Not long ago, The American Lawyer criticized law firms that let “prosperity crowd out charity in the frenzied New Economy” adding that such misanthropy “could prove penny-wise and pound-foolish. Now, with the New Economy not quite as frenzied and prosperity not quite as glowing, law firms have even less of an excuse for not engaging in community service – and reaping the dividends.

Even law firms that have consistently given a significant amount of money and time to causes, not including pro bono work, rarely do so with a plan in mind. They are not looking at community outreach as an aspect of their marketing or as a strategic part of their business plan. Typically, firms reach out to their communities – often at the direct request of their clients – by taking a table at a charitable event or by making a donation. The client thanks the firm, the organization thanks the firm, the table goes half-empty and the contribution is forgotten – until next year. The firm gets little value for its gesture, except from some fleeting good will from that particular client. End of story.

Not so in corporate America. Companies in virtually every industry recognize the strategic marketing value of their community outreach, and devote significant resources to it. In return, they strengthen ties to clients, improve their public image and, frequently, win awards for their efforts.

Corporate Model

Some law firms have adopted the corporate model. Take, for example, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, a 450-lawyer firm based in Boston, that created a Community Service Advisory Committee to initiate efforts on behalf of local domestic violence organizations. Or, consider Holland & Knight’s Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation, which was created in 1996 to manage and coordinate the firm’s considerable charitable contributions and activities. Finally, observe Hoagland, Longo, Moran, Dunst & Doukas, a midsize firm in New Jersey that received front page attention recently in The Star Ledger, the state’s most prominent newspaper, for its weekly pizza-and-tutoring sessions.

With its Your Honor awards, the Legal Marketing Association also recognizes community service as an important marketing category. One of this year’s winners, 150-lawyer Burr & Forman, based in Alabama, was noted for its innovative Kid One Transport Systems program, which offers free transportation to disadvantaged children and expectant mothers in need of health care.

Doing Well by Doing Good

These firms see that there is, indeed, a way to do well by doing good. Some have devoted a lot of money and effort to their community outreach efforts. Others, like Hoagland Longo, have had fewer hard costs – besides weekly pizza deliveries.

While these firms reach out and give value to their communities they also add value to their businesses. Such efforts build on the success of traditional pro bono efforts or they compensate for shortfalls that have become increasingly common among firms of all sizes.

Strengthening Ties

Community outreach can strengthen ties to clients. If a company thanks its law firm for taking out a table at a dinner sponsored by its president’s favorite charity, imagine how much more enduring the good will would be if the firm also acknowledged the president’s commitment to that charity and offered to partner with the company in supporting it.

In addition, community outreach can generate positive press about the firm – which can help to counter any negative press that lawyers may elicit. It is exceedingly rare for a law firm of Hoagland Longo’s size to receive front page coverage for any reason, much less for one in which both the firm’s name and the names of its lawyers are mentioned repeatedly.

Community outreach can also win the firm awards – and not just from the legal marketing community. On Holland & Knight’s Web site, which includes substantial space devoted to its charitable foundation, the firm proudly lists the many awards it has received for its good work.

Undoubtedly, it is difficult to measure the return on investment of community outreach. The value is there nonetheless -- although the benefits may be intangible. And it is often just as hard to quantify the value of other legal marketing efforts. Ask yourself: how successful have you been in establishing a direct correlation between your Web site, newsletters, or client dinners and new business? As with many marketing activities, community outreach must be viewed as just one of many contributing factors in your business development efforts.

Community Outreach Offers Value Beyond Business

Consider also that community outreach offers plenty of value beyond business development. For example, it:

• Enhances lawyer recruitment efforts.
• Helps create a distinctive image for the firm at a time when the public often regards firms a indistinguishable.
• Helps build a greater sense of community within the firm by joining attorneys and staff in a common effort.

While the firms noted here are not the only ones engaged in community outreach, they stand out for the amount of money and time they devote to it, and for their awareness of the real value it has not just for the community but for the firm as well.

You can continue to donate a few hundred or a few thousand dollars or buy tables at charitable events that you may or may not even fill. Or you can undertake to have your community outreach efforts make a real difference -- both in the community itself and as part of your marketing strategy.