November 22, 2009 by Kevin

Generation Y entrepreneurs a business opportunity for lawyers using social media

Donna Fenn's new book, 'Upstarts!: How GenY Entrepreneurs are Rocking the World of Business and 8 Ways You Can Profit from Their Success,' highlights the success of 150 CEO's born after 1975.

If you haven't looked, business leaders are getting younger and younger. Their upstart businesses are leading the American economic recovery hiring people while large corporations are laying off people.

A year ago May I was speaking at the Community 2.0 conference in Las Vegas. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, was also presenting. This kid, at least that's the way he looked to me to was sharing one good idea and story after another. Hsieh is 35 and just sold Zappos for $1 Billion. At age 24 he sold his company LinkExchange to Microsoft for $265 million.

Zappos and other upstarts are the companies law firms would die to have as clients. IP work. Employment and labor matters. Securities and corporate finance. You name it. These companies require a ton of legal work to grow.

How do law firms market to these upstarts? Social media. 96% of Generation Y uses social media. Social media including blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media/networking sites.

Landing upstart companies is not going to come via advertising, law firm websites included. Only 14% of generation Y trust advertising.

I'm a customer service fanatic. Zappos is known for outstanding customer service. So I sent Hsieh a private Twitter message (we're following each other) asking what was his favorite book on client service. Four hours later he replied on Twitter with a link to Zappo's library on best business practices. It was pretty cool though that his favorite was the same as mine, Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles.

I share my exchange with Hsieh as a an example of the ease of reaching out to a business leader through the use of social media. How else could I effectively do that before social media? A phone call? Email? Letter? I'm not certain I'd have ever heard back.

If you want to start building relationships with upstart corporate leaders, learn how to use social media. Traditional legal marketing and PR is not going to cut it.

Thanks to Anita Campbell at Small Business Trends for turning me onto Fenn's book.

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November 20, 2009 by Colin O'Keefe

New blogs joining the LexBlog Network for the week of 11/16-11/20

It was a big week for LexBlog, as we have a six completely new blogs joing the LexBlog network with five others getting new designs. Proskauer Rose's three blogs received a sharp new look to match their new website and they even launched a new blog as well. Be sure to check out those, which have always had interesting content, and all the rest going up this week.

 

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November 19, 2009 by Colin O'Keefe

Best in Law Blogs : LexBlog Network : November 19, 2009

Ever wonder exactly where all the stimulus money is going? Do you wish a measly billion would get lost and accidentally end up in your checking account? Well, there's a tool for the first question, no help for the second. Deirdre Wheatley-Liss has an interesting post on a tool that tracks exactly where all the money is going. Also, Brian Molinari has a fantastic post on the rising danger of virtual workplace harassment. Also, how are there still states that allow texting and driving?

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November 19, 2009 by Lisa Kennelly

Joseph Rosenbaum of Legal Bytes: LexBlog Q&A

Reed Smith attorney Joseph RosenbaumThe move of the Legal Bytes newsletter from print to web was a no-brainer for Reed Smith attorney Joseph Rosenbaum, head of the AmLaw200 firm's Advertising Technology & Media group.

"By 2008," Joe says of his Legal Bytes blog, "I realized that my format - small, insightful, narrative pieces, virtually always referencing more robust information - covering a wide variety of topics at the intersection of law, advertising, technology, media and entertainment, finance, travel and more, was perfect for a blog format."

Reed Smith as a firm has 11 total blogs on the LexBlog Network, and Joe says that blogging has benefited both the firm's attorneys and their clients.

"Blogging has fostered our own internal communication, has allowed clients to quickly get a sense of the variety of issues and, bluntly, helps everyone appreciate the value of cross-selling and deepening the relationships of trust and confidence with our clients," Joe says.

We caught up with Joe for this LexBlog Q&A to learn more about the rewards of blogging and the responsibility of a digital media blog to stay relevant.

See our email exchange with Joe, after the jump.

Continue Reading...
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November 18, 2009 by Colin O'Keefe

Best in Law Blogs : LexBlog Network : November 18th, 2009

Great posts today; one of my favorite has Michelle O'Neil highlightng an interesting and, based on her insight, extremely useful for divorced couples with children. Also, Jay O'Keeffe has a warning for trial lawyers about judges who offer gifts and Carolyn Elefant has insight on Google providing free legal research.

