Once again, Attorney at Work readers are the first to receive Robert Denney's annual report on the trends affecting the legal profession, “What’s Hot and What’s Not in the Legal Profession.” Which trends have staying power? What practice areas are poised for hotness? Here's what Bob has to say. ... READ THE FULL REPORT

HIghlights from "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking."

The "Contact Us" page should be one of the most heavily trafficked pages of your law firm's website — from both desktop and mobile devices. Yet this page is often overlooked, as most firms don't fully utilize it. Instead, they simply display their address and phone number. Why not bring the same thought and creativity displayed on the rest of your site to this page as well? ... READ THE REST

It's been more than a decade since I launched my annual Holiday Gift Guide for Lawyers to provide ideas for friends and family rather than have them select yet another gift plastered with the scales of justice. Over the years, I’ve guided gift-givers to law-themed gifts as well as fun tools and toys perfect for busy lawyers: from legal board games to artwork by lawyers; from bacon vodka to iPads. The 2015 edition will feature more tech gifts than ever. Technology tools can save us time, make tasks easier, remove the hassles of a hectic day, and provide access to an ever-shrinking world. That’s why tech tools make great gifts for lawyers. The 2015 Holiday Gift Guide for Lawyers will debut November 23 on ReidMyBlog.com, but I’m pleased to share a sneak preview here ... READ THE REST

Of all the unexpected gifts from our respective law schools (debt, alcoholism), one of the worst may be a ghastly writing style that appeals only to law school professors and some judges. Don’t get me wrong. Law school provided its fair share of benefits and led many of us to successful, even happy, careers. But happy or not, we all suffer from "writing like a lawyer." I didn’t realize the severity of my own affliction until I began to read successful bloggers — none were attorneys. Yes, there were errors, sentence fragments and poor vocabulary but I was enthralled. I vowed to change my own style. Here are some tips I picked up during my transformation. ... READ THE REST

The secret’s out. Many legal documents, even quite complex ones, can be reliably drafted by intelligent software when it is supplied with appropriate inputs. Consumers and businesses have become accustomed to preparing their own documents with software tools. They expect their lawyers to have even better tools in place. Do you? ... USE THE CHECKLIST

Judging by the 50-plus weeks "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" has been on The New York Times best-seller list, Americans have a new fascination with getting organized. By my observation, lawyers as a class are not an organized lot. From the look of many law offices I have visited, the floor seems to be the file repository of choice. If your desk is as messy and disorganized as mine was (notice the past tense), there’s a solution.

To find more clients, stop thinking like a lawyer and start thinking like a small business owner: Evaluate your market, identify what you want to sell and advertise yourself effectively. To that end, remember that people who aren’t intimately familiar with local attorneys don’t necessarily pick the most credible counsel — they pick the most visible. (Even I would rather ask Google who’s the best lawyer than waste my brainpower trying to remember who to call, and I’m a lawyer.) In today's "microwave mentality" world, where you have 30 seconds to impress, visibility is key. Here's how to ensure people know who to call when they need your specialized expertise ... READ THE REST

Writing and editing marketing copy — for a brochure, proposal, website, whatever — can be a high-wire act. If there's more than one lawyer in your practice, you know it's true: Make editing a group event, and it becomes a management nightmare. Too many people on the tightrope leads to disaster. Don’t feel badly; it happens even in the best-run law firms. So let’s look at how to ease the pain. ... READ THE REST

Recently the lawyers in my new firm decided to be more active on social media, particularly in blogging and on a Facebook page. The partners are looking to me for guidance on how to build their online presence, and I, in turn, am looking to them for guidance on what the firm’s persona is. I know how we are when we interact within the four walls of our office — but what aspects of the firm do we want to highlight in our online presence? ... READ THE REST