Editor's blog | Generosity, the new profitability

Whether it is an elaborate corporate social responsibility policy or fundraising for a local charity, lawyers have been keen to demonstrate that they can be generous with their time. Now a new business wants you to put generosity at the heart of your firm's strategy to grow your long-term profits.

Much in the same way that consumer legal brands such as Rocket Lawyer and LegalZoom are developing so-called freemium models, Evident Legal is urging law firms to "give more to get more".

The difference, says co-founder and former Cameron McKenna lawyer Jonathan Brewer, is that unlike the "brand savvy big hitters", Evident Legal wants to push the individual law firms that are part of its online panel, not its own brand.

It's also aimed squarely at the SME market - small and medium size law firms advising small and medium size businesses. There is no cost to law firm members or to users, as the service is expected to be funded through sponsorship and advertising. And there is no limit on panel membership, with the business aiming to recruit as many as 2,000 firms with expertise in the areas it covers.

Its white paper is an enthusiastic exposé of the benefits of generosity for businesses. You may feel that it's too much blue-sky thinking and not enough practical demonstration. It refers to Netflix's success at converting free triallists to paid-for subscribers, with only 0.6 per cent cancelling after the free trial period has expired. Or Gillette giving away free razors to teenagers.

But the common theme is one you will be familiar with. It is about building loyalty and developing long-term relationships. In practice, this means not charging systematically for every phone call while locking clients in retainers. Nothing new, you will say, except that generosity has to be the starting point, not an extra with little or no real value thrown in for good measure.

Will this work? There is reason why it shouldn't. Particularly as the most recent LSB findings have shown that small businesses face on average three legal problems every year, that nearly half of them turn to the internet first, and that three in four do so because they have a problem they need to solve.

Setting up a 'generosity strategy' is perhaps not as straightforward as it sounds. There are issues similar to those faced by firms considering unbunbling: what if you can be held liable for a document or advice you are giving away free of charge? And there is the cost to your firm. Much as Brewer says this has to be considered in the context of the lifetime value of a client, how much free information is enough to secure a long-term client compared with the need to pay the rent on the office every month?

But thinking about these issues afresh could help you reset your compass. Generosity, as a process, could just be the sort of value law firms need in a post-recession market. Especially in an economy seeing a lot more start-ups, some of which will be tomorrow's big brands.