Dear Snap-D: We are a law firm with our services geared to consumers and just launched a new website. Now what?

A: First things first, make sure it is mobile accessible. We are all part of the smartphone revolution and want information quickly wherever we are. If your site isn’t mobile friendly, make sure it is today! Create a blog, attach it to your site and commit to updating it frequently. Understand what your audience is looking for and deliver! Make information easy to access. If your download times are slow, work with your web programmer to increase the speed.

Again, people want information quickly. In this same vein, create social media pages: Facebook, LinkedIn, at a minimum and attach the links to your site. Make sure the SM sites are populated with compelling information that will keep folks returning to your site over and over again! Your website is the foundation of everything you do; maintenance is key and most important. If you don’t have someone internally that can keep it up to date, you will want to either outsource the function or hire someone to do so — otherwise your time and money that went into the website will be wasted.

Q: I do a lot of networking and have several thousand contacts. How do I comb through them and convert at least some to clients or referral sources?

A: Let’s start from the very beginning. Do your contacts know exactly what you do? If not, make sure they know your practice as well as you know their practice. Why? Because you also need to think of them and refer work or prospects to them. This produces goodwill and keeps you top of mind. Make sure you work hard at this. It may mean setting up frequent coffees or lunches so they know the type of work for which you are hired. Make sure you are very clear about the type of work you would like to receive and ask the best way to keep them appraised. Ask the same of them. Finally, don’t ever assume you know what’s happening in a client/prospect or referral source’s business. Ask them how they are being affected by new regulations, whether they are expanding or downsizing, what’s currently on their plate, etc. By asking and understanding their business, you are better educated and a better resource for matters in which they will hopefully need your help. Most importantly however, don’t feel as if you are being a burden. People like to see others succeed, and if they can help in any way, they typically will do so — all you need to do is show why you are the right person/firm for the work and then ask for the business. We are all in the business of “generating business.”

Q: Our firm talks a lot about succession planning because it’s a real issue at our firm. It appears that talking is as far as it goes because our firm hasn’t effectuated any change. The senior partners are still in charge, making the majority of the dollars, and the younger partners are doing all the work. How do we effectively make the change and make it stick?

A: Law firm succession planning is much more than a buzzword these days. The key is to creating an effective program that will position your firm for its long-term health. A good plan will consider a compensation system that aligns with the firm interests and rewards the retiring partners for effective client transition. In addition, a good succession plan creates a framework for client retention once the senior partners have retired. Before you can move forward with any of the above, the partners need to be in agreement that succession planning will be taken seriously, and that it will not only be implemented, but also become part of the firm’s business model.