In the news: “Divorce lawyers tangled in messy custody disputes should refrain from smashing the other side to bits. That's the message law professor Andrew Schepard has been preaching to attorneys in seminars about high-conflict custody cases, which lawyers and judges identify as a critical problem in the nation's courts. Custody battles have grown so intense that some jurisdictions are dramatically changing how they handle warring parents. And in the process, the role of family lawyers is changing, too.”
Read full text
Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 30 November 2005. Copyright 2005. ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe.
Barry posts: “This is for those of you who are about to accept a matter in an area of law in which you are not intimately familiar.
‘How long will this take?’ and ‘how much do you think this will cost?’ are two questions that clients love to ask. We attorneys do not like to answer those questions. Oh, we may respond to those questions (‘I don’t know what it cost you because I don’t know what the other lawyer will do...’). Perfectly true and a valid response, but it doesn’t answer them. The answers lay in your knowledge of what to expect, and if you don’t know what to expect, you can’t answer the questions. (In the meantime, we’ll assume that your response satisfied your client, and she’s left your office, happy and secure in your ability to help her.)
Only two ways to get an idea on how much time it will take to handle a case: ask a fellow practitioner, or handle a case and learn by trial and error. Let’s look briefly at the pros and cons of each:"
Read on, go to:
Source: The Practice, 29 November 2005
From an anonymous blogger: “Many bloggers including Dennis Kennedy at The Dennis Kennedy Blog have been evangelizing the role which technology will play in bringing efficiency and focus to legal practice. Being a paperless office, I see those efficiencies every day.”
Read full text
Source: The Greatest American Lawyer, 28 November 2005
Patrick Lamb posts: “I’ve written about listening before. But it is of fundamental importance that every good post on the topic needs to be highlighted. Tom Kane over The Legal Marketing Blog has just such a post. Some great thoughts on how to handle face to face client meetings:”
Continue reading at the link below.
Source: In Search of Perfect Client Service, 22 November 2005
Larry Bodine reminds us that “Blogging is something that legal marketers really need to pay attention to as a number of firms out there are using blogs to create a competitive advantage. "
Follow his link to the full-text article of the same name, go to:
Source: Larry Bodine’s Legal Marketing, 28 November 2005
Sabrina blogs: “The Blogosphere Beckons: Should Your Company Jump In? Harvard Management Communication Letter, Vol. 2, No. 4, November 2005.”
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici. 29 November 2005. Copyright ©2002-2005 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved. Subscribe <http://www.bespacific.com/mt/subscribe.html>.
Cindy Chick of LawLibTech as a great post about LawyerLinks, “a new, subscription web site for corporate lawyers and researchers. LawyerLinks reminds me of a looseleaf service, and easy to use looseleaf service, that is. They've created browseable topical pages that gather together a variety of primary source materials from the web, including laws and regulations, cases, new developments and other related materials. They're so confident that organization by topic is what's needed in the real world, there's actually no search engine. Yep, you heard me right, there's no search engine.”
To read her comments and follow links to Dennis Kennedy and Robert Ambrogi’s comments as well, go to:
Source: LawLibTech, 27 November 2005
Tom Mighell points us to a new meta-search tool that’s still in beta called GoshMe. For a bit more info on it go to:
Source: Inter Alia, 28 November 2005
Jonathan Stein posts: “Under whatever billing system you operate, there will come a time when you have to send a bill to a client. (Even on contingency cases, I send a bill to the client when I incur costs. I may not collect money from the client, but I do have an obligation to keep them informed of costs incurred, since the ultimate responsibility is the client's.) Here are some tips for sending bills to clients that will hopefully maximize your recovery with as little effort as possible:
1. Every bill should be reviewed by a lawyer before sending it out to the client. If you end up in a fee dispute, you want to be able to argue that the bill was reviewed and approved by an attorney, and not just by staff.
2. Place your EIN on every bill. This will make your life easier on clients when it is time to send you payment. If they have all of the information that they need in front of them, they can get to the business of paying you and not searching for information.
3. Send a bill to clients at least monthly. On an hourly case, even if you did no work, you should send a bill to the client. This is especially true if there is an outstanding balance. On contingency cases, I only send a bill to the client if I have incurred costs that month. On flat rate cases, I send the bill monthly showing how much work was done. Keeping clients up to date will make them more willing to pay you.”
For the next 7 tips, go to:
Source: The Practice, 27 November 2005
Dan Hull posts: “Rule Two: The Client is the Main Event.
This one, I think, is more intuitive. Rule One--the November 19 post Represent Only Clients You Like -- struck 3 people I received e-mails from as impractical if not counter-intuitive. That's okay, but for now let's keep that as Rule One. Rule Two, that the client is everything, and the main event, makes almost too much sense. We all know that clients pay our fees, give us interesting work, and that we have professional, financial and fiduciary duties to clients. We tell clients they are "everything" to us. But is it true? Is the notion that the client is the main deal chiefly something we eagerly tell our clients (and ourselves) while we pitch for work?”
For more discussion of the client, go to:
Source: What About Clients, 28 November 2005
Posted by John Jantsch: “Some PR folks will tell you that press releases are a waste of time. I guess that comes from all those lazy PR folks out there that didn't get any results from mindlessly blasting boring press releases to the media masses. But that's not really the point of this post. (I'm only picking on the lazy PR folks, not you.)
Well written, engaging press release have a place and some day soon I'll give you my press release formula, but today I want to focus on a little press release trick that I've used with success for years.
I think it's a good practice to produce a press release of some sort every single month. Now, to get a really big story it's going to take much more than a press release, but sometimes volume is what it takes to get your pr machine rolling.
So, you've written your press release and sent it to the appropriate media, now what?"
For further explanation, go to:
Source: Duct Tape Marketing, 28 November 2005
Mike posts: “Ruggero Aldisert, author of Winning on Appeal and one of the finest federal appellate judge, offers these sobering statistics:
United States Court of Appeals—National Average of Reversals [for 2002]
ALL APPEALS.......................... 9.5%
Criminal...........................……..5.6
U.S. Prisoner Petitions..............9.5
Other U.S. Civil Cases..............11.0
Private Prisoner Petitions..........9.9
Other Private Civil Cases..........12.2
To read full text, go to:
Source: Crime & Federalism, 28 November 2005
In the news: “Sometimes the "Send" button is our worst enemy. How many times have you composed an e-mail in haste or anger and fired it off, only to realize you sincerely regret what you wrote? Wish you could take it back? Brett Burney offers pros and cons of the e-mail-recall options out there, plus tips for composing, addressing and sending better e-mails.”
Read full text
Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 29 November 2005. Copyright 2005. ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe.
Posted by Anthony Cerminaro: “Businessballs is a free online self-help, and training and development resource for people and organizations, run by Alan Chapman, in Leicester, England. The site features "free materials, articles, and ideas for ethical personal and organizational development, compassionate leadership, self-help and self-fulfillment...”
To finish the article, go to:
Source: BizzBangBuzz, 27 November 2005
Posted by Chuck Kallendorf: “The IRS has a new, redesigned, website debuting last week with 'a fresh look, enhanced search capabilities, and easy access to tools for both the general public and tax professionals.' (See announcement)"
Read full text, go to:
Source: Cincinnati Law Library Blog, 28 November 2005
Sabrina’s post with LLRX summaries:
"Competitive Intelligence - A Selective Resource Guide
Donna Cavallini and Sabrina I. Pacifici's revised and updated guide includes core, reliable free and fee-based resources in areas that include: search engines; business info sites and databases; TV and radio news transcripts; legislative monitoring and tracking; identification of company legal representation; benchmarking; and e-news sources.
Best Legal Practices for Open Source Software:
Ten Tips For Managing Legal Risks for Businesses Using Open Source Software
Dennis Kennedy's checklist is a practical evaluation of key factors that will ensure a sound decision making process in the adoption and implementation of open source applications within various legal settings.
Burney's Gadgets for Legal Pros: A Power-Trippin' Laptop and a Rule-Bendin' Memory Card
For those seeking to ease the weight of traveling with heavyweight hardware, Brett Burney introduces us to a light-weight laptop packed with essentials, and to a secure digital memory card to use with both your Treo and desktop.
