Other than one-off videos and broadcast news channels, are there other ways to get your legal prowess on a screen for the masses to enjoy? Karen Sloan writes at Law.com about the current trend of lawyers using webinars to connect with clients. These presentations, broadcast over the Web, offer clients a direct opportunity to log on, watch and learn from the comfort of their own desk on their own screen.

Besides being a forwarding-thinking use of technology, hosting a webinar offers a significant savings  when compared to flying out for a face-to-face. Saving money is high on the priority list these days. Webinars can include attorneys from disparate offices and clients can be equally as far-flung. They generally consist of slides accompanying the attorneys’ lectures on a particular topic. The slides can be made available to clients for later review. In fact, recording the entire webinar and creating a library can be a valuable asset to both the firm and clients.

The sky is the limit as far as subject matter. Obviously, current events-related topics will likely garner the most interest. Investment scandals, bail-outs and privacy issues related to burgeoning internet use are almost guaranteeed to prick up the ears of clients.

A successful webinar will require the same techniques as a successful seminar presentation. Avoid excessive slides with too much detailed text. Employ an engaging approach. Change up the Power Point slides with flash, images, web-demonstrations and polls. You can improve the odds of a successful webinar by choosing your host wisely and considering a meeting consultant who can advise regarding best practices. One helpful tip I saw was offering the webinar twice to accomodate different time schedules.

I tried to locate a list of preferred webinar hosting sites, but was unable to find a clear recommendation from an objective source. If you have attended a successful webinar, you might consider querying the presenter as to their host.

The webinar will not only save money, it will signal to your clients that you are a forward-thinking advocate.