Remember the clickbait headline, "Sitting Is the New Smoking"? One of the latest iterations of the perennial office ergonomics conversation, it helped give rise to the notion of an "active workstation." I wish the headline jibed with reality. It could be better rewritten as "Not Moving and Other Unhealthy Choices Are the New Smoking."

To make the best decisions for the future of your law firm — whether setting marketing priorities, undergoing a new strategic initiative or developing a new mission statement — it’s essential to obtain the right insights and perspectives. That’s where these three research approaches come in: primary, secondary and internal research.

Oh, balderdash! I just read that using profanity enhances team building in the workplace. Say what? Apparently, a vocabulary of four-letter words brands you as part of the “in” group in the information technology industry, and the practice is spreading.

If you speak English and only English, does it make sense for me to explain something to you in French — even if I speak slowly? Of course not. While you probably never make this specific mistake with your clients, almost all of us commit a version of it on a regular basis. We try to explain complicated legal problems using what we consider to be “simple” or “basic” legal language. The result is almost inevitable: No matter how slowly you talk, how clearly you break down your points, many clients still get confused.

In my December post, “A Pre-Year-End Checklist for Solos and Small Firms,” we ran through the major systems of a law practice and took stock of concerns to attend to in the new year. (If you missed it, be sure to go back and get the downloadable checklist to help evaluate where to put your energy when upgrading your systems.) So now, on to your new year’s practice renovation. Here are some of the most common trouble spots — along with tips on addressing them now that the calendar has turned over to January.

Several pundits declared 2017 “the year of artificial intelligence,” and with good reason. AI has entered our lives in so many ways, from how we interact with our phones to Amazon knowing what we’re likely to buy. But when it comes to legal marketing, 2017 was in many ways “the year of AI hype.” Nonetheless, I am confident that AI will transform much, much more in our lives and businesses for many years to come. For 2018, I suggest five imperatives for legal marketers.

What website design and marketing trends will be worth your investment this year? We asked five experts, "What do you foresee as the biggest trends for law firm websites in 2018 — and what’s worth paying attention to?" Here's the forecast from Drew Barton, Andy Cabasso, Karin Conroy, Steve Matthews and Mike Ramsey.

At least 77% of Americans own a smartphone. They spend, on average, two hours and 51 minutes per day on these smartphones. That’s a lot of people and a lot of time. The data also show that of all the time Americans spend online — on mobile or on a desktop or laptop — half is spent using a smartphone app. It’s no wonder so many businesses — from retailers to banks to restaurants — have apps. Many law practices and app developers are jumping on the mobile bandwagon, too, offering apps to help contest a traffic ticket, draft a business contract or become a U.S. citizen. Some allow people to ask lawyers questions directly.

Too often, “client-focused” content translates as “let me tell you what you need, ” followed by “please don’t interrupt, I’m still talking.” One of the most exciting trends in law firm content is client-driven content — that is, stories about client companies. This content is not about what the law firm did for the company (think representative engagements), but about the mission and promise of the company itself.

Now is the time that we reflect on our successes and failures of the past year — both professionally and personally — and plan for the upcoming year, setting goals for ourselves, our firms and our practices. As I think about 2017, I see many successes, some failures and, above all, lessons I learned from both. Looking back at the "Friday Fit Five" posts of 2017 for top takeaways, there are five things I want to take into the new year with me, to continue or to improve upon. Here they are.