Real Lawyers Have Blogs : Law Blogs, Social Media, Twitter

Sunday morning and Scott Greenfield is kicking out another gem. Today it's applying the adage, anything worth doing is worth doing right, to professionalism and the solo lawyer.

The dilemma per Greenfield.

One of the first observations one has of Biglaw is that they look professional.  They look good.  From their yellow pads to their redwelds with their firm name on the top, they exude professionalism.  They always have pristine looking exhibit tabs at the bottom of their papers, and even their 32 file copies of papers use original bluebacks.  They look good.

For the solo, these things can present issues.  Everything costs money, and somebody has to pay that money to get the good stuff.  For the solo, there's no diffusion of expense, spread around 3000 partners and associates so that no one feels like it comes out of their personal pocket.  They can spend like drunken sailors without the slightest concern that it will reduce their take-home at all.  Solos feel differently.

Every expense comes straight off the bottom line.  We pay it.  We feel it.  It's our net revenue that pays the price of some fancy legal pad.  And as every solo knows, the name on the top of the legal pad doesn't make the writing on the page any more insightful.  We follow the sage advice of Benjamin Franklin that a penny saved is a penny earned.

But to misconstrue frugality 'to mean that [you] can present [yourself] as a low rent operation' is a grievous mistake per Greenfield.

Being solo has no correlation with being unprofessional.  I've seen many friends slide down that slippery slope of trying to save money at the expense of maintaining as professional a practice as any Biglaw firm in Manhattan.  The two are not mutually exclusive.

Much of the appearance of professionalism comes at a relatively high cost (such as redwelds with your name on them) relative to their benefit.  But that doesn't mean that you should walk into court with a plain manila folder with ragtag papers hanging out of both sides and scribbles covering the front and back.  Save the worthless cost of vanity printing, but get the tools necessary to walk into the courtroom with the same professional appearance as any big firm lawyer.  This isn't frivolous, but a critical piece of the providing the representation your clients rightfully expect. 

While there is truth to the proposition that appearances have no inherent correlation with competence or quality of representation, appearances do impact perception, including the judge and adversary, as well as the client and his family and friends.  If you go to court in a shabby, tattered, ill-fitting poly-blend suit, with black Nike referee-sneakers where shoes ought to be, you will be treated as you deserve.  You may be sufficiently well-known despite your sartorial challenges to overcome the deficit, but you will most assuredly not receive the same immediate respect given a lawyer walking into a courtroom who looks like a million bucks.  If you think this false, you're deluding

Sam applies with blogs and other marketing you're doing. Championing that you're able to practice law for minimal expense while having a blog that exudes 'I did this myself' is penny wise and pound foolish. Let alone shouting to the world 'I don't know what I am doing using a blog.'

Ask yourself a few questions.

• Do potential clients look at professionalism when they hire professional services people to which they pay hundreds of dollars an hour?
• Do some potential clients know more than you about how blogs are used to enter into an online conversation or as an effective networking tool?
• Do some potential clients read more blogs than you?
• Do lawyers on the other side of a transaction or law suit you're involved in look at your online appearance?
• Does the other lawyer's perception of you effect how they respond to positions you take thus impacting your client?
• Does a judge or jury member look at your online presence when you're in front of them in court?
• Does your online appearance impact how a judge or jury views you and your client?
• Does your online business appearance effect how local business associates and civic groups view you?
• Does your online appearance effect how reporters view you?

I was in a small law firm for 17 years in rural Wisconsin. Didn't take me a week to realize some lawyers looked like 'hobbyists.' They weren't as concerned as I with how they dressed, the staff they hired, the quality of their advertising, their office, the briefcase they carried, the car they drove, or even the house they lived in.

Right or wrong, growing up in a small town I always equated some of those things with professionalism. I realized if I acted like a professional while doing some good 'lawyering,' I would succeed as a lawyer. Success being defined in part as reasonable standard of living for my family and I, doing the legal work I liked, and representing clients I enjoyed.

Because of the low cost of professional Internet related work, you have an edge on those of us who practiced before the Internet became such a great equalizer. Take advantage of it.

