• Paging Dr. Blog is the second publication on the LexBlog Network from Meiselman, Denlea, Packman, Carton & Eberz, joining their long-running Class Action Blog. This blog focuses specifically on health care law, with conversations on topics that include Medicare and Medicaid, nursing home abuse, pharmaceutical drugs and health insurance. 
• Energy and the Law is authored by Dallas lawyer Charles Sartain of Looper Reed & McGraw. This, the firm's third publication on the LexBlog Network, is intended as a resource for legal developments, commentary and analysis of the law of oil and gas and alternative energy resources.
• Biosimilars Law Blog is the third blog on the LexBlog Network from Hogan Lovells. The publicaton's nine authors opine on subjects that include the basics of biosimilars, biosimilars vs. generics, the regulation of biosimilars and the naming and labeling of biosimilars.
• Cole Schotz adds to their array of publications as Elder Law Perspectives is the ninth on the LexBlog Network for the firm. Authored my members of the firm's Tax, Trusts & Estates Department, the publication aims to provide the community with information about laws, programs and services that effect the elderly, including Medicaid and veteran’s benefits.
• Empowered Conflict Resolution Journal is authored by Darren Hart, Managing Partner at Hart Legal. In his own words, "this blog is dedicated to empowerment, to assisting those that want to grow and achieve their full potential and to providing guidance in this regard to those that find themselves powerless, persecuted, oppressed, tormented, intimidated and bullied."
• Hart Legal Associate Mark Norton serves as editor on the Inheritance Law Review. Originally from New Brunswick, Norton practices in British Columbia, with a focus on he area of wills and estates litigation and family conflict. 
• Victoria, British Columbia lawyer Graham Rudyk publishes the Abuse Claims Law Review. Covering child abuse, elder abuse and sexual abuse, this blog is intended to provide insight and commentary on the rights, responsibilities and remedies for abuse.
• Christine Murray authors the Family Law Refocused, the fourth of six publications from Hart Legal.In her own words, the blog is intended to provide "a fresh perspective on divorce, spousal support, child support, parenting after separation and everything family law."
• Empowering Women Law Journal is the second of three family law-related publications from Hart Legal. Authored by attorney Krystle Gill, this blog is specifically geared towards women who are going through a separation or divorce, providing them with the tools they need to rise to the various challenges that they may face in life, love and litigation.
• And, to round things out from Hart Legal, we have the Adoption & Family Law Notebook from Lynda Cassels. As she describes it, the blog was created to "discuss issues related to adoption, reproductive technologies and the law, with a focus on topics of interest to parents and families."

• I'm not sure we've ever had a publication focused on law in Spokane before, but that changed this week as the Spokane Business Law Update from Sullivan Stromberg, PLLC joins the LexBlog Network. The blog is intended to be a practical resource for small businesses owners in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.
• Healthcare Employment Counsel is the 11th publication on the LexBlog Network from AmLaw 100 firm Littler Mendelson. Authored by a team of 13 lawyers, this blog provides timely broad-based coverage and insight by into critical issues and developments unique to employers in the healthcare industry.

After what seemed like both moments and an eternity since Jared Sulzdorf and I wheeled our guerilla operation into LegalTech New York late Sunday evening—past professional construction crews that may as well have been assembling small yachts as exhibit booths—we shot one last video, looking back at the entire process. 

There was a lot that went into it, and many people to thank. And because I didn't hit everyone in the video, I'm going to try to do so here. Without any of the people mentioned here, this would not have happened: Henry Dicker, Vice President Events, Executive Director of LegalTech; Alexis Burgess, Marketing Manager at ALM; Kevin O'Keefe, LexBlog CEO and Publisher; Kevin McKeown, LexBlog President; Brian Briddle, LexBlog Creative Director; Joshua Lynch, LexBlog Project Manager; Lyda Hawes, LexBlog Director of Client Services and my phenomenal boss; Brian Hefter, LexBlog Developer; and, of course, my two counterparts on the three-man crew: Editorial Associate Jared Sulzdorf and freelance videographer-for-hire Todd Weissfeld. 