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November 17, 2009 by Colin O'Keefe

Best in Law Blogs : LexBlog Network : November 17, 2009

As a former journalism major, I've always been interested in discussion on shield laws. These laws, which exist in variations at a state level, protect journalists from revealing their sources. The matter has been debated by many but it appears the government is growing closer to passing a federal shield law, after a bill for such a law didn't make it through Congress earlier this year. Charles Coble has the story; as always, just one of ten good reads.

 

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November 17, 2009 by Colin O'Keefe

Beer for Bloggers in Toronto on Wednesday evening

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As has been done in the past,  LexBlog will be hosting a Beer for Bloggers get-together while Kevin is in Toronto. If you're interested in meeting up with fellow bloggers, Twitterers, lawyers and legal professionals, come by P.J. O'Brien's around 5:30 on Wednesday evening. LexBlog is picking up the tab so swing by.

Or if you can't make it but would enjoy meeting up with Kevin, don't hesitate to email him or even give him a call at 206 321 3627.

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November 16, 2009 by Colin O'Keefe

Best in Law Blogs : LexBlog Network : November 16, 2009

Today, we have two insightful posts on bankruptcy, definitely worth checking out. Christine Wilton has four financial mistakes that can lead to bankruptcy while Bryan Fears has some analysis on how bankruptcy is helping business recover from financial turmoil. And in case you were wondering, Steve Baird has a post on trademarking candy bar cross-sections. Sounds odd, but it is a fun read.

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November 15, 2009 by Kevin

I'm in Toronto this week : Legal Marketing Association luncheon presentation on social media

I'll be in Toronto this Wednesday and Thursday visiting with law firms and presenting at a Thursday luncheon meeting of the Toronto Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association (LMA).

The topic of my LMA presentation is social media for law firms. Rather than focus on technology, as many law firms do, we'll cover how networking through the Internet is all about building relationships by engaging ones' target audience. We'll then review how blogs, social media, Twitter, and social networking websites can be used to build relationships for effective client development.

You may register for the LMA program, which runs from 11:30 to 1:30 at the Toronto Board of Trade, at the LMA Chapter website.

I'd welcome getting together with any of you while I'm in Toronto. I get in late Tuesday afternoon and will be in town through late Thursday afternoon.

Getting together with lawyers and law firms to discuss blogs, social media, and the like is a lot of fun for me. I'm happy to stop by anyone's office to meet.

Perhaps we could even pull together a beer for bloggers (and any other legal professionals) on Wednesday evening. When in Toronto earlier this year, we got a group together.

Please don't hesitate to email me or to call my cell, 206 321 3627.

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November 15, 2009 by Kevin

Who looks more strange? Geeks using social media or lawyers avoiding social media?

The majority of lawyers, including the management of large law firms, find people regularly using the Internet for social media and social networking to be an odd bunch. This group of 'younger people' are quickly dismissed as geeks and techies.

There's almost a sense of comfort for lawyers in finding these folks out of step with traditional business. 'Certainly these techies have no place in leading positions in law firm management and client development.'

On the other hand, there's a growing population who sees lawyers not in tune with social media as out of step. Perhaps not labeled odd, these lawyers are viewed as traditionalists and falling behind the times.

Look at these numbers from Erik Qualman's new book, Socialnomics.

  • Generation Y (birth dates from late '70's to late 80's) outnumbers Baby Boomers (birth dates from 1946 to 1964) by 2010.
  • 96% of Generation Y use social media.
  • If Facebook were a country, it would be the 4th largest.
  • Boston College quit sending email to students. Students were more apt to receive messages via social media and social networking.
  • Over 100,000,000 videos on YouTube.
  • Over 200,000,000 blogs in existence.
  • Over 100,000 blogs post daily.
  • 25% of search results for top 20 brands are user generated.
  • 78% of consumers trust peer reviews.

If I am lawyer charged with client development for myself or my law firm, I'd be looking at these numbers very closely. The day is soon coming where the majority of people hiring lawyers will be heavy users of social media and social networking.

Lawyers not using social media will seem pretty strange then. Law firms shunning social media will be looked at as behind the times by people looking for innovative firms to engage.

