Marketing Attorney Blog

For the May issue of Law Practice Today, focusing on the theme of professional development, I asked my colleague Megan Greenberg, formerly Director of Professional Development at Richards Layton in Delaware to lead the charge as issue editor. Megan's experience as a practicing attorney and PD director, along with her involvement in the Professional Development Consortium (PDC) made her the perfect person to put together leading experts and authors, with timely qualified topics on the ever-increasing role of PD in the law firm.

If you are looking for a compendium of professional development topics and expertise, look no further than this month's LPT. Among the highlights are:

Peta Gordon's very timely piece on "The Other Half." With the popularity of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg's best-seller Lean In, the author talks about work/life balance following the birth of her second child. Peta is a senior associate in Kaye Scholer's litigation department. Her story will resonate with many female attorneys working to balance a demanding professional life with raising a family.

Nick Gaffney's Roundtable series takes on Law Firm Associate Perspectives on Professional Development, with contributions from Chandana Ravindranath, an Associate at DLA Piper in New York, Henry Warnock, with Ford Harrison in Atlanta, and Tracy Weiss, an associate at Greenberg Traurig in Phoenix.

Why are associate attrition rates so high? Author Rachel Silverman asks and answers the question in "Associate Engagement Is No Laughing Matter." A key reason is a lack of genuine engagement in the most important drivers of professional satisfaction. A savvy associate engagement strategy will increase your associates' motivation and productivity--and your bottom line.

Of course, I'm going to highlight my own contribution. In "Ethics Imperative to Business Development Learning," I address the way PD and marketing programs intersection when it comes to ethics compliance. From websites and social media, ratings and rankings, the ethical implications of marketing activities are varied and complex. Ensure your professional development program isn't forgetting the ethics component of marketing. It is highly embarrassing to law firm management than the letter from the state disciplinary counsel citing a firm for violating the RPC in marketing, advertising or solicitation.

To read the May issue, CLICK HERE.

This month marks the first of our two annual "Young Lawyers Survival Guide" issues of Law Practice Today, developed in coordination with the ABA's Young Lawyers Division. Thanks to issue editor Elizabeth Henslee for putting together an outstanding collection of articles designed with the young lawyer audience in mind--although almost all of the content is relevant to attorneys of all ages.

New to LPT this month are two rotating bimonthly features, including Professional Development (now rotating with Career Paths) and Diversity & Inclusion (rotating with Women Rainmakers). This month, Jennifer Bluestein writes about time management. Jen is the Director of Professional Development at Greenberg Traurig. She also serves as Chair of the Professional Development Consortium (PDC). LPT is working with the PDC to produce timely articles on PD. We also welcome a contribution from Aracely Munoz Petrich on watching the Supreme Court with apprehension. Aracely is the vice chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee of the ABA Law Practice Management Section. Professional development and diversity are becoming more and more significant in the day-to-day operations of a law firm. LPT's editorial board recognizes that there is a demand and interest in more features relating to those important law practice management topics.

A renowned panel of experts from the academic world and law firm world participate in a roundtable discussion, moderated by Nicholas Gaffney of Infinite PR, on what law firms expect from new lawyers. Gaffney's roundtable series appears a few times each year, and provides multiple perspectives on our monthly issue themes.

To read the March issue, click here.

Thanks,

Micah Buchdahl
Editor in Chief
Law Practice Today

My marketing column in the March/April issue of Law Practice focuses on the many ways that charitable involvement--be it time or money--can also pay significant dividends for a law firm's marketing efforts. Too often it is not fully embraced (or simply ignored) as a tie-in to everything from image branding to professional development.

If you have a law firm marketer, is s/he aware of and involved in charitable contributions? Is this discussed by the marketing partner and marketing committee? There are so many ancillary benefits that come from "doing good" that unwittingly get overlooked. Is there an internal list that shows charitable involvement--financial contributions, pro bono, board appointments, events, relevancy to clients? "Giving back" is a hallmark of law firm involvement in a community. Being recognized for those efforts is far greater "branding" than a promotional advertisement or marketing campaign. Read the article to see if your law practice is making the most of your philanthropic endeavors.

Thank you to New York intellectual property attorney Richard Goldstein for serving as issue editor for this month's Law Practice Today, focusing on collaboration. Rich has put together a great issue, with contributions from lawyers and non-lawyers providing perspectives on culture, partnerships and strategies to increase effective collaboration in the workplace. Ed Poll talks about work/life balance in the "management" feature. And Greg Fredette of Saturno Design pens the "marketing" feature on how to "go mobile," with tips on capturing website traffic on the go. Dennis Kennedy takes it a step further with 13 mobile collaboration tips for 2013.