FOIA Facts: Four Really Bad Habits
Scott A. Hodes documents significant failures by federal government agencies which result in unexpeditious responses to FOIA requests.
Marketing Your Law Firm With Video Conferencing
Harold German outlines how video conferencing can be a productive, cost effective marketing tool."
For full text, go to:
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici. 28 November 2005. Copyright ©2002-2005 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved. Subscribe <http://www.bespacific.com/mt/subscribe.html>.
In the news: “For about 50 years now, the billable hour has been the dominant feature of the legal profession. And for just as long, lawyers have been trying to kill it. Aggressive auditing by clients and a growing recognition of defects inherent in the system have led many inside and outside the profession to ask some simple but profound questions: What is it exactly that lawyers are selling to clients? And isn't there a better way to measure that value than by watching a clock?”
Read full text
Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 28 November 2005. Copyright 2005. ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe.
From Tom Mighelle-newsletter: “Well, it's not new, exactly, but Jim Milles at the University of Buffalo Law School has been podcasting at Check this Out! for a few weeks now. He's discussing blawgs, library news, and research stuff. I'd say check it out, but Jim already said that.”
Go to: http://jmilles.libsyn.com/
Source: Internet Legal Research Weekly by Tom Mighell. Volume 6, Issue 40. 27 November 2005. Subscribe <http://www.inter-alia.net/subscribe.php>.
Larry posts: “Patrick McEvoy, President of Rainmaker Best Practices interviewed me for 30 minutes last week and you can now hear the recording online at http://www.rainmakerbestpractices.com/members_only.htm. Click on Audio Interviews With Industry Leaders and and log in with your email address. You'll hear lot of powerful business development tips, including:
1. What's really wrong with law firm marketing today.
2. Essential questions you must ask and information you must have to develop a marketing strategy.
3. How I walk new law firm clients through a “discovery” process when getting a handle on their marketing "mess."
4. Developing a score for the orchestra and sheet music for the players in the symphony.
5. The tiers of business targets, and the order in which to pursue them.
6. The birth of the Internet 2.0. You'll hear how to be an early adopter in this bright, new online world, creating magnets for search engines, building e-newsletter lists with thousands of readers, how to choose what to blog about, how a bad Web site will hurt you and the three things that a law firm Web site must contain... "
For the other six tips, go to:
Source: Larry Bodine’s Professional Marketing Blog, 20 November 2005
Reid Trautz posts: “Robert Half Legal, a staffing service for law firms, has recently released their 2006 Salary Guide. According to the latest numbers compiled by Robert Half Legal, salaries for legal staff increased 6 to 8% nationwide during 2005. Legal secretaries and paralegals at small to mid-size firms experienced the greatest salary growth, compared to their counterparts at large and small firms. Salaries for 2006 breakdown as follows:
Small - Small/Mid - Midsize - Large
Senior Secretaries $39-49k $42-53k $45-56 $50-65k
(12+ years’ experience)
Midlevel Sec'y $36-46k $38-52k $41-52k $47-59k
(7-11 years’ exp.)
Legal Secretary $33-42k $37-44k $38-48k $38-52k
(3-6 years’ exp.)
Junior Legal Sec'y $27-35k $29-37k $33-39k $34-41k
(1-2 years’ exp.)
Read more salaries
Source: Reid my Blog, 19 November 2005
Bonnie Shucha points us to: American Law Sources Online (ALSO). And says: “ALSO has compiled an outstanding, well organized collection of links to freely available primary and some secondary legal resources for federal and state law. It includes case law, statutes, local ordinances, administrative code, forms, research guides, and more…”
Read full text
Source: Wisblawg, 23 November 2005
David Swanner posts: “PowerPoint gets a lot of bad press. There’s nothing wrong with the software, but there’s a ton of bad PowerPoint presentations out there. I think PowerPoint allows a bad presenter to give bad presentations more easily. Cliff Atkinson’s book Beyond Bullet Points: Using Microsoft PowerPoint to Create Presentations That Inform, Motivate, and Inspire does a great job of moving away from the horrific presentations we’re used to…
I’ve also been reading Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds recently…
For trial lawyers this is important stuff. How do we get across information so that people will actually understand and accept the information? It’s not enough that we say things, it has to be understood, accepted and internalized by the juror or audience member. If we don’t have that, we’re just talking in the wind.”
Read full text
Source: South Carolina Trial Law Weblog, 25 November 2005
Evan Schaeffer posts: “Would you go to trial without visual aids generated by Powerpoint or a similar program? If so, you should listen to John C. Dvorak's comments about speaking without visual aids on This Week in Tech #31.
Even though Dvorak wasn't talking specifically about lawyers and trials, he could have been…
Dvorak's comments about Powerpoint take place about two-thirds of the way through the show, which also includes a discussion of some alternatives to Powerpoint.
Related posts:
1. Help With Organizing Openings and Closings; and
2. Plaintiffs' Lawyer Mark Lanier Received Special Powerpoint Training Before First Vioxx Trial."
Read full text
Source: The Illinois Trial Practice Weblog, 23 November 2005
Ed Poll posts: “Quite some time ago, I saw a statistic that shows plumbers get more training than lawyers do! They purportedly received 40 hours per year in order to keep their licenses. Lawyers are required to have approximately 25 hours in 3 years, or 8+ hours per year.
Is there something wrong with this picture?”
Read on, go to:
Source: LawBiz Blog, 22 November 2005
Jonathan Stein posts: “At one point or another during your practice, you are going to need help. Among many virtues, knowing when to ask for help is important. As I mentioned in my post on mentors, I am fortunate to have two mentors who I can go to for help with issues. But, there are other issues which require help.”
For some great information on where to turn for help, go to:
Source: The Practice, 22 November 2005
Larry Bodine posts: “I was visiting a lawyer in Chicago and had to sit through a miserable phone call he took, from a client who called up and to chisel a lawyer down on his rates. The lawyer actually begged the client not to leave his firm. He failed.
It was completely pathetic and I was nauseated listening to the conversation. Listen to this story and find out how to prevent this from every happening to you.”
For a link to his podcast or to hear it on your computer, go to:
Source: Larry Bodine’s LegalMarketing Blog, 25 November 2005
Freedman Consulting, Inc. reports: “In the legal industry we refer to this as Disaster Prevention and Preparation Planning. In the ‘outside’ world it’s mostly referred to as Business Continuity Planning. I know, I know. . . in a law firm when we think of continuity planning our mind focuses on institutionalizing the firm and grappling with the issues related to the orderly succession of clients to the next generation. So you need to wrap your mind around this different nomenclature in order to take advantage of some additional resources I’ve found.”
You can find good links to further information at:
Source: Law Practice Management, 22 November 2005
Pinyo blogs: ”I have been in the blogging scene just about a month now. One thing I have noticed is that the title of my posts is the most important key success factor for my blog’s success. The difference between a mediocre title and a great one can be more than 10 folds in reader’s volume. There are two reasons why this is so:
1. Title is the #1 marketing tool - remember that the title is the most prominent and descriptive block of text that users sees. For example, think about how your site appears on these services:
o General Search Engines - i.e., Google, Yahoo!, MSN, etc.
o Blog Search Engines - i.e., Technorati
o Social Bookmarking Sites - i.e., Del.icio.us, Furl, Digg, etc.
o RSS Feeds
2. Title is the main link between your blog and the rest of the Blogosphere - if someone else is linking to your post, most likely your exact post’s title will be used”
For seven tips to improve your blog’s visibility by improving your titles, go to:
Source: GreatNexus Webmaster Blog, 20 November 2005
Carolyn Elefant posts: “As Thanksgiving and winter holidays approach, like me, many of you are probably scrambling to find the perfect gift for lawyer-friends and colleagues who've helped you throughout the year.”
For links to info about the creators of these great gifts and the link to purchase them, go to:
Source: MyShingle, 19 November 2005
Jim posts: “I'm still primarily using Internet Explorer. and one of the tools I seem to use a lot that others may not is the links toolbar. If you've never customized your links toolbar, it is probably hidden and/or you have the default sites of Customize links, Free Hotmail, Windows Media and so forth. Just go to a favorite site, grab the IE icon in front of the URL in the address bar and drop it onto the Links to customize. Couldn't be easier. Right click on the name if it is long to rename it something shorter.”
