Of the many skills useful to law firm marketing professionals, the one that we can learn best from our attorneys is the political art. Fact is, even the most adept marketer will find it difficult to develop traction for marketing programs at his or her firm without using a heaping helping of political acumen to build consensus and boost allegiance.

Features

This month's question:<BR>We're an IP boutique. Many of our partners are in the enviable position of literally not being able to take on any more work. How can I keep them involved in our marketing effort?

The efficacy of branding law firms has been a topic of considerable debate. At root, the discussion lays bare an interesting and fundamental question ' are law firms really something greater than the sum of their parts? On one level, any organization that isn't completely dysfunctional adds something to the individuals of which it is comprised. Getting from that simple human statement to branding, however, requires buy-in to another, related concept.

Features

Branding: Is it the legal marketplace buzzword for the twenty-first century or is there really something to all of this? On October 19th Law Journal Newsletters Marketing The Law Firm hosted a Roundtable in its offices in Philadelphia. We decided to give branding its due by bringing together a panel of experts: Burkey Belser is President and Creative Director of Greenfield Belser Ltd. with offices in Washington, D.C. and Boston; Dr. Mark Greene is the Managing Director of The Brand Research Company with offices in Washington, D.C. and Boston; Douglas C. Kramer is the Chief Marketing Officer of Drinker Biddle &amp; Reath LLP, Philadelphia; and Edward M. Schechter is the Chief Marketing Officer of Duane Morris LLP, Philadelphia.

Features

Recent developments of interest to corporate counsel.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) exempts certain categories of "white-collar employees" from the overtime pay provisions of that statute. Unfortunately for employers, the correct application of those exemptions is difficult and often misunderstood. Even more unfortunate is that the consequences of even innocent mistakes can be extremely costly for employers. That situation has prompted demands for fundamental revisions of the regulations that the United States Department of Labor (DOL) promulgated decades ago to provide criteria for exempting white-collar employees from mandatory overtime pay. Regrettably, that sorely-needed reform appears to be hopelessly ensnarled in politics as the parties position themselves for next year's national election. This article will examine both the proposed changes to these regulations and what employers can do to help protect themselves until change is effectuated.

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Whether in bankruptcy or in liquidation, trustees or liquidators of insolvent corporations look for available sources of cash to pay creditors. Unfortunately for in-house or outside attorneys representing such corporations, director and officer liability policies or professional malpractice policies are identified early on as possible sources of funds for insolvent companies. This article discusses the theories that are typically brought in these cases, and suggests ways to avoid or defend such claims in the future.

Corporate counsel often relay their client's concerns about the importance of zealously protecting their company's Intellectual Property (IP), but do these clients appreciate what that entails or appreciate some of the pitfalls? Consider a few questions: If your company creates something, does it own it? If it owns it, is it protectable and, if protectable, what is the cost to fully protect it? Where should it be protected? Does it have commercial value? The purpose here is to raise the issues that address these questions and which will provide counsel some of the information needed to take a more measured approach when considering their company's IP.