Recent Articles in Law Firm Management & Legal Marketing from LexMonitor

What Are the Top 5 SEO Ranking Factors?

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:15:05 GMT

We're often asked by law firm marketers to advise on the top factors to focus on to optimize a website or blog for search engine visibility. Sorry to say, but there's no secret formula or silver bullet, and any self-professed...

SEOMoz, a leading provider of SEO tools and resources, polls the top SEO experts around the world every two years to obtain their insights into the top positive (and negative) factors for search engine optimization. The 2009 report, which surveyed 72 experts, identifies the top five positive factors.

Keyword Focused Anchor Text from External Links (ranked "very important" by 73% of experts) (note: this factor refers to links to your site or blog from third parties where the links are comprised of keywords relevant to your website or blog, or even better to the page to which they link)
External Link Popularity (ranked "very important" by 71% of experts) (note: refers to the overall quantity and quality of inbound links - low quality links would be those from sites that have nothing to do with the content on your site - e.g., if a law firm gets a link from the website of a laundromat - worse, if the third party site is a "link farm" - then a link from them would be highly negative)
Diversity of Link Sources (ranked "very important" by 67% of experts) (note: refers to variety of links from many unique root domains)
Keyword Use Anywhere in the Title Tag (ranked "very important" by 66% of experts) (note: refers to populating your meta title tags with relevant keywords - should be different for each page of the site)
Trustworthiness of the Domain (ranked "very important" by 66% of experts )(note: refers to trustworthiness of the domains linking to you)(i.e. better to get a link from Amazon than from Joe's Discount Books).

Other positive factors (along with comments from the SEO experts polled) are included in the report.

The report also highlights "negative" factors - i.e., things you should not be doing or you risk harming your search engine visibility, or even getting blacklisted.

Click here for the full 2009 Search Engine Ranking Factors report

We recommend that law firm marketers read the report so at least they will be knowledgeable about SEO factors when talking to vendors. SEOMoz even offers a service where you can sign up for a month and ask any SEO question to a team of experts.

That said, while there's a strong consensus concerning the top positive and negative SEO factors, executing design and deployment of a law firm website or attorney blog incorporating those factors is a different story. In particular, law firms will want to work with a vendor that offers software designed to take advantage of the top positive SEO factors (e.g., customizable meta title and description tags, search-engine friendly URL's, self-service site updates, etc.).

Thursday's Three Burning Legal Questions

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:10:56 GMT

Here are today's three burning legal questions, along with the answers provided by the blogosphere. 1) Question: My wife pronounces the name of our home state as "Ne-VAH-dah," while I say it as "Ne-VAD-a." Who is right? Answer: You are, of course, but please reassure your wife that the Nevada Legislature has "submitted a bill draft request for the 2011 legislative session for a resolution that asserts while the preferred pronunciation of the state's name is 'Ne-VAD-a,' pronouncing it 'Ne-VAH-da' is also acceptable." (Lowering the Bar, Nevada Legislator Proposes Bill on How to Pronounce "Nevada") 2) Question: Darn these airport security scanner machines! Why do they keep beeping when I walk through with no metal on me? Should I try the machine over here to the side where you go through horizontally? Answer: Sir, that is for baggage only! (Consumerist, Man Passes Self Through Airport X-Ray) 3) Question: I'm being kidnapped, but my foolish captors forgot to take my cell phone -- I can call 911 and have the police apprehend them! Ha! Answer: Before you make the call, make sure that your "captors" aren't actually police officers giving you a ride home because you are too drunk to drive...

Schools Use Technology to Track Exact Whereabouts of Buses and Each Child

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:38:50 GMT

Back in my day, we had to walk to school barefoot, in the snow -- uphill both ways. That made our feet cold. Then the kids started riding on those newfangled "buses," which seemed like a good thing until parents realized there was a 45-minute period when they did not know the exact whereabouts of their children. Now even that problem has been solved, thanks to GPS technology and identification cards that are now issued to all elementary school bus riders in places like Palos Heights, Ill. The Chicago Tribune reports (via Consumerist) that in Palos Heights, school officials have assigned ID tags to 400 students in preschool through 5th grade. Each child clips the card to their book bag, and the card/child is then "logged in" upon boarding the bus. This "allows a transportation supervisor sitting miles away to track when and where each student in Palos Heights School District 128 stepped on and off the bus." The location of the bus itself is also known to the transportation supervisor through GPS technology. The combination of the students' ID cards and the buses' GPS system allows: transportation director Barbara Lynch [to] check when a student boards or exits a...

