In this episode we engage in an insightful conversation with the Jaayaa Kumar – a legal expert and marketing professional and explore the captivating journey of her firm’s marketing strategy transformation.With unwavering dedication to engaging content and clever use of platforms like LinkedIn, Jaayaa has made an impressive impact in the traditionally grounded world of law firms.

Introduction

0:44 Jaayaa never intended to pursue a career in the legal industry. Originally aspiring to be a journalist, she found herself in Bombay, where circumstances led her to study law. While attending early morning classes and taking evening internships, she stumbled upon an intriguing opportunity.

During an internship at a specialized training and recruitment company for the legal community, Jaayaa worked with a sales and marketing expert. This experience piqued her interest and prompted her to explore this unconventional path. Despite having a law degree, she chose not to intern at a typical law firm.

With the guidance and support of mentors, Jaayaa delved into the distinctive world of law firms. She discovered the flamboyant and sophisticated culture of lawyers and learned the ins and outs of deals and transactions. Now, she works at a small but reputable law firm, utilizing her expertise in marketing and business development.

Jaayaa’s journey hasn’t been easy, but her dedication and the support of her family and colleagues have helped her succeed. She’s grateful for the opportunities that have shaped her career and is excited to continue making her mark in the legal industry.

Favourite Campaign

3:53 In her role, Jaayaa highlights various successful campaigns she has been a part of, both during and outside the challenging times of COVID. One noteworthy campaign was an internal brand campaign, where they invited a prominent figure from the Big Force to address their team, leading to a successful collaboration and client conversion.

During the COVID pandemic, the firm recognized the importance of mental health and initiated a mental health program in collaboration with an agency. This initiative was well-received by the partners and proved to be valuable during the tough times, especially in Delhi.

Jaayaa also mentions a particular practice area, Antitrust and Competition, which saw significant growth during COVID. They actively promoted this practice through webinars and collaborations with other law firms. Although the partner initially struggled to gain recognition, their dedicated efforts eventually led to her becoming the top-ranked professional in the country.

Working with her current law firm, Jaayaa has brought about positive changes by encouraging the partners to have a presence on LinkedIn, despite the firm’s low-key approach. She monitors and ensures that designations are updated, acknowledging that such seemingly small details hold significance in the legal industry. Training lawyers to write engaging content for LinkedIn requires effort, but Jaayaa’s dedication in this aspect has made a considerable impact in the firm’s marketing and business development strategies. She recognizes that even seemingly minor changes like these can be substantial steps forward in the traditionally conservative world of law firms.

Importance of data in current role

6:15 Jaayaa played a pivotal role in transforming her firm’s marketing strategies. Despite being trained as a lawyer rather than a marketer, she took the initiative to monitor website analytics and share data from Google Analytics with the team. This led to a better understanding of the most effective landing pages, team pages, deal pages, and join us pages. As a result, the partners began to grasp the importance of showcasing their deals, matters, and awards to the world.

Moreover, she successfully changed the partners’ perception of social media. Initially despised, social media now holds a prominent place in the firm’s marketing efforts. Clients have expressed their appreciation for the firm’s increased visibility and the discovery of numerous deals they were previously unaware of.

Jaayaa also encouraged the partners to embrace client confirmation before sharing success stories, promoting transparency and credibility. She implemented changes to revamp the partners’ profiles, striking a balance between modernization and the firm’s traditional values.

Magic feature/tool

8:46 Jaayaa wishes for an AI tool that can help lawyers review legal documents more easily. She knows that human involvement and using our brains are important in understanding and communicating effectively. However, lawyers have to review a lot of documents every day, and it can be overwhelming. That’s why Jaayaa wants a tool that can make the process faster and more efficient.

Specifically, she mentions contract management, storage, and cloud solutions that many law firms already use. But she dreams of a tool that can do even more. She wants it to automatically convert long submissions into the required format, without needing to manually check it afterwards.

Jaayaa understands that lawyers pay attention to even small details, like punctuation, which can change the meaning of a sentence. So, she still believes that human involvement is important. But she hopes that the tool can automate parts of the process, making it easier for lawyers to handle their workload.

In summary, Jaayaa hopes for an AI tool that can assist lawyers in reviewing documents more efficiently. She wants it to streamline the conversion process for long submissions, while still recognizing the importance of human input. This tool would help lawyers save time and handle their work more effectively.

Legal Tech and PR: Upcoming Transformations in the Next 2-3 Years

10:50 Jaayaa discusses a recent development in the legal news: the approval for international law firms to open offices in India. While it’s a significant move, she believes it won’t have a major impact on her firm since they already have an established clientele and robust operations in place. However, she anticipates that competition will increase as more international firms set up shop in India, leading to a rising demand for communication professionals.

Despite the potential competition, Jaayaa notes that many lawyers still rely on traditional ways to market themselves. They prefer face-to-face interactions with clients, where they can discuss deals over a drink. Social media, especially LinkedIn, is a powerful tool, but she believes its impact on the legal industry may not be as profound as in other sectors. In her view, connecting on LinkedIn doesn’t necessarily demonstrate the quality of legal expertise a lawyer possesses; that can only be truly appreciated through personal interactions and discussions.

Regarding Twitter, she holds a slightly different opinion. While she enjoys using it as a microblogging platform, she thinks the legal industry, being highly opinionated, should maintain some distance from it.

Jaayaa’s insights highlight the changing landscape of the legal industry and the potential challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. As international law firms enter the Indian market, communication professionals may find increased demand for their services. However, she emphasizes that traditional marketing approaches, such as personal interactions, remain essential for lawyers to showcase their expertise. While social media, like LinkedIn and Twitter, can play a role in marketing, it may not fully capture the depth of legal knowledge and experience that lawyers possess.

My two cents

12:39 Jaayaa advises aspiring communication professionals to start from the basics and conduct thorough research before pursuing a career in PR and communication. She emphasizes the importance of having strong communication skills, both spoken and written in English, as it remains the predominant language in the professional world.

She  encourages individuals to focus on building strong content and expertise, even if it means putting in extra effort to learn and improve on the job. Reading the right books and following industry leaders can significantly contribute to professional growth. She also highlights the importance of patience and building positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Regarding content, Jaayaa underscores its significance in branding and messaging. She advises against sharing content without a clear agenda and purpose. Instead, content should reflect the firm’s values and goals, showcasing a deeper understanding of the brand and its objectives.

For prospective employees, she stresses the importance of conducting “KYC” (Know Your Company) to understand the company culture and assess whether it aligns with their career goals. Thorough research helps ensure a better fit and smoother adaptation in the work environment.

In essence, her  advice centers around a strong foundation, continuous learning, patience, meaningful content, and a well-matched company culture for communication professionals to thrive in their careers.