For further explanations and examples of how to use the toolbar go to:
Source: Jim Calloway’s Law Practice Tips Blog, 22 November 2005
Ken Kozlowski posts: “As part of the ongoing effort to make the judicial system more accessible to Ohioans, the Supreme Court of Ohio today launched a new Web site about the Ohio Judicial Center.”
To learn more about the website, go to:
Source: Ohio Law, 22 November 2005
Evan Schaeffer posts: “Want to instantly make your writing look more professional? The secret can be found in Bryan Garner's A Dictionary of Modern American Usage in an entry titled ‘phrasal adjectives’--
When a phrase functions as an adjective--an increasingly frequent phenomenon in late-20th-century English--the phrase should ordinarily be hyphenated. Most professional writers know this; most nonprofessionals don't... ”
For “examples culled from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times,” go to:
Source: The Illinois Trial Practice Weblog, 21 November 2005
Posted by Tom Mighell: “Chris Hoofnagle, the Director of EPIC West, presents this nice Consumer Privacy Top 10 list of things you can do with little money, effort, or knowledge of technology. It's a great list with non-techie things you can do to protect your privacy.”
Source: Inter Alia, 22 November 2005
John Jantsch posts: “Yesterday, I was sent to voicemail on three phone calls in a row. That's not unusual these days, but what I found annoyingly silly was the fact that each of the would be called had a voicemail message that said "Hi, this is so and so, I'm either on the phone or away from my desk." - word for word identical and painfully boring.
What if you used your voicemail message to send a subtle marketing hint or at least something attention getting. Rememeber, half the battle for your small business is to find ways to stand out in a crowd. In all things, you've got to start considering how to differentiate a bit.
It's easy to be overly cute on voicemail, but it's also one of those little things that, like an email signature, adds to the collective impression of your brand. Why not give it some thought? And while you're at it, why not create a set of standards for this little marketing tool that everyone in the organization uses…”
This post has 5 comments with 173 views – I think it is worth your time!
Go to:
Source: Duct Tape Marketing, 17 November 2005
Jonathan Stein posts: “One of the ways to build your practice is by obtaining clients through a referral service. There are a variety of referral services out there, and each one is a bit different. (Variety is probably an understatement. A quick Google of "lawyer referral service" revealed 1,830,000 hits.)”
To read about his four guidelines to remain “within your ethical obligations and still generate new clients,” go to:
Source: The Practice, 21 November 2005
Grant Griffiths posts: “I try to do just that at least once a week if I can. My favorite office away from the home office is my local coffee shop. WiFi is available and so is great coffee. I have even met with another attorney with whom I have worked on criminal cases with at the coffee shop.
I Need to Get Out of this House: ‘Ways to Get Outside Your Home Office, But Still Work’”
Interesting article by Dave Schell !
Source: Home Office Lawyer, 20 November 2005
In the news: “No committee reviews judges' recusal decisions -- either in lower courts or at the Supreme Court -- and critics say this do-it-yourself approach explains why recusal issues keep recurring. They have dogged Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito Jr. as well as Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., who has already faced some awkward recusal choices in his brief seven-week tenure on the Court. Conflict-of-interest questions may even impede the business community's desire for a more sympathetic Supreme Court.”
Read full text
Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 21 November 2005. Copyright 2005. ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe.
From the e-newsletter: “This is just a page from the Atkinson-Baker Court Reporting web site, but it's very useful. You have access here to the discovery rules of all fifty states (to the extent they're online). A useful all-in-one page for your bookmarks.”
Source: Internet Legal Research Weekly by Tom Mighell. Volume 6, Issue 39. 20 November 2005. Subscribe <http://www.inter-alia.net/subscribe.php>.
Posted by Tom Mighell: “If you're planning on committing murder, make sure you research your crime anonymously. In a murder trial going on in Raleigh-Durham, an inspection of the defendant's computer revealed that he had searched the words "neck," "snap," "break," and "hold" on a search engine before his wife died. The computer evidence also apparently indicates that the defendant allegedly researched lake levels, water currents, boat ramps, and access to the lake where his wife's body was later discovered.
When we talk about e-discovery, we're not just talking about e-mail and Word documents with embedded metadata -- we're also talking about your browser's search history. Properly harvested, it can definitely yield some interesting evidence.”
Source: Between Lawyers, 20 November 2005
Sabrina posts: “S. 1418: Wired for Health Care Quality Act, A bill to enhance the adoption of a nationwide inter operable health information technology system and to improve the quality and reduce the costs of health care in the United States. Passed Senate by voice vote, November 18, 2005.”
Related documents:
· S. 1355
· Senate Report 109-111
· EPIC and Patient Privacy Rights Launch Campaign to Protect Medical Records
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici. 21 November 2005. Copyright ©2002-2005 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved. Subscribe <http://www.bespacific.com/mt/subscribe.html>.
Genie Tyburski posts: “The Federal Reserve Board and other financial agencies yesterday issued final regulations under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) that create exceptions to the statutory prohibition against obtaining or using medical information in connection with credit eligibility determinations.
The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACTA) requires the promulgation of regulations that permit creditors to obtain and use medical information for credit eligibility purposes when necessary and appropriate to protect legitimate operational, transactional, risk, consumer and other needs. The regulations become effective on 1 April 2006."
SEE: Fair Credit Reporting Medical Information Regulations
Federal Register (unofficial copy), 17 November 2005
Source: TVC Alert Research News, 18 November 2005, Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, http://www.virtualchase.com/tvcalert/transfer.asp?xmlFile=nov05/18nov05.xml
Jonathan Stein posts: “For those of you who are feeling overwhelmed, and who isn’t at some point in time, I came across this list of 10 steps for time management. I don’t agree with every step, but it’s a pretty good start. Here are the 10 steps:
Step 1 - Get started
Step 2 - Set clear goals and objectives
Step 3 - Keep an activity log
Step 4 - Handle E-mail and phone calls in batches
Step 5 - Divide larger tasks into groups of smaller ones
Step 6 - Prioritize tasks
Step 7 - Set aside chunks of time to do nothing
Step 8 - Don't overwork yourself
Step 9 - Learn when to say no
Step 10 - Know when you need time management help!
Steps one through three are great. I disagree with step 4. I think you should handle phone calls, email and mail as it comes. Taking that extra phone call, or opening your mail, may be just the solution to resolving a case and getting it off your desk. Steps 5 through 10 are good as well. I think step 10 is probably the most important on the list. As a young lawyer, especially one with your own firm, it can be difficult to know when to ask for help. But, I am a firm believer that knowing when to ask for help is a virtue - one that we should practice more often.
This is from a new blog that should have a good following, especially for those with a desire to handle appeals.”
Source: The Practice, 18 November 2005
Posted by David Whelan: “Hamilton County's Board of County Commissioners is proposing to require new judges to forego a court reporter and use video and audio recording equipment instead, according to the Cincinnati Post. The story, also picked up by UPI, discusses the costs of court reporters, alternative technology, and the opposition of some Hamilton County judges. The experience of judges in Northern Kentucky's Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties is cited for the benefits of an automated reporter system."
Source: Cincinnati Law Library Blog, 17 November 2005
From the blog: “When Chief Legal Officers speak, I listen. I just might learn something.
Clients (once and future) should probably listen as well.
Marketing communications consultant Amy Campbell reports from last week’s meeting of the New England chapter of the Legal Marketing Association. She provides an excellent summary of what transpired.
– Here’s five of the top 10 “sound bites” from the three GCs present:
1. “I hire lawyers not firms…”
2. “Firms who churn their associates are very frustrating to us…”
3. “Word of mouth” is most reliable referral source…
4. “Cold calling” and “sending brochures” doesn’t work
5. “Cross marketing from a trusted partner can work…”
Also interesting to me were the following comments from Hasbro GC Barry Nagler.
– On how he uses outside counsel:
We use outside counsel as a cost minimization strategy… we have a large in-house department. Three criteria to keep work in-house: 1) is it core to strategic success of Hasbro? 2) is it an area of law where we have substantial repeat business?… one-offs go out. 3) what’s fun? We keep the entertainment law and send out the ERISA.