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Walking down the marble floored hallway past beautiful artwork into a conference room in a prestigious San Francisco law firm, the firm's marketing director said the managing partner was inclined to use Blogger, Google's free blog service, for the firm's blogs. I had been invited down to advise on the use of blogs.

Told her I was pretty shocked as the last picture I passed had to cost more than the firm would spend in the next 4 years by using a professional service for the firm's blogs. And by saving a few bucks the firm was putting the reputation they work to uphold at risk.

Why not Blogger? One big reason is this story relayed by business blogging expert, Denise Wakeman, when advising her client not to use Blogger.

...I noticed at the top it had a spot for 'next blog'. Being completely new to this I clicked, saw someone selling handbags, then the next, and THEN on about the 5th I saw full frontal pictures of some guy from Spain or wherever!!!!  Not something I'd want my customers (kids) seeing, so when I was done with my sales schpeil, I related this to the store owner, so he could at least be aware of a potential hornet's nest.  He appreciated the heads-up.

Denise's customer is not alone. I've reached soft porn blogs from the next blog link on some of Womble Carlyle's Blogs. Just reached this foreign language Satan - Gothic Blog from their South Carolina Appellate Blog. Wonder if in-house counsel and execs of Womble Carlyle clients have done the same?

Being in a blog network comprised of mostly personal amateur blogs is not the only reason Blogger is not a good fit for law firms. Here's a few other reasons:

• Lacks categories and subcategories for archiving of content and ease of navigation by readers.
• Archiving on Blogger is by month and day. No one cares less what you blogged on a particular day. Readers want to know what you blogged by topic. Look at CNN, The New York Times, Yahoo, and ESPN. Their content is indexed by topic. Why waste all that good content you've published by burying it in archives organized by month?
• Lacks separate pages detailing who you are and what you do. This is critical for not only people considering hiring you, but also for bloggers and reporters wanting to verify your authority on the subjec before citing you.
• Lacks subscription by email feature for readers not using RSS.
• Not search engine optimized. Your target audience will have a harder time finding you and the content you are publishing.
• Periodic server issues reducing publishing and viewing speed.

Sure, some lawyers have used Blogger with some success. And Blogger is a great publishing tool. My kids use it for a sports blog.

But for a professional law firm blog, Blogger is not advisable. Blogs are published to further enhance the reputation of a lawyer, not put it at risk.

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I've been exchanging notes with a New York lawyer the last couple days regarding the design of his blog. Though his blog is drawing a lot of traffic, there has not been a corresponding rise in business.

We're going to talk about some other things that can help, but I'm suggesting we discuss redesign of the blog to upgrade its feel. More professional for a little more sophisticated audience.

Then this morning the lawyer mentioned Darren Rowse's post from tomorrow (it's Saturday in Australia), 'Blog Design - Does it Matter?'

On the one side are some bloggers who argue that design is secondary and not that important as it’s content that is what draws people to a blog and keeps them there. This camp often argues that with a lot of people reading blogs these days through RSS that design is less important as people rarely see it.

On the flip side we have the argument that design is very important because it creates a first impression in the mind of potential readers and that it’s around this first impression that many readers base their decision about whether they will subscribe.

My own theory fits more with the second argument - although it’s not absolutely everything in my mind.

I'm in the second camp as well. I don't buy the concept of proving to folks that I can practice law by spending less than anyone. Looks matter.

I hear in some solo marketing listservs that 'I'm practicing law in my house, I don't need a nice office, I don't have law firm assistants, I don't go to expensive conferences, and I have a free or low cost blog from Blogger or Typepad. I'm spending less than any lawyer in my community, life's great.' Uh?

You went to 4 years of ungrad, 3 years of law school. Tons of tuition. Left 3 years of earnings on the table while you were in law school and your friends were out working.

You're in a profession where you are asking people to trust you with their utmost confidential information. You're practicing law where people expect professional dress, offices, and competent and caring support staff. And you're trying to prove you can practice for nothing?

Folks, we're lawyers. We're in business. There's a price to pay be a lawyer and to be in business. To be a better lawyer and get better work, it's going to take a few bucks. That's okay, it's an investment. An investment in yourself, which is the best investment you can make.