'It’s Only a Dream Until You Write It Down, and Then It Becomes a Goal'

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:32:46 GMT

Before I get to the point here, I'd like to set forth the Rules of LBW Procedure (as decreed by me), which govern this blog's jurisdiction over any given story: 1. It was discussed on a legal blog; 2. It is law-related; or 3. Special jurisdiction under the "Pick of the Litter" theory* I am asserting jurisdiction over the insights below on "How a Dream Becomes a Goal" based on #1 above (it appeared on Heather Morse-Milligan's Legal Watercooler blog), and also because after 40+ years of having never heard the key quote below, I've now heard it twice in two days from completely different sources. Moving on. Morse-Milligan writes that she accidentally wound up listening to Emmit Smith’s induction speech into the NFL Hall of Fame, which she found "incredibly inspiring." Morse-Milligan particularly liked the the part in which Smith explained the difference between having a dream and fulfilling a vision. Smith says that at a young age, he learned a key lesson from one of his high school coaches: "It’s only a dream until you write it down, and then it becomes a goal." Smith said that: By the time I was 20, I wrote, I want to...

'I Can Stalk U': A 'Please Rob Me' for People Who Upload Photos to Twitter

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:56:49 GMT

As discussed here back in February, a website called "Please Rob Me" launched earlier this year with the mission of raising awareness of a possible downside of using the new geolocation services such as Foursquare, Brightkite, Google Buzz, etc. As I described it at the time: Those of you on Twitter have no doubt seen people using these services to announce things like, "I'm at the Grand Canyon" or "I'm the new mayor of the Reston Sport and Health Club." Please Rob Me highlights the flip-side of these services: If you are at the Grand Canyon then you aren't at home. Its homepage states the site is "Listing all those empty homes out there," and features a real-time feed of "opportunities" (for robbers) in the form of people who have announced their locations through one of the geolocation services. Please Rob Me recently decided to get out of the robbery-assistance business, stating on its home page that it is "satisfied with the attention we've gotten for an issue that we deeply care about," i.e., the perils of over-sharing. Enter "I Can Stalk U." I Can Stalk U is a new site using the Please Rob Me/"Scared Straight" approach. It mission...

The Entering Class of 2010

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:43:26 GMT

Suffolk Law's Dean of Admissions Gail N. Ellis introduces the entering class of 2010. To learn more about Suffolk Law's admissions process visit http://law.suffolk.edu/admissions/.Suffolk Law's Dean of Admissions Gail N. Ellis introduces the entering class of 2010. To learn more about Suffolk Law's admissions process visit http://law.suffolk.edu/admissions/.

Find Your Passion: Get Involved in Your Community

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:25:17 GMT

Many of you are like me in that you went to law school with the idea that as a lawyer you would be able to help people and make a difference in your community. Then you started your law practice with a firm and rarely have the feeling that you are actually helping people and making a difference in your community. So you look for non-billable ways to get involved.

Recently I had a coaching session with Matt Siegel, a Cozen O'Connor attorney. He was recently named to the Board of the Philadelphia Support Center for Child Advocates. Every time Matt talks about his work with the support center I can hear the passion in his voice. Matt and other members of his firm represent abused and neglected children in Philadelphia.

During the last two years I have experienced the joy of speaking at career day at the school where my daughter Jill teaches. It is one of my favorite experiences. I have spoken to 3rd and 4th grade classes, competing with the fireman who brought trucks. Instead of anything they could climb on, my tools were an iPhone and AirMac computer. Each year the students think those tools were pretty cool.

