Last week at ABA TECHSHOW in Chicago, Allison Shields and I chatted with lawyers about shaping their online narratives.

It's clear that legal marketers continue to be an ever-growing force for change at law firms of any size. With more than 1,300 attendees from around the globe, this week’s Legal Marketing Association (LMA) annual conference in San Diego was the group’s largest to date. For such a specialized gathering, the conference covered a wide and impressive variety of topics interesting to marketers and lawyers alike. Here are John Byrne's top takeaways ...READ MORE

There’s a tricky balance that lawyers need to strike: staying focused on the "task at hand" while keeping an eye on the future. The task at hand involves acquiring technical skills — drafting, negotiation, deposition-taking — at a relatively early point in your career.

Your referral network is a living thing. If you don’t feed it and water it, it will die, and if you don’t prune it back occasionally, it will collapse under its own weight. If you’ve developed a network by identifying good sources and asking them for referrals, and you’re getting and giving referrals, then you’re already doing basic maintenance. Because good referrals are built on strong relationships, though, you’re going to need to do more than the basics to keep a consistent stream of business going. And, because you’re dealing with the ethics trifecta of clients, fees and getting business, you’re going to need to perform your maintenance within ethical boundaries. ... READ THE REST

Apple does something amazing. Of course, they do a lot of amazing things as they weave their technology into our personal and professional DNA, but they've nailed one thing for sure: the services side of their products. Just walk into an Apple Store and you’ll see how they’ve taken a product and made it so much more. Although they’re simply selling you beautiful gadgets, they’ve done a masterful job of transforming a product purchase into an experience that builds a relationship around their products and other things they do so well — the services and experience. Why? Because they know that a customer-oriented, service-driven culture is what turns a product buyer into a lifelong brand advocate. ... READ THE REST

Have you ever left a phone charger behind in a hotel room even though you carefully looked before checking out? Returned from grocery shopping only to remember you forgot the milk? Operated on someone, sewed them up, and then realized you left a sponge inside? (Oops, wrong profession.) Given a closing argument without having introduced a key piece of evidence? When this kind of thing happens in the context of an important decision, you may pay a stiff penalty. And forgetfulness is just one of many glitches that get in the way of good choices. ... READ THE REST

If you are proficient in social media basics and looking for a new online community, I recommend checking out Reddit. Reddit is a social media community made up of thousands of bulletin boards — called “subreddits” — on almost any topic you can imagine. Millions of people all over the world are active on Reddit. On each subreddit, users who are logged in (“Redditors”) can post a link to a relevant article or create a text post. The other Redditors can up-vote or down-vote your post, leave comments, and up- and down-vote others' comments. It is a very interactive community. ... READ THE REST

With ABA TECHSHOW 2015 taking place April 16-18 in Chicago, we're scoping out some of the most intriguing product updates and launches so far this year — including highlights from the announcements crossing our screens as the legal tech companies rev up for the big week ahead. ABA TECHSHOW draws scores of practice management technology experts and innovative companies — watch for expert tips and more news here after the conference. Practice Management Software Updates. Here's a sampling of the latest news ... READ THE REST

Who are these “enterprising lawyers”? Actually, they are easy to spot. Look for the more engaged and happier lawyers in the crowd. Deeply invested in the power of the work they do, they have ample interests beyond the practice of law as well. And they seem to have more energy for getting things done than anyone in the crowd. You probably know one — you may even be an enterprising lawyer yourself! Meet lawyers Janine Goodman and Marc Lindsey, co-founders of Avenue4 LLC, a (non-legal) firm focused on advising clients with Internet assets on how, whether and when to enter the Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) market. Once in the market, Marc and Janine help them find buyers for their assets. Their clients are predominantly Fortune 500 companies that hold large supplies of unused IPv4 numbers. Is this NewLaw? Sure sounds like it to us! ... READ THE REST

“The Internet is the most powerful and pervasive platform on the planet,” said Federal Communications Commission Chair Tom Wheeler on February 26, 2015. Regardless of your area of practice, these three Internet-based actions should be the foundation of your law practice's marketing plan. Website. Face it, you barely exist as a professional without a website. Prospects and clients must be able to find you, and the first place they will look is the web. Will you let others’ websites define you, or will you define yourself? The first step in your marketing plan must be creation of your website.