– On managing costs:
Rates aren’t as important as efficiency. You assume the quality piece… so if there are 40 qualified candidates, I can choose the most cost effective. We are billed hourly, but looking at getting discounts and ways to share risk and reward. The most important thing — no surprises! Need to put yourself in your client’s shoes. If you see costs going up, say something.. get proactive. It’s very important. We all know stuff happens, but ‘pick up the phone.’
Glad to see my ACC dues being put to good use–president Frederick J. Krebs and GC Susan Hackett were out of the office and present as well.
When an event like this allows an audience a peek inside the day-to-day life of the GC, much of what passes for legal marketing is relegated to the dustbin in the first 5 minutes. Traditional, comfortable and really expensive methods are probably not as effective today.
What law firms think they are selling (billable hours) are not what the GC is buying (results that support company strategy).
Ms. Campbell entire post is worth reading– she clearly seems to get it, legal marketing-wise.”
Source: Wired GC, 21 November 2005
Bonnie Shucha posts: “BlinkxTV, a search engine for audio and video content, has unveiled what SearchEngineWatch's Gary Price has coined a "virtual lecture space."
From Netimperative:
Search engine blinkx has formed agreements with several universities and an educational content partnership with the University Channel, to make hundreds of hours of academic audio content. . .
Blinkx.tv users can now enter a search on a specific thought, idea, or law, and jump to the exact point in a speech that it’s being discussed. . .
Universities from around the world are making content from the arts and humanities, as well as social, biomedical, and physical science disciplines, available through the partnership.”
[Her] Source: Search Engine Watch
Source: WisBlawg, 17 November 2005
Silvia Coulter posts: “ You are in leadership positions every day. Sometimes it's as a leader of your firm, your department, your practice group, your team. Other times, it's leading from the side of the table, to influence discussion. Take advantage of your ability as a leader to influence and inspire others by delegating, inviting conversation, giving kudos for good ideas and contributions and thank people for providing you with the ability to lead them. Leaders know all too well that opportunities to influence are all around them and it's a great feeling when you step back and observe how others take your lead and run with it! For more information about leadership, check out Mark Beese's blog www.leadershipforlawyers.typepad.com and be influenced!”
Source: The Legal Compass, 17 November 2005
In the news: “In Corporate Counsel's latest Quality of Life survey, nearly three-quarters of the respondents describe overall opportunities for advancement in their departments as either "limited" or nonexistent. But even those who feel stuck don't seem quite ready to bust out, preferring their current work/life balance to that which a law firm might afford. Although the trade-off isn't perfect, many lawyers insist that going in-house is a decision they made with open eyes -- and would make again.”
Read full text
Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 18 November 2005. Copyright 2005. ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe.
Sabrina posts: “Sharing navigation and design similarities with the Library of Congress site as well as the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration site, today's launch of the upgraded THOMAS Congressional information site offers citizens, educators and researchers additional browse and search features (including the ability to Search Multiple Congresses, from the 101 to the 109; links to full text treaties; and a Presidential nominations search feature with links to Senate hearings). This year was the twentieth anniversary of the site, which has undergone a series of changes, updates and redesigns.”
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici. 17 November 2005. Copyright ©2002-2005 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved. Subscribe <http://www.bespacific.com/mt/subscribe.html>.
Ron Friedmann posts: “Are you an innovation proponent in a large law firm? Ever wonder why life is hard?
Richard Susskind, a leading legal technology thinker and consultant, writes an excellent article in the Financial Times Online: Backroom boys lead ‘positive disruption’ (free registration required; spotted on DennisKennedy.blog).
Susskind writes that innovation is hard because it ‘is not easy to convince a group of millionaires within clear sight of retirement that their business model is wrong and that they should change direction and embrace new technologies.’ This is a must read for anyone who’s proposed innovative ideas in a law firm, technology or otherwise.”
Source: Strategic Legal Technology, 16 Nobember 2005
Evan Schaeffer posts: “You knew you could use an iPod as an external hard drive, didn't you? (For instructions, look here.) Many people do it, and it's why references to iPods are showing up in articles about electronic discovery. Here's an example:
Whether doing e-discovery in-house or outsourcing, lawyers should know how their clients' documents are preserved, and for how long. Data might be stored on back-up tapes, individual hard drives, flash drives, CDs and other portable media, home computers, cell phones, voice mail, BlackBerrys and even iPods.
The quote is from 'Piecing Together EDD's In-House vs. Outsource Puzzle,' one of a collection of articles in American Lawyer's 'E-Discovery Trends of 2006.' All are recommended, even if not as interesting as your iPod's 'Most Played' playlist."
Source: The Illinois Trial Practice Weblog, 16 November 2005
Bob Rankin writes: “So, you've got a web browser and an email program... Is that all the Internet software you'll ever need? Maybe, but first take a look at some of the nifty tools in my Best Internet Software reviews. I've scoured the online world to find the best Internet software in many categories, including Browsers, Form Fillers, RSS Readers, File Transfer, Telnet and Utilities. I even tried hard to find Macintosh equivalents for Windows programs when available. I think you'll find something here to make your online experience even better!"
http://www.askbobrankin.com/free_internet_software.html
Source: The Internet Tourbus. Volume 11, Number 25. 17 November 2005. Copyright 1995-2005, Rankin & Crispen - All rights reserved. Subscribe <http://www.TOURBUS.com>.
Jonathan Stein posts: “We love technology. Not the global we, but we the authors of this blog. Shane and I both use electronic faxing. I am moving towards a paperless system. We communicate daily by email, and sometimes by cell phone. And I am guessing that we are not alone. After all, if you are reading this, you probably have some fascination with technology.
Anne Parys has a great article on technology. Her point: just because there is a new piece of technology, or something that is the latest and greatest, it does not mean that you should buy it – or even use it. She has three questions you should ask:
Will it be used?
Is it appropriate to use?
Can it be used?
Her point is excellent. Just because someone wants to sell you some technology does not mean you should use it. Evaluate every piece of technology with these questions and it will give you a start to figuring out whether you should buy it.”
Source: The Practice, 17 November 2005
HOW TO CORRECT CREDIT MISTAKES
From the e-newsletter: “What should you do if your credit card bill seems to be wrong? Are you liable for all charges that may arise if someone steals your credit card? From billing errors to lost or stolen credit cards, learn how to protect yourself and your credit rating with frequently asked questions on "How to Correct Credit Mistakes" from FindLaw for the Public. Click on the link below to get started.
http://public.findlaw.com/newcontent/content/aba/flg/ch7/st8/tl.html
Credit Laws and Your Rights”
Source: FindLaw’s PUBLIC ADVISOR. 17 November 2005. Copyright © 2005 FindLaw, a Thomson Business. Subscribe <http://newsletters.findlaw.com/>.
From the e-newsletter: “Every homeowner should be aware of potential health and safety hazards in the home, including asbestos, lead, mold, fire, and radon. The "Health and Safety in Your Home" section in FindLaw for the Public's Home Ownership Center offers safety tips, useful information, and helpful resources on a number of potential home-based health and safety hazards. Learn more:
http://realestate.findlaw.com/homeownership/home-health-safety.html
Browse the Home Ownership Center”
Source: FindLaw’s PUBLIC ADVISOR. 17 November 2005. Copyright © 2005 FindLaw, a Thomson Business. Subscribe <http://newsletters.findlaw.com/>.
Sabrina posts: "Wex is an ambitious effort to construct a collaboratively-created, public-access law dictionary and encyclopedia. It is sponsored and hosted by the Legal Information Institute at the Cornell Law School. Much of the material that appears in Wex was originally developed for the LII's "Law about..." pages, to which Wex is the successor.”
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici. 1 November 2005. Copyright ©2002-2005 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved. Subscribe <http://www.bespacific.com/mt/subscribe.html>.
Genie Tyburski posts: “ This Law Practice Today article contemplates what challenges law firm management. Its list of 8 issues includes foreign outsourcing, personal ambitions, mergers and practice group defections."
Source: TVC Alert Research News, 17 November 2005, Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, http://www.virtualchase.com/tvcalert/transfer.asp?xmlFile=nov05/17nov05.xml
David Swanner posts: “Of course, this is pounded into us repeatedly. Talk like a person and not a lawyer. Don’t use a big word when a small word will do. It is better to get your themes from People magazine and the Enquirer than from Plato and Charles Dickens. It doesn’t matter how fancy you are if no one knows what you’re talking about. I was reminded about that when I ran across this great quote from David Ogilvy, the advertising giant of Madison Avenue:
I once used the word OBSOLETE in a headline, only to discover that 43 per cent of housewives had no idea what it meant. In another headline, I used the word INEFFABLE, only to discover that I didn't know what it meant myself.
