Atlanta – June 28, 2012 – The Managing Partner Forum reports that mid-size law firms have been slow to react to the onslaught of issues involving social media, and how their lawyers and staff members conduct themselves on the Internet. Furthermore, it finds that firm leaders have yet to embrace personal use of social media, as well. The MPF recently conducted two separate surveys of law firm leaders in April and June 2012 on this important topic.
The first survey was conducted among 62 managing partners at The MPF Spring Leadership Conference held on April 26, 2012, in Atlanta, Georgia. Firms ranged in size from 10 to 180 lawyers.
► 66% of law firms reported that they have no formal social media policies in place governing how their lawyers and staff represent and conduct themselves on the Internet, and
► 64% provide no training to either lawyers or staff. 9% provide training to all personnel in the firm, and 22% provide it to lawyers only. Click here to see detailed pie charts.
“Firm leaders must recognize that clients, prospective clients, opposing counsel, judges, recruits are ‘googling’ their firms and its people every day. And they’re finding stuff. You’d think that most folks working in and around a law firm would realize the importance of proper conduct on the Internet, but you’d be amazed at the stories,” says John Remsen, Jr., President and CEO of The Managing Partner Forum. “Generally speaking, mid-size law firms need to pay much more attention to this potentially dangerous area than they are.”
The second survey was conducted online during June 2012 and asked managing partners about their use of LinkedIn, which has clearly emerged as the most popular online networking place for professionals. 122 law firm managing partners participated. The results were equally interesting.
► 77% said they have a LinkedIn profile.
However, when asked about their use of LinkedIn, we learn that managing partners are not all that engaged. Of managing partners with LinkedIn profiles:
► 40% said they rarely (if ever) go there,
► 31% described themselves as “occasional users,”
► 25% said they check it out at least once a week, and
► 4% said they are there on a daily basis. Click here to see detailed pie charts.
“It would appear that, although most firm leaders have a presence on LinkedIn, very few are actively engaged,” observes Remsen. “We might be a little ahead of ourselves, but we’ve set up a LinkedIn Group just for managing partners and law firm leaders. More than 120 firm leaders have joined, but there’s not all that much dialogue just yet. Time will tell if we’re on to something, and I think we are,” says Remsen.
