Should Lawyers Learn How to Code for Digital Marketing?

According to the Bloomberg Law Legal Ops + Tech Survey in 2022, 86 percent of respondents used legal tech to improve their productivity and, thus, the legal services they offer to their clients. Technology is increasingly important to law firms, from cybersecurity to digital marketing, but law firms that want to get ahead are increasingly focusing on technical literacy and coding to improve their bottom line.

Find out what coding for lawyers is, how learning to code can improve your workflow and marketing efforts, and where to get started on your coding journey.

Is it worth it for lawyers to learn how to code for digital marketing?

You’re an attorney who spent several years getting your education. Coders are also specialized professionals who spend a significant amount of time learning programming languages.

Depending on the time you have to dedicate, learning to code can be a great way to enhance your skill and education. But, if you’re too busy to set aside time for a new skill, there are digital marketing services that can cover this for you.

You do not have to choose one path over the other. You could learn basic coding to help automate and streamline some of your in-house workflows while a digital marketing agency handles more complex processes.

What lawyers need to know about coding for digital marketing

Just like law school, where you learn legal terminology, a coder or programmer will also need to know the system behind the language. These are logic-based systems, much like the law.
Consider the following types of coding that are relevant to digital marketing for law firms. These are some of the details and fundamentals that you may find useful, as these are coding languages associated with digital marketing.

Website coding

One component of computer science that could impact your legal practice is website coding, which is the language computers follow to create websites. The most notable website coding languages or programs related to the legal profession include the following:

• HTML: Hyper Text Markup Language, or HTML, is a type of code that helps to structure a website’s web page and content. It can help to create a list of bullets like this one and help with creating paragraphs that stand out. This language helps you format a website so it’s easy to read.
• CSS: Cascading Style Sheets, or CSS, is a type of programming language that dictates exactly how HTML elements will appear on the page.
• JavaScript: A very commonly used program, it adds interactivity to your website, such as allowing a person pressing a call to action button to be taken to another page to fill out a form.

Scripting for automated programs

Automation scripts are a bit more in-depth. These scripts will include a launch point, various details about binding values that correspond with actions taken, and source code. Ultimately, scripts like the following are typically a part of the digital marketing process for a law firm.

• Python: Python is perhaps one of the most well-known, general-purpose programming languages. It makes code readability a bit easier and supports various programming paradigms.
• Bash: Bash Script is a type of plain text file that includes a series of commands. A bash script contains a sequence of commands used to create a series of actions, such as helping with the navigation of a specific folder or launching a process.
• Zapier: Zapier is a type of online automation tool. It works to link services and apps to each other, allowing for the automation of repetitive tasks without the need to write code.

Data analytics

When it comes to analyzing information, data analytics code is critical. Structured Query Language, or SQL, is a tool for this. It is a programming language that manages data in a relational database. It is one of the most common methods of accessing databases used across the industry. Its various features provide insight into how users will access, change, manipulate, or read data.

Data visualization

Data visualization is a method of making information easier to understand. With it, we can create impressive visuals that allow people, whether it is a client at your law firm or an investor, to see how data relates to each other. In a law firm, this could mean providing a way to understand data a bit more thoroughly.

Having a better understanding of how to use data visualization can help you in various components of the legal sector, including simply creating chats that clients can easily understand or creating a visual that helps give you a competitive advantage with juries.

The benefits of lawyers learning how to code for digital marketing

Most legal technology today is straightforward. Is there really a reason for you to increase your knowledge of coding and perhaps even complete a coding bootcamp?

There are a few potential benefits to using this method of expanding your skill. By improving your understanding of digital marketing’s more technical aspects, you’ll gain more insight into not only how to do things on your website but why you need to do something one way or the other.

Once you understand the technical aspects of your website, you can create a site that can handle Google’s frequent algorithm updates, maintaining your SEO rankings. Algorithms change often, but with insight, problem-solving for these changes is more effective.

Consider some of the key benefits you can expect:

Improve efficiency through automation and reduced amounts of busy work.

The practice of law is often noted for its lack of efficiencies, but by improving your programming skills, you’ll be able to improve efficiencies in the activities you engage in, such as automating the legal funnel emails that come into your business. This way, you can respond to the most valuable requests you receive faster.

More creative marketing

Finding a way to stand out from the templates that many attorneys use to market can give you a competitive edge. With a bit more insight into software development, programming languages, and just digital marketing itself, you’ll be a few steps ahead of the competition in creating recognizably successful marketing campaigns.