Yep. Keep it simple. Keep it short.”
Source: South Carolina Trial Law Blog, 16 November 2005
From the e-newsletter: “What mood is your law firm?
A study of the country's 200 most profitable firms found that more than half of them -- 116, to be exact -- have blue logos, websites, business cards, and other advertising materials. Why blue? Maybe because it's what's known in the marketing business as a "low arousal" color, one that elicits a sense of calm and relaxation. Blue also projects an aura of royalty and authority.”
Read full text
Source: FindLaw’s THE PRACTICE PAPER. 16 November 2005. Copyright © 2005 FindLaw, a Thomson Business. Subscribe <http://newsletters.findlaw.com/>.
Posted by Robert Ambrogi: “When it comes to the intersection of legal ethics and legal advertising, there is no more authoritative source than Will Hornsby, staff counsel to the American Bar Association Commission on Advertising for more than a decade. Given this, I am happy to see that Will has just launched a blog, The Boundaries of Legal Marketing: Information and Insight on Marketing & Legal Ethics. Will says that the blog will be similar in focus to Lawyer Advertising News, the former newsletter of the Commission on Advertising:
'It reported on changes in the state rules governing lawyer advertising, marketing and solicitation, cases that interpreted the lawyer’s First Amendment rights, ethics opinions that interpreted the rules and novelties in client development.'
In his career with the ABA, Will also provided staffing for the Standing Committee on Professionalism, the Committee on Research on the Future of the Law, the ABA Presidential Commission on Access to Justice and the Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services. He is author of a number of books and articles on ethics and advertising.
The blog was designed by LexBlog.”
Source: Robert Ambrogi’s LawSites, 16 November 2005
In the news: “The Supreme Court has been asked again to clarify the murky rules of judicial election campaigns. For appellate counsel Thomas R. Phillips, the case exemplifies the good, bad and ugly in judicial elections. The "good" is Minnesota's code of judicial conduct. The "bad" is an August decision by the 8th Circuit striking down two key regulations in that code. And the "ugly" is what could happen under a confused state of ethical requirements when some 30 states hold Supreme Court elections in 2006.”
Read full text
Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 17 November 2005. Copyright 2005. ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe.
From the e-newsletter: “If you are not yet using RSS, you are missing out on the single best way to get news and updated information via the internet. An acronym for really simple syndication, RSS is a standard that enables delivery of web content directly to your desktop. This article gives basic information on RSS as well as lists RSS services to help lawyers.”
http://www.lawtechnews.com/r5/showkiosk.asp?listing_id=708231&category_id=27902
Free registration to the Law Technology News website is required for access to this article.
Source: Law Librarian Update. 17 November 2005. Copyright © 2005 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
Genie Tyburski posts: “Google officially launched Google Base, a search engine for finding individual item listings (as opposed to an entire Web page or site), such as classified ads, products for sale, seminars and other events, articles and reviews, or just about anything specific. Danny Sullivan reviews the service in detail and opines about its threat to services such as eBay, Monster.com or Craigslist.
Purely an aside: If you don't play video games, you might not recognize the phrase, "All your base are belong to us." It became a popular battle cry a few years ago amongst competitive online gamers. It comes from a poor translation of a cut scene in the Japanese game, Zero Wing. The translated subtitle read, ‘Cats: All Your Base Are Belong to Us.’"
SEE: Google Base
Source: TVC Alert Research News, 17 November 2005, Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, http://www.virtualchase.com/tvcalert/transfer.asp?xmlFile=nov05/17nov05.xml
From the blog: “Ed Poll, who may be one of the best coaches for lawyers around (If I had to hire one, it would be Ed.), has a great article in Law Practice Today about providing value, not time. The gist is that you should bill your clients on a value basis. Ed thinks you should get away from hourly billing, or if you do, provide an extra service to your clients to increase the value. It’s a good quick read, and Ed really knows what he is talking about.”
Source: The Practice, 15 November 2005
Tom Collins posts: “I recently shared the podium with Debbie Foster, president and founder of INTOUCH. She is recognized by LawCommerce.com as one of the top legal technologists in the country and speaks regularly on several topics, including Practice Management Software, Time/Billing/Accounting Software, general law practice management issues and computer management.
She began her remarks by saying that she has worked with many “accidentally" successful law firms. What she meant by that is that the partners of those firms were not paying attention to the numbers. Their only barometer for measuring success was the firm’s bank account. As long as there was money in the bank, things were okay in their book! Of course, the problem with accidental success is that there can be a train wreck coming just around the curve and they have no idea that the end is approaching.
Intentionally successful law firms pay attention to the numbers. They keep the train on track by setting goals, measuring performance against those goals and holding people accountable.
That doesn’t mean they spend time with their nose buried in reports. Quite the contrary—best management practices have replaced “reports” with “measurements”. They track 6 to 10 “key” indicators that provide them with “situational awareness”. Like the pilot of a fighter jet¾everything they need is displayed in front of them. The information is actionable and instantly digestible. Busy professionals (including managing partners) don’t have time for reports. Reports are for the accounting and administrative teams so they can answer the “why” questions.
What are some of those key indicators that need to be on the managing partner’s radar screen at all times? Some of the logical ones include the factors that determine partner income and cash flow:
· Productivity or utilization: The sum of billable hours for fee earners
· Blended rate: The dollar value of worked billable hours divided by the total billable hours worked
· Realization: The percent of billable dollars worked that actually gets paid, i.e., what is left after write-downs, adjustments and bad debts. It is collected fees divided by the original billed value of the hours worked related to those collections
· Days of Work in Process: Worked fees not yet billed to clients divided by the average fees billed per calendar day (annualized fees divided by 360 days).
· Days of Receivables: Billed but uncollected fees and expenses divided by by the average fees and expenses billed per calendar day (annualized fees and billed expenses divided by 360 days).
There may be additional Key Performance Indicators for your firm. For those additional items and for the above five items, set goals for them. Have actual performance compared to goal measured for you and the results given to you in immediately digestible form (for example, graphically). Then hold people accountable for achieving the goals."
Source: Morepartnerincome, 15 November 2005
Posted by Lee Peoples: “The students who participated in my study are now practicing lawyers. They research and argue for changes in the law on a daily basis. If, as Barbara Bintiff argues in her seminal piece Thinking Like a Lawyer in the Computer Age, [Westlaw ID req.] 88 Law Libr. J. 338 (1996) electronic searching deprives these lawyers of a full understanding of legal rules and principles, promotes ill conceived arguments, and impedes their ability to think like lawyers then something must be done.
After revealing the sub-par skills of my students it would be hypocritical for me to not make any changes to the way I teach legal research. This summer I spent a month or so revamping the first few weeks of my Advanced Legal Research class. My old model for the course was based on the assumption that students who took the upper division elective class already had basic research skills. I focused almost entirely on research in specific subject areas: legislative history, administrative law, environmental law and other perennial favorites. The results of my study threw the gauntlet at my feet. I developed three new sessions designed to do the following:
Reinforce basic skills; Expose the shortcomings of researching in the print and electronic environment; Skills to select the most appropriate research methods and tools; Electronic database training with emphasis on shortcomings and comparisons between vendors.
In developing these new sessions I found materials from two of our colleagues extremely helpful. Paul Callister, Director of the Leon E. Bloch Law Library & Associate Professor of Law, has an excellent online tutorial that served as a partial pedagogical model for the revisions to my course. I am especially fond of his discussion of precision and recall which I introduced to my students this year with some success. I would be interested in hearing any comments from others who have delved into the precision vs. recall discussion in legal research courses.
Charles Ten Brink, Professor of Law & Director of Library & Technology Services at Michigan State University College of Law, wrote an excellent article, A Jurisprudential Approach to Teaching Legal Research, 39 New Eng.L. Rev. 307 (2005). He argues that advanced legal research courses must introduce students to “the underlying principles of research” including jurisprudential concepts.
Is anyone else aware of other excellent materials for teaching fundamental basic research skills?
