Anyone with a computer has a virtual soapbox to share their opinions on any topic, including their feelings about you and your firm. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is being oblivious to what others are saying about you. Your clients and potential clients want to see that you are engaged and thoughtful when it comes to online forums. Even when the feedback about you is negative, how you respond can have a positive effect on your reputation. Here are my top five tips for responding to online feedback. ...

Every year, the American Bar Association’s Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division hosts a conference jam-packed with programs covering the latest legal trends. We asked Houston solo practitioner Ashley Hallene, known for delivering hot practice management and technology tips herself, to bring back some of the hot topics being discussed at the 2012 conference, held October 11-13 in Seattle. ... Keep Reading

Here in the Midwest, autumn calls for heavy-duty yard cleanup time. Predictably, of course, the leaf blower broke just as the first round of oak leaves hit our lawn. The chainsaw and the hedge trimmer died next. Okay, no big deal. We simply dropped all three at the local hardware chain-store for repair. Then the phone calls began. Apprising of the repair progress. Warning the extended warranty would expire “soon!” (Sure, in five years.) And, yes, to ask “a few” feedback questions about our service experience. Multiple calls, multiplied by the number of items we’d had repaired, and multiple follow-ups to the follow-up calls. While this is a store I really like, I may not go back. Because even though I know their calls are meant to convey they care, I just don’t have the time for that much caring in my busy day.

The other day, Oriella, one of the young legal secretaries, wore these sandal-type shoes with long leather straps wrapping up to mid-calf. I thought they looked pretty, and a little sexy, and remarked on them to one of the older partners. His response was, “Well, I guess it’s time to revisit the old dress code again.” I shuddered at the thought. Like most firms, mine has undergone many battles over attire over the years. In the '60s it was long hair on lawyers (all men, of course). How far over the collar was acceptable? What about that new associate’s ponytail? We blew past the no bra trend quickly. (As someone quipped, “The proponents had no support.”)

Sometimes it just seems like you can’t get a break, doesn’t it? The network’s down, you just received your third nuisance filing this week from opposing counsel … and you’d think an associate could draft a simple brief without supervision! Sheesh. You can complain all you want about the caliber of the young lawyers that […]

At the Legal Marketing Association’s 2012 Technology Conference West, held last week in San Francisco, a long list of experts and exhibitors were on hand to share their top tips with lawyers. The big focus was on sharing tech tips—of course!—that can increase your visibility, your productivity and, ultimately, your revenue. Here are five of them.

Many firms use cloud computing services for remote access to data, email filtering, contacts and calendars, system backups and other hosted IT functions. In particular, lawyers are finding that cloud transfer and storage services (like Box, Dropbox, Google Drive and iCloud) are a great way to access client materials on their smartphones, tablets or off-site computers when working away from the office. According to state ethics authorities that have spoken on the topic and the American Bar Association Commission on Ethics 20/20, a firm or an individual attorney may store client materials in the cloud ethically, provided that the lawyer takes reasonable care to protect the confidentiality of confidential client information. Most of these opinions explain that “reasonable care” includes learning enough about the technology you chose to use to make an informed decision about where to store client materials and staying up to date on developments in whatever technology you decide to use. Using reasonable care to protect client confidences is nothing new for lawyers, of course—we make decisions about protecting client confidences when we read files on a crowded subway, discuss matters in elevators, decide what can be included in an email, or even take written notes during a conversation. But what might “reasonable care” entail in the context of cloud computing? While admittedly not comprehensive, here is a list to consider. ... Read more

If you want to know how to get more clients, there’s a flood of information out there. Google it! But just as there are good lawyers and … not so good lawyers, there’s good marketing advice and, well, let’s just say that some of it’s oversimplified. Bruce Marcus is a longtime authority on professional services marketing. […]

The day that first computer appeared on a lawyer's desk, it brought a promise of simplicity. Technology would organize, systematize and calendarize the daily chaos, leaving our human time and minds free to address the really critical stuff. Ha! If anything, the chaos deepens. So we're particularly excited about Daniel Gold's new column. He'll be bringing us good ideas for amping up our productivity and changing the way we get things done—in a big way!

Recently, New York became the first state to require that law students perform 50 hours of pro bono work before they can be admitted to the bar. Plenty of bloggers have already chimed in on whether this is a good or bad idea. There’s little that I can add to that debate. But I like to […]