26.10.18
YouTube! A giveaway of information
Justice Week is a new initiative set up by CILEx, the Law Society and the Bar Council and runs between 29 October and 2 November 2018. It aims to boost the profile of justice and the rule of law. One of CILEx Regulation's regulated immigration practitioners explains how swapping their company website for a YouTube channel has improved access to justice for vulnerable clients.
The 21st century is festered with technology, where everything is fast – information, food, money…
New Age
People are in need of information, fast. Google has become a verb. YouTube, not far behind, is the second most popular search engine in the Western world. In China they have YouKu. YouTube is a platform for many providers of information – Home Office, Companies House, HMRC, CILEx, accountancy firms, law firms, tax/financial advisers and many more. The big names are proof that established institutions appreciate our epoch; where information is no longer prisoned in dusty hallways amidst huge books. It is free-flowing, detailed and flexible in every language.
Mixing business with pleasure
In a YouTube video, a lawyer’s credibility can be asserted by a thorough and shameless display of knowledge relevant to the topic of discussion; our dream come true or is it just me?! A lawyer can assist the vulnerable who may not speak English but who can translate the video by clicking an icon on the YouTube video screen. The language barrier can be broken. Trust will be built because the detailed content in the YouTube video comes with a sprinkle of humour. Dare I say, it has made viewers call me directly to ask more questions and the curtain has been lifted. A lawyer can become relatable, approachable and, in the long-term, lucrative – admittedly law firms are not charities but businesses with a pro bono element. This simple, free and vocal method of informing the public worldwide of up-to-date legal topics allows the lawyer to shake off the reliance of “word of mouth” and the extortionate advertising costs of traditional media.
High maintenance
YouTube can be high maintenance. This innovative approach to communicate information on legal topics takes work. It requires commitment because the videos need to provide good-quality content; not like many law firms’ websites which provide the most basic of information, absent of content, and a clear marketing tool – pointless in building trust between the lawyer and the hard-to-reach communities/people. A YouTube video, which may last between five to seven minutes, is on the back of hours if not days of research and understanding of the legal topic. Word to the wise: before going in front of the camera, know your lines. Your understanding of the topic to be discussed in the video has to be intellectually comprehensive and fluent so that the three-day research binge can be confidently and seamlessly explained to the viewers face to face in layman terms in a matter of minutes.
Conclusion
YouTube is indeed a platform upon which we give away information with the aim of building a presence in the public eye by using initiative and fun.
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The article was written by Khyati Joshi FCILEx, Director of Joshi Advocates Ltd authorised by CILEx Regulation. To learn more about Joshi Advocates, visit and subscribe to their YouTube channel
Justice Week runs between Monday 29 October and Friday 2 November 2018. To learn more about the Justice Week Programme, click here