Valentine’s Day is on the horizon and stores are filled with overpriced flowers and red and pink candy shaped like hearts. In honor of this Hallmark holiday, my editors asked me, “How do you show love to clients?” (I assume by “love” they mean “appreciation.”) My first thought was, “If you need a holiday to remind you to tell people that you appreciate them, you’re doing it wrong.” Appreciation and gratitude should be free-flowing every day to everyone who contributes to your happiness and success. ... READ THE REST

A prospective client has identified three lawyers whom she believes possess the expertise and standing to solve her problem. The good news is that you’re one of them, and 10 minutes from now she’ll be sitting in your office to interview you. The less-good news? You don’t know much about her beyond whatever dry information a Google search and her LinkedIn profile revealed.

Many of us have to travel for our work, and that often means connecting to wireless networks. If you use unsecured public WiFi networks when working on client matters that could mean trouble. Most hotels, airports, cafés don’t encrypt their public networks. That means it is up to you to ensure your data remains inviolate. If a hacker gains access to confidential client materials because you were using an unsecured or open WiFi network, you could be held liable for failing to take reasonable precautions to prevent them from doing so. Knowing about the risks of using public and open WiFi networks and taking some basic precautions should keep your data — and your client’s — safe while traveling. ... READ THE REST

Driving traffic to your website through organic search is on every law firm’s marketing agenda — or it should be. If you’ve targeted wisely, then a significant percentage of your organic search traffic is primed to take the next step and contact your firm. Making the most of organic search can be challenging, though, because algorithms and market responses are always evolving. Here’s what you need to know to stay ahead of the curve in 2016.

Want to update and improve your firm's website? Take a lesson from what the most successful and tech-savvy sites have in common. Here are five things designers are working on specifically for law firm websites. ... READ THE REST

Expert witnesses often provide the information and insight necessary to make or break a case. Why, then, do we procrastinate, delegate or simply rush the process of selecting an exceptional expert witness? Yes, it’s one more thing to do, but taking the time to find the right expert is an investment that pays off. Start sourcing experts more effectively by avoiding these common mistakes. ... READ THE REST

According to a Gallup poll on the perceived honesty and ethics of various professions, most people (79 percent) rate lawyers average or low. Just below bankers. Congressmen and car salesmen ranked lowest. How can you convey that you really are trustworthy? Trust is essential for all effective relationships, whether personal or business. There’s no quick fix when it comes to gaining the trust of others — especially once it is lost. It takes a genuine desire and small everyday efforts. So where do you start? ... READ THE REST

Effective branding creates a psychological connection between a “thing” and the people who'll willingly pay money for that “thing.” In my own branding, I've always done what came naturally. I didn't start out by thinking about rules or processes. Over time, though, I realized that much of what I was doing could be put into a formula — the "three P's" — to teach others my branding processes. My formula for branding is PASSION + PERSONALITY = PERSUASION, where the final goal is to persuade people to give us money to help them.

There are lots of cybersecurity worries to give you the willies in the wee hours of the morning, but we were asked to pick five. So here are some of the most common threats for lawyers to keep in mind. 1. Ransomware. We continue to see law firms struck by ransomware, which is a type of malware that encrypts your data (restricting your access to it) and then demands a ransom payment — usually in bitcoins — to get your data back. ... READ THE REST

It’s widely accepted that law schools don’t do a very good job — or in many cases don’t do anything at all — to teach law students how to develop business. Many commentators lament this failure, criticizing schools for not focusing on business development basics.