In the world of legal business, law firms are recognised by certain characteristics that observers perceive as being synonymous with them. People recall a firm from their perception of it – think litigation, think Herbert Smith – resulting in an image or brand that can be difficult to control. Reputations are formed, talked about, enhanced, damaged, consolidated. Yet how are perceptions actually gained in the first place, or altered, and how do they affect decision-making? For clients, practice area reputation and trusted recommendation are likely to be major factors. But what about graduates; how are their perceptions changed and how does this sway their choices come application time?
Consulting and website development company Intendance’s latest research focuses on the changing nature of online graduate recruitment and comprises two parts. The most recent is based on an online survey of law students’ attitudes towards legal websites, and career sections or microsites in particular. The aim of the survey was to find out what students think about these specific graduate areas, in order to determine whether firms are getting their online recruitment campaigns right, or putting their audience off. The results are illuminating because they show how perceptions can be altered by the tiniest detail. On the other hand, they also show that an ingrained impression of a firm – usually a large, reputable one – can be enough to make the individual ignore such mistakes.
