Law firms aren’t usually associated with successful YouTube channels. Pouring through the UK’s top 200 firms, it’s easy to understand why: useful but uninspiring conference talks, webinars with poor sound quality, and a focus on promotional videos without imagination,.... However, some law firms are doing things a little differently, so I thought I’d share a few of my favourites:

Mishcon de Reya: Surfing the wave 

Top of the leaderboard in terms of creativity and capturing the zeigest are Mishcon de Reya. From capitalising on the film Denial, based on a 2000 court case involving the firm, to the playlist Business Shapers, their YouTube channel is engaging and unusual. It puts across the image that Mishcon de Reya are a thoroughly current law firm, aligning it perfectly with their subtitle It's business. But it's personal.

Berwin Leighton Paisner: Ripped from the Tabloids

Speaking of doing things differently, this firm’s Cautionary Tales playlist standouts from the usual law firm film fare. With its dramatic music and visuals, it looks and feels like pulp non-fiction – a real guilty pleasure to watch. How often can you say that about professional services videos full stop?

Hogan Lovells: Day in the Life

One great way of using YouTube, is to showcase life at the firm to entice new employees. My favourite playlist at Hogan Lovells does just this. Watch for instance this video “Day in the Life of a Trainee” which puts the focus on living in London first, with life at Hogan Lovells a close second. Through this they sell a whole inspiring lifestyle around the firm beyond the practicalities of the job.

Irwin Mitchell: Keeping Personal Injury Personal

Personal Injury adverts have an understandable tendency to focus on the ‘wrong’ that might have been done to you, the viewer. So it’s refreshing to see this campaign “Don’t Quit It, Do It” which focuses on positive stories of human resilience after challenging setbacks.

Anthony Gold Solicitors: Translating Law

You don’t need flashy animations to create compelling videos, and where Anthony Gold Solicitors excel is in answering thorny questions with clean and short videos. Take for example their playlist centered around Property Fraud Awareness Week, which tackles various aspects in a digestible format.

In a similar vein I would also like to recommend RPC and Stephens Scowns, who excel at delivering no-nonsense advice in video format.

Advice for law firms:

• Create a channel that aligns with your brand. If you say your firm is “different” or “forward-thinking” or “agile”, then you need to create a channel that demonstrates this.
• Create content your clients and prospective employees will care about, rather than what you think will make you look good.
• Showcase your staff, from trainees to partners, they are your greatest asset. 
• Showcase your clients and their stories but avoid turning it into a sales pitch for your firm.
• Spend time polishing your YouTube landing page: create playlists, add a welcoming video for visitors, and fill out the About section.
• Don’t neglect the “small” stuff: write a compelling and descriptive title for your videos, use tags, spend time uploading or writing proper captions rather than relying on the automatic ones (mishearing is rife and can result in unfortunate interpretations)