b'Into the spotlightIn the early days of legal practice, a simple brass plaquemarketing and that the quality of the firms work should outside the office was all the promotion law firms required.speak for itself. After eighteen months, only a handful of It was considered crass and improper to market a firmsfirms were advertising. services. It was also illegal. Allen Allen & Hemsley was one of the first to turn to a This began to change in 1984, when the New Southpublic relations agency to promote the firm. Leo Schofield Wales Law Society published its Relaxation of Advertising& Associates was engaged to design the first official Allen Rules directive. For the first time, law firms in New SouthAllen & Hemsley logo (the firms name set in a grey bar) Wales were permitted to use the firms name on businessand produce a series of quarterly client newsletters and advertising, pamphlets and promotional pensall of whichglossy brochures, taking marketing for Australian law had previously been off limits.firms to a new level. The agencys efforts culminated in the arrangement of several high-profile articles in Good Law firms were slow to embrace the opportunitiesWeekend and Business Review Weekly magazine.presented by the new rules. There was a long-held view among lawyers that reputation was more important than Allen Allen & Hemsley was one of the first to turn to a public relations agency to promote the firm. taking marketing for Australian law firms to a new level.171'