David Gilroy

I caught up with an old business associate just before Christmas, and he has an interesting story to tell. Roger McKerlie runs his own ESG consultancy, Xeed ESG , focusing on a new economic and environmental future for businesses in the £10m to...

The digital landscape is constantly changing, and that means law firms need to embrace technology and software on offer. 2023 saw an introduction to AI, the switch from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), an increase in video...

The Law Firm Marketing Club (LFMC), established by legal marketing expert Clare Fanner, has announced its transfer of ownership to Conscious Solutions. The LFMC was founded in 2020 to provide support, resources, and a community for law firm marketers. The...

What makes a good law firm website? A good law firm website is one that embodies professionalism, user-friendliness, and is informative. It should have a clear and well-organised design, intuitive navigation, and offer relevant and...

And how do we ‘stack up’ against other professionals? In January Clare Fanner from the Law Firm Marketing Club shared some data that, according to a survey of 1,020 US adults in December 2022*, lawyers only had a 21% positive honesty and ethical...

We have recently been notified by a client who was going through a Lexcel audit that they should review how their website adheres to the Age-appropriate design: a code of practice for online services guidance that was issued by the ICO back in 2020 and...

At the end of June, No.10's new cost of living tsar David Buttress asked business leaders for their ideas on "how to help" tackle the cost-of-living crisis. The government is launching a campaign to “amplify and channel” the...

Should lawyers be using LinkedIn I hear you ask? The answer is a resounding YES from me! LinkedIn now has 810 million members and 57 million registered companies. So, if you or your law firm aren’t currently on LinkedIn, what’s stopping you?...

I was in a meeting (a physical one) with two law firm clients this week and one was showing the other the new website we have just designed for them. The topic came up of which staff to feature on a law firm’s website. I am pleased to say that the...

I was reminded of this quote by a friend when we were talking about Clubhouse last week. “If you are not paying for it, you are the ‘product’.” But I’ll come back to that later. ‘Clubhouse’, I hear you ask?...

We’re officially six years into our successful advent calendar marketing campaign. It is a win-win for everyone. Our prize sponsors and us get exposure, and 24 lucky legal sector employees or suppliers win a free gift. Well, 23 this year, as someone...

How did you support The Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal last year? Did you buy a poppy? This year we are supporting the poppy appeal by adding a ‘poppy’ to our logo on our website and encouraging our customers to do the same. For...

Our furlough team took part in this innovative training initiative in May, with no context or experience in LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (for most of us). This training was approached with some expectations yet no expectations at the same time; after...

COVID-19 has been an uncertain, persistent and intense roller coaster for every one of us, professionally and personally. But as we start to see a ‘new normal’ on the horizon, it’s important to think about what happens next. There is no...

I'm very proud of all my team and know that the last three months have been REALLY hard on everyone, but for the team on Furlough Leave in particular. Here are the thoughts of three of them from our sales & marketing team. Ella:...

David Gilroy: Hi, David Gilroy here from Conscious Solutions, and we're doing another video session. And today, I'm really pleased to be joined by...

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I missed last week, but for the previous six have been writing up my reflections each week on managing a business during the current global pandemic. The other write-ups are on LinkedIn . MONDAY Had a great call with a law firm we spoke to...

We've written previously about what law firms should be doing with their marketing during the biggest crisis in living memory . The key thing is to stay in at the forefront of your customers' or prospects' minds. OK, so they might not be...

Strange times eh? EVERYTHING has changed in the last three weeks. The travel, leisure and hospitality sectors were staring over the edge of a cliff, not just those sectors, but pretty much every sector in the UK economy. The Government’s...

I was with a client earlier this week and the topic of conversation turned to how they can track the effectiveness of some SEO and PPC that they were considering? The firm has a turnover of c. £12m with a marketing budget of 2.4% of...

As you know, the SRA are close to issuing their final guidance on the new ‘pricing transparency’ mandate that the LSB have given them. Previous stories on this have been published by the Law Gazette and The Law Society , who have a...

This is a practical guide to GDPR that summarised the legislation but goes on to explain its impact on websites - listing all the things that a website owner or website agency/developer will probably need to address in order to be compliant. You will need...

If you have a website with us running HTTPS there's a good chance that the secure certificate was issued by Thawte who are part of Symantec - an organisation who issue about a third of all the certificates in use today . You may also have read about...

Most large websites have three types of navigation: Header-navigation which is the same on all pages of the site - these are usually simple drop-down menus with options presented in a single vertical list but sometime they can be...

That’s right – we’re finally on the look out for our long lost family of pups! Over the years, some of our orange dogs have been adopted, abducted and given away at the many social events and conferences we’ve been to, and now we...