What's better? To pay $2,500 for tuition, air, and hotel to go to a national conference with leading lawyers each year or to sit watching $75 CLE's on your computer? If you need to pull out the credit card with the 0% interest for a year, so what? You get 3 of those cards a week in the mail. If you can't pay that conference off in a year from your practice, you've greater problems than we're going to discuss here.

When it comes to marketing do you want to save four or five thousand dollars and forgo doing the work you love for the clients you'd enjoying having? Sure it causes you to swallow hard. What spending decision doesn't?

As lawyers, there is a cost to doing business. And in the case of blog design, first impressions do matter. Step up to the plate and be a professional.

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From Seth Godin:

The facts: Too many choices. Too little time.

The response:
Quick decisions based on the smallest scraps of data.

It's not fair but it's true. Your blog, your outfit, the typeface you choose, the tone of your voice, the expression on your face, the location of your office, the way you rank on a Google search, the look of your Facebook page...

We all jump to conclusions and we do it every day.

Where do you want me to jump?

Lawyers dress nicely. Law firms have well appointed offices. Law firm website design is viewed as critically important. Why? Because first impressions and professionalism matter.

Perplexing that some lawyers feel ugly rules when it comes to blog design. Guess they figure that prospective clients and the media won't jump to conclusions by how they present themselves.

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That's the title of a guest post at Problogger from Andy Beal, author and recognized expert in online reputation management.

Unlike your law firm website, your blog will get discovered immediately by people subscribed to relevant key words and key phrases from Google Blog Search, Technorati, and Ask.com Blog Search.

And these folks may be the most important visitors your blog will ever receive. They're the amplifiers of your message - other bloggers and reporters. If they like what they see, they'll subscribe to your blog and share your posts with their readers from time to time.

So take Beal's rules (with a few modifications by me) to heart.

1. Dress your blog to impress. That free WordPress theme you're using on your blog might be enough to impress a few readers, but if it's the same theme used by dozens of other blogs, you'll blend into the crowd. Just as you'd consider a new suit a great investment for an upcoming trial, you should consider a custom design a great investment for your blog. When I first started Real Lawyers Have Blogs, I used an off-the-shelf TypePad theme. I was afraid that for every prospective law firm client who contacted me, three others were turned off by my unprofessional appearance.


2. Mind your blog language. Blogging lends itself well to a casual attitude. What does it matter if you don't spell-check your post? Why worry if you happen to insert an expletive here or there? Well, if you were to cuss throughout your first meeting with a client, or utter sentences such as 'I is very smart,' what do you think you chances would be of keeping the client? You'll be judged by what you say in your blog posts.


3. Always bring a gift. If you want to make a great first impression, bring a gift on your date. Likewise, if you want to build your reputation as blogger, give your readers ideas, tips, and insight they're unlikely to observe on their own. Be an intelligence agent. While it feels unnatural to many lawyers to be so giving, look no further than successful law bloggers who do not hold back in the information they share.


4. Listen as much as you talk. Do you know what happens if you spend your entire date talking about yourself? You don't get a second date. The same is true with your blog. Sure, your readers want to hear your advice, thoughts, and opinions, but you'll build your reputation as a blogger by learning to listen to them and engaging in conversations with them. Not necessarily in comments, but by subscribing to their blogs and referencing their posts in your blog.


5. Don't let the flame burn out. What do you think would happen if you went on a dozen great dates, then didn't phone the object of your affection for two months? Do you think they'd readily come back to you? So why would you blog consistently for a month, then not update you blog for 8 weeks? Your readers will become comfortable with the frequency of your posting. If you post twice a week or twice a month they'll get used to that schedule. Stick with it, it'll pay off in an enhanced reputation and more work.

Source for post: Stark County Law Library Blog

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It's a myth that blog design requires getting the most important things you want readers to see 'above the fold' so that readers do not have to scroll down.

This goes for all the typical things lawyers may look for. Phone number, intake form, or an ad promoting the law firm or other entity.