Last year, I decided to teach them about contracts. I brought eight books and asked who wanted to enter into a contract with me to get one of the books. To my surprise, every student in the first class raised a hand. Before the day was over, I committed to buy 90 additional books. This year I told them about The Rule of Law using some of the materials available at the Virginia Bar Association Rule of Law Project. You might my blog Service Idea for Your Bar Association where I discussed how Michael Pace's passion to help middle school students understand the importance of the rule of law had played an instrumental part in getting the project off the ground.

If you do not feel your billable time is helping people or making a difference in your community, think about what you are most passionate about and then get involved.

Chicago, IL: The Midwestern Law Firm Management Conference

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:08:33 GMT

I will be speaking at the Midwestern Law Firm Management Conference which is being held at the The Chicago Bar Association, 321 South Plymouth Court, Chicago, IL on September 21, 2010. The program runs from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM....I will be speaking at the Midwestern Law Firm Management Conference which is being held at the The Chicago Bar Association, 321 South Plymouth Court, Chicago, IL on September 21, 2010. The program runs from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Larry Bodine will be moderating a panel of speakers on business development in a West Legal Ed program titled “The New Norm: Understanding How to Thrive in the New Economy.” Other key speakers include Fredric D. Tannenbaum, Managing Partner, Gould & Ratner, Chicago, IL; and Kevin Thompson, Partner, Davis McGrath, Chicago, IL. If you know you’re going to be in the area and would like to attend, please register here.

Here are a few of the key topics for discussion at the conference:

Learn the best practices of successful law firms and how to increase revenues in a tough economy
Take steps to position your firm for future growth and success
Integrate the top talent leaving major law firms into your practice
Create a viable succession plan
Protect your equity interest in the firm
Make sure your firm succeeds after a rainmaker departs
Learn how to protect client interests
Meet and network with colleagues and potential clients
Ensure that you comply with state bar

Conference Information:

About the Conference

This year's focus:

Understanding the "new norm" for law firms in the wake of the recession and the changes in the market for legal services and their delivery
What the short, medium and long term implications of these changes are for firms
What steps smart firms are taking now to position themselves for future growth and success.

Agenda

    8:30am – 8:45 am: Welcome and Introductory Remarks
    8:45am – 9:05 am: Outlook for Mid-Sized Firms
    9:10 am – 9:55 am: Trends and Practices in the Future of the Legal Profession
    9:55 am – 10:15 am: BREAK
    10:15 am – 11:15 am: Alternative Fees
    11:20 am - 12:20 pm: Lateral Moves and Their Impact
    12:20pm – 1:40 pm: Lunch and Panel Discussion on Business Development Tools & Techniques
    1:45pm – 2:45 pm: Succession Planning and Business Survival
    2:45 pm – 3:05 pm: BREAK Business Development in the New Normal – Effective Ways to Build Your Law Practice
    4:05 pm – 4:15 pm: Closing Remarks
    4:15 pm – 5:15 pm: Networking Reception

Conference Faculty

CHAIR - Edward Poll, JD, MBA, CMC
LawBiz Management Company

Larry Bodine
Business Development Advisor

David T. Brown
Much Shelist, LLC

Jeffrey Carr
FMC Technologies

Michael Downey
Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP

Patrick J. Lamb
Founding Partner, Valorem Law Group

Russell E. Levine
Kirkland & Ellis, LLP

Paul Lippe
CEO, Legal OnRamp

Eden Mandrel
Major, Lindsey & Africa, LLC

Brian Meltzer
Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle, LLC

Enrico Schaefer
Traverse Legal, PC

Stephanie A. Scharf
Shoeman, Updike & Kaufman, LLC

Bryan I. Schwarts
Levenfield Pearlstein, LLC

Fred Tannenbaum
Gould & Ratner, LLC

Kevin Thompson
Davis McGrath, LLC

Richard Lasater, II
Managing Partner, Los Angeles, Foley & Lardner LLP

Conference Sponsors

West LegalEdcenter,
the College of Law Firm Management,
the Association of Legal Administrators and
the Chicago Bar Association

Conference Brochure

Ideas And Advice: Be Your Own Law Firm CVO!

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:55:00 GMT

Even if you can’t hire a Chief Value Officer, appoint yourself to the position and start thinking seriously about providing value to clients. This week we asked: Do you need a Chief Value Officer? 1) Yes, I bet it would be helpful - 29% 2) No, we provide great value already - 28% 3)...

