Recently, BrightPro, a leading provider in comparative benchmarking for thought leaders and their content, conducted a short survey of more than 100 lawyers to determine how important thought leadership content is to their practices and how effectively they were able to measure its value.

How important thought leadership content is to their practices, and how effectively they are able to measure its value?

More than 80% of the survey respondents have been practicing for more than 10 years, and more than 50% have been practicing for more than 20 years. A third of the respondents practice at firms with more than 500 lawyers, another third at firms between 50 and 500 lawyers, and yet another third at firms with less than 50 lawyers. The findings were significant, but not surprising:

• When asked, “How important is being considered a thought leader to your practice?,” more than 70% of survey respondents considered it “important” (28%) or “very important” (44%).
• Yet, when asked if they or their firms measure the strategic value of the content to their practices, 52% said they don’t measure it at all, 31% don’t know if their firms measure it and 17% reported they measure it but only anecdotally.

When asked if they would like to know how they compare to other lawyers, more than 80% answered affirmatively. In fact, many suggested such a measurement would allow them to, in the words of one respondent, “improve our business development techniques, and adjust our time and budget accordingly.”