I recently had the pleasure of being a guest of www.22tweets.com,  an online Twitter Interview that tweets you 22 questions that you tweet back answers to.

We are @London_Law_Firm on Twitter. 

As a huge fan of Twitter, I absolutely loved this innovative use of Twitter, and found the succinctness of the 140 character limitation remarkably refreshing, if somewhat challenging!

Chris Sherliker’s Twitterview in Full…..

@London_Law_Firm thank you for joining us today on Twitter. Tell us: who is @London_Law_Firm?
Hi, Lance! I am the ‘voice’ of our firm on T. Lawyer, Husband, Father, Web Marketer, Dog Owner, Fisherman, Artist. Renaissance Man!

Tell us about your law practice.
Silverman Sherliker is a full-service law firm in the City of London. Founded 1980.Now 30 lawyers strong and growing fast.

Congrats on nearly 30 years of success. What type of clients do you represent?
Our client base is very diverse.Many US and EU clients.A huge range of SME’s.We have all kinds of clients all over the globe

What is the single most important legal issue affecting those clients?
Diverse issues!The world is changing fast affecting clients in different ways.The need for effective legal services endures

Indeed. What do you tell every new client before you start working for them?
“What are you trying to achieve?” – Until you know the answer to that one you cannot hope to give an effective service.

Tell us about one of the more significant client representations you’ve had.
We broke the UK Opticians Cartel for US client, changing UK law on eye prescriptions opening up a new multi-million $ market.

That *is* significant…. Why do your clients hire you?
We are a down-to-earth, no-nonsense, entrepreneurial firm. WYSIWYG. No pomposity. No surprises.(Well…only good ones!)

Good surprises = the best kind. What’s the most active area of your practice at the current time? Is that typical?
Very busy in IP-Just been accepted for Chambers Directory for IP work(hooray!) also litigation, labo(u)r and family law

Your firm also provides services in Mallorca as Mallorca UK Legal. How does it differ from Silverman Sherliker?
Mallorca UK is srvce fr expats who move to the Balearics but still have assets in the UK needing mngemt- its a service brand

How will the reforms of the Legal Services Act affect your practice and firm?
The LSA = deregulation and intense competition in the UK legal market.Big & ‘High St’ firms will suffer bt gd 4 niche firms

From this side of the world the changes appear revolutionary. How do you market your practice?
Politically motivated! Best ad is a happy client! Also client seminars, e-wire newsletters, speaking engagements, networking..prayer

How does Twitter fit into the traditional BD / mktg you’ve done since you founded your firm nearly 30 years ago?
We were 1st UK law firm to do TV marketing (horror We are No 1 London firm to TWEET. It pays to be first and its huge fun…..(these lights are killing me…my face needs powder…also a drink would be nice..Oh! how kind

Perhaps we’ll see those TV adverts on YouTube one day…? Besides Twitter, what other Web 2.0 tools do you use?
LOL Hope not! We hve a rolling website dev program. We hve about 12 micro-sites now ..3 more in development..also a new blog

Interesting. What specific impact on referrals and/or client engagements have you realized from Web 2.0 activities?
Web is the single biggest source of new clients and new work. No question. The web referral model is also growing fast in UK

Nice validation of your efforts. How much time do you spend each day developing / enhancing your brand?
I spend 110% (or more) of my time enhancing the business( hot under these lights, isn’t it? Hi Mom! … Hi Dad! . )

Let’s switch gears: what is the most significant issue currently facing the legal profession?
The Legal Services Act will kill off 50% of trad UK law firms. Significant enough? Many ‘000’s of new niche firms will arise instead

So what will the legal landscape look like in 10 years, then?
Total sea chng in the next 2 yrs.Institutions will tk much of market from trad law firms.Niche firms and brands will be born
(…any chance of a drink …its 9.25pm here..)

We’ll have you out of here and on your way soon….
…no problem….I enjoy a good game of tennis!

Sounds like significant opportunities for many…. How do you want to be remembered?
He was a brilliant lawyer and a good guy ..and he could mix a really mean Vesper Martini #twepitaph (I invented this, BTW)

More cutting-edge stuff on 22 Tweets…. What would you do if you weren’t a lawyer?
I wld write, fish, TWEET, spend more time with Mrs London_Law_Firm. Maybe a real estate developer or travel writer or both.

That reminds me – still waiting on that report from the Dordogne… What do you do when you’re not working?
You will *not* believe that Report! I spend time with my wife, family and my dogs. I fish. I paint in oils and watercolors. I tweet.

What advice can you pass along to lawyers currently under- or unemployed due to the economic crisis?
Recgnse the legal world has chngd forever. Its not you. Its progress.Find the need. Meet it. Become a referrer of legal work

That’s a positive message. What advice do you have for people going to law school today?
Learn web marketing skills. Do your own thing. Do something different.Take joy in service. Love your clients, (even the mad ones!)

22tweets.com