Improved communication

When you were a law student, you took courses on improving your communication skills. Now, with digital automation, you have a new legal innovation to consider – improving your ability to provide your clients with higher quality, faster, and more substantive information when they request it. Good programmers are able to create concise methods for reaching their clients by automating tasks that a person doesn’t really need to do or by developing software that allows for a relationship-building process with clients over time.

More Marketable

Attorneys who have better programming skills may be more marketable. Your website and blog will be. Your LinkedIn profile may reflect this, too.

Better understanding of the changing digital landscape

Unlike most laws that remain the same consistently, digital marketing methods change often. Technologists who are able to stay up to date with these trends are going to continue to compete over time. They have a better understanding of what’s going on and how to capitalize on those changes.

Improve privacy and data security for your firm and clients

Taking a coding course doesn’t mean you can sidestep security solutions, but it will make you better at protecting your clients and law firm in general from breaches.

How to get started with coding for digital marketing as a lawyer

Coding for the legal industry is a skill you’ll want to have. Here’s how to make that possible.

Decide why you want to learn to code

Take some time to determine the following:

• Why you want to code
• What benefits you want to see from coding
• How available programming can help you to achieve those goals

Choose a programming language

There are a number of options out there, and even if you ask a software engineer that knows them all, it’s important to look for a program that resonates with you and is easy enough for you to learn based on what you wish to accomplish as well as your time to dedicate to it. Always choose to learn based on the skillset you aim to achieve.

Pick a learning resource

Choose one of these resources that correspond to the goal you have in mind. We encourage you to choose a program that works with your schedule and learning style. There are ample options (you’ll see some of those in just a few minutes), but don’t just choose anything.

Practice

Learning what open source is or about frameworks takes some time, just like learning legal terminology did. The best way to master this skill set is through practice. Work on coding projects on a regular and consistent basis to get routine support.

There are also some great online communities out there that can help you. They are fantastic for offering feedback and guidance, too. For example, check out: r/learnprogramming.

Resources for lawyers who want to learn how to code

Do you want to learn more about AI and automation? Perhaps you want to learn more about fast advancements in machine learning. There’s no doubt there’s much to learn, but there are also several fantastic places to get that education. Here are some of the recommendations we have:

• Local universities: You can take a part-time course at a local university to learn some basics. You may also be able to take some courses through online programs. We recommend Harvard’s online course as it is one of the best choices overall. Look to your local university and colleges for cost-effective options.

You can also find organizations that make it their goal to educate about coding. Here are some of the online resources we recommend using:

• Coding the Law
• Codecademy
• Free Code Camp
• The Odin Project
• Udemy
• Coursera
• PatternBuilder

No time to learn a new skill? We’ve got you covered!

Realistically, learning to code is always going to be valuable, but an attorney’s time is very much in demand. Coding isn’t easy to learn either, which means that unless you have the drive and possibly put life on hold to learn this skill, you may find the process overwhelming.

If you want to skip over all of these more complicated steps of learning to code, alternative options are available. For example, you can hire a digital marketing agency to handle all of your website maintenance for you. Doing so grants several benefits:

• Save your time for the work you love.
• Minimize risks to the way your website operates by having a professional manage all of the work behind the scenes.
• Know that you have a trusted professional there to handle all of the upgrades and other concerns you have.
• Focus on your new law firm or growing your existing firm by using an agency that’s dedicated to supporting legal marketing growth – put the pros to work for you to rapidly advance your company.
• Don’t worry about the latest technology upgrades and ongoing investments in new technology to keep up with the crowd (the pros will do that for you, too).

Array Digital can handle web design and management for you. We also provide website management, search engine optimization (SEO), and site data analysis. That’s virtually everything a law firm needs to have in place to compete in today’s digital world. Most importantly, we have some of the most talented and creative minds working for us, and that’s a benefit to you and your law firm.

What’s more, Array Digital is a bit different. We can not only handle all of these coding requirements for you, but we also explain the details to you. That means that we are happy to give you the education and support you need along the way to know why we make certain recommendations. This way, our team helps you with the development and growth of your business over time, and you always understand the reason behind those decisions.

Crack the code to improve your law firm’s marketing

Now is your time. You can take the time to learn to code (and we’ll certainly help you with anything else you need), or you can put Array Digital to work for you to handle the tech stuff. In either case, give us a call at 757-333-3021 or fill out our contact form now to get started.