What experiences have others had in teaching basic skills and the pros and cons of electronic searching? Post your comments.”
Source: Out of the Jungle, 16 November 2005
Posted by Kevin O’Keefe: “Michelle Golden, president of Golden Marketing, Inc., a consulting and marketing company serving professional service firms, reports from BlawgThink the return on investment -ROI- from blogs.
1. For some lawyers their blogs are responsible for generating up to 30% of their revenues
2. Recognized as an expert in area, higher level of respect
3. Prospective clients appreciate 'insight' into the lawyer's brain (all the better to see if there is a 'fit')
4. Personal reward, passion, helping people with information
5. Keeps us more in tune with our practice interests because we are doing more reading and thinking
6. Younger generation is a generation that is 'growing up with blogging' and they can relate to us because we've been doing it too
7. Chance to write often, but less formally
8. Lots of media attention, interviews and speaking opportunities on their area of practice
Michelle was one of the delightful and talented people I had the chance to meet at BlawgThink. I hope LexBlog gets the opportunity down the road to work with Michelle's company on a marketing or communication project.”
Source: Real Lawyers Have Blogs, 13 November 2005
Ed Poll posts: “Question: Are there ethical rules pertaining to the use of ‘associates’ and ‘affiliates’ in a law firm name; it’s my understanding that ‘associates’ refers to associate attorneys within the firm and ‘affiliates’ indicates a firm which outsources or refers some of its cases to independent law firms.
In the case at hand, the primary attorney (the firm is currently called ‘The Law Firm of 'John Doe', Esq.’) is planning to retire in a few years and wants to increase the good will value of the firm name; he’s concerned that a practice in the name of a sole practitioner will not yield a high sale price.
Answer: In CA and some other states, the rules of professional conduct provide that one cannot use a word in the title of a law firm that is not true. Thus, using the name "John Doe & Associates" is not permissible when there is only one lawyer in the firm.
On the other hand, these same regulations do permit the use of a fictitious name. For example, ‘The Virtual Law Firm’ is acceptable. This latter form, when building good will over time, enhances the value of the law firm for sale on retirement in the opinion of some because the ‘personal relationship’ issue raised by a buyer can be explained away more easily. It’s the firm and not the name of John Doe which will be transferred, so the argument goes.
Be sure to check with your ethics folks before going too far in the establishment of your firm name.”
Source: LawBiz Blog, 16 November 2005
Wayne Schiess posts: “Do you know what a ‘squinting modifier’ is? Read the quotation below and avoid squinting modifiers.
A word capable of being read as modifying either the word it follows or the word it precedes is called a squinting modifier. Consider ambiguity this can produce:
o The candidate the audience was applauding enthusiastically went to the podium.
Was the audience applauding enthusiastically? Or was the candidate enthusiastically going to the podium?
o The lawyer who can write well deserves her fee.
Does "well" relate to her accomplishment or her entitlement?
o The doctor agreed eventually to do the operation.
Does this mean that the doctor took a long time to agree? Or does it mean that he agreed to do the operation at some uncertain future date?
o My lawyer told me in August I would be released.
Did the lawyer say that in August, or is August the projected date of release?
Thomas R. Haggard, The Scrivener: A Primer on Legal Writing 77-78 (2d ed., S.C. Bar 2000).”
Source: Legalwriting.net, 14 November 2005
From the e-newsletter: “Microsoft(r) Office OneNote(tm) is a note-taking software program that combines the flexibility of a legal notepad with the efficiency, organization and accessibility of a computer. Attorneys can now write, organize, reuse and share their notes on any laptop, desktop or Tablet PC. OneNote is ideal for legal practitioners who are assigned to the same cases, are in the same practice group or work on matters that involve more than one practice group and share information.”
Read full text
Source: FindLaw’s TOOLS OF THE TRADE. November 2005. Copyright © 2005 FindLaw, a Thomson Business. Subscribe <http://newsletters.findlaw.com/>.
This item is meant for librarians, but even lawyers are tech trainers to their colleagues now and then…
Cindy Chick posts: “Let's face it, our jobs involve more training than ever before, even if it's one on one more often than in a classroom setting. But many of us haven't ever been trained to train. How many of us might, if only occasionally and inadvertently, violate such rules as:
· Don't read the screen to your trainees.... they can read for themselves.
· Have multiple copies and versions of your presentation as your Plan B.
· Or my personal favorite, DO NOT TAKE THE KEYBOARD OR MOUSE AWAY FROM THE LEARNER!
These tips come from a presentation by Rob Coers and Michael Stephens, Twenty Technology Training Tips from Two Trainers.
I found the slide on body language, which suggested kneeling down when you explain something at the trainee's desk to be especially useful.
There's lot of good stuff here.”
Source: LawLibTech, 13 November 2005
Jim posts: “The 2005 Federal Sentencing Guideline Manual is online. It appears from the site that a PDA version will be available soon. Hey, I know it's not my usual type of post. But the manual has been revised and is effective November 1, 2005, so I thought I'd help get the word out.”
Source: Jim Calloway’s Law Practice Tips Blog, 9 November 2005
From the blog: “I am a big advocate of listserves for lawyers. For those of you who do not know, a listserve is basically a place where you can ask questions and receive answers from other participants. Yahoo Groups and Google Groups are listserves that are very public. There are also listserves that I belong to that are limited to its members. These are through my local, state and national TLA.
As a solo, a new lawyer, or even a law student, a listserve can be a valuable resource. A new problem comes up? Ask your list members. A potential case comes up that you do not know its value? Ask the list. You get a bad result at trial? Ask the list.
But, even on a private listserve, are your comments really private? Florida attorney Brian Labovik thought his comments were private, until he received a letter from a judge who received a copy of a comment he posted on the Palm Beach County TLA listserve. Now, there is an investigation to see who leaked the comments.
I admit to even posting a comment or two that has gotten me in trouble. I once asked questions of a “marketing guru,” trying to verify some of the “guru’s” claims. The “guru” was not on the list, but someone forwarded the comments to the “guru,” who then responded publicly and attacked me. Oh well. It confirmed my opinion of said “guru.”
Moral of this story: Only post things that you are comfortable with other people reading. Other people could be a judge, opposing counsel, or your colleagues. If you would not say it in public, maybe you should not post it. (For the record, I would have said the same thing about this “guru” in any forum.)”
Source: The Practice, 14 November 2005
Genie poats: “Last month, the 11th Circuit reprimanded judges in the Southern District of Florida for 'hiding cases from public view by placing the cases on a secret court docket.' Now there are allegations that judges in the 11th Circuit participate secret docketing.”
Source: TVC Alert Research News, 15 November 2005, Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, http://www.virtualchase.com/tvcalert/transfer.asp?xmlFile=nov05/15nov05.xml
In the news: “The nation's courts are getting hit with a growing number of requests to seal divorce records. But in a new twist, the requests are from corporations, which claim that top executives' divorce cases may reveal trade secrets or company financial information. With court records from 30 states now available on the Internet, fears of data theft or leaks are at an all-time high among businesses.”
Read full text
Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 15 November 2005. Copyright 2005. ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe.
Posted by Diane Murley: “I love keyboard shortcuts, those computer key combinations that let me perform frequent actions without moving my fingers from the keys to the mouse in order to click on a menu from the menu bar. For example, instead of clicking on the File menu and selecting Save, I can hold down the Ctrl key while I press and release the S key. This shortcut is frequently shown as [Ctrl + S]. Try Ctrl + S. It is much faster, and you will quickly get into the good habit of saving frequently.
My favorite shortcut is Ctrl + Z, which undoes your last action. Ctrl + Z does the same thing as clicking on the Edit menu and selecting Undo, or clicking on in the button bar. The next time you make a mistake, especially if the mistake involves deleting something, don't panic. Just Ctrl + Z. You can Ctrl + Z repeatedly to undo more than one action, all the way back to the last time you saved your document. Ctrl + Z works in most Windows applications, including some Solitaire games.
Here are some other keyboard shortcuts you might like:
· Ctrl + Y re-does the last thing you undid;
· Ctrl + A selects (highlights) all the text in a document;
· Ctrl + C copies the selected text;
· Ctrl + X cuts the selected text;
· Ctrl + V pastes the text you copied or cut to where the cursor is;
· Ctrl + F opens the Find dialog box;
· Ctrl + P prints.
