Law Firm Management

Most, if not all, law firms have a professional presence online these days, so that is no longer a key differentiator ' but what they do with these websites is. Smart firms are moving away from static text-only websites that look just like their competitors' websites and are rarely, if ever, updated with fresh content. And they're doing something else, too: focusing on branding.

Wow, what a year 2011 was. While the economy barely hung on for many law firms that had once seemed invincible, our legal marketing colleagues around the country were busy innovating to heights not seen before in our professional space. It is a great time to be engaged in marketing law firms, indeed.

e-Discovery issues are becoming increasingly more complex while associated review costs keep rising dramatically ' often threatening to overshadow the substantive issues of the litigation or investigation at hand. Because of this, more and more corporations are turning to a two-tiered model when it comes to new matters: one law firm (or separate group within the law firm) that will focus on preservation, collection and review; and a separate team of lawyers that will focus on the actual merits of the case.

Economic nexus statutes are sweeping across the nation. The consequence for law firms is that your firm may be required to file a tax return in a state which no firm member or employee has even been in.

After years of study, thousands of hours of congressional testimony, hundreds of hearings and uncountable public comments, the Department of Labor issued Reg 408(b)2 and 404(a), designed to force better disclosure. With this better information, it is hoped that both plan providers and participants will make better decisions, leading to improved retirement preparation for America's workers.

Publicity, which is a basic purpose of the media release, uses the release as a basic tool. It's not an end in itself, despite the artistry of a good release. Its purpose is to communicate ' an idea, a fact, a product's value or superiority. It should inform, it should be read by a target audience, it should clarify or persuade. And it should get published.

As the economy continues to flounder, CEOs and CFOs in law firms are often reluctant to replace technologies they believe are working fine. Yet, what they may not realize is while they are saving some upfront costs, ultimately they could be saving pennies to lose dollars, relatively speaking.

We're on a wave of change that shows no signs of cresting. Here's how to keep your balance.