A few weeks ago, I was driving down C-470 listening to NPR, mentally checking my Christmas list and chatting with a passenger when a Science Friday feature about multitasking riveted my attention. (Which is really saying something, given the circumstances.) While we've all heard that multitasking is bad for us, it continues to fall into that category populated by other epically heroic activities — like working long hours, drinking too much, driving too fast — that we oddly brag about.

Cloud computing in the practice of law has been a hot topic recently. Regulators in the United Kingdom have issued guidance to solicitors commenting on the practice as it stands in the United States and — of far greater interest — devoting a page to concerns about the potential insecurity of data stored here in light of our National Security Agency surveillance scandal. (See "Silver Linings: Cloud Computing, Law Firms and Risk.") I find it particularly enlightening to hear another country's perspective — in fact, it leads me to add to my recommended criteria for evaluating any cloud computing provider. ...READ MORE

When you are paid to argue for a living, it’s pretty much a given that your job description will encompass some teeth-gnashing, hand-wringing and good old-fashioned tantrum-throwing. But even though a lawyer's world can be filled with anger, it is especially bitter when clients — the same people we work so hard to help — act aggressively toward us. Aggressive clients interrupt and bully their attorneys, engage in awful power struggles and even, on occasion, may stab an attorney’s hand with a pencil in the middle of a hearing. So let’s examine the root of the aggressive client's problem. ... READ MORE

In the quest to drive traffic to their law firm website, many regard search traffic as the Holy Grail. While both direct traffic and referral traffic can be highly valuable to business development efforts, there can be little question that, in terms of volume, search traffic reigns supreme. But not all search traffic will have value to your practice. You have to drive meaningful search traffic — the kind that leads to an intended business goal.

"People don't want to hire at the bottom or middle of the barrel, they want to hire at the top of the barrel." At the Third Annual Super Marketing Conference, Boston lawyer David White pointed out that, "We're all experts, we all have our law degree." The question is, how do you rise to the top? White joined a host of excellent speakers this past June at Suffolk School of Law to deliver some super advice for lawyers. The theme? "Accelerate Your Marketing."  Here are five take-aways for doing just that. 1. Use content to build your credibility — just like always. Content marketing has been around for a long time, says Beth Marie Cuzzone, Director of Client Services and Business Development at Goulston & Storrs. “It’s just a new term for something most of us do intuitively — a technique where you are either constantly pulling or pushing marketing content to a particular target market.” She spoke along with David White and solo Cynthia MacCausland on the topic “Content Is Still King.” What is new, Cuzzone explained, is all the ways we now push out information—our new “distribution channels.” Where we once used newsletters, websites and seminars, now it’s search listings, blogs, ebooks, video, infographics, video and social media. You want to fill all those channels, and more, with credible, consistent content that helps you rise to the top of searches. “You have to stay in front of your audience and remind them why they love you,” White says. And don’t be shy ... READ MORE

A lot of lawyers spend good money to generate leads for new business through marketing, advertising, promotions and networking, in both online or offline venues. But much of that money is lost because of inconsistent and unsystematic intake when one of those leads actually contacts the firm to express interest. Lead intake is what you do when you’re in front of, on the phone or online with a lead or prospect—which, to be clear, includes, or should include, the act of qualifying and converting the prospect to a client. Unfortunately, way too many lawyers get it wrong. READ MORE

This time last year, we asked Gyi Tsakalakis to gaze into his crystal ball and give his best lawyer marketing predictions — along with his best advice on how to focus your online marketing. The following feature — and checklist — appeared in Attorney at Work's e-guide, Really Good Marketing Ideas. So, how did Gyi's predictions hold up? And were you able to follow his "year's best marketing advice"? It's never too late to start .... Happy New Year! When I think about the changes to social media and social networking in the past year, a variety of changes come to mind. And, sure, we could talk about how each of these changes might impact how you market your law practice. But in contemplating some of the “stuff you must know,” it seems to me the most important thing is still one of the most overlooked: Being authentic. Yeah, I know it’s not glamorous. It’s not the insider tip, trick or technical hack that you might have been hoping for. It’s not “How to Make It Rain with Social Media: The Complete Guide.” But if you’re a lawyer contemplating your marketing plan for the year ahead, it should permeate everything that you’re considering to market your practice. ... READ MORE

Marketing isn't rocket science. More than anything, it demands "the little engine that could" approach, just putt-putting up the mountainside. For one of our favorite collections from the archives, we asked some widely known legal marketing pros for their favorite marketing tips to help crank up your business development engines for the coming year. See if you can find the parallels in this advice from Burkey Belser, Silvia Coulter, Bob Denney, Bob Durham, Ross Fishman, and Ann Lee Gibson, Mark Greene, Roberta Montafia, Merrilyn Astin Tarlton and Gerry Riskin ... READ MORE

I always emphasize the importance of remaining optimistic when coaching lawyers on the topic of job hunting. And, lawyers being lawyers, I always need to provide some reason why they should remain upbeat. I have a simple answer: The job market is actually much less competitive than you think when you consider that so many other job-seekers make fundamental mistakes. ... READ MORE

The top legal technology trends this year? All month, you've been reading about trends in the legal profession: Bob Denney's annual "Hot and Not," Doug Edmund's "Signs of Hope for Tomorrow's Lawyers" and Larry Port on the legal cloud. To continue the trendspotting, we asked more of our favorite legal technologists to chime in on the most important developments of 2013 and their personal favorite tools or apps this year. Take notes! ... READ MORE