Features

Most attorneys have recognized the value of holding seminars and workshops at which they can make presentations on a variety of topics. The problem with these seminars is that, more often than not, the law firm is preaching to the choir. The attendees at these seminars usually come from existing clients or prospects previously identified by the firm. What law firms need to do is expose their expertise and practice groups to new prospects for their services.

Features

Law firms have a remarkable number of ways to market their expertise, almost too many at times. Most firms still utilize the more traditional avenues such as advertising, firm seminars, speaking engagements at industry events, and client newsletters. The marketing director is the one charged with handling all of these tasks and many more, often with a limited in-house staff. Whether the firm is staffed with one marketing director, a staff of marketing pros, or if the bulk of the job falls on one attorney who has expressed an interest in marketing, it is clear that the job now entails much more than it did years ago. <br>We asked a few experts for their viewpoint on how the position has changed.

This month in our regular issue of Marketing The Law Firm we have an article written by one of my favorite Board members Mike Hodes, the Managing Director…

Like most of you ' okay, all of you ' we struggled mightily with many concerns surrounding e-mail retention. The paramount question was: "Now that e-mail has become ubiquitous and constant, how do we ensure client-related mail becomes a part of the client record?" <br>After much investigation, a tour of a firm already using the product, and a presentation to our Tech Committee, we settled on KVS's Enterprise Vault.

Pick an area of law ' trademark, employment, appellate, whatever ' tack "lawyer" onto it, and search the phrase on Google. Odds are, a legal blog will be among the top-ranking results ' often at the top of the list. <br>At a time when talk of online marketing invariably turns to the pseudo-science of search-engine optimization, many law firms are missing an often more sure-fire route to the top of the search-engine heap ' blogging.

Chicago, Las Vegas, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco are among the major municipalities that are presently considering the establishment of city-run wireless broadband networks (Wi-Fi). They claim that by creating a public network, both the municipality and the residents would benefit. Sounds reasonable at first blush, but strong and obvious opposition from service providers such as Comcast Corporation and Verizon Communications will prove to be a major obstacle. In addition, feasibility studies are now beginning to emerge that throw more cold water on the idea of a municipal Wi-Fi utopia.

Features

Let me start by assuring you that I have nothing against using high-end technology in the courtroom. Like many who read this column, my colleagues and I make our livings designing state-of-the-art demonstrative evidence and other teaching tools for use in complex civil and criminal cases. Why is it so important for me to let you know this? Because I want you to fully appreciate where I am coming from when I state the major premise of this article: We need to help trial lawyers make better choices when it comes to how they display material in court. An increasing number of lawyers are relying on high-end technology as a crutch and using these display methods without thinking about whether it makes sense to do so or whether their cases are better as a result.

Some traditions take a long time to die. Unfortunately, staff recruiting is one of them.<br>It's a highly competitive labor market for professionals, and one in which you can't always compete in dollars. What's to be done?