A branding step too far? Anyone who knows Conscious knows that our orange dogs get taken by us everywhere…dotted around our office, hanging around at events and even hidden in various places in our new magazine ;-) They’re constantly being...

Yes, it's time. Come along and see us at LegalEx this March! For four years now, Conscious Solutions has been a proud sponsor of LegalEx - the UK’s fastest growing legal event. This...

For those who came to our stand at Legalex last year you may have heard Jonathan Winchester from Shopper Anonymous discuss the findings of the 2016 Legal Client Journey. This involved 85 UK law firms who volunteered to receive a series of...

Texting or sending a message via SMS to a friend, colleague or family member is something that we all take for granted these days. Many people favour this over a phone call or email as it’s fast and gets your message across cutting out the small talk,...

We’ve received some brilliant news that we’d like to share with you all…we have officially made it onto the Recommended Agency Register (RAR) The RAR is a database of 8,100 agencies, and our inclusion is purely based on receiving great...

What is the screen resolution of the average user in the UK legal sector? This used to be a straightforward question with a sensible answer but nowadays the situation is quite complex - there are a lot of different devices used to access websites and a wide...

There was a time when the majority of people used Internet Explorer and the questions web designers' asked had to do with their nervousness about people with old browsers, for example: "what proportion of people user Internet Explorer version...

We had a great time as a sponsor of the LFS Conference last week at the shiny new Vox Centre at the NEC in Birmingham. Over 150 delegates attended during the day and I'm pleased to say that our break out room (the main room in fact) on...

For the third year running, Concert Networks carried out their Legal Services Communication Report that focuses on the communication between law firms and clients. Although better telephony technology has definitely improved things, it’s been made...

Encryption only one aspect of security There’s much more to security than encryption - we’re going to be talking in this post most about encryption but don’t forget that there are lots of other technical issues that...

This year in the Conscious Theatre at Legalex, we boasted some excellent speakers (if we do say so ourselves!). Of course, Rich and I brought some brand new presentations to the table; Rich spoke on what not to do on social media in 2016 and I provided...

Whether you’re writing about the stages of conveyancing, or how to tackle legal jargon, you ideally want your prospect to keep reading. Even better, you want them to like, comment and share your content on social media. However, with so much content...

From the moment somebody – anybody - clicks on a website, a timer starts in their head. That timer is set to roughly one minute. As soon as this timer begins, the visitor says to the website: “impress me.” The website then has one minute to...

Back in 2008, analysts predicted that by 2015, mobile Internet usage would surpass desktop. Well, as it turns out, they were spot on. In 2015 we saw mobile searches finally overtake desktop searches – not because desktop searches were decreasing, but...

With the Internet already chockablock with content about literally everything, it’s easy to feel as though our voices are being drowned out by the noise. It’s reported that 684,478 pieces of content are shared on Facebook in the U.S every...

Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is a DNS technology designed to improve the authenticity of email by basically telling the world "if you get an email from us that doesn't come from server xxxxxx then it's not us". At first glance...

24 days. 24 windows to open. 24 prizes to be won (more actually). Here are the stats and the story behind our advent calendar free prize draw campaign. In the run up to December, many of you were contemplating how to take advantage of the festive...

Over the Christmas break I put together some numbers of things that went on in the world of Conscious Solutions throughout 2015. This is the result with a short video version below. 1 refreshed Conscious brand and website...

As the old saying goes, a new year means a new start. Everyone knows that there’s no excuse in January, since all the resolutions that have built up over the year have already been pushed to the “new year” pile. Once...

I was with one of my clients recently, discussing the firm’s digital marketing plans. She mentioned the possibility of a new website, and told me a few members of the firm had formed a Website Committee. A Committee. ...

Back in the early days of email, receiving a message was like getting a long awaited letter through your letterbox from a friend. Now we live in a time where our inboxes are packed full of marketing campaigns, spam and social media alerts –...

Christmas is coming, and with it comes a sack full of seasonal marketing. Every year, you'll notice some households going Christmas crazy: Santa in the chimney, a 'Happy Xmas' sign flashing 'til the early hours and...

If you haven’t heard about the new .law Top Level Domain by now, you must be making a conscious effort to ignore it. Back in April , we did a little investigating into what it was all about, and in October we gave you the lowdown on how...

One week ago the excellent Lucy Adams was on stage at the 2015 annual LawNet conference and wowed the audience for a full 60 mins talking about “Leading in a disrupted world”. In memory of her excellent talk we’re running a caption...