With those reeled off, let's take a look at some of the coverage. Here are a few of my favorite interviews:

•  Brett Burney of Burney Consultants on the iPad and the Best Apps in the Legal Community
• Ralph Losey of Jackson Lewis on Predictive Coding and Transparency in E-Discovery 
• Chris Paskach, Partner at KPMG Forensic Technology Services, on Statistical Sampling
• Keynote Speaker Don Tapscott, Co-Author of Macrowikinomics, on the Digital Generation and 5 Themes in Tech, Biz and Law
• Qualcomm Corporate Legal IT Manager Rajan Gupta on Leveraging Tech for Lawyers 
• Gina Buser of Traveling Coaches, Inc. on Talking Technology to Lawyers
• Greentarget’s Aaron Schoenherr Reporting on Social Media Use by in-House Counsel
• Fastcase President Philip Rosenthal on Broken Business Models and His Company in 2011 & 2012

To see all of the videos—I promise they are worth taking a look at—along with curated blog posts, go check out the LegalTech New York channel on LXBN. We're still rounding up the last 1 or 2 but they should be on there very shortly. There's a lot of superb insight here, and a ton of work that went into it, so have a look.

Again, this was a phenomenal experience. Whether it be at LegalTech again, or another event, I really hope we get the opportunity to do this again soon. Many thanks, again, to everyone who made this a possibility.  

Lohr was commenting on the different ways Apple and Google have historically approached innovation.

The Google model relies on rapid experimentation and data. The company constantly refines its search, advertising marketplace, e-mail and other services, depending on how people use its online offerings. It takes a bottom-up approach: customers are participants, essentially becoming partners in product design.

The Apple model is more edited, intuitive and top-down. When asked what market research went into the company's elegant product designs, Steve Jobs had a standard answer: none. "It's not the consumers' job to know what they want," he would add.

LexBlog has added a senior leadership team over the last couple years. Though the team members have worked in smaller companies before, they bring experience from also working in the likes of Microsoft, Mitsubishi, and REI. I've also had the experience of working at LexisNexis for 18 months after my last company, Prairielaw.com, was acquired by them.

Larger companies tend to want to survey people and test a product's use, before double downing and getting the product to market. It's tough for me to work with people from those companies because I am more of the thinking that consumers don't know what they want until you give it to them.

Imagine if Jeff Bezos asked the public if they wanted to buy books over the Internet. Most people in the mid 90's would have responded "What's the Internet?" Bezos believed in his vision that the Amazon experience would wow people. He was right.

Though Google is described as bottom-up in approach taking the consumer into account, had Google asked the public if they wanted search in 1998, the answer would have been no. Heck, LexisNexis didn't see the value in Internet search in 2001 when it limited the user generated content it would pay to have searched (companies bought search back in those days from companies like Atomz.)

In 2003, when I started blogging and reading the few law blogs that were ought there, I thought a blog was the perfect medium for lawyers to build trust and enhance their reputation.

Despite the fact that blogs were free, I believed law firms and attorneys would be pay thousands of dollars in annual subscriptions for a professional turnkey blog solution. A solution that covered all the bases of strategy, design, development, hosting, coaching, and SEO.

I never asked attorneys or law firms if they would buy a turnkey solution. I put the infrastructure in place, pulled a team together, and started selling. It wasn't until people started taking money out of their pockets and putting it into mine that I knew I had something.

I also believed that getting feedback from people who were vested in my success (the people paying for my product) was much more important than random information from surveys before hand. I got the product out there and put in the sidewalks after I saw where people were walking.

LexBlog's approach to innovation has been a little bit Apple and a little bit Google. I'm not one to ask what people want before hand, but I do want my customers to be participants in our continued product development.

• The excellent Tough Times for Lenders, a Winstead publication, is now Lenders360. Providing news, information and commentary on important issues affecting the financial services industry, the publication is authored by  leading attorneys who serve mid- to large-sized, with Keith Mullen as the lead writer.
• The Washington Estate Planning & Dispute Resolution Advisor, is published by Tim Burkart of Seattle-based Kutscher Hereford Bertram Burkart. We always pride ourselves on having some of the best lawyers out there on The LexBlog Network, and Burkart fits the bill, as he was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Trusts and Estates, The Best Lawyers in Washington by Seattle Business Magazine and Best Lawyers in the Puget Sound by the Puget Sound Business Journal.

