Last month, I attended TBD Law, an invitation-only lawyer unconference. The purpose of the event was to take a step back and look at the future of law practice. For me, it was a chance to reflect and strategize about how to be more effective and efficient as a practitioner. Toward the end of the event, we were given a worksheet to write out our schedule for putting our plans into action. At the bottom of it was the prompt “I commit to stop doing these three things” — and three blank lines.

Attorney at Work (www.attorneyatwork.com) announces the release of “Getting Clients: For Lawyers Starting Out or Starting Over,” a new book by legal marketing hall-of-Famer Merrilyn Astin Tarlton. REVIEW COPIES AVAILABLE Review copies and interviews with Merrilyn Astin Tarlton are available upon request. The information below may be used in whole or part with acknowledgment to the […]

A television commercial for Butterfinger candy bars brags that they are “crispety.” Another advertisement claims they are “crunchety.” These descriptions are not words, and Nestle should not be trying to persuade us otherwise. One would think the words “crispy” and “crunchy” are adequate for the job. You may not have bought into these particular word extenders, but perhaps you are pronouncing or adding non-existent syllables in other words.

It starts with a simple request to your iPhone ("Siri, add an appointment to my calendar") or a command to your new Amazon Echo ("Alexa, add toner to my shopping cart"). Before you know it, the Internet of Things has slipped straight from your smart home into life at the office. For today's tech tips, we asked Sharon Nelson, John Simek and Nora Regis how lawyers can be smart — and safe — when using connected devices at work.

Working with a virtual assistant for the first time can seem harrowing, especially when sensitive legal information and documents are involved. Here are a few tips that will help make the arrangement stress-relieving rather than stress-inducing.

This will completely frustrate you Western Civ majors, but your clients don’t care about your law firm’s history. I know it’s tempting to commemorate a big anniversary with a self-congratulatory press release, glossy collateral or detail-heavy web copy. It used to be fairly common. I once covered the 25th anniversary of a Silicon Valley firm. They ordered a giant “25” ice sculpture and the partners posed around it. Other than the debut of New Coke, I cannot remember a more ridiculous media event.

When we talk about generational issues — and we do that frequently — we tend to focus on millennials. That’s only natural because we depend on them to carry law firms into the future. But we also need to pay close attention to baby boomers, the lawyers who are in their mid-50s to early 70s. Boomers, especially older ones, created and now dominate the present legal landscape. The future also depends on them, but in a different way.

You’re at Fancy Restaurant with Super Important Client and the senior partner. There are three forks, two spoons, four glasses and a tiny little dish with a tiny little knife that you assume is for the table elf. You’re reading the menu, discreetly typing Un verre d'eau, vou singe qui n'est pas très sophistiqué! into Google Translate, when the client (the guy your boss has specifically forbid you to talk to) asks you to order the wine. Merde!

Does Facebook Live video provide value for law firms, or is it just another opportunity to lose time that could be better spent elsewhere? It depends. If harnessed correctly, Facebook Live offers a valuable platform to connect with your audience, giving an extra touch that can help convert prospects into clients. It doesn’t fit every audience, and it doesn’t fit every law firm. As with any marketing strategy, live video's effectiveness will hinge on how you use it and who you're trying to reach. Here’s what you need to know.

Lawyers have a lot of communication with their clients. But the vast majority of interaction tends to be related to specific matters — requesting some information, reporting on the status of a file, scheduling something, checking on a payment. There may be the occasional dinner or hockey game, but typically there isn’t much discussion about the client relationship itself.