At Cultivate 2019: Brisbane, Tracey Whyte, Director of Business Development and Marketing at Piper Alderman shares her tips, via a Q&A, for staying true to your firm values while investing in growth. For Piper Alderman, identifying markets of potential before competitors whilst maintaining niche areas of expertise, continues to keep the firm thriving.
Really supported our partners who have identified a market before our competitors. For example, around about five years ago we had the idea to set up a ‘Claims Origination Team’, which centred around litigation funding. Another example is our blockchain practice which started out as an area of interest for one of our Sydney-based partners. At the end of 2017, he started working on initial coin offerings and has since built up his profile with our business development team and is now one of the go-to people in Australia for blockchain expertise. So for us, growth is about looking outside the norm and looking at what we could be doing differently. That has been our key growth strategy over the last 3-5 years.
We are educating our clients around blockchain including running seminars, writing articles, podcasts, numerous speaking engagements around the technology.
We will continue supporting those newer practice areas, but one of the things we love to focus on are those niche areas that we are known for and where our expertise is valued. This is so that we move away from commoditised products, allowing our partners to be hands on.
We do have plans for moderate growth and expansion over the next few years. We’ve had a good formula over the last 18 months where we have bought in a lot of lateral hires. We intend to keep that going.
To me, our greatest investment has been our team and people. Our main goal is to support our lawyers and partners in business development activity. We see our lawyers and partners as our sales people because they are out there in the market, talking to clients and they are the ones our clients really want to talk to. We do have a pretty healthy budget for business development and marketing. We are digging into that quite a lot at the moment for our new website which will be launching at the end of this month. In addition, we are doing a brand refresh. I have really appreciated that the firm has identified the need for these changes but it means we are very busy at the moment.
Earlier this year, I identified that our online presence was lacking and in March I recruited a Marketing and Digital Communications Coordinator. We do spend time scheduling LinkedIn posts and thinking about what we want to put out there. Over the last 6 months we have increased our followers by 20%. Strategies that we use include:
With our upcoming brand refresh, we will look into some video content which we don’t normally use and really engaging a lot more with our followers, trying to get conversations going.
With InfoTrack’s electronic filing system, you can integrate effortlessly with your practice management system (PMS). This integration not only saves you critical time but also ensures that vital information is pre-filled on the application, and your matter documents are ready for direct upload to the court. Gone are the days of manually entering data and double-checking for accuracy. Our system does the heavy lifting, so you can focus on what truly matters – your case.
One of the standout features of InfoTrack’s Family Court integration is the continuous, real-time updates you receive directly from the court’s portal. No more constantly checking for court events, orders, uploaded documents, or party information. Our system provides regular updates straight into your matter, ensuring you are always in the loop.
All filing receipts, cost recoveries, and lodged documents are automatically sent back to your practice management system. This integration ensures that all your records are up-to-date and easily accessible within your existing workflow. No more hunting for misplaced documents or reconciling multiple systems – everything you need is right at your fingertips.
InfoTrack’s integration with the Commonwealth Courts Portal revolutionises the way you manage court filings and updates. By combining ease of use, real-time updates, smart tips, and comprehensive document management, we help you streamline your legal processes and enhance efficiency. In her realm of practice, Janine has identified how this solution offers increased client satisfaction and improves the quality of legal services.
“The Family Court platform allows us to bill more efficiently due to time saving processes enabling the quality of the work to be higher. Overall, it benefits not only the client (in our case solely Legal Aid Queensland) but the firm to operate better, meeting higher standards of practice.”
Stay ahead of the curve and ensure your practice runs smoothly with InfoTrack’s advanced electronic filing system. Save time, reduce errors, and keep your focus where it belongs – on delivering exceptional legal services. Learn more about Family Court here.
