52
5
2
numbers
Hot issues
184
Google it up!
H
aving an internet presence is a basic
marketing requirement for any compa-
The number of lawyers
ny nowadays. And it´s the same for law firms.
registered with the Macau Several local law firms in Macau have
Lawyer’s Association as of
already recognised this by investing in cor-
February 20, 2010. There
porate websites, although some are still very
were a total of 127 trainees.
rudimentary.
Having good content is not enough.
increasingly, potential clients are likely to
15,000
turn up at a law firm’s website after having
typed their legal problem or something like
“Lawyers in Macau” into Google. One way to climb to the top of the rank-
does that mean lawyers should abdi- ings is by using meta tags (information about
Estimated number of court
cate from the responsibility of marketing their
cases pending in Macau. Court
information) which are not displayed on the
hearings are being scheduled
firm on-line? No. webpage but are read by search engines.
two years in advance. The
the trick is getting noticed by search en- using keywords and updating the website
overall First Instance Court gines. And the beauty of it is that small law regularly are also good helpers.
resolution rate stands
firms can easily compete with major ones. While preparing a website for a law
at 8.21 percent according
there are two, often combined, ways to
to October 2009 figures.
firm, it is important to bear in mind that legal
do it. professions in Macau must comply with spe-
One is using search engine optimisa- cial legal restrictions in terms of advertising.
tion in order to improve the firm’s placing on Lawyers are not allowed to advertise
the results page of the search. the other is their fees. However, special expertise can be
through pay-per-click advertising on search advertised, as well as cooperative arrange-
engines. ments with other lawyers, including overseas
According to previous research, people lawyers. in any case, comparative advertise-
are more likely to click on the links provided ments are not permitted.
by the search results rather than the pay-per- Before engaging in a search engine op-
click adverts. timisation strategy, companies should also be
Appearing on the front page of results is aware that this is a long-term strategy. Months
very important. these websites attract around may pass before benefits become apparent.
85 percent of the traffic. For results to show up, the website must
For that to happen, companies need to easily provide for the potential client to en-
understand how search engines work. it is gage in contact with the law firm. E-mail ad-
11
simple: they use software programmes that dresses, phone numbers and inquiry forms
index websites according to several factors. are a must.
Total number of audit
Dos & Don’ts for AuDit firms
firms registered with the
Committee for the Registry
Don’t lock up corporate information.
of Auditors and Accountants
at the end of 2009. There
Don’t sleep on the job. Regulators worldwide keep running into cases where audit
were 106 registered auditors.
deficiencies appear to have been caused, at least in part, by the failure to apply an
appropriate level of professional skepticism when conducting audit procedures and
evaluating audit risk.
16
Do enhance the transparency of your audit firms by disclosing how its system of internal
control and risk management works, and how it can increase investor confidence.
Do appoint independent non-executives. This can facilitate dialogue between
The number of International shareholders, regulators and firms, particularly on the controversial issue of the sale
Financial Reporting Standards of non-audit services.
(IFRS)/ International Accounting
Standards (IAS) from the 2004 Do establish whistle blowing policies and procedures. This will enable people to
version that Macau has so report, without fear, concerns about the firm’s commitment to quality work and
far adopted. professional judgment and values.
March 2010
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