You might not always have time to do things the long way, and you might not always want to spend a fortune. For those times, I've put together a list of free tools that can help with all the extras. If you have any more to add to the list, get in...

Site structure is one of those topics that Webmasters sometimes agonise over. For example: will the fact that my content is on level 3 rather than level 1 influence how it is treated by Google? The short answer is “no” and this post tells you...

Update 27-Oct-2015 - You can now register your .law domain name through us at http://csl.join.law/ We wrote about the impending introduction of the new .law top level domain , back in April. Well, just today we’ve found out...

When it comes to purchasing products, consumers have been been buying online for quite some time now. It’s a secure and convenient method of making payment, and now law firms are increasingly using this system to facilitate transactions from their...

That seems like the question the Legal Ombudsman is asking itself. Either way it does mean you are going to have to update your complaints information for clients from 1st October 2015. Now, I'll confess, this whole ADR legislation has...

Conscious are back on the road, with a series of trade shows, forums and conferences lined up. We’ve been doing our fair share of mingling, and if you’re reading this, the chances are we’ve mingled with you in the past or are planning to...

In the world of marketing, trends are born every minute, and it can often be difficult to see which ones won’t die next. Knowing which changes will last, which new social platforms will take off and most importantly knowing what the people want before...

David attended the Legal Support Network Forum in Bristol last year and as always wore his trademark orange shirt....seems that LSN like to poke fun at their Network Partners! This year's series of Legal...

Earlier this year, Google’s partnership with Twitter brought about an update that saw relevant tweets embedded into mobile search results. As of Friday, this has been expanded to desktop searches – a natural progression in the partnership of...

After the success of our recent Periscope Q&A, we've decided to make it a weekly activity, covering a new topic each Friday. Last week, a number of you tuned in to my live session in which I discussed how to deal with negative reviews...

So, a p rospective client has visited your website . Thankfully, it’s just had a facelift, and couldn’t lo ok any sharper. W hile 46% of consumers consider web de si gn the top factor in a company’s credibility, what...

As you're all aware, social media is a constantly evolving beast. Changes are being made every day to the platforms we know and love to improve our experience as users. Sometimes, too much change can be overwhelming. That's why we're here to...

By now, you’re probably aware that I will jump on any opportunity to share what I’ve learnt in my time. What can I say? I’ve got a lot to give. In the past few weeks I’ve been noticing the increasing popularity of the...

When it comes to digital marketing and online presence, think like your client, not your colleague. Think of yourself as a person for a moment, rather than a lawyer. What would you want to read? What would attract you? Gyi Tsakalakis of AttorneySync.com...

Cast your vote on the horse of your choice.

While your website needs to come across as slick and professional, relationships are built on trust – that human side to your firm. Well, what better way to show the human side of your firm than through a video? When video killed...

It’s 2015, and Law Firms can no longer presume that simply practising law is enough to survive. In an ocean of competition, the rise of ABS’ and the shrink in demand, marketing in this profession has never been more crucial in standing out. Yet,...

After the Birmingham workshop was over, it was time to pack up and head for Manchester to give our northern delegates a dose of M+E+M=P. With Goliath in the boot, Wendy in the passenger seat and a motivational talk from Jeffrey Gitomer on...

It’s the 1 st of July and the hottest day of the year so far. Many flocked to the seaside to soak in the rays. Instead, we flocked to Solihull to deliver our M+E+M=P seminar at The Village Hotel. Could we really expect a huge crowd when we were...

Last Friday we attended this great event held at The Celtic Manor Resort, Newport. The annual National Local Law Society was this year hosted by Monmouthshire’s Incorporated Law Society. The conference opened with a welcome from Wales’ first...

On Tuesday afternoon we tee’d off our M+E+M=P workshop at the Bristol Golf Club. The workshop is a collaboration between Conscious, Advanced Legal and Hazlewoods, with each speaker bringing their own component to the day. There was a general...

The evening was supported by a range of suppliers to the legal sector including our selves and Kain Knight. Over 100 people were entertained by the Ashurst band and for those that like them, the Oyster Meister was dishing up fresh oysters as fast as...

As many people will of heard me say “These days it’s not just about having a good looking website, it’s about what you do with it once you’ve got it that counts.” We’ve always offered SEO, PPC and Social Media...

I write this on Monday evening. 49 hours after we crossed the finish line at Trekfest 2015. It was without doubt the hardest physical challenge I've ever done. Don't get me wrong, I'm one of those lucky middle-aged men (how weird that...

Below are the presentations from Legalex this year: ...

Conscious Solutions and Law League are delighted to announce that they are combining forces on 1 June 2015 to accelerate the growth of Law League. Both businesses have long co-operated and cross promoted each other because they share a similar client focused...