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Capital gains tax entrepreneurs' relief

cathycorns@mercerhole.co.uk (Cathy Corns) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:09:50 GMT

Capital gains tax entrepreneurs' relief. I recently came across a somewhat concerning anomaly in the tax position on entrepreneurs' relief.

Best in Law Blogs : LexBlog Nework : September 1, 2010

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:39:19 GMT

Following up on yesterday's story regarding Germany restricting the use of Facebook for recruiting purposes, Dan Schwartz today examines another article highlighting the risks in using social media sites for hiring. Total posts on the LexBlog Network today: 127.

Low Income Health Insurance On The Choppping Block In Pennsylvania - Conshohocken lawyer Stuart Carpey of Kreithen Baron & Carpey on his blog, Pennsylvania Injury Law Report
Prevailing Defendant Entitled to Fee Award Unrelated To Claims Seeking Unpaid Wages - San Francisco attorney David McMahon of Barger & Wolen on the firm's Litigation Management & Attorney Fee Analysis Blog
Moulton, Teacher Convicted of Assault on Students, Wins Right to Return to Classroom in Morton, Washington - Seattle lawyer Todd Sorenson of Williams Kastner on the firm's Northwest Education Law Blog
Can Employers Prohibit Employees From Expressing Their Religious Views in the Workplace? - New York employment attorney Joseph Dole of Bond, Schoeneck & King on the firm’s New York Labor & Employment Law Report
California Executions? Is Death Row Really the Target of California's Budget Crunch? - Criminal law lawyer Terry Lenamon blog on his blog, Terry Lenamon on the Death Penalty
Workplace Social Media Habits: Handling Security Risks - David Kaufer of TERIS on the firm's Sophisticated Litigation Support Blog
The Risks of Using Social Media Sites for Hiring - Hartford attorney Daniel Schwartz of Pullman & Comley in his Connecticut Employment Law Blog
Why is the backup warning device important on a road construction job site? - West Des Moines lawyer Steve Lombardi on his blog, The Iowa Edict
Update on Gulf Oil Spill Litigation - Philadelphia attorney Sean Wajert of Dechert LLP at his Mass Tort Defense Blog

Get Into Motion

dlorenzo@dlorenzo.com (David V. Lorenzo) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:20:09 GMT

Many people think about law firm marketing as television advertising, billboards or fancy brochures. While many lawyers use those marketing methods, there is a better way to jump start your client attraction process.

Here is a four step process I use with my private clients:

Invite Your Current Clients and Former Clients to an Event

It is a good idea to hold a client appreciation event at least once a year. At this event you have some live entertainment and some food and beverages. The event should be an informal gathering designed to thank people who have done business with you (or referred clients to you) in the past year).

You must use a multistep marketing sequence to get your clients and former clients to attend the event. People do not agree to come to something just because it is free. They must be sold on the idea.

There are three specific purposes to holding this event:

1).To rekindle your relationship with past clients
2). To educate them on who you are and what you do
3). To initiate an on-going dialogue with them

Make Them Feel Like They Are Part of an Exclusive Club

By hiring you at some point in the past, your clients should feel like they are part of an exclusive club. They should feel as though they have a lawyer in the family. They should be encouraged to call you for any legal need. If you do not handle the issue of the day, you will refer them to someone who can help them.

Educate to Demonstrate Your Expertise

At this event you should give a brief talk covering something in your field of expertise. This is not a sales pitch nor is it an academic lecture. Most often, I advise my clients to discuss a case that has been in the news or something that is of particular interest to the local community. This not only showcases your expertise, it demonstrates leadership and people gravitate toward leaders.

Follow Up with Regular Communication

After the client appreciation event, each person should receive regular, frequent communication from you. This communication (newsletter, email, card in the mail) does exactly what the event did. It reminds the client or former client that you are still open for business. It lets them know that they have an attorney in the family. And it encourages them to call you if the have a need.

Note: In some practice areas, this event will be more geared to referral sources or people who are influential in the community (criminal defense, divorce and immigration for example). While it may be appropriate to invite clients to these events, you will also want to include your best referral sources as well.

