The Law is not an area that comes to mind when talking about innovation, current trends and new technologies. Maybe that is because most laws have been around along time, and the usual means of defending or litigating are well-know to anyone who watches TV nearly any night of the week. Thanks David Kelly! But the Law is an area that would benefit in many ways by using VIDEO. Here is a short list:

1. Welcome message on your website homepage. I see lawyers on TV all day long, and even in prime-time. But I rarely see a law firm website with a nice personal welcome message from one of the principals. It’s so easy to do, especially when you are already recording  a TV spot message. These can go on the page as slide-ins, page-turns, or even walk-ons. Be creative- an hurry!

2. Partner bios on your “About Us” page. Think about it- people are searching for a lawyer on-line. But they rarely get to see an attorney’s personality- or personal story. What better way to establish a nice rapport with potential clients?! Again, it is easy when you are recording TV spots- set up in the conference room and bring the partners in on 30-minute intervals, get them talking and use their stories.

3. Depositions are probably a no-brainer. Lawyers who do a fair amount of litigation are no-doubt familiar with video depositions: Along with a court reporter, myriad law firms now hire a videographer to record their depositions. A little-known fact is that you are paying double, or even triple in many cases! Why should BOTH firms pay the entire cost of a video deposition, when it is being recorded once, and copied for the second firm? Be smart, and ask a lot of questions, like what is the day rate and how much for a copy to the second firm… it is eye-opening and unfortunately, gives video a bad rap!

4. Editing of depositions. After the depositions are recorded, you may want to have some editing done to remove long gaps, and unrelated sections- highlighting only the useful information.

5. Standards conversion from foreign formats. Many firms now practice internationally- especially in the I.P. areas. Did you know that all countries do NOT use the same TV formats? No worries, a production company like RMAVP can transfer the files between different international formats- including DVDs.

I am sure there are many other ways to use video. Use your imagination and let me know your thoughts, needs and comments.