Mediaboss Marketing

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new survey suggests that social media is now delivering a return on investment for law firms, with 49 percent of U.S. law firms reporting that blogging and social networking initiatives have helped produce new business leads and 41 percent reporting that social media had helped them to actually land new work.

"Fans, Followers and Connections: Social Media ROI for Law Firms," a special report released today from ALM Legal Intelligence, is based on a survey of approximately 180 law firm partners, marketing professionals and administrators that was conducted in December 2011 and January 2012. The report is available now at http://www.almlegalintel.com.

"After a slow start to gain acceptance in the legal services industry, U.S. law firms are rapidly gaining confidence in the use of social media as a serious business development strategy," said Kevin Iredell, vice president of research and continuing education at ALM. "The skepticism of a decade ago has given way to a growing appreciation for the ways that blogs and various other social media and networking tools can be deployed to help build the reputation of individual lawyers and practice groups, as well as enhance law firms' overall marketing efforts."

Other notable findings from the survey include:

Almost 85 percent of law firms now make use of social media and networking tools, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Just over 60 percent said their firms now maintain one or more blogs. Nearly 90 percent believe that the integration of social media into their firms' marketing, business development and recruiting efforts should be an important priority, with more than 40 percent rating social media initiatives as very important. More than half said that their firms plan to increase their budget for social media initiatives in 2012 and just over 20 percent said their firms already have a full-time social media specialist on staff. More than 40 percent said that blogs and social media networks have helped to increase the number of calls their firms receive from journalists in traditional and new media. Likewise, roughly the same number said their presence in the blogosphere and on social media networks had also increased the number of speaking invitations their lawyers receive.

About ALM Legal Intelligence

ALM Legal Intelligence offers detailed business information for and about the legal industry, focused on the top U.S. and international law firms. The division's online research Web service, http://www.almlegalintelligence.com, provides subscribers with direct, on-demand access to ALM Legal Intelligence's extensive database of surveys, rankings and lists related to law firms and the legal industry. ALM Legal Intelligence is a division of ALM.

About ALM

ALM, an integrated media company, is a leading provider of specialized business news, research and information, focused primarily on the legal and commercial real estate sectors. ALM's market-leading brands include The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel, GlobeSt.com, Insight Conferences, Law.com, Law Journal Press, LegalTech, The National Law Journal and Real Estate Forum. Headquartered in New York City, ALM was formed in 1997. For more information, visit http://www.alm.com.

ALM, The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel, GlobeSt.com, Insight Conferences, Law.com, Law Journal Press, Law Technology News, LegalTech, The National Law Journal and Real Estate Forum are trademarks or registered trademarks of ALM Media Properties, LLC.

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4 in 10 Law Firms Report Landing New Clients by Using Social Media, According to ALM Legal Intelligence Special Report