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The New Way Forward

How clear brand messaging, an original video series and comprehensive LinkedIn strategy allowed this attorney to earn a leading reputation and launch her own firm.

With over 20 years of experience in family law, Michelle Lawless is an expert in alternative dispute resolution. When she came to SimplyBe. in 2019, she had been a Divorce & Family Law Partner for nearly 18 years and was known amidst her network as a leader and trusted partner to her clients. 

Given all she had experienced and learned, she knew it was time to take her business to the next level.

She also knew that she needed to her increase her brand awareness if she was going to accomplish her aggressive goal of doubling her client originations in such a saturated and competitive industry.

Enter: SimplyBe.’s Thought Leader Strategy.

Transforming Michelle’s platform into a foundation for her next chapter required:

  • refined core messaging and visual branding that positioned her as more than just her expertise
  • a custom video series to communicate her experience and humanity
  • a blogging strategy to boost SEO and establish credibility
  • a comprehensive LinkedIn posting strategy to reach her target audience

SimplyBe. built a custom brand identity and strategy for Michelle, which she then diligently executed. Within three months, her colleagues and network started to notice her presence online. Within nine months, and with a line of clients out the door, she established a large enough platform to start her own firm. 

Know your industry to navigate unique challenges.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to personal branding. Being in the legal industry and being an active partner at a firm presented unique challenges we needed to navigate:

  • strict compliance as to what Michelle could and could not share on public platforms
  • an industry-wide mentality that social media was a waste of time
  • balancing Michelle’s personal authenticity with professional responsibility

Clear brand messaging will set you apart.

In an industry (perhaps unfairly) known for high hourly charges and long hours, Michelle needed to put a stake in the ground. She was more than just a lawyer you hired out of necessity. She was a trusted partner to her clients, guiding them through one of the most difficult things one can experience. Michelle rejected the “I suffered, so the next gen should suffer too”  ideology widely adopted by the industry.

Instead, Michelle said:  “There is a better way to do things.” 

She knew that family law, being a deeply personal experience, required more than just tactical training and experience, but true EQ to best serve her clients needs in difficult periods.

Michelle Lawless knew that doing things differently was possible.

Michelle Lawless was The New Way Forward.

This new message was a culmination of everything she stood for and gave Michelle both the clarity and flexibility for unique thought leadership across a myriad of mediums, giving her focus, depth and  humanity.

Visual branding and cohesion will earn you a competitive advantage.

With Michelle’s new way forward thinking, she knew a cohesive visual brand was critical in order to stand out.

Our team strategically recommended building a visual brand identity that was aligned to Michelle’s refined brand message and communicated both her trustworthiness and humanity.

By way of a comprehensive brand analysis and discovery, our team began by identifying Michelle’s guiding visual brand pillars: Modern, Polished, High-End, Balanced. As we were building the new way for Michelle and her clients, these four words guided our work in creating a fresh, inspired brand notably different than what one might typically see in law.

Michelle Lawless - Client Story - Website & Color Palette

Consistency is key.

Crafting the message and building the strategy was step one. Now the real work would begin.

Michelle Lawless - Client Story - Video Series

Our content and creative teams worked with Michelle to produce an original video series speaking directly to her target clientele. She assumed the voice of their lawyer, their partner, addressing some of their most common questions when it comes to dispute resolution. This series cemented her as a thought leader, scaled her trustworthiness, and gave her a repository of content that would serve her for months to come.

Although video moved the needle for Michelle, especially on Linkedin, she needed an additional platform and medium to dive deeper into complex topics, so SimplyBe. recommended a long-form blogging strategy to give her the space she needed. While she paid attention to the engagement on each blog, she always kept in mind her reason for writing in the first place—the long game of building a library of longform content to increase both searchability and credibility, all while providing value on her public platform.

To this day, Michelle diligently shares her blogs as well as shorter-form original thought leadership content on LinkedIn multiple times per week, focusing first and foremost on sharing value with her audience. Others in her industry who were regularly sharing content were sharing posts that either did not add value to their viewers or were too dense to understand. She capitalized on this opportunity and created smart, engaging, and accessible content that couldn’t help but stand out.

Finally, understanding that likes and comments are public activity, she engaged with others who appeared on her homepage, but only those who were in alignment with her brand and values.

Michelle Lawless - Client Story - Social Media Posts

Stay laser focused on your goals and don’t sacrifice quality.

As a full-time attorney, Michelle didn’t exactly have time to spare. It would have been easy for her to make excuses as to why she couldn’t post in a given week, or the next week. But she made her content strategy a top priority because she understood that her target clientele would be looking her up when considering hiring her.

Thanks to her discipline, consistency and intentionality, Michelle was able to make her dreams come true in starting her own law firm with the proud ethos:

If I had to pick one word to describe my experience with SimplyBe., it would be “transformational.”

I’ve been working with the agency for over two years. My goal was to create a content strategy to stand out in an oversaturated marketplace—and I got that.

But the real gem was the work that went into the content strategy. The team took everything I stood for and what I wanted to accomplish and they packaged it up so strategically. This is where I found my professional voice.

When you have a vision AND you have your voice, that’s where the magic happens.

Michelle Lawless

She is now seen in her industry as a true thought leader and has had a growing waitlist of clients since launching her firm in 2020.

To learn more about Michelle and The Law Office of Michelle A. Lawless, LLC visit malfamilylaw.com.

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