooting and archery. On I Saturday a most enjoyable trip across j the Gap of Dunloe was arranged. This j included a trip by pony and trap and a boat trip on the lakes of Killarney. The ! weather was favourable which added to the spectacular scenery. We all enjoyed [ Irish stew especially arranged at Lord Brandon's Cottage by the Society. Í The Conference culminated with the Annual Conference Banquet on Saturday night with dancing to Paddy Cole and his orchestra. We all said our goodbyes on Sunday morning. The President Paddy Glynn was especially glad to see a number of younger members attending for the first time and he hopes that there will be more at next years conference. i

Information and Training A booklet of information is often a good idea. The booklet should include office hours; out of hours phone numbers; an explanation of fees and services on offer. It should invite clients to ask questions. A solicitor practice should invest in staff training. All staff should be well trained and hire the best receptionist you can afford. Business can be lost because the receptionist is not well trained. Look at how long clients are kept waiting in your practice. A simple factor like this can influence a prospective client. Anticipating and satisfying clients needs is the secret to a successful practice. The solicitors' profession is very competitive and one must use proven marketing skills to have a successful business in this competitive world. Panel Discussion The Panel Discussion commenced with Maurie Stack, President of the Law Society of New South Wales. Maurie Stack is a litigation solicitor, and runs a large successful family practice. He said that when one is recruiting solicitors one must take into account their warmth for people. He also said that the name of a firm is important. It must change with the changing nature of the firm. His firm now called Stacks Law Firm produces merchandising items such as t-shirts, caps etc. and also indulges in T.V. advertising!

See you next year. | Catherine Dolan Public Relations

Kenneth Ross, President of the Law Society of Scotland said that most law

Executive.

Doyle Court Reporters Principal: Áine O'Farrell Court, Conference, AGMs, Business Meetings, Arbitrations. Verbatim Reporting - Daily Transcripts 2, Arran Quay, Dublin 7. Tel: 872 2833 or 286 2097 (After Hours) Fax: 872 4486 'Excellence in (Reporting since 1954

154