From an interesting article, Demystifying "Above the Fold", some common sense:

In the beginning days of the web, we thought we had to fit all the content on 1 page, all above the fold. The problem was everything got squished, ugly, and very hard to read. So instead of trying to get all content on 1 web page, people were smart enough to create multiple web pages, i.e. a website! During this time, we also learned that is was pretty damn annoying to have to load a new page to get to new content, so pages got longer, people began to really love scroll bars, and then AJAX was invented. Thus websites now look and work a lot better than they did in the 90's!

And as to ads:

A couple years ago there was this idea that putting the ad above the fold would get more attention. However visitors just completely overlooked the ads because they were coming to the site to read the content and didn't give a doodle about what sat on the way top of the page. And really, when people were reading the content, the ads were too high to see and/or click on and website owners and their advertisers were not making any mula.

While this may sound bad, we quickly found a solution. Today we put the ads next to the content or in between action points like commenting or sharing links. This is because the visitor subconsciously sees the ad and may be looking for something to do next. When next to an action point like a comment, the visitor is no longer reading the article and is much more inclined to click on an ad.

Lawyers need to realize one, they have no training or experience in web design, and two, that web design has progressed since the '90's. Unfortunately, that also goes for a lot of legal web site and blog developers.

Look at Yahoo, the New York Times, CNN, Amazon, and other websites you may use. An awful lot of important call to action items are 'below the fold.'

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David Peralty, Head of Marketing at Splashpress Media, asks readers at The Blog Herald if it's important to have a powerful, beautiful or striking blog design when presenting what he describes as the 'whole package' in blogging.

The responses from readers were striking. Professional blog design was viewed as a necessity, especially when blogging as a professional, like you as a lawyer.

• Since the reader needs to be convinced to subscribe your blog, design is a very important matter. Looking at it from the readers point of view, "If you had to choose between two mobile phones with exactly the same features with one being stylish and the other looking like the work of an amateur - which would you choose?" Design is added value with the result being more than the sum of its parts - design supports content and the other way round.
• If it is meant for commercial purpose, graphics play a big role.
• Though I may read blog posts in a newsreader, I need to come to the blog to subscribe, where if it looks good, I subscribe.
• Design matters to me when I read blogs. I generally read posts in my feed reader, but for two exceptions, one being to click through and read the posts directly on sites with great designs.
• As a designer, there's no way I'd tell you design doesn't matter. Think of it this way: A car's purpose is to take you somewhere. But would you buy a rusted old car instead of a shiny new Prius?
• Think of it from a reader's perspective. If I click on your blog and am put off by the overall look and feel of your site, I won't return or subscribe. Content rules, yes, especially for your RSS readers, but design is like the PR guy who's trying to get you to visit.
• It's like judging a book by its cover. It could be either crap or a wonderful story inside, but if the cover doesn't catch my attention, I'm not going to pick it up in the first place. When I'm flipping through random sites or clicking through links of links of links…..I skim right by those that don't look great. I have to actually force myself to skim through text on blogs, for example, that are hosted on Blogger and use one of the default templates…and still have the random default spots unfilled like "put links here" and "This is your about me section," etc.
• I just spent about $5,000 to upgrade Smallbiztechnology.com's interface and move to Movable type - one of the best investments I've done! Traffic is up and more!
• The user experience is primarily made up of four factors: branding, usability, functionality andcontent. Independently, none of these factors make for a positive user experience; however, together, these factors are the main ingredients for the blog's success.

One of the driving forces in starting LexBlog 4 years ago was that my personal blog design sucked. I was afraid that lawyers and law firms were finding me on the net. For every person who contacted me about Internet legal marketing because they found my blog, I figured three would not call me because of my amateur presentation. Having practiced law for 17 years, I knew one of the requirements of being a professional was appearing professional. Looks mattered.

You may be getting traffic and callers with your TypePad, Blogger, or WordPress template blog. But who's not subscribing? Who's not calling because of the less than professional image you're presenting? It may be that the better clients are looking elsewhere. As a lawyer trying to further enhance your reputation and grow your business, that's a gamble you can ill afford.

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David Peralty, Head of Marketing at Splashpress Media, asks readers at The Blog Herald if it's important to have a powerful, beautiful or striking blog design when presenting what he describes as the 'whole package' in blogging.

