JUNIOR LAWYERS DIVISION
South Hampshire Junior Lawyers Division
SHJLD
aims to promote networking, social and informative events to junior lawyers. We understand the importance of professional development we have webinars planned on recruitment and expanding legal knowledge for our members during March. We recently held a webinar hosted by Chadwick Nott, discussing top tips for NQ applications. A few of these are summarised below: ■ Use your training diary to help draft your CV tailoring your CV towards the area of law you are looking to qualify into; ■ Make sure to include all relevant experience – it is a myth that a CV should be no more than 2 sides of A4; ■ If applying to another firm, consider location not only physically in terms of accessing the office but also how a role working from home would impact your decision; ■ Practice your virtual interviewing techniques. Be attuned to body language and how to answer questions on screen.
The SHJLD also hosted a virtual chocolate tasting session with Chococo in December, discovering more about the chocolate making process and the differences in flavours. Act of Kindness Month During the month of March, the SHJLD are holding an “Act of Kindness” month. We are asking our members and our sponsors to support us in making or sharing small acts of kindness throughout the month. If you would like to get involved in helping us with this, please do let us know #MarchKindnessSHJLD Follow us on or social media accounts to hear more about the upcoming events or become a member for free as membership with the SHJLD is free this year. Email committee.shjld@gmail.com for more information. ■
Reach new clients with Clio + Google My Business
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hen looking for legal services, 57% of consumers search on their own, relying heavily on online search. This happens even more during recurring national lockdowns. Since Google owns more than 90% of the global search market share, having a Google My Business profile ensures you show up where today’s potential clients are looking – online. Meeting clients where they are searching is essential for lawyers to efficiently and effectively grow their business. Google My Business brings a professional presence to channels that your clients are already familiar with. Although having a Google My Business profile doesn’t mean you’re going to get a tsunami of leads overnight, it will help establish your reputation as a trusted business in your local community when you may not be able to meet clients face-to-face. As a leading provider of cloud-based legal case management software, Clio knows that having a reliable stream of clients coming through the door (even if it’s virtual) is essential for any firm to succeed. With Clio’s Google My Business integration, you can create and manage a free Google Business Profile for your firm from directly in Clio. This allows you to reach an untapped client pool. Having a Google My Business profile also gives search engines another “vote of confidence,” indicating that you are who you say you are. This makes search engines more likely to reward your website with better results in their search queries, making it easier for potential new clients to find you.
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Finally, since reviews still reign supreme when hiring a lawyer, with over half of prospective clients saying they use internet searches and review sites to help make a decision, you need to make it easy for prospective clients by having reviews appear next to your Google Business profile. You can also increase those Google ratings by sending clients a review request link that’s specific to your firm. Be proactive by asking for a review from every happy client, so that if a negative review comes along, it’s far outweighed by the good ones. To learn more about how Clio can help you grow your law firm, visit www.clio.com/uk. ■
