Last year I wrote a whitepaper on Canadian law firms and their use of social media. I was interested in finding out how the legal industry had started to use social networking and social tools to grow their firms.
Torys LLP was among the firms I interviewed. They weren't afraid to take some risks and try new things before other law firms. They positioned themselves as a leading firm in online marketing and communications, and they are still at it.
This week, Torys launched a free iPhone app for their firm, marking the first time a Canadian firm has taken this step. It certainly won't go unnoticed.
Main features of the app include: Twitter updates, legal bulletins, lawyer and admin staff profiles, lawyer and student videos and a GPS office locator. I played around with some of the features and also got some feedback from a lawyer friend of mine.
Overall, the app is an impressive first step, especially in an industry that is generally a little bit behind the times when it comes to digital marketing. As with most first generation apps, there is always room for improvement. Torys might consider tailoring content and breaking down feeds to specific practice areas and also making the publications mobile friendly (they are currently web formatted PDFs).
If you are in the legal industry or just looking for a good lawyer, check out their app and leave some feedback!