The New York Times today takes a peek at the nascent field of law firm videos.
Most are targeted at associate recruitment, such as these from Choate, Hall and Stewart. The YouTube-type format is rather arresting, although the two partners to the left of the videos seem a bit uncomfortable as they float in red space.
More intriguing is the experiment of the Quinn Emanuel, which wanted to go further:
The firm started a Web site, which, among other things, was to feature “A Day in the Life of an Associate.â€
The video told the story of Ivey, a young brunette, who is first seen as she develops photos in her darkroom and plays Ultimate Frisbee. Ivey (really an actress) says she has a B.A. from Yale and a J.D. from Stanford, and is seen wearing a form-fitting jersey shirt, blue jeans and chunky necklaces as she consults with the partners.
But when the Web site went live last week, the video did not appear.
The “Work at Quinn Emanuel” page of their web site says the video is “coming soon.” Maybe the original will find its way to the web.
I’d love to have heard the marketing pitch that resulted in a reality-type video for a law firm being shot using an actress.
I think video is going to be much more common on law firm web sites in the future. But if the process is directed solely by marketers, law firms will miss some of the real impact that this personalization of their practice could make.
Gibson Dunn has taken a different and more direct approach with six videos directed at diversity. I find more it much more effective.
What would be real news is when a law firm shoots and places on their web site a video that shows what “A Day in the Life of an Associate” is really like.
