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For large and small firms, regardless of practice area, use of the Internet to attract new business can be one of the most productive and efficient forms of business development. Internet marketing ' Web sites, search engine ranking, e-mail campaigns, and the like ' is targeted, operates on a wide geographic scale, and can produce valuable leads while the lawyers are generating billable hours, vacationing, or doing other activities. <br>However, because it is a relatively new medium for law firm marketing, effective use of the Internet is not widespread. There are many myths and misunderstandings about how it works and what will succeed, and what the future holds. Here is a list of some of the best ways to fail at Internet marketing.

When law firms merge with one another, one of the more significant front-line issues is "Which firm's technology will survive?" When there is a merger (buy-out) by a large firm of a much smaller law firm, the answer seems obvious. But, when there is a merger of equals, or of larger firms (even if not equal in size), the answer is not so clear. And where there is a merger of small firms, things get murkier still. <br>What may be worse is that frequently, the question is not even considered before it is too late to make a smooth transition.

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The glamour and cache of being interviewed on CNN or CNBC as a national legal source is quite appealing to many attorneys. Broadcast journalism reaches a broad audience and for many, is seen as more exciting than print. And when other attorneys (deemed not as accomplished as themselves) appear on TV, they often wonder: How can I get there too? The answer is: preparation and some honest reflection.

Most practicing attorneys are realizing that the "if-you-build-it, they-will-come" approach to business development is not enough in today's competitive marketplace. For those who must learn by experience, this reality is often punctuated by a delay in making partner due to the lack of a "book of business" or mid-career partnership pressure on rainmaking. <br>Despite this reality, attorneys continue to struggle with bridging the gap between the skills and behaviors learned in law school and applied in practice, and those skills and behaviors needed to develop new business. This is where the law firm marketers come in.

As a private practitioner, sitting at a paper-smothered desk getting rapid-fire e-mails and phone calls from multiple clients, each of whom needs something yesterday, filling out time sheets and reviewing mountains of billing, it is easy for those in private practice to envision life as an in-house attorney as the better ' or at least less stressful ' choice of career paths. This article reacts to that vision, highlights some of the different issues facing those in-house, and discusses the manner in which some of the same issues faced by all attorneys translate in an in-house environment.

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Firms have good reasons for offering formal associate development programs such as law firm universities and mentoring programs. Clients expect trained associates and associates expect training. Formal programs, often with full-time staff support, can effectively deliver training to groups of associates.

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Fifteen years after merger mania started, and despite the invasion of out-of-towners now crowding the Bay Area, these and other firms remain independent ' sometimes fiercely so.

Retirement is a distant and unnoticed object of concern for young lawyers. After the toil of law school, the terror of the bar exam and the career-defining decisions of job searching, a young lawyer cannot be blamed for feeling immortal. With a seemingly endless stream of years ahead to ply his or her skills in the world of the law, slay a few dragons and make his or her fortune, retirement planning is not on the "to do" list. <br>This article reflects the results of a survey of law firms around the nation that reveals a variety of approaches to retirement planning and funding. Interviews focused on the structure and the funding of retirement plans. While the results of this survey are anecdotal, certain conclusions and recommendations emerged from the effort.