A Super Rainmaker's Secrets to Winning and Losing the Business

rhensley@raisingthebar.com (Robin Hensley) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:15:00 GMT

Some of you may know that I am doing a series of interviews with super rainmakers. The first of those interviews was with super rainmaker John Yates, Partner in Charge of the Technology Practice at Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP. The intervew was amazing and was filled with so much good advice about practice building that it was very difficult to edit it down to one short article. Instead, I have organized John's advice into a series of articles on specific topics. The second of those articles has just been published in the Daily Report. We've also got a video excerpt on my website that does a good job of summarizing John's main points on winning and losing business.

Until next time,

Robin

Law Firm Marketing Plan: Do it For Your Family

dlorenzo@dlorenzo.com (David V. Lorenzo) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:30:39 GMT

I have been writing business strategy articles for a long time. I have been helping lawyers build lifestyle law firms, law firms that enable you to live life on your terms, for a few years. But the other day I realized that I may never have told you WHY this is so IMPORTANT to YOU.

Not too long ago I was a different person.

As a leader in a large consulting company I was constantly on the go. I attended meeting after meeting and focused on significant marketing problems. My team and I handled issues like: Positioning a pharmaceutical product that was coming off patent protection, winning a politically charged labor campaign, beating an iconic consumer products company in a category they dominated for a decade, and selling luxury products in a time of economic uncertainty.

This was a prestigious job (I met with the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies regularly). It was a job that paid well.

But I was miserable.

My personal life was in shambles. I was divorced, lonely and growing older and fatter by the day. I knew I had to change things or my life was going to spiral downward at a rapid pace. So I volunteered to help small business owners on the weekends. It turns out, I was pretty good at helping them build successful businesses. And that is when my whole life changed.

One afternoon I received a call from a friend who was a lawyer. He asked me if I would meet with him and some of his colleagues. It seems they were having trouble attracting clients and they thought I could help.

I agreed to meet with them and help them not only attract clients, but help them attract the right clients. This means I helped them attract clients who would respect their expertise and pay a fee premium to work with them.

Within six months my law firm group (we started with five lawyers meeting in my living room) had doubled. The lawyers who participated from the beginning had grown their law firms an average of 37%...in just six months.

But the real news came from their ability to source clients who valued them at a very high level. These clients respected their time and their ability and they paid the lawyers a fee premium. This meant more money from less work. This meant more time with their families and more time for themselves.

Now that I have been doing this for a while I have been able to refine the business development process into an effective and efficient system. This is the Legal Marketing Fast Start System I released a few weeks ago. This system enables me to help more people than I ever could in a one-on-one setting. It enables me to help great lawyers help themselves by developing a law firm that delivers great clients to your doorstep.

This Legal Marketing Fast Start System covers the exact topics they did not teach you in law school. It helps you build a stable of great clients who will gladly pay you the fees you deserve.

Take a look at the Legal Marketing Fast Start System today.

Don’t do it because I am asking you to.

Don’t do it because today is the last day to get a substantial discount.

Do it because you deserve to be happy.

Do it because you deserve to have a law firm full of great clients who pay you what you are worth.

Do it because you deserve more free time with your friends and family.

There is an ancient Roman proverb that says “Fortune Favors the Bold”. Be bold.

Take control of your future and visit: http://LegalMarketingFastStart.com now.

Pam Woldow Joins Edge International

patrick.lamb@valoremlaw.com (Patrick J. Lamb) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:37:05 GMT

I am delighted to be able share the news that Pam Woldow has joined Edge International. Those who have read my blog before know that I make no secret of the extraordinary regard I have for Edge, and my friends Gerry Riskin, Rob Millard and Jordan Furlong. Edge is a dominant force in the world of those who consultant to law firms of any size and dimension, in any part of the world.

The addition of Pam to the Edge lineup further cements their position as the dominant force. I have know Pam for a number of years, have heard her speak and have spoken with her, not to mention been a voracious consumer of her writing and thinking over the years. She is someone who "gets it," and the collaboration among this extraordinary lineup is certain to yield extraordinary things.

