LJN Newsletters

The enormous size of the FCPA enforcement actions settlements as well as the outsized cost of investigating and defending FCPA actions has led the insurance industry to offer new FCPA insurance products, which are intended to offset the FCPA investigation and settlement costs. These products, however, should be reviewed carefully by the companies to determine their utility in light of the companies' FCPA exposure, existing insurance, and, of course, cost.

Does the innate need to appear "competent" help or hinder a professional's ability to develop business, develop future talent and give superior service to clients?

Social Security is the biggest retirement system in the United States and its benefits play an important role for retiring Baby Boomers. Millions of Americans depend on their monthly benefits, the amount which can be affected by various factors, most importantly the age at which you retire.

In-house counsel have, after years of grumbling, finally motivated law firms to act differently, putting client needs above the law firms' own arcane business models and billing policies. However, few law firm leaders view these changes as positive, so many do a poor job of promoting their enhanced capabilities as a competitive advantage.

For attorneys and law firm marketers, the advent of smartphones means a new frontier for gathering information ' and a new competitive arena.

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.

The CEO of a $12 billion company summed it up neatly when he told me, "During a first meeting, I can always tell how experienced a banker or lawyer is by the quality of the questions they ask." Many lawyers, however, prefer to tell rather than ask and listen.

When a client hires a marketing firm for advisory services, how is it much different than trusting the waiter at a restaurant? If you think about it, there really is no difference ' unless you are able to contribute something more to the relationship.