For decades, law firm networks have helped lawyers build relationships, share referrals and learn all kinds of things from other lawyers outside their markets. Hundreds of networks exist, often organized around a certain type of law firm or market, such as employment lawyers, defense litigation firms or midsized multi-practice firms. Many networks have a geographic exclusivity rule, […]

We’re just certain that all our personal technology will converge and be surgically implanted discreetly behind our ear—someday. Until then, we struggle with where and how to carry these vital extensions of our lives. In a pocket? In a purse? It seems nothing is ever the right size or in the right place at the […]

Have you noticed that your ability to concentrate has been on the wane over the past couple of years? As is it turns out, it’s not your imagination. For the 24-7 connected among us, the scatter is real. The good news is that good habits with Your connectedness can keep you sane and healthy.

Take a second and check what browser you are using. FireFox? Chrome, perhaps? Do you use WordPress for your blog, or use an Android-based smartphone? Like the "cloud,” you’ve probably been using open source applications without realizing it. Simply put, open source applications cost little or nothing to download and use, and the source code—or the guts of the software—is freely available and accessible, so if you’re inclined to tinker, you can do so. Here are five reasons lawyers should care about open source.

I don’t know about you, but I like to spend as much money as possible on my firm’s phone system while making sure it is as inflexible as Bakelite in winter—and nearly featureless. Wait. I may have reversed that. What I really like is to pay as little as possible for a feature-rich system—and one that reflects my […]

Some years back, I worked in an office where the boss was obsessive about how callers were greeted on the phone. Then a new receptionist was hired who just could not get the phrasing to his liking—no matter how hard she tried or how many well-meaning colleagues tried to coach her through it. It got so bad that the rest of us would jump to beat her to the phones—because that seemed easier than dealing with what had become the proverbial "elephant" in the office. So, how many elephants are hiding in plain sight at your office?

It's the small daily routines that keep you functioning without losing your mind. Besides, if you commit to muscle and mind memory the regular things you must do, you can save your critical thinking for the complex stuff. So this week's Friday Five is dedicated to routinizing your social media visibility, with a checklist to keep you focused. Let's make it mindless and regular, and then just move on.

Great news: You no longer have to spend your time in meetings looking at the top of everyone's notebook computer instead of faces. Now there are iPads, the lid is off and everyone is present once more. But iPads do far more than just improve the view—they are a fantastic tool for engaging your meeting attendees.

It’s become an article of faith that lawyers are poor writers. That isn’t really fair. The problem is not with lawyers’ writing, I think; the problem lies with lawyers’ tendency to overwrite. Ask a lawyer for a tune and she’ll give you a symphony. Ask for a snack and he’ll bring you a three-course meal. Today’s idea will sound summertime-frivolous at best, but I urge you to consider it. Get your lawyers to write poetry. Specifically, get them to write legal poetry.

A person could very quickly lose his mind trying out this or that marketing idea du jour. Is social media the ultimate answer it’s chalked up to be? If you hire a public relations firm to toot your horn for you, can you avoid actually having to sell yourself ... yourself? Well, any marketing expert worth her lengthy contact list will tell you there is no one answer. But there is a surefire way of framing your marketing thinking so that you can create a plan that works—for you.