Perhaps you’ve found yourself asking, at some point, “Just what is ‘NewLaw’? More importantly, why should I be remotely interested in it?” Having recently set out to catalog dozens of entities that have been or could be described as NewLaw, I came up with a working definition. “Any model, process, or tool that represents a significantly different […]

Ah, spring is in the air! The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping and I have just received annual invoices from the two business organizations to which I belong. Between the two, I just paid about $500 for the opportunity to list my firm as a member organization and attend their events to shake hands and exchange cards with strangers. As a solo firm owner, about half of my job is networking. Like many lawyers, I’m constantly talking to people — in-person and virtually — in the hopes that I will be top-of-mind when they need legal advice. As I've said here before, networking is a process, not an event, and you have to keep showing up to build the relationships that will eventually turn into business. To renew or not renew? ... READ MORE

It was my worst nightmare as a young lawyer.

Anyone who's seen movies like "The Terminator," "Minority Report," "Ironman" and beyond has seen the marriage of technology and fashion. There’s a giant laundry list of wearable gadgets that grace the silver screen. Only now, wearable technology is becoming part of everyday reality. But are we ready to adopt? In general, the promise of wearable technology is huge. Smartwatches, health monitors, security devices, media gadgets and high-tech eyewear are popping up everywhere. Hundreds of other wearable concepts, including remote control eyelashes, are on their way, too. But to catapult wearable technology into widespread use, items need to combine function with fashion at an affordable price point. ... READ MORE

No doubt, at this moment, armies of hackers are dreaming up diabolical new ways to cash in on our identities, crash our sites and disrupt our favorite pastimes. ("Smishing!") But really, the biggest threat to your online security is ... you. Yes, you, with the "1234" passcode for your iPad and Post-it covered monitor. You, with the cleverly disguised "Vital p-word information" emails-to-self. You, who absent-mindedly clicked the email link from your bank's "Costumer Service." So Let's Get a Little Smarter with Passwords. Since we're stuck with passwords (for now), might as well attempt outsmarting the bogeymen. So what's the best way to deal with passwords — and remember them all? We asked digital forensics and information security experts Sharon Nelson and John Simek to dispense some commonsense advice to help reduce our online security risk. READ MORE

What do Apple, McDonald’s, Nike and P&G have in common? Besides spending more than a billion dollars on advertising annually, these "B2C" (business to consumer) companies are turning to "B2B" firms for marketing inspiration. They do so with good reason. We have entered the "Relationship Era," with relationships doing more to attract the attention and loyalty of clients than traditional mass media marketing. Relationships have always been an important part of the law business, and you might think that puts you on the leader board in the relationship game. While you may have an edge, it doesn’t mean you’ve won quite yet — especially when building relationships online. Consider these truths, and how you might apply them to your business development efforts. READ MORE

Every lawyer needs a good network. With fellow lawyers, yes. But you need lots of other people in your network as well. And not just because it's a source of good new business. Smart lawyers draw on (and give back to) their networks for ideas, introductions, information, collaboration and plenty of other things critical to a healthy law practice. Unfortunately, the oft-used term "networking" has become a mere buzzword — intimidating to the uninitiated and off-putting to many.

Solo and small firm lawyers are very much like "baseball men" prior to the Moneyball conversion. Once certain teams started making decisions based on hard numbers, rather than suppositions and unrefined projections, the new-school teams were able to pluck valuable players at a deep discount (and place them in better positions to succeed, ultimately) because the old-school teams did not have them appropriately valued. Now, that competitive advantage doesn’t last forever (although there's something to be said for being the first mover). If the data analysis structure is in place, though, it also becomes easier to pivot toward new, as yet unrecognized, value propositions. Of course, the analogy extended from baseball to law practice is not perfectly apt. Clearly, there are differences in drafting a baseball player versus targeting client marketing. Data appropriately defined, however, can help both baseball GMs and business owners make more informed decisions. If a solo attorney, for example, creates a statistical breakdown that represents a hypothetical best client, doesn’t that make it easier for her to market her law firm and position it to reach more of those clients? The old saw is that knowledge is power; and that is the thrust of the argument here as well. ... READ MORE

Black must be the most beloved wardrobe color ever. Just look around at your next large-ish attorney gathering and bear witness to the devotion to black. But beware: Wearing black can either be badass or blah. Here are some tips to ensure your black isn’t lost in the crowd.

I've got good news and ... er, weird news. First the weird: Whether you like it or not, you have become a media outlet. If you don't believe me, think for a minute about all the stuff — pictures, posts, emails, videos, opinions, reviews — that you post to the Internet each day. Even if all you do is Facebook vacation photos, you are as much a source of "content" for your public as HBO, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Daily Beast.