A few years back a law firm client came to me with a familiar request. “A couple of our lawyers have written an article,” my contact said. “Can you review it and get it published?”.

Of course. This, after all, is the sort of thing we do.

To protect the anonymity of the authors let's say the title of the proposed article was: “Negotiation and Litigation Related to the Lease of Condominium Parking Spaces, with Special Considerations to Subletting Risk and Liability.” It was 17 pages long (24 with footnotes).

Also, to be clear, that title is not meant to be glib. There is no limit to how specialized or obscure a legal topic can be and still get published in a relevant journal. If there are enough clients out there to support a legal practice, somewhere, someone wants to read about it.

In the end we were able to get the article published—as a six-part-series, no less—in a prominent legal publication. But before it was ready for the press, it had to be almost entirely stripped down and reworked into digestible segments appropriate to the publication's style guidelines. That process required an enormous investment of additional time on the part of the authors, their practice group and the firm's internal and external communications teams.

It doesn't have to be so difficult. In today's business and legal media landscape, publishing opportunities abound as never before. These are valuable and effective ways to elevate the profile of an attorney, a practice area or an entire firm. Still, in law, time is money—quite literally, in six-minute increments. To make the most of publishing opportunities while maximizing efficiency, we recommend these best practices:

Don't Invert the Process

The authors of the Parking Space article made the most common mistake we see: They came up with an idea for an article, wrote it, then handed it off to the PR team to get it published somewhere. The result was an unnecessary and lengthy revision process.

The moment inspiration strikes, the best thing to do is write a brief abstract of the concept—a paragraph or two will do, or even just a bullet list of key takeaways. Before going any further, pass the synopsis to the firm's internal or external communications team. They can vet the topic for newsworthiness, suggest target publications and even surface potential conflicts the firm may have from other practice areas.

The abstract is developed into a pitch formulated to maximize media interest. Pitching is one of the behind-the-scenes processes that lawyers seldom see, but it's a craft honed over many years of media interaction. The way the concept is presented to a media outlet is calibrated to find the intersection of what's of most value to both the author and the publication's audience.

Once the article has been accepted for publication (and the author will often have the choice of more than one option), the piece can be drafted to the publication's specifications, minimizing the need for time-consuming revisions.

Write to Length

These days most articles run between 800 and 1,500 words, but some niche publications still take pieces of 5,000 words or more. Most don't take footnotes or endnotes, so any cases cited should be directly referenced in the text, with the name in italics (most publications follow AP style) and, if allowed, with an embedded hyperlink. Avoid citation numbers.

Having been on the receiving end of hundreds of articles during my days as an editor, it's safe to say that most lawyers tend to write long and err on the side of minutia. This is the nature of legal practice, so that's understandable. But being concise in publication—even for niche legal trades—keeps the reader focused on key insights and top-level takeaways.

Also, stories that come in overlong are often a pet peeve of editors, who may be forced to make significant cuts. It's more work for them and less precision for the author. One of the big upsides to publishing opportunities is control of the message—you don't have to worry about being misquoted. Bringing an article in on length keeps editors happy and ensures accuracy.

Write With Purpose

A one-off article can have value on its own, but the effort's rewards are multiplied if it's part of a broader content strategy. Multiple authors writing on related topics across different media builds a cohesive brand. Don't worry if topics overlap—or if you sometimes feel as if you're repeating yourself. Consistency in messaging is a good thing and helps identify the firm with the subject in readers' minds over time.

Try to find themes that can be built upon, can evolve or foster a deeper dive. Take the Parking Space story: By breaking it into a six-part series, the author was able to set the stage with the first article, explore several facets of the issue, then wrap it up in a conclusion. It was six passes at the apple.

For maximum impact, make sure you don't just explain your subject in purely analytical terms. Make the connection to the real-world implications for your most important audience: clients and prospects. The optimal outcome is for the reader not just to be aware of your expertise on an issue, but to know what it means for them. That's not to say you should be in sales mode—articles should never be directly self-promotional. But a targeted decisionmaker should come away with a fresh perspective on how an opportunity or risk affects their organization.

Finally, make sure you maximize views and impressions by sharing the article both through personal social media, as well as through the firm's social channels. Encourage colleagues and peers to share it as well, especially if they are in your practice group or related areas.

Occasionally we get a glimpse behind the veil of media outlets. A while back an editor reached out to share some internal metrics. An article submitted by a law firm client on a relatively esoteric subject late on a Friday afternoon (not exactly prime time) had gone viral over the weekend and generated hundreds of thousands of views. The message she shared was an email from her boss praising her for publishing the piece. Editors and outlets want your content to perform well. It's as good for them as it is for you. Do what you can to help through activating a concerted content and social strategy.

Consider a Ghostwriter

Lawyers' time is valuable. Writing and revising a substantive and compelling article can take a day or more, depending on the subject and the research involved. Oftentimes partners will have associates write first drafts, but associates' time isn't cheap either.

Due to the shifting economic tides of the media sector, there are plenty of veteran business and legal journalists looking for work. A former journalist can often reduce the author's time commitment to a half-hour phone interview and 15 minutes of revisions. The resulting article is typically better than what the lawyers could have done themselves—not because of the writer's subject matter expertise, but because of their reporting experience, and familiarity with the styles and formats appropriate to the medium. Their work comes off reading more like a magazine feature than a legal brief, and the author still retains full editorial control.

Ghostwriting is not for everyone, but a growing number of firms have recognized the cost-benefit upside of working with seasoned external media professionals.

There Are No Bad Ideas

An article can be funny, offbeat, or utterly arcane—in fact, these are often the ones that perform best. There's no risk in floating the concept to your PR team, and in turn, pitching the media. The worst that happens is that no one bites. All you've invested is five or 10 minutes in a synopsis—and you'd be surprised by the subjects that get media traction.

I pulled the Parking Space article example out of thin air. But just for the heck of it, I googled the subject. There are dozens of articles on the topic across several media segments. You never know.

A former business and legal journalist, Steven Andersen is Vice President for Content and Client Strategy at the international communications firm Infinite Global. He is based in New York.