Stop! Put down that maple-drizzled oat-pecan scone and back away, slowly. Now think: Are those 440 empty calories worth of sugar, fat and carbs truly the best way for a lawyer to refuel in the afternoon? While you chew on that, consider what Jen Sacheck, Harvard nutritionist and co-author of Thinner This Year, says about eating “bad stuff” in this rather pointed excerpt from the best-selling book. READ MORE

Question: Our law firm has tried many different formats for performance reviews, but often we find we are doing reviews just to do reviews. In most cases, it’s merely a repeat of the year before. Do you feel annual reviews are worthwhile? What is the best format?

In this edition of “Ask the Experts,” we hear from Association of Legal Administrators members Michael Cohen, Christine Hashemi and Renee Mahovsky. … READ MORE

Everybody knows more consumers are going online when searching for legal services. It follows that a good way to reach new clients is by showing up in their online searches—and it’s particularly important to be in the top on the search engine results page, or SERP, on the likes of Google, Yahoo and Bing. A child custody attorney in Oxford, Ohio? Then you want your law firm to show up—right on top—when somebody types “child custody oxford ohio.”

Your strategy needs to include both paid search and organic results, so consumers can easily find you. Here are some ideas for how to make that happen. READ MORE

With Professor Andrew Perlman at the helm, Suffolk University Law School in Boston recently created the Institute on Law Practice Technology & Innovation. Its purpose: To “study how technology is revolutionizing the practice of law.” Professor Perlman plans to accomplish this by offering programs to the community and courses for students on how lawyers can use technology in innovative ways (including integrating Google Glass into classrooms and practice, and developing a mobile app for trial attorneys), but also by connecting and working with entrepreneurs experimenting in legal technology.

The official kickoff event for the Institute was held on April 18 (#SUFutureLaw), featuring legal technology specialist Richard Susskind, followed by a panel discussion with senior-ranking attorneys at a major corporation, large law firm and legal consultancy. With other preeminent legal scholars and technologists in the room, you can imagine what sort of big ideas were conjured up. Here are five highlights … READ MORE

Other people talk about the classic maxim that people should “know, like and trust” you—or something like that—and that gets you business. I’ve heard it attributed to Dale Carnegie; and it must appear in some business book somewhere. I’ll be honest, though: I have no idea where it comes from. I don’t think I’ve ever read an entire business book in my life—unless you count Moby Dick as being “about” the business and science of whaling.

That’s probably exactly how it works, though: People have to get to know you before they like you; and they’ve got to like you before they can grow to trust you. But this is true of any of the relationships you’ll have, business or otherwise. Now, as a lawyer, your most important business relationships are those you maintain with your clients. But do you really maintain those? Do your clients know, like and trust you?

If you’re wavering on the answer to that last question, I have some suggestions for you respecting your client communications … if, that is, you know, like and trust me enough to listen to what I have to say. …
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The recent post here about whether lawyers’ paper business cards are obsolete reminded me that, yes, there are important things to be done with all the cards you collect at a conference or meeting. First, let’s talk about business card management while you are at a conference or a similar event.