This video was made with the YouTube Capture app on day one of the Legalex exhibition and conference held at ExCeL on Wednesday/Thursday 13/14 May 2015. ...

Jordan Reeves, Digital Marketing Executive Last week, I went to the BrightonSEO event, along with David Gilroy and four other Conscious employees. The event lasted for two days, Thursday was the workshop day, and...

Yesterday I attended a fantastic training course at the BrightonSEO conference on "local SEO". It was run by Greg Gifford of AutoRevo who had flown in from the USA specifically to deliver the training course and speak at the conference today...

In June, I, along with five members of the Conscious Team, will be strapping on my walking boots and walking 29 miles across the Brecon Beacons to raise money for the Wallace & Gromit Grand Appeal! The event is in association with ...

Remember it's not just about having a website, it's about what you do with it that counts! If you're launching a new website for your law firm, there are a number of vital things that you need to consider...

Are your social media posts short and sharp or do you baffle your audience with endless lines of text? Find out here what the ideal length of content is - for both business and social! Buffer (a scheduling app for your social media posts) have put together...

I had the pleasure last night of attending my first ever Account Manager’s Network meeting. Held in London and organised by Darren Francis & Claire Offord it’s a network for people in professional service firms who work in account...

This month has seen the arrival of two new starters at Conscious, Paid Search Manager, Ollie Boyd and Digital Marketing Executive, Jordan Reeves. So to throw them in at the deep end, both were asked to attend the latest Google event in London, where they...

We've just read this great article and recommend you read it too! It is an inspirational reflection on Frank Chimero's career in responsive web design and developing. Chimero explores the idea of taking big concepts...

As digital marketing continues to evolve, so does the B2B marketplace. So what changes have been made that we should know about to better our own marketing strategies? Partnered with Millward Brown Digital, Google explores what has changed for B2B over...

OK, so the full title was “Client feedback – gaining buy-in and maximising insight” and bearing in mind I took one client as my guest and another happened to turn up, I was always a little bit nervous about what was going to be said! The...

Need help solving your biggest problems at work? Tom Wujec can help... by exploring how you make toast! Intrigued? Watch this video to find out more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vS_b7cJn2A ...

I had the pleasure yesterday of being a table host for the first Edge Digital , Marketing within the Legal Sector seminar. Held at the ICEAW's conference centre (I guess Chancery Lane was nto available), it saw around 90 people gather to talk...

I had the pleasure of attending the Manchester Legal Awards last night at The Midland Hotel. It's the second time I've been and I have to say, it's a bit of a party. The Manchester legal sector KNOWS how to enjoy itself. ...

Ever wondered what makes a posts go viral online? Neetan Zimmerman, a leading expert in viral content and ex-editor of Gawker explores the ways in which your online content is considered valuable enough to go viral. Step by step, he offers an impractical...

Our site is mobile friendly! Is yours? As suspected, Google has announced that as of 21 April 2105, mobile friendly will become a ranking factor in mobile search results. This will make it easier for users to get high quality search results that are...

Here are my numbers so far. February 2015 - 38 vegetable gardens funded in Cambodia. January 2015 - Sponsored a bicycle for 6 months to allow a child to get to school in Cambodia December 2014 -...

You need to read this report Fixed Fee Menu Pricing in the Legal Sector . It will take you just 15 mins even if you read by moving your finger along each line! The report was commissioned by OMC Partners and carried out by Gillian Watt ...

Look who we're giving away at the Manchester Legal Awards ! This orange dog has only just been born so has yet to be named. Suggestions please via Twitter to @MLAwards and @ConsciousSol . Of course the eventual winner of the dog on Thursday...

Summer 2015 will see Ofcom make changes to the regulation of non-geographic calls. They are set to make freephone calls free! And to split call charges between an access charge and a service charge on non-geographic calls. Find out here why they are...

There are seven types of people who respond to social media. Each different in approach and response to social media content: - The Quiet Follower - The Casual Liker - The Deal Seeker - The Unhappy Customer - The Ranter - The Cheerleader - The Loyal...

Planning a new website? You should have an idea of what you want before hand. Find out what questions your web designer should ask you here . Before talking about the things you need to consider when building a site, remember it's not just about having...

Do you have an SEO strategy in place? No? Want to boost your search engine results? Yes? Here are some really simple and quite clever tactics to help you learn how to market your brand and business service better....

Heaven forbid this should happen to you, but more often than not sites get hacked and in order to recover from it, a huge amount of work is involved. There's great article on the Google Webmaster blog that has two case studies on the process...