I was recently challenged to explore what client service will look like in 2026. The good news is the conversation has already started, but the bad news is law firms have a long way to go. It is great that the idea of “client service” is authentically being explored within law firms, but what many lawyers think of as client service is really just table stakes. What is lost is that client service creates greater client loyalty and greater client loyalty yields more work, higher realization and stronger promoters. But firms only earn that loyalty when they demonstrate a deep understanding of their clients’ needs and expectations. … Read The Rest

I deal in “clouds and dirt.” That’s how Gary Vaynerchuk (entrepreneur, angel investor, four-time New York Times best seller, and digital marketing agency CEO) began the closing keynote to the capacity crowd at this week’s Clio Cloud Conference in Chicago.

And the metaphor of “clouds and dirt” is a pretty good way to describe the Silicon Valley inspired, high-energy ClioCon, which delivers sessions that motivate lawyers to reach far beyond the status quo in their businesses, alongside sessions that dig deep into using technology to actually work on big ideas.

So, sticking with “clouds and dirt,” here are five motivating things I (and the 800 other attendees) learned at the conference, along with a few tips to add to your action plan. … Read The Rest

Following a recent post about networking, a reader asked, “What’s the best way to introduce yourself at a networking event?” What follows is for business contexts. For social etiquette, I’ll defer to Emily Post (or my late mother, who, while my siblings and I were growing up, we considered one and the same).

How you introduce yourself is determined by your purpose in attending the event. Most people adhere to the traditional networking philosophy (which I hope we’ve dissuaded you from embracing), so their purpose is simply to meet people, collect business cards, send a follow-up email and hope for the best.

But, I say your purpose is to filter the crowd to … Read The Rest

I’m just back from Content Marketing World — a weeklong conference featuring hundreds of leading experts in social media marketing. I was there to speak on social media law and to learn how to be more effective with my own marketing efforts. (I was pleased to see at least one of the 3,500 attendees was from a law firm marketing department.) By the end of the event, my head was buzzing with ideas to apply to how I write blog posts — as well as tactics I can use to make sure my existing content reaches a broader audience searching for legal information. Here are highlights from the sessions I attended. … Read The Rest

If you spend time typing, you’ve very likely found “copy and paste” to be two of your best friends, on any computer system. But if having one copied item available is good, wouldn’t more be better? I’ve discovered that clipboard managers can be a great time-saving tool. … Read The Rest

Enterprising Lawyer Q&A: Kimberley Motley, a practicing attorney since 2003, has worked in Afghanistan since 2008. She is the first foreigner to litigate cases in Afghanistan’s criminal and commercial courts. Kimberley currently represents clients on every continent except Antarctica — including individuals from international corporations and NGOs, as well as embassies and ambassadors around the world. She has been featured in Vanity Fair, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, London Times, CNN, BBC and the Today Show to name a few. Learn more about her story here. … Read The Rest