The responses from readers were striking. Professional blog design was viewed as a necessity, especially when blogging as a professional, like you as a lawyer.

• Since the reader needs to be convinced to subscribe your blog, design is a very important matter. Looking at it from the readers point of view, "If you had to choose between two mobile phones with exactly the same features with one being stylish and the other looking like the work of an amateur - which would you choose?" Design is added value with the result being more than the sum of its parts - design supports content and the other way round.
• If it is meant for commercial purpose, graphics play a big role.
• Though I may read blog posts in a newsreader, I need to come to the blog to subscribe, where if it looks good, I subscribe.
• Design matters to me when I read blogs. I generally read posts in my feed reader, but for two exceptions, one being to click through and read the posts directly on sites with great designs.
• As a designer, there's no way I'd tell you design doesn't matter. Think of it this way: A car's purpose is to take you somewhere. But would you buy a rusted old car instead of a shiny new Prius?
• Think of it from a reader's perspective. If I click on your blog and am put off by the overall look and feel of your site, I won't return or subscribe. Content rules, yes, especially for your RSS readers, but design is like the PR guy who's trying to get you to visit.
• It's like judging a book by its cover. It could be either crap or a wonderful story inside, but if the cover doesn't catch my attention, I'm not going to pick it up in the first place. When I'm flipping through random sites or clicking through links of links of links…..I skim right by those that don't look great. I have to actually force myself to skim through text on blogs, for example, that are hosted on Blogger and use one of the default templates…and still have the random default spots unfilled like "put links here" and "This is your about me section," etc.
• I just spent about $5,000 to upgrade Smallbiztechnology.com's interface and move to Movable type - one of the best investments I've done! Traffic is up and more!
• The user experience is primarily made up of four factors: branding, usability, functionality andcontent. Independently, none of these factors make for a positive user experience; however, together, these factors are the main ingredients for the blog's success.

One of the driving forces in starting LexBlog 4 years ago was that my personal blog design sucked. I was afraid that lawyers and law firms were finding me on the net. For every person who contacted me about Internet legal marketing because they found my blog, I figured three would not call me because of my amateur presentation. Having practiced law for 17 years, I knew one of the requirements of being a professional was appearing professional. Looks mattered.

You may be getting traffic and callers with your TypePad, Blogger, or WordPress template blog. But who's not subscribing? Who's not calling because of the less than professional image you're presenting? It may be that the better clients are looking elsewhere. As a lawyer trying to further enhance your reputation and grow your business, that's a gamble you can ill afford.

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Launched new blog design this afternoon. Due for a change after 3 1/2 years and all of LexBlog client's designs putting mine to shame. We'll clean up a few bugs tomorrow.

But as a Cubs' fan, maybe this wasn't the right day for the launch. Ryan Dempster, our version of a stopper, blew the Cubs' ninth inning lead by serving up a three run homer and a wild pitch to let in one more at Wrigley this afternoon. With the loss we forfeited first place in the division with only a few weeks to go.

I sure hope this is blog isn't cursed like the Cubs. The curse? As described by wikipedia:

Billy Sianis, a Greek immigrant, who owned a nearby tavern (the now-famous Billy Goat Tavern), had two $7.20 box seat tickets to Game 4 of the 1945 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers, and decided to bring along his pet goat, Murphy, which Sianis had restored to health when the goat had fallen off a truck and subsequently limped into his tavern.

The goat wore a blanket with a sign pinned to it which read "We got Detroit's goat". Sianis and the goat were allowed into Wrigley Field and even paraded about on the playing field before the game before ushers intervened and led them off the field. After a heated argument, both Sianis and the goat were permitted to stay in the stadium occupying the box seat for which he had tickets.

Before the game was over, Sianis and the goat were ejected from the stadium at the command of Cubs owner Philip Knight Wrigley due to the animal's objectionable odor. Sianis was outraged at the ejection and allegedly placed a curse upon the Cubs that they would never win another pennant or play in a World Series at Wrigley Field again because the Cubs organization had insulted his goat, and subsequently left the U.S. to vacation in his home in Greece.

Think we're not cursed? The Cubs haven't won a world series in a 100 years. Haven't even played in a world series in 62 years - when the goat attended.

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