Planning Realistically In a Time of Economic Distress
How to Avoid Destroying Your Firm's Future By Arbitrary Expense Cutting and Obsolete Planning Techniques There is a wonderful old Russian folk tale about the family in a sled being chased by ferocious wolves. To slow down the wolves, thinking to protect the remaining family members, they threw children overboard. That story comes to mind as we watch law firms, chased by the wolves of a depressing economy, decimate their firms by furloughing or firing staff, deferring'
Blogging Checklist
An integrated blog added to your online presence is certainly a consideration for any lawyer today looking to market his or her practice and/or firm. There are a handful of reasons why ' and why not ' to launch a blog.
The PPC Trademark Battle Continues
This article recently ran in our sister publication entitled Internet Law & Strategy. We felt it was important to share with our readers.
Five Reasons for Lawyers to Use Social Media
This article recommends using social media for business and career development, and presents five non-exhaustive reasons why attorneys should consider using social media for themselves or for their firms. The <i>what</i> and <i>how</i> of blogging, Twitter, Facebook, etc., are beyond the scope of what is covered here. This discussion is about <i>why</i> a lawyer might want to use social media.
TextMap Version 5: New Uses for a Familiar Tool
A bunch of loose nails can be pounded with a shoe or a rock, but why not buy a hammer so you have the right tool for the job? Similarly, a load of transcripts can be tagged with sticky flags and painstakingly summarized on a yellow legal pad, but why not use software to help you comprehensively manage and annotate them? TextMap 5 from LexisNexis (formerly CaseSoft) is the right tool for the job.
Movers & Shakers
Highlights of the latest equipment leasing news from around the country.
Addressing Last-Minute Tables of Authorities and Contents Issues
I've seen too many files squeeze in right under a filing or courier deadline. Everything is in order, the document content, footnotes, citations, and your tables. Just prior to, or after clicking the final Save, Send or Print, the Table of Authorities ("TOA") and Table of Contents ("TOC") are updated: The tables fall apart, page numbering is incorrect, text mysteriously appears or disappears from within the table, and formatting takes on a whole new look (and not for the better). I don't see this scenario changing much. Last-minute edits are the nature of the beast. I won't even go into the frayed nerves! What can change is understanding why the tables "fell apart" in the first place, and how to get that file out the door in an acceptable format. You can worry about fixing the file at a later time.
The Impact of the Credit Crisis on DIP Financing
A byproduct of the frozen credit markets was the unexpected contraction of available debtor-in-possession financing (DIP financing). Historically, DIP financings have had the lowest default rates among commercial loans, and until the recent market disruption, only two significant DIP loans had defaulted, and only one of those resulting in a sub-par recovery.
Creating a Law Firm Learning Environment
Earlier this year, my firm made it a goal to improve the impact and effectiveness of training efforts, and we made a number of adjustments to our approach. Based on user feedback, we made a shift to shorter classes, focused on very specific topics. We also sent a clear message that we would support "just in time" training, letting our folks know that if they had a problem and didn't know how to best solve it, we would bring training resources to bear immediately so they could apply new skills at the exact moment that they needed them.