LexBlog, as a marketing partner of ALM's, is providing coverage of ALM's LegalTech Show on our LXBN Network.

I'll also be talking to law firms at LegalTech about the effective use of social media as well as meeting with a number of our New York law firm clients and prospective clients. LexBlog currently works with over one-third of the AmLaw 200 law firms, most of whom have offices in New York. So New York is always an enjoyable place to visit.

While in town, I want to make myself available to law firm leaders and other business professionals who may be interested in discussing how firms are using blogs and other social media as an effective means of client development.

If you are interested in getting together, I will be around the LegalTech Show at the Hilton on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday through Friday, I'm available most of the day to visit your office or meet for coffee or a meal.

I am not there to sell anyone on anything. I've been a lawyer for 30 years. Both my company, LexBlog, and I have a reputation for helping lawyers and law firms. Networking through the Internet is not about technology. It's about how we as good lawyers have always gotten legal work. By building relationships and by word of mouth. I'm committed to helping lawyers understand that and improving the image of our profession at the same time.

Here's my email and my cell (206 321 3627) to reach me.

Have a great weekend and look forward to seeing some of you next week.

To get things started, we begin with remote Skype interviews like those you've already seen on LXBN TV. To start things, here's Henry Dicker, Vice President of Events at ALM and Director of LegalTech on the conference's excellent trio of keynotes, the wide range of exhibitors and plethora of free educational opportunities.

Along with that, I also got to speak to a few LegalTech exhibitors:

• Caitlin Murphy of AccessData on the release of a new and modern version of Summation, their venerable litigation support software.
• Amy Juers of Edge Legal Marketing on The Edge Room, a digital version of the traditional pressroom.
• Charlie Magliato, Legal Program at Biscom, on data breaches and the many challenges surrounding data transfers in the legal industry.
• Scott Devens of MEETandCONFER.COM on how his company's product improves the efficiency of court-mandated "meet and confer" meetings.
• Yoeli Barag of E-Stet on major trends and common pain points in the e-discovery industry.

For more videos with exhibitors, presenters and attendees—along with curated blog posts—be sure to follow the LegalTech New York 2012 channel on LXBN.

When done right, PowerPoint can enhance your public speaking. However, most professionals use slides as their presentation instead of a visual supplement to it.  In this webinar, Faith focused on the Do's and Don'ts of PowerPoint, from standing in the wrong place when speaking to refining your speech before ever starting to create your presentation.

Because effective PowerPoint presentations should have visual impact, Faith has provides a handout that includes a few helpful resources for images and graphics (PDF).

If you missed it or want to watch again, you can play "PowerPoint is Evil. But if you're going to use it, use it well" below or view it on the LexBlog Support YouTube channel.

• Ireland's Pensions Law Blog is the second publication on the LexBlog Network from A&L Goodbody, which is based in Dublin. Authored by five members of the firm's pensions law department, the blog covers topics that include pension administration and funding, pensions boards, scheme restructuring and taxes.
• Closing in on the big 3-0, the Global Trade Law Blog is the 29th publication on the LexBlog Network from Sheppard Mullin. Already boasting a wealth of topic, this publication aims to cover subjects ranging from arms exports to economic sanctions and embargos to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

• Socially Aware is the first publication on the LexBlog Network from AmLaw 100 firm Morrison & Foerster. Sporting the firm's signature sharp and clean design, the publication discusses what's been an extremely hot topic as of late: the intersection of the law and social media. With a deep team of authors, this blog will touch on all areas of the law impacted by social media.
• The Health Employment and Labor blog is the tenth blog on the LexBlog Network from EpsteinBeckerGreen. Drawing on attorneys from the firm's HEAL Group (health employment and labor), the blog covers topics that include abuse in the workplace, affirmative action, social media, immigration and exucitive compenstion.
• Following up on their excellent California Trust, Estate & Probate Litigation blog, the team of Stewart Albertson and Keith Davidson of Albertson & Davidson LLP have launched the California Insurance Bad Faith Litigation blog. Employing a tool you don't just can't see enough, the pair is constantly producing videos on their areas of experties.