What are your favorite shortcuts?”
Source: Law Dawg Blawg, 14 November 2005
Sabrina posts: “Blog Software Smackdown: The Big 3 Reviewed, by Vinnie Garcia.”
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici. 14 November 2005. Copyright ©2002-2005 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved. Subscribe <http://www.bespacific.com/mt/subscribe.html>.
Posted by Tom Mighell: “Creating RSS feeds for your search terms can be a hassle, because there are so many engines out there that will create RSS feeds for your search. Kebberfegg is a great program for doing this, but you still have to click on each created feed to subscribe to it. Check out Monitor This, which allows you to enter your search terms, and feeds from 15 different search tools will be created in one OPML file. Then it's a snap to import this file into your newsreader.”
Source: Inter Alia, 14 November 2005
Jim posts: “The recently-launched LooksTooGoodToBeTrue website represents a great new effort to help consumers spot Internet fraud. It includes real-life scam tales, new warnings, and quizzes designed to educate consumers. The Web site is a cooperative effort of the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, the postal inspection service, and several private firms, including Monster.com and Target Corporation.”
Source: Jim Calloway’s Law Practice Tips Blog, 14 November 2005
Jonathan Stein posts: “The title is with apologies to Steve Rushin. It's not often that you are going to read a law blog that talks about Sports Illustrated, but here it is.
For those of you who do not get Sports Illustrated, go to your library and read Steve Rushin's column. Rushin talks about how the majority of professional athletes are decent people. (The timing is not so great with the Terrell Owens disaster right now, but the point is still valid.) Hall of Famer Bill Russell talks about a poem he read that says "It's not what we give but what we share/For the gift without the giver is bare."
What on earth could I possibly be talking about by now? Steve Rushin? TO? Bill Russell? Most people are good. Some of these athletes go out of their way to help kids, students, and others. Just giving a toy to by a large segment of , a meal, a suit, some money, is not enough. You have to give time to.
As attorneys, a large segment of society looks up to us, so we should try to set a good example. Between now and the end of the year, find a person, a group, or an organization and give just 10 hours of your time. Post your comments here and let us know what you did. I will share mine as well.”
Source: The Practice, 11 November 2005
Posted by John Jantsch: “Remember the K-Mart blue light special? It was created in 1965 by a store manager looking to move slow merchandise and quickly became part of the American lexicon.
Years ago I recall tooling around K-Mart with my mom, shopping for back to school clothes, when all of a sudden an announcer would blurt out those now famous words, "Attention K-Mart shoppers, there's a blue light special on . . ."
Every time it happened, women would wheel their carts around and head for the special blue light price on cookware awaiting them in aisle 7. Even as a 10 year old it was obvious the power this marketing surprise possessed.
People love surprises and they get them much anymore. (Even K-Mart has dropped the blue light special)
Build surprises into your marketing efforts; literally, make some sort of a surprise part of your client fulfillment system and transact them without warning.
You can surprise:
· The first time someone orders from you, throw in something extra.
· When someone refers business to you, send them a cake.
· Partner with other businesses, create and send a gift certificate pack good for other products and services
· Toss in a t-shirt, send them a book you like, be creative and you will remind them what a good decision they made hiring you in the first place.
The thing about surprises is they create word of mouth. People will go on and on about getting something extra, something they didn't expect.
Source: Duct Tape Marketing, 10 November 2005
Posted by Dennis M. Kennedy: “Here's another important article on law practice and law practice management trends - Well-known law practice management expert Ward Bower, of Altman Weil, has written an article called "The Business of Law in 2005 (PDF)."
The titles a bit of a misnomer because the article analyzes trends that will extend long past 2005, but should definitely be on the radar.
The money quote:
Emergence of the Buyers’ Market
Foremost among all the trends is the shift of the legal services marketplace from the sellers’marketplace of 15 or more years ago to an increasingly buyers’market today.In a sellers’ market the supplier (i.e.,law firm) determines price, staffing and strategy.In a buyers’market these roles are reversed and it is the buyer (i.e., client) who determines price, staffing and even service strategy. Increasingly today, clients determine what they are willing to pay for legal services, how many lawyers and at what levels are needed to serve them, and even how case management, strategy and communications are to occur. (emphasis added)
I've begun calling this trend "client-driven technology." I could not agree more with Ward about its importance. Will we talk about it at BlawgThink? You betcha.”
Source: Between Lawyers, 8 November 2005
In the news: “A lot of Texas firms want to make the leap from personal injury work -- in steady decline after recent legislation -- to intellectual property work, where business is booming. While the transition from PI to IP may seem natural, it's also risky, and perhaps not quite as lucrative as budding patent litigators may think. For The Roth Law Firm, IP work certainly hasn't generated enough money for the firm to scrap its personal injury practice, but it has kept its revenue steady in the wake of tort reform.”
Read full text
Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 14 November 2005. Copyright 2005. ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe.
Posted by Grant Griffiths: “First blogs, than blogs and podcasts. And now, blogs, podcasts and Reelblogs. Man this is fun. The speed at which things are happening is amazing. I plan to watch this new development with great interest.
First Video Blog Network Launches: "ReelBlogs announced the launch of the first video blog network on the Internet. Blogs on the ReelBlogs network will produce short-form video content made specifically for Internet and video podcasting audiences. This is another step towards meeting the growing iPod..."
(Via RSS Pad - Really Simple Syndication ... Really!.)
Source: Home Office Lawyer, 13 November 2005
Sabrina posts: “Burson-Marsteller press release: "The results of the fifth annual 2005 PRWeek/Burson-Marsteller CEO Survey reveal that while blogs are increasingly making headlines, only seven percent of CEOs are actually blogging and many are skeptical about starting a blog themselves. Despite the low numbers, 59 percent of CEOs said blogs are useful for internal communications, and 47 percent said blogs are effective for external audiences."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici. 10 November 2005. Copyright ©2002-2005 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved. Subscribe <http://www.bespacific.com/mt/subscribe.html>.
Tara writes: “Feedster last week started up a new section of their site for podcast searching. You can play with it at http://podcasts.feedster.com/. As you can see at the front page you can search by episodes or by shows. Currently over 38,000 podcasts are being indexed, and the service is in beta.
I did a search for autism and got nine results for episodes, and five results for shows. If you use Feedster at all these search results will look very familiar. You can get results by relevance or by date, and results include description, snippet/description, and links to the RSS feeds. And you can save your search results as RSS feeds, which as far as I know you can't do with Yahoo Podcasts. (Ppllllbbbt.)
Interesting: Yahoo Podcasts has fewer series results for autism, but far more episode results. It would be nice if Feedster offered you the ability to search for both episodes and series at the same time.”
Source: ResearchBuzz #356. 10 November 2005. Copyright 2005. Tara Calishain. Subscribe.
From the e-newsletter: “If you would like to learn more about the role of trusts in the estate planning process, the "Trusts" topic in FindLaw's Estate Planning, Wills, and Trusts section can provide valuable information and resources -- including discussion of how trusts are created, tips for selecting a trustee, comparison of different types of trusts, the pros and cons of living trusts; and more. Click on the link below to get started.”
http://estate.findlaw.com/estate-planning/trusts.html
Estate Planning Laws in Your State
Source: FindLaw’s PUBLIC ADVISOR. 10 November 2005. Copyright © 2005 FindLaw, a Thomson Business. Subscribe <http://newsletters.findlaw.com/>.
In the news: “Influential senators on Wednesday predicted passage soon of legislation that would open the doors of the Supreme Court to regular broadcast coverage of its proceedings. "It's a question of when, in my judgment, not if," said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., at a hearing on a bill that would mandate broadcast access unless a majority of justices voted against it in an individual case. One factor cited by several witnesses is the renewed public interest in the Court.”
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Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 10 November 2005. Copyright 2005. ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe.
Sabrina adds: “Federal Judiciary Newsroom: "The Judicial Conference's concerns regarding a bill to allow cameras in the courtroom and the experiences of a federal appeals court judge with televised proceedings were part of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing."
· Judicial Conference Statement (26 pages, PDF)
· Judge O'Scannlain testimony (10 pages, PDF)”
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici. 9 November 2005. Copyright ©2002-2005 BeSpacific LLC. All Rights Reserved. Subscribe <http://www.bespacific.com/mt/subscribe.html>.
