In commenting on my last post about involving staff in marketing, Dan Hull over on What About Clients? blog goes one step further. He reminds us that all employees and shareholders must take both marketing and client service seriously. Actually, they are inseparable. Both are critical to a firm’s long term health.

He again emphasized how every person in his a law firm must realize that clients are the main event, which is Rule 3 of his famous 12 Rules of Client Service. The rules are contained in his firm’s Practice Guide, which is now required reading for everyone at the firm.
 

Here again are Dan’s twelve rules:

1. Represent only clients you like.
2. The client is the main event.
3. Make sure everyone in your firm knows the client is the main event.
4. Deliver legal work that changes the way clients think about lawyers.
5. Over-communicate: bombard, copy and confirm.
6. When you work, you are marketing.
7. Know the client.
8. Think like the client–help control costs.
9. Be there for clients–24/7.
10. Be accurate, thorough and timely–but not perfect.
11. Treat each co-worker like he or she is your best client.
12. Have fun.

Marketing and client service are not just for the lawyers. They are for everyone. As Dan puts it at his firm “buy into it or leave.”