How do you avoid "death by PowerPoint?"

Join Faith Pincus, attorney and public speaking coach, for a free, hour-long webnar: "PowerPoint is evil:  But if you’re going to use it, use it well" presented to LexBlog Network members on Tuesday, January 24 at 9 a.m. PT.  This is the final installment in a series of client webinars that Faith is hosting with LexBlog on getting speaking engagements and what to do once you’ve landed them.

"PowerPoint is evil" will teach you:

• Why and why not to use PowerPoint.
• How to use it as an integral part of your presentation (instead of as your presentation itself).
• How not to abuse it (how to avoid anesthetizing your audience with it).
• Logistical arrangements that effect your presence and your presentation.

You can register at LexBlog's events center -- the password went out to an email to clients this afternoon; email Helen Pitlick if you didn’t receive it.

For those of you who are unable to attend, this session will be recorded and posted here and to LexBlog's support site within 24-48 hours after the session. 

• The Federal Regulations Advisor is authored by Washington, DC attorney Leland Beck. Beck brings quite the wealth of experience to this publication as he previously worked in Office of the General Counsel for the Department of Homeland Security for 7 years and then, before that, 16 years as Senior Counsel in the United States Department of Justice. This'll be one to watch.
• The Politics, Law & Policy Blog is the fourth blog on the LexBlog Network from AmLaw 200 firm McKenna Long & Aldridge. The publication, which "will serve as a non-partisan, informational forum focused on policy topics, debates, and developments across a wide spectrum of areas" features Howard Dean as a contributor. 
• Legal Tastings, a wine law blog, is the—wait for it—32nd publication on the LexBlog Network from AmLaw 200 firm Fox Rothschild. Authored by attorneys Charlotte Ito and Keith I. Chrestionson, the blog offer up commentary on legal developments in the California wine industry.
• The Northwest Green Law Blog, as described in the tagline, intends to offer "professional insight on renewable energy law, emerging green technology and sustainable practices." Authored by attorneys David Campbell and James Robenalt of Williams Kastner, it is the fourth publication on the LexBlog Network from the Pacific Northwest firm.
• While the rest of this week's announcement's come from firms adding to their array of publications, the Structured Finance Litigation Blog is the first on the LexBlog Network from Lowenstein Sandler. The publication covers the latest developments in the world of structured finance/capital markets litigation, including RMBS cases, CDO cases, government investigations, and related regulatory developments.
• Covering the latest legal topics in the shipping industry, the Ship Law Log is the 17th blog on the LexBlog Network from AmLaw 200 firm Reed Smith. Authored my members of the firm's Shipping Group, the publication examines topics that include cargo issues, sanctions, voyage charters, piracy and relevant case law.

Here's the top 20 as measured by the number of people who read the post.

1. Twitter for lawyers: Six tips for advancing your reputation
2. Can a lawyer respond to comments on their blog without creating an attorney client relationship?
3. Google Plus for lawyers : First impressions
4. Are law firms underutilizing YouTube?
5. Who sees your @ replies in Twitter?
6. How lawyers can use an iPad for professional and business development
7. Six reasons why lawyers need to be using Twitter
8. LinkedIn now the social media platform of choice for lawyers and law firms?
9. Will journalism departments be part of the law firm of the future?
10. Facebook for lawyers : Wonderful relationship building medium for business development
11. Avvo and Justia legal directories grow at expense of Findlaw, Lawyers.com, and Martndale-Hubbell
12. LinkedIn is a business development tool for all lawyers : Representing consumers or businesses
13. Can we take law blogs to another level?
14. Law professor's blog causes federal judge to revisit decision
15. Your Linkedin Summary as a lawyer is your elevator pitch
16. Lawyers and reporters missing the point of social media
17. Is the law firm website going to go the way of the dinosaur?
18. Model your career and business after Abe Lincoln
19. Six worst practices in lawyer blogging
20. Washington Post creates needless scare about lawyer blogs being outlawed by state bars
21. Why law firms need to stop blocking the use of social media (an extra one to remind law firms to relax a bit)

Happy New Years!