From Jonathan............(A new feature where we will tell you who is writing the entry. I will try to go back and update the old posts as time allows.)
I think one of the obvious things you need to do is set up a system for a client intake process, because obviously, without clients, you don't have business.
Here are some ideas for making this go a bit smoother:
1. Use an intake form. My form asks for the basics – name, address, etc… I also get information on the other party, the vehicle owner (in a PI case), insurance information. I also ask for a relatives name and address, as well as a friend. Losing a client is bad, and this one-minute step can help you track down the client when you need to do so. (The one time I didn’t do this, I lost the client and haven’t been paid yet!)
2. Get information on all potential defendants as soon as possible. This will let you complete a conflict check.
3. Obtain information on prior attorneys during the client interview. If there are prior attorneys involved, I think its wise to contact them before you accept the case.
4. Provide a timeline to the client. On a new PI case, I obviously do not know how long the case will take. However, I do tell them that a demand will be sent out after they are done treating, then we give the insurance company X time to respond, then we could file suit. I explain how long the litigation process takes, on average. While this timeline is not detailed or exact, it gives the client a general idea of when things will happen and keeps them informed..
5. Get the information on who referred the case. This will help you keep track if you need to pay a referral fee, and it also allows you to send a thank you to the referrer.
6. Go over fee structure and payment options. On hourly cases, client intake is a good time to review the fees, and the estimate fee for the case. Ballpark a figure and if you have to, be high. It sets client expectations.
7. Let the client know that there are other options. For instance, on a smaller PI case, you may want to advise the client of small claims court, if applicable. In a breach-of-contract case, you may want to talk about arbitration. Giving the clients options, even if it may mean the client does not need to hire you (like in small claims court in some jurisdictions), can result in a client who remembers you in the future.
Make sure you make your client intake process as thorough and efficient as possible, as it is one of the most important things you will do."
Source: The Practice, 8 November 2005
Enrico Schaeffer posts: “I had a very positive experience this morning with a new client who is negotiating a contract with one of the largest software vendors in the world. The contract would call for my client's product to be integrated with the major player. It is clearly an important contract for my new client.
After receiving the contract draft, I contacted the client and let them know my standard billing practice. I let them know that everything is budgeted up front and gave him my maximum recommendations for a budget on the project. I told him they would pay the lesser amount between my hourly bill or the max budget, whichever was less. The client immediately breathed a sigh of relief and thanked me for raising and discussing the budget issue. She was genuinely relieved to talk about budgets and expectations, something that her prior counsel had never done. I told her that I found it very interesting that her response was similar to the response of most of my other clients on issues concerning budgets. Attorneys seem loathe to raise the issue with their clients. In contrast, clients genuinely appreciate early and often discussions concerning legal budgets. They love talking about what it is going to cost and they certainly appreciate putting a maximum on their spend. No client has ever objected if I have come back to them and said that the initial budget needed to be expanded to include a new or unexpected issue requiring attention.
If you are not talking about budgets with your clients from beginning to end you are missing a unique opportunity to distinguish yourself in the marketplace and increase client satisfaction exponentially. Try it, and you will be surprised.”
Source: The Greatest American Lawyer, 9 November 2005
Evan Schaeffer posts: “According the New York Times, "It pays to mind your metadata"--
[R]ight-wing blogs were buzzing for at least a few days last week when an unsigned Microsoft Word document was circulated by the Democratic National Committee. The memo referred to the "anti-civil rights and anti-immigrant rulings" of Samuel A. Alito Jr., a federal appeals court judge who has been nominated to the Supreme Court by President Bush.
The stern criticisms of Judge Alito rubbed some commentators the wrong way (Chris Matthews of MSNBC called it "disgusting" last Monday). But whatever the memo's rhetorical pitch, right-leaning bloggers revealed that it contained a much more universal, if unintended, message: It pays to mind your metadata.
Technically, metadata is sort of the DNA of documents created with modern word-processing software. By default, it is automatically saved into the deep structure of a file, hidden from view, with information that can hint at authorship, times and dates of revisions (along with names of editors) and other tidbits that, while perhaps useful to those creating the document, might be better left unseen by the wider world.
The Times article, which quotes legal weblogger Dennis Kennedy, offers an interesting tale of electronic sleuthing that has important lessons for litigators engaged in electronic discovery--for example, mind the metadata.
With this month's Fortune magazine also focusing on computer forensics in CSI in Your Hard Drive, electronic discovery may have finally hit the big time.”
Source: The Illinois Trial Practice Weblog, 9 November 2005
Genie Tyburski posts: “IBM introduced software "that monitors and analyzes blogs, wikis, news feeds, consumer review sites, newsgroups and other community-generated content to [help companies] keep tabs on their image." Public Image Monitoring Solution also "uses Nstein Technologies' multilingual text analytics and news feeds and published articles from Factiva."
Source: TVC Alert Research News, 10 November 2005, Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, http://www.virtualchase.com/tvcalert/transfer.asp?xmlFile=nov05/10nov05.xml
Ron Friedmann posts: “Is blogging here to stay? Lawyers seem to ask that more than most. I think the answer is clearly yes.
Last week I presented at the Fall Educational Forum of the ALA Capital Chapter on whether blogging is here to stay. I explained blogging basics and lobbied the law firms present - large and small - to consider firm-branded blogs. I emphasized law firms are now repeating with blogs the debate of 10 years ago about web sites. Then as now, the answer seems obviously yes - blogging is here to stay and law firms should write blogs. My presentation is here.”
Source: Strategic Legal Technology, 6 November 2005
Bob Rankin writes: “I carry a laptop when I travel, and I used to worry about forgetting to copy some important file from my desktop machine to the laptop. I'd be in Reno or Dallas, but that darned spreadsheet file and the passwords to my online accounts were on my home computer, 90 minutes north of NYC.
It was very frustrating, but I found a solution. Now I just find the closest Internet connection, log in to my home computer and I can access it remotely, just as if I was sitting right in front of it.
Find out how I do this without spending a dime:
http://www.askbobrankin.com/remote_access_to_your_computer.html”
Source: The Internet Tourbus. Volume 11, Number 23. 8 November 2005. Copyright 1995-2005, Rankin & Crispen - All rights reserved. Subscribe <http://www.TOURBUS.com>.
Posted by Tom Collins : “I was talking with a member of a large corporate legal department and was struck by a statement he made. He said, “A law firm’s budget for a case is not just a target, it is a promise.”
Targets are benchmarks, guides, bull’s-eyes from which we measure the distance by which they are missed. Promises are something else. When you break a promise you damage your credibility. You weaken the trust others place in you.
That corporate council’s statement relating how he felt about a law firm’s budget should tell you just how serious corporate clients are about predictability. Predictability is more important than a discount. It is more important than cost. It is more important than a long-standing relationship.
When you give a public company a budget, it is a promise, not a target.”
Source: morepartnerincome, 9 November 2005
Posted by Carolyn Elefant: “We frequently associate solo and small firm practice as populated with small clients who can't pay the bills. But that's not so, at least according to this recent article, [Free Reg. Req.] Petra Pasternak, NY Lawyer (11/7/05). As the article reports (and not surprisingly), a recent study by Worth Magazine found that wealthy clients are "migrating...to smaller firms that heed the personal touch." (no link to original study) The article also noted that many large firms are not interested in serving wealthy clients or lawyers have left the firm to start their own practice, presumably, where they continue to service wealthy clients.”
Source: MyShingle, 8 November 2005
Reid Trautz: “I was most fortunate recently to share a dinner table in Philadelphia with former Milbank Tweed managing partner, Fran Musselman. Fran is a true giant in the law, especially for his pioneering in the area of law practice management. He is widely credited with first applying computer technology in law firms in the late 60s by having an IBM 3200 installed to help with client billing. He was also one of the original leaders of the ABA Law Practice Management Section.
But it is Fran's 50-year perspective on law practice management that caught my attention.
Not surprisingly, Fran believes clients come first. And second. And third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, to quote Fran. There is nothing more important in the success of a law firm than clients, and every effort must be made to satisfy the clients' needs. However, continued Fran, lawyers must not give in to