Teri Kelly

Communications and marketing have quietly become core to business development, risk management and recruitment and retention. Yet many Irish practices still treat these areas of firm management as peripheral, something to “get to later”.  Luckily, that mindset is changing fast.

A shifting client journey

Ten years ago, a client might have taken a recommendation at face value and picked up the phone. Today, most will ask ChatGPT for a recommendation, Google the firm, check its website and LinkedIn or read a media article before deciding to call.

What they find in those few minutes determines whether your future client will make that call.

According to LexisNexis’s 2023 “Bellwether Report”, 88 per cent of small and medium-sized law firms reported that they are increasing time and investment into business development and marketing activities, an indicator that communications is now seen as a strategic growth tool rather than a discretionary cost.

For smaller and mid-sized firms, this is both challenge and opportunity: a professional online presence can now level the playing field with much larger competitors.

Reputation is performance

A growing number of Irish firms are proving the commercial value of clear, consistent communication.

In Northern Ireland, McCartan Turkington Breen Solicitors in Belfast reported a 1,244 per cent increase in Google search impressions after redesigning its website and introducing regular updates written in plain English, a straightforward communications shift that dramatically improved visibility and inbound inquiries.

In the Republic, McGinley Solicitors achieved a 547 per cent increase in organic search traffic and a 385 per cent rise in keyword rankings in 2022 after a structured SEO and content overhaul, turning its website into a genuine business development channel rather than a static brochure.

These are not marketing stunts, they’re examples of how systematic, professional communication translates directly into growth and client confidence.

Where to Start: Build the Foundations of Reputation

For firms wondering where to begin, the fundamentals are clear. Effective communications start with four foundations: clarity, consistency, credibility and control.

1. Clarify your message – Define what your firm stands for, who you serve, and why clients choose you. Every partner and solicitor should be able to express this in one sentence.

2. Ensure consistency – Align how your firm presents itself across every touchpoint: website, social media, internal communications, client letters, and press statements. Mixed messages undermine trust.

3. Strengthen credibility – Back up your claims with proof: results, case experience, testimonials and thought leadership that educates rather than advertises.

4. Take control through measurement – Track where new business comes from, what channels perform, and how perceptions shift over time. You can’t manage what you don’t measure.

As legal markets across Ireland continue to evolve, differentiation will depend less on price and more on your ability to use your reputation as the strategic asset it is. The firms that thrive will be those that treat communications not as decoration, but as a disciplined management process-planned, measured and continually improved.

This series will explore how to do just that: from building an effective website and using social media strategically, to leveraging thought leadership, handling crises, and proving value to partners and clients alike.

About this series

This article launches “Communications That Work: How Law Firms Build Reputation, Relationships and Results” — a monthly series produced in partnership with Total Reputation, which helps professional firms and organisations manage, measure and strengthen reputation through evidence-based communications strategy.

If you would like help building and protecting the reputation of your firm, contact connect@totalreputation.ie. 

Teri Kelly is founder and CEO of Total Reputation.