While there are plenty of good law blogs in the Blawg 100 (and many more good ones that did not make the list), I'm a tad biased towards those blogs on the LexBlog Network. Please show them some love with your vote.

Here's the LexBlog Network blogs nominated by the ABA Journal as top 100 law blogs, their voting category, and what the ABA Journal had to say about the blog.

• At the Intersection, published by Attorney Pam Woldow (@pwoldow), partner and general counsel of Edge International.
• LPM: Pam Woldow of Philadelphia, general counsel of global legal consulting firm Edge International, taps her background as a BigLaw litigator as she explores topics of legal project management in transactional practices.
• China Law Blog, published by Seattle Attorney Dan Harris of Harris & Moure.
  • Niche: Day in and day out, Dan Harris (blogging from Seattle) and Steve Dickinson (corresponding from Qingdao) educate readers about what it takes to successfully do business in China, with personal observations and professional analysis of China’s regulatory system, the evolution of Chinese law and the latest legal news.
• Connecticut Employment Law Blog, published by Hartford Attorney Daniel Schwartz (@danielschwartz) of Pullman & Comley.
• Labor and Employment: Thoughtful posts and insightful analysis that touch on subjects well beyond Connecticut are signatures of blogger Daniel Schwartz of Hartford. University of Connecticut professor Nancy A. Brouillet notes, “This well-written, timely blog provides an objective description of cases and decisions of concern to employment attorneys, employers and unions. It has become such an outstanding resource that most attorneys check it daily.”
• Consumer Class Actions and Mass Torts, published by New York Attorney Russell Jackson of Skadden Arps.
• Torts: J. Russell Jackson returns for his second year as a Blawg 100 honoree. Writing from a defense attorney’s point of view, the partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in New York City examines recent court decisions and the latest class action news nationwide with irreverent but substantive posts.
• Delaware Corporate and Commercial Litigation Blog, published by Delaware Attorney Francis Pileggi (@fpileggi) of Eckert Seamans.
• Business Law: UCLA law professor and blogger Stephen Bainbridge writes: “Delaware is the most important state in corporate law, and [Eckert Seamans partner Francis G.X.] Pileggi offers more comprehensive coverage of Delaware developments than anyone. Well-written. Scholarly but practical.”
• Employment and Labor Insider, published by Winston-Salem Attorney Robin Shea (@RobinEShea) of Constangy, Brooks, & Smith.
• Labor and Employment: Written primarily with a client audience in mind, this blog by Constangy, Brooks & Smith partner Robin Shea is devoid of legalese and chock-full of practical advice that other employment lawyers find valuable. Clearwater, Fla., lawyer Sean Moyles writes that it’s his favorite, noting that the blog is “timely, exceptionally well-written and always entertaining.”
• Equine Law Blog, published by Fort Worth Attorney Alison Rowe (@alisonmrowe) of Kelly Hart & Hallman.
  • Niche: This blog by Alison Rowe of the law firm of Kelly Hart & Hallman in Fort Worth, Texas, is “informative and up to date in a relatively undeveloped area of law,” says Holden Hoggatt of Jennings, La. He says posts aid practitioners, himself included, who are focused on the practice of equine law.
• FMLA Insights published by Chicago Attorney Jeff Nowak (@FMLAInsights) of Franczek Radelet.
• Labor and Employment: For those confronted with regular questions about the developments in and applications of the Family and Medical Leave Act, Chicagoan Jeff Nowak’s blog is one to bookmark. Tuscaloosa, Ala., lawyer Bruce H. Henderson recounts that in April, when large swaths of his state were devastated by a string of tornadoes, he posed several leave-related questions to FMLA Insights. The response was a post addressing many of his disaster-related issues.
• From the Sidebar published by Philadelphia Attorney Hayes Hunt (@HayesHunt) of Cozen O'Connor.
  • Trial Practice: Cozen O’Connor partner Hayes Hunt and a formidable in-firm backbench give concrete criminal defense trial practice advice, share personal anecdotes from the courtroom and offer commentary on criminal cases in the news.
• Marler Blog published by Seattle Attorney Bill Marler (@bmarler) of Marler Clark.
• Torts: You may never look at a produce aisle the same way again once you’ve read Seattle lawyer Bill Marler’s exhaustive coverage of food safety violations. Marler tracks food poisoning cases with a single-minded fervor, offering a valuable resource to trial attorneys, food producers and anyone sitting down to dinner.
• Real Lawyers Have Blogs, published by yours truly (@KevinOkeefe) of LexBlog.
  • Legal Technology: Kevin O’Keefe, the Seattle-based CEO of LexBlog, “isn’t afraid to speak his mind as he challenges the legal community to use social media effectively,” Technola blogger Kate Bladow wrote us. And O’Keefe, not to put too fine a point on it, thinks a lawyer needs a blog to be taken seriously on the Internet. But we regret that the lion’s share of the blog’s posts are increasingly devoted to promoting blogs in the LexBlog network. (The ABA Journal's comment has inspired me to blog my personal insight at least once a day.)
• The Appellate Record, published by Houston Attorney Kendall Gray ( @AppellateRecord) of Andrews Kurth .
  • Trial Practice: Houston appellate lawyer Kendall Gray doesn’t persuade juries about facts; he persuades judges about the law. And that’s greatly a written exercise. Gray’s breezy posts focus largely on grammar, writing, editing and even typography. There are also occasional asides about the members of the Supreme Court of Texas and the antics of trial lawyers.
• The D & O Diary published by Cleveland's Kevin LaCroix (@kevinlacroix), an attorney and Executive Vice President of OakBridge Insurance Sercices.
• Business Law: This blog reports and analyzes what happens after shareholder lawsuits strike a corporation’s directors and officers, and courts rule on the extent of insurance carrier liability. But look out for Beachwood, Ohio, lawyer Kevin M. LaCroix’s off-topic posts as well—they’re very entertaining.
• The Velvet Hammer, published by Seattle Attorney Karen Koehler (@k3VelvetHammer) of Stritmatter Kessler Whelan Coluccio.
  • Trial Practice: Karen Koehler, a plaintiffs PI attorney in Seattle, offers her lawyer-readers trial tips, sometimes even posting transcripts from her trials to give readers the whole story. Koehler posts on her small defeats and frustrations as well, but emphasizes the importance, as a trial lawyer, of taking everything in stride.