The topper on this is that Pam is starting a new blog too--At The Intersection. I've just added it to my RSS feed. Savvy lawyers will too.

Plastic Bags Still Legal in California

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:38:33 GMT

The California State Senate hates the environment. That body, per CNN, voted down a bill that would have banned plastic bags in grocery stores, drug stores and convenience stores. You know, the places you get plastic bags. The California Assembly had already passed the bill, and the Governator had stated publicly that he would sign it into law if it passed the Senate. Twenty-one senators weren't persuaded by the soothing voice of Jeremy Irons in the "Majestic Plastic Bag" mockumentary, produced by the environmental group Heal the Bay. Are you?

Miss. Court of Appeals Starts Tour; Taylor Swift Opening Rumor Unconfirmed

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:25:47 GMT

Do you go to college in Mississippi? Do you like hearing lawyers blather on and on about obscure legal issues that likely have little if any relevance to you? Then you're in luck. Because the Mississippi Court of Appeals (pictured, left) is starting its Fall 2010 tour. The court has a program called "Court on the Road," pursuant to which it schedules oral arguments to take place at locations around the state. Over the next three months, arguments will be held at three Mississippi universities: "The court will convene special sessions at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena on Sept. 16, at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg on Sept. 30 and at Mississippi State University in Starkville on Nov. 18." Luckily, none of these universities have law schools, so it's unlikely participants will be embarrassed by some know-it-all 1L tweeting about counsel's misunderstanding of the finer points of the Mississippi mussel laws.

Law School Deanship as Fast Track to University Presidency

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:17:40 GMT

It was big news last week when Northwestern Law School Dean David Van Zandt announced he'd be stepping down to take over as president of the New School. In today's Corporate Counsel, David Hechler explores the law-school-dean-to-university-president phenomenon. He notes that at least four others have made or announced similar transitions this summer, and that "eight of the 63 universities that are members of the Association of American Universities (13 percent) currently have presidents who were once law school deans." Which ones? Glad you asked: The Association of American Universities' Big Eight: Lee Bollinger (president of Columbia University; was dean at University of Michigan Law School) E. Gordon Gee (president of Ohio State University; was dean at West Virginia University Law School) David Leebron (president of Rice University; was dean at Columbia Law School) Mark Nordenberg (chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh; was dean there) Harvey Perlman (chancellor of the University of Nebraska; was dean there) William Powers (president of the University of Texas; was dean there) Joel Seligman (president of the University of Rochester; was dean at Washington University School of Law) John Sexton (president of New York University; was dean there) According to those Hechler interviewed, law school...

Facebook Sued Again; Class Action Claims Use of Kids' Names and Pics Violates Calif. Law

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:15:32 GMT

All the cool kids are suing Facebook for something or other. We are, by now, all familiar with the lawsuit in which some guy claims to be the 84 percent owner of the company (thanks to Above the Law for the latest update on that suit). This morning, the National Law Journal is reporting on a class action filed in California, claiming that Facebook is using names and images of minors for advertising purposes without getting parents' permission as required under California law. From the article: "Facebook is able to use very compelling ads that are very specifically targeted at individuals because it is known that their friend's endorsement will have a major impact," said [attorney Anthony] Stuart, who represents two 14-year-old Facebook users, David Cohen and Shelby Orland, named plaintiffs in the suit. "So if little Bobby, who's 14 years old, says that he likes a particular video game, that may be a very compelling endorsement for one of his friends or all of his friends on Facebook." What? Video games aren't for kids anymore, Mr. Stuart. Facebook says it did nothing wrong. Shocker. If there is not a fan page for "Suing Facebook" yet, I might have to...

A Short, Concise Client Development Tip

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:37:28 GMT

Most clients assume you have the legal skills necessary to handle their matter. In surveys they say they are less are less concerned about your legal skills, your billable rate and your track record.than they are about how much you care.

How do you show you care about what you are doing for a business client? I think it begins with a thorough understanding of the client's industry, business and strategies. After that, it is small things like:

Asking good questions
Being empathetic
REALLY listening
Being responsive
Doing something beyond what is expected
Being appreciative

What would you add to this concise list?