Net that student
In the world of legal business, law firms are recognised by certain characteristics that observers perceive as being synonymous with them. People recall a firm from their perception of it - think litigation, think Herbert Smith - resulting in an image or brand that can be difficult to control. Reputations are formed, talked about, enhanced, damaged, consolidated. Yet how are perceptions actually gained in the first place, or altered, and how do they affect decision-making? For clients, practice area reputation and trusted recommendation are likely to be major factors. But what about graduates; how are their perceptions changed and how does this sway their choices come application time?
January 09, 2008 at 07:04 PM
6 minute read
In the world of legal business, law firms are recognised by certain characteristics that observers perceive as being synonymous with them. People recall a firm from their perception of it – think litigation, think Herbert Smith – resulting in an image or brand that can be difficult to control. Reputations are formed, talked about, enhanced, damaged, consolidated. Yet how are perceptions actually gained in the first place, or altered, and how do they affect decision-making? For clients, practice area reputation and trusted recommendation are likely to be major factors. But what about graduates; how are their perceptions changed and how does this sway their choices come application time?
Consulting and website development company Intendance's latest research focuses on the changing nature of online graduate recruitment and comprises two parts. The most recent is based on an online survey of law students' attitudes towards legal websites, and career sections or microsites in particular. The aim of the survey was to find out what students think about these specific graduate areas, in order to determine whether firms are getting their online recruitment campaigns right, or putting their audience off. The results are illuminating because they show how perceptions can be altered by the tiniest detail. On the other hand, they also show that an ingrained impression of a firm – usually a large, reputable one – can be enough to make the individual ignore such mistakes.
The most striking finding is how significant the internet has become in the formation of recruitment attitudes and opinions. Responding to a question on useful sources of information when job-searching, more than half considered law firms' websites 'an absolute must', while only 16% gave them a rating of less than four out of five. This, in itself, is a powerful endorsement of the internet's influence.
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Trending Stories
- 1The Law Firm Disrupted: For Big Law Names, Shorter is Sweeter
- 2Wine, Dine and Grind (Through the Weekend): Summer Associates Thirst For Experience in 'Real Matters'
- 3'That's Disappointing': Only 11% of MDL Appointments Went to Attorneys of Color in 2023
- 4What We Know About the Kentucky Judge Killed in His Chambers
- 5'I'm Staying Everything': Texas Bankruptcy Judge Halts Talc Trials Against J&J
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250