Register to vote here for your favorite law blogs. You may vote for one blog in each of the 12 categories.

• Authored by attorney Seoul attorney Nathan McMurray of Barun Law, Korea Law Today provides legal news and perspectives on issues important to businesses looking to grow or start operations in Korea. McMurray's practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions (including work with Korean companies in emerging markets), joint ventures, cross-border disputes, and employment matters.
• OSHA Law Update is the tenth publication on the LexBlog Network from AmLaw 200 firm EpsteinBeckerGreen. Offering timely insight and practical guidance on workplace safety, the publication covers topics that include electrical safety, health care, process safety management, manufacturing and rule enforcement.

• AmLaw 200 firm K&L Gates continues to grow out their portfolio of publications as their North Carolina Land Use blog is their eighth on the LexBlog Network. In their own words, this publication provides news and analysis of regulatory and legislative events affecting North Carolina’s development community..
• Practical IP is the first publication on the LexBlog Network from Dallas law firm Bell Nunnally & Martin. Intended to offer up specific actionable advice along with commentary on current issues in intellectual property law, this blog covers topics that include copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, privacy and data protection, litigation and employee issues.
• Education Law Today is the first of two publications from Sydney, Australia law firm Makinson & d'Apice to join the LexBlog Network this week. According to Alex Kohn, one of the blog's authors, the "aim of the Education Law Today blog is to encourage an active exchange of information between ourselves, our clients and others who are interested in the education sector about legal and strategic issues relevant to our industry."
• Charities & Not-For-Profits Law in Australia is the second of the two Makinson & d'Apice publications to launch this week. Authored by a number of attorneys on their Charities & Not-For-Profits team, the blog covers topics that include tax Exemptions and DGR Status, liability and risk, governance and compliance.

In short, SEO helps potential readers find your blog through Google and other search engines, and there is definitely a right way and a wrong way to do it -- you don't want to appeal to the machines at the expense of human readers. 

