The Future is Mobile – Should Your Law Firm Create an App?

How many of you have a smart phone? I'd venture to guess nearly all of you do. Now how many of you take it EVERYWHERE with you, including to the bathroom and to bed? Be honest now, I bet that's a pretty high number too.

Whether we want to admit it or not, we now live with a small computer in our pockets. If you are anything like me, you consult your favorite apps all the time, whether it be for the latest news, weather forecast or a game of Angry Birds. There's apps for everything now, it seems. Apple has over 185,000 apps in the iTunes Store, and Droid is catching up with nearly 50,000. So it's probably time for law firms to get on board and figure out how to take advantage of this growing trend.

I wrote a post on this topic a few months ago with an idea for a firm that focuses on DUI cases. (Did anyone give that a shot?) Well now I've got another story to share about a firm who has embraced mobile technology and created an application called "Apportunity." Benesch Attorneys at Law created this app to contact applicants when an employment opportunity arises. Additionally, interested law school students and graduates can use the app to look up Benesch's on-campus recruiting schedule, see a listing of alumni by school and receive alerts when a new position has been listed at the firm. They even used a QR Code in their mailer, which you can scan with your smart phone and go directly to iTunes to purchase the app. You can see it for yourself here. We were pleased to work with Benesch to help name the app (frankly, we couldn't believe Apportunity was available!), and promote it through both direct mail and email campaigns.

Talk about looking high-tech to the Millennial market! If you are a recent graduate who lives with your smart phone and iPad, this would be a true gift to your in your job search. I'd be willing to bet that Benesch will get a shot at the top graduates first just by making themselves more accessible and frankly, a lot "cooler."

Now how's this for sexy? McKenna Long & Aldridge recently launched their own app as well. This one, entitled "Mergers & Acquisitions Quick Reference Guide" is comprised of chapters that focus, from a business perspective, on key aspects, issues and documents involved in a merger or acquisition transaction. In this handy app, you can get the low down on how to prepare for a M&A transaction, common issues that arise and challenges you'll want to avoid. Talk about providing the information your clients need at their fingertips!

Like any marketing tactic, you have to clearly define your audience before diving in. The audiences for these two apps are extremely different, but they are both taking advantage of mobile technology to reach their target market. It's early adopters that make a big impression, and both of these firms are doing a great job at it.

So, who's going to come up with the next great mobile app? Share your examples or ideas in the comments below.

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