If being looked at as odd or behind the times isn't enough to get you using social media, ineffective client development ought to do it. Positive mentions of you or what you're saying in user generated content and positive peer reviews generated by participation in social media are the stuff these 'geek's will be looking for.

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November 15, 2009 by Kevin

Does your law blog look like NASCAR?

Jack Gamble at ProBlogger asks 'Does Your Blog Look Like NASCAR?'

Are you responsible for a website that has so many ads that it looks like Dale Earnhardt Jr. should be driving it in circles at high speed with a strange aversion to right turns?

That is because your advertisements are out of control.

There's a ton of law blogs out there that look equipped to run laps at the Brickyard 400. In some cases banner and button ads like Gamble refers to, probably generating all of five bucks a month. But most of the badges are from blog awards and half backed Web 2.0 services the lawyer uses on their blog.

Lawyers wouldn't consider for a second wearing ads and award badges on their suits when going to court. Why here?

These badges are often promoting services that have far less credibility than you and your blog. Why draw notoriety to them? Why give them web traffic they couldn't get on their own? Why support a cheesy effort to get links to their websites so they do better in Google's search results?

If it's vanity or ego, get over it. If you're publishing a good law blog, be proud of yourself and the insight and resources you're offering to the public you serve.

You don't need gimmicky ads and badges to authenticate the value of what you're doing. In fact, such badges often cheapen what you're doing.

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November 14, 2009 by Kevin

Connecticut's legal ethics attack on Total Attorneys a step backward for consumers

This week the State of Connecticut began hearings on whether five attorneys violated state ethics rules by participating in an Internet advertising program run by Total Attorneys.

Cast in the light of protecting consumers, Connecticut's action is another step backward for consumers and the lawyers who serve consumers by providing legal services at reasonable prices.

Total Attorneys, through its web advertising program, gives small firm lawyers the ability to pool their resources and market their services at a much lower cost than they could do effectively on their own. The outcome is good lawyers getting legal work and consumers having access to legal services they may not have otherwise been able to afford.

Nonetheless, Connecticut attorney Zenas Zelotes filed a 303-page complaint against Total Attorneys and its President, Kevin Chern. Zelotes claims that the lawyers who use Total Attorneys services are in violation of legal ethics rules, because they are obtaining referrals through and sharing fees with Total Attorneys. Essentially, he believes this is fee-splitting, that they are providing value for a client referral.

Zelotes has filed similar versions of the same complaint against more than 500 lawyers in 47 states.

Several well-respected, web-savvy legal professionals have chimed in to defend Total Attorneys and the five Connecticut lawyers who stand to face disciplinary action, including Larry Bodine, Carolyn Elefant, and Avvo's Josh King. Bob Ambrogi has been following this story as well, pointing out that "these complaints point to the lack of clarity and consistency in the rules of conduct governing lawyers."

Kevin Chern responded to the initial charge in a blog post in July:

Mr. Zelotes's argument that the pay-per-performance model employed by Total Attorneys amounts to fee splitting defies even the most basic logic. Sponsoring attorneys pay fees based on exposure, regardless of whether or not a particular consumer ever retains them or they ever receive a fee.

The truth is that the pay-per-performance model employed by Total Attorneys is the industry standard in online advertising and is most notably employed by Google as the pricing model for their AdWords program. Total Attorneys' program is a natural extension of the Google performance-based pricing model. Both times that ethics opinions have addressed performance-based pricing models, first in South Carolina and then in Kentucky, they have been found to be compliant.

Regardless, the chief disciplinary counsel of Connecticut, Mark Dubois, found probable cause to pursue the complaints, which brings us to the current hearings.

The Internet can serve as the great equalizer for lawyers who have not been practicing for decades or without a war chest for cheesy advertising campaigns. But state ethics governing bodies, usually without a clue as to how the Internet works, seem inclined to protect the status quo.

The only reasons I can see for actions like Connecticut's here is to protect the status quo. To prevent younger lawyers who have struck out on their own from getting legal work from the good old boys. Or to protect state bar lawyer referral systems where lawyers pay the bar association for referrals.

There's no way states can say they are taking such action to protect consumers. Very strange when the rules being enforced were designed to protect consumers in their attempt to find a lawyer to help.

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