On Wednesday, December 14 at 12 p.m. EST (9 a.m. PST), LexBlog CEO Kevin O'Keefe, along with LexBlog's Client Services and Editorial teams, will host "SEO for Law Blogs," a free, hourlong webinar on this subject.

"SEO for Law Blogs" will touch upon:

• The basics of SEO and what makes a high-ranking site.
• Elements of effective SEO: what to do.
• How overdoing SEO can be counterintuitive: what definitely not to do.

You can register for "SEO for Law Blogs" at LexBlog's Events Center. The password went out in an email to LexBlog clients earlier this week; email Helen Pitlick if you did not receive it. 

As always, we’ll be recording this webinar. So, if you can’t attend, feel free to visit the LexBlog Support Site or Real Lawyers Have Blogs and view at your convenience.

• Weintraub Genshlea Chediak was one of the very first law firms on the LexBlog Network, and today today they launched theri third publication in the form of The Trade Secret & Employee Raiding Law Blog. Authored by attorneys in the firm's attorneys in the Trade Secret and Employee Mobility Practice Team, the publication covers topics that include injunctions, unfair competition, computer "crimes" and non-compete convenants.
• Littler also adds to their portfolio of publications this week as the debut of Employee Benefits Counsel makes it 12 for them on the LexBlog Network. Offering legal insights into the developments that impact the employee benefits community, the publication is authored by members of the firm's Employee Benefits Practice Group; this includes Ilyse Schuman, who's done an excellent job on their other employment-related publications.

That's a question you hear a lot. "Was it worth it?"

Not certain what either "it" refers to, but generally we're saying, "was the destination worth the journey? Was the effort worth the reward?"

The thing about effort is that effort is its own reward if you allow it to be.

Seth's post meant a lot to me when I read it upon hitting the office last Wednesday morning. On the walk from the ferry to the office, I was really wondering if the effort was worth it?

• Can the opportunity itself to serve others and do something that's never been done before be worth the effort when the rewards, financially or just completing what you're trying so hard to do (if that ever happens), are so delayed?
• Is it selfish to expect immediate reward in any respect when you're blessed with the God given talents you have, the idea you've come up with, the vision you have, the people (team members and clients) committed to the vision, and the opportunity to make a little history?

Reading Seth's post that morning, I couldn't help but think of the Rolling Stones Lyrics:

You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, well you might find. You get what you need.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope you're blessed too by finding effort is its own reward.

...sustainability is all about figuring out how to be in business forever. It is about business models that are win/win and lead to happy long term customer and supplier relationships. It is about avoiding the temptation to overeach. It is about avoiding the temptation to maximize near term profits at the expense of long term health. It is about adapting the business to changing market dynamics. It is about building a team and a culture that can survive the loss of the leader and keep going. And it is about many more things like this.

Wilson cited a talk on Reinventing IT by Clay Christensen, a professor at Harvard Business School, to drive home the point that focusing on financial performance and efficiency often comes at the cost of sustainability. Christensen explained how the steel industry's historic focus there led to bankruptcy and how the steel industry has adapted to a sustainable business model.

Wilson's message is applicable to companies like LexBlog as well as law firms. We need to adapt, innovate, and focus on long term client relationships. We cannot ignore the change in the way business is now done. We need to create business models that are a win/win for our clients and us for the long haul.

I sat in roundtable discussions with law firm leaders from around the country in Dallas this weekend. They struggled with the law firm and corporate client economics of today versus the business models that grew large law firms over the past few decades.

Some leaders were strong believers that law firms needed to change now. Others clung more to the belief that law firms were different than other businesses and that innovative approaches may not apply to them.

Now going into our eighth year, LexBlog is in internal discussions as to how maximize short term profits and efficiencies while at the same time having a strategy that focuses on adding greater value to our clients, both now and over the long haul.

Making history by focusing on blogs, social media solutions, and our LexBlog Network in innovative ways may better serve law firms' business development needs and develop the relationships LexBlog needs for sustainability.

After all, it's as Wilson says, "If the company is likely to stay in business forever, then the value is most likely way higher than a business that is going to be out of business in a decade."