To read the January issue, click here.

Thanks,

Micah Buchdahl
Editor in Chief
Law Practice Today

The December issue of Law Practice Today begins with a tribute I authored to the memory of law professor and longtime ABA leader Gary Munneke. If you've been remotely involved in any aspect of law practice management over the last few decades, you know Gary. He was a pioneer in the field, a friend and mentor to thousands of lawyers, law students and anyone interested in the legal profession. If I'm talking to anyone in academia, in the New York or American Bar Associations, interested in alternative legal careers or any aspect of the business of law--I could always name-drop Gary, and get a welcoming smile and an anecdote of some sort. He passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Thanksgiving morning. He will be missed--personally and professionally--by many. My deepest condolences go out to his wife Sharon, his children and grandchildren.

Many thanks to issue editor Allison Shields of Legal Ease Consulting, for putting together "A New Year's Resolution: Time Management Tips," including many great features on technology, marketing and finance.

To read the December issue, click here.

This is the time of year where I'm working with law firms on developing strategic marketing and business development plans (and budgets!) for 2013. As I said to one marketing partner yesterday, while we need to be fluid and creative, you still need an outline and parameters to be as effective as you'd like to be. It is with that thought in mind, as we enter the final "holiday" phase of the calendar year that this month's LPT asked for contributions along that line.

Many thanks to Barbara Brown of Meagher & Geer in Minneapolis, MN for serving as the issue editor for the timely "Prepare your 2012 business development goals now" theme of this month's Law Practice Today.

Among the excellent contributions are those from a number of my Philadelphia-centric colleagues. Nancy Gimbol of Eastburn & Gray (and a member of the LPT editorial board) discusses establishing a culture for marketing and business development in a mid-sized law firm. Amy Galie and Amanda Steinbach of big firm Fox Rothschild address big law issues in "Business Development - Fail to Plan and Plan to Fail." Greg Stephens provides the managing partner view in "How to obtain and retain clients." Thanks as well to this month's feature contributors Allan Coleman, Greg Stephens, Steve Henning and David Freeman.

To read the November issue, click here.

If you are interested in writing for LPT, please contact ABA LPM for more information. We are always looking for good, original contributions from "real life" lawyers and industry experts.

Thanks,

Micah U. Buchdahl
Editor in Chief
Law Practice Today

In the November/December issue of Law Practice, my marketing column is entitled "Auditing Your Efforts" and discusses the value and importance of a law firm objectively auditing its marketing and business development efforts. Read it to see how I compare myself favorably to Tom Cruise (although the editorial team deleted my reference to Scientology).

There was a time when spending money on an audit would have been borderline crazy--since so little time and effort was being invested--what did you really have to lose anyway? Today, however, law firms are investing heavily in these endeavors and often find that efforts are often...overpriced, ineffective, or simply off the mark. A proper audit is an important accompaniment to a strategic plan and a budget. The time has come where ROI needs to be measured, and a firm's marketing foundation solidified. It is not all that different from the recent energy audit conducted on my home--imagine how much I would save with the right equipment and resources in place? If your law firm has never conducted a thorough marketing audit, talk to me about it. Year-end and the start of a new year are perfect times to evaluate. As I like to say, stop throwing good money after bad.

READ the LPT Special Edition: Dealing with Disasters - Emergency Preparedness: A Joint Effort of the Law Practice Management Section and the ABA's Special Committee on Disaster Response and Preparedness

With Hurricane Sandy bearing down on my backyard (in Southern New Jersey), it reminded me of an all-too-timely issue of the American Bar Association's Law Practice Today from last April. For the past two years, I have served as the special issue editor for the Law Practice Management section, working with George B. Huff, Jr., Special Advisor, Special Committee on Disaster Response and Preparedness.

The articles included the following timely subjects, which may be relevant in the days and weeks ahead:

Fight or Flight: On Enforcing Mandatory Evacuations
By David Bohannon
When a disaster strikes, sometimes the best response is to get away. But many hesitate to heed mandatory evacuation orders.

Aftermath Recovery: Beyond an Afterthought
By Guy Sapirstein, PhD
In the field of contingency planning, there are often phases for continuity of operations, IT disaster recovery and sometimes mitigation plans, but what about planning for the aftermath?

Consequence-based Analysis: An Emerging Risk Assessment Paradigm
By Donald Byrne
Media coverage of recent catastrophes has heightened the legal community's awareness of these events' potential to disrupt business. In some cases entire communities have been shattered for prolonged periods while others have disappeared forever.

Protecting Civil Liberties During Quarantine and Isolation in Public Health Emergencies
By Sarah Pope, JD, MA; Nisha Sherry, CPH; and Elizabeth Webster, JD
If you were diagnosed with a communicable disease tomorrow, would you know your rights in regard to government-forced quarantine and isolation? There is a delicate balance between public health and our individual rights.

The Mandatory Vaccination of Health Care Workers
By Daniel Goodman and Christopher Webster
Many of us have spent time during the last few winters in search of flu vaccines, as outbreaks of H1N1 and other strains have focused global attention on pandemic prevention.

The Value of the Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioners Act Model Bill: Encouraging Volunteer Response
By Markus Rauschecker
You would think that health care professionals volunteering in emergencies would be welcome. In the case of Dr. Anna Maria Pou, her dedication to helping others during Hurricane Katrina led to charges of second-degree murder.

Metro Bag Searches: Inconvenient or Unconstitutional?
By R. Sabra Jafarzadeh and Megan Timmins
Bombings on commuter trains in Madrid, London and Mumbai killed hundreds and injured thousands. Extra security measures in New York, Boston and Washington subway stations have given rise to debates over the constitutionality of random bag searches.

It is my pleasure to serve as Editor-In-Chief for the American Bar Association's Law Practice Today monthly webzine for the 2012-2013 bar year. This month's theme is "billings and collections." Thank you to issue editor George Leloudis of the Woods Rogers law firm in Roanoke, Virginia, and Associate Editor Andrea Malone of White & Williams in Philadelphia, for their hard work on this issue.

Among the interesting articles in this month's issue is Arthur Greene's "Collecting Your Fees with Ease," Ed Poll on "effective collection requires a collection policy," and Richard Goldstein discusses "inspire your clients to focus on the value rather than the bill." In addition, we have our interesting monthly practice management themed columns.
To read the October issue, click here. And be sure to subscribe to receive LPT at no cost each and every month, compliments of the ABA and LPM.

A law firm marketer from an AMLAW 200 firm called me after reading my marketing column for Law Practice, the ABA Law Practice Management Section's bi-monthly print publication. In the July/August 2012 issue, I discuss the revival of hard copies. "You, the Internet Marketing Attorney, wrote about going back to print?" Yeah, I said, but it is true. And he said, "yes it is."

Like it or not, lawyers are screaming for print stuff. And I've found they are not in the wrong. Much like a handwritten thank you note stands out so much more in an e-mail world; strong "handouts" are also standing out as well. We can talk from now until the end of time about electronic this and that, but the truth is that the biggest deals still come through most doors the old fashioned way--in-person communication, networking and meetings. In a world where many large firms are using the same digital proposal systems, a carefully and cleverly crafted print piece (you can still use a computer, feather pen and ink are not required, nor is carbon paper), will go a long way. So, the next time you (the attorney) or you (the marketing team) find yourself racing to put together a hard copy print piece, think of me. The concept won't sound so ridiculous.

The American Bar Association’s only standalone law marketing conference happens just once every two years, and it is less than two weeks away.

For a few hundred dollars and less than two days of your time, bring back to your law firm the latest in business development tools and information—on social media, measuring return on investment, lawyer rankings, ethics, use of video, business development training and many more topics.

The conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia includes five networking meal functions--two breakfasts, two lunches and a cocktail reception.

Conference Highlights:

1. Dan Hill, the leading expert on facial coding, discusses the management of emotion in lawyer marketing.
2. Peter Shankman, innovator and entrepreneur, talks about the ever-changing landscape of the Internet and its impact on the legal profession.
3. The Power of Video in Lawyer Marketing and the Golden Gavel Awards shows the influence of videos on law marketing. Nearly 100 videos from some of the nation’s most prestigious law firms submitted videos to the Golden Gavel competition.
4. Ethics, ROI, Social Media, Business Development Training, Lawyer Rankings, 10 x 10…more than 10 hours of educational programs in a day and a half.

Visit the conference site…
www.lawpractice.org/marketingconference

If you have any questions or would like access to my ABA conference friends & family rate, contact me directly at micah@htmlawyers.com

If your law firm is not yet sending people to the ABA’s New Partner and In-House Counsel Conference in Philadelphia on February 25-26, you are missing out on one of the premier business development opportunities that will come your way.

Besides a ridiculously low registration cost for a two-day conference at the Four Seasons Hotel ($385 before February 1), there are two tracks—one for new partners and another for new in-house counsel. The networking opportunities, including dinners and receptions, afford a chance to mingle with many major in-house corporate attorneys that are looking to work with firms like yours each and every day.

This is designed as an intimate conference that allows for a lot of interaction among people in positions to give out work and refer work to others. Consider forwarding this information to your firm’s newest partners and professional development staff. They will find that it is a low-cost, high impact, CLE opportunity.

I am proud to be serving on the planning board (and speaking) at the conference, as a guest of the ABA Young Lawyers Division (who are putting on the conference, with significant support from the ABA Law Practice Management Section and the ABA Litigation Section).

To see articles on the related topics, authored by many of the speakers, see the November issue of Law Practice Today, dedicated to the conference.

The ABA Law Firm Marketing Strategies Conference takes place November 12-13, 2009 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia, PA. If you want to attend the nation's leading "by lawyers, for lawyers" marketing and business development conference, the expiration for the $595 early bird registration expires August 31.

Compare the program, faculty, venue and cost to any law marketing program...including two breakfasts, two lunches, networking reception, and two elite keynote speakers.

Topics covered include:

PR and Media Relations
Social Networking
Women Rainmakers
Advertising Ethics Issues
Rankings and Ratings
Technology Tools
Branding
Client Satisfaction Interviews
Niche Marketing
Community Involvement
Associate Development
Seminars

Due to space restrictions, the conference is limited to 200 participants.

The ABA's first-ever national law marketing conference is approaching...November 8-9 at the Omni Shoreham in Washington, DC.

The Law Firm Marketing Strategies Conference commemorates the 30th anniversary of Bates v. Arizona, and examines the state of law firm marketing for U.S. law firms, and the hottest issues presently on the table. After three decades, what is the current state of law firm marketing? Where do we take it from here?

This is the purest educational conference in law marketing you will ever attend...and at a few hundred dollars, is the best use of business development funds for you and your law firm.

This not-for-profit, no-trade-show, no-vendor conference features thirty leading attorneys in the industry for an intense two day program in Washington, DC, November 8-9.

Do you want intense?

An ETHICS panel featuring one of the key players from Bates, the advertising ethics counsel from the Florida Bar, the litigator that argued for overturning the bulk of recent changes to the New York State Bar advertising rules, the deputy general counsel from an Amlaw 100 firm…and me moderating.

The MEDIA STRATEGY program includes Chris Lehane--advisor to the Clintons, Michael Moore and others often at the center of public relations firestorms—on a panel with editors and reports from BusinessWeek and The American Lawyer, among others attorney participants.

Other powerful panels include:

--How do your firm’s marketing efforts integrate with DIVERSITY issues?
--What are the best uses of TECHNOLOGY in law firm business development today?
--Is your firm WASTING lots of time and money on ineffective hirings and intiatives?
--In 10x10, hear 10 attorneys on 10 marketing topics for 10 minutes each on areas ranging from recruiting to client surveys, law firm networks to associate development.

Be sure to visit the ABA site today for more information, and make your hotel reservations soon. See you in DC!

If you live or work in the Miami area, are attending the ABA Midyear Meeting, or simply would like some no-cost business development learning, the American Bar Association's Law Practice Management Section is pleased to provide a special slate of law marketing programs, capped by the ABA Women Rainmakers’ Reception, on Friday, February 9, 2007 at the ABA Midyear Meeting in Miami, Florida. The programs and reception are free of charge and open to all ABA attendees as well as any interested attorneys, marketers and administrators from Florida’s law firm and law school community.

For further information, visit the LPM Web Site for program details.

Or download the informational PDF brochure from ABA LPM:
Download file

Define Your Event Strategy: Maximize Your Business Development Opportunities
Friday, Feb. 9, 2007 Time: 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
JW Marriott – London II room

Marketing on a Shoestring: Tips for Making the Most of Your Business Development Dollar
Friday, Feb. 9, 2007 Time: 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
JW Marriott – London II room

Whether you are a sole practitioner watching the marketing budget or an attorney at a mid-size to large law firm looking to maximize your spending, this program will provide tools and tips to make the most out of your time and money.

This interactive seminar will provide you with an opportunity to ask and learn from members of the ABA Law Practice Management’s Marketing Core Group.

Takeaways will include:

Making the most of your current contacts and memberships
Developing an efficient network maintenance system
Developing a marketable niche
Employing alternative billing options
Creating and structuring a successful public relations plan
20 Quick Tips for Building Your Marketing Portfolio

Panelists:

An all-attorney panel of practitioners and marketers from the ABA-LPM Marketing Core Group, including:

Olivia Fox Cabane, Spitfire Communications, New York, NY
Claudia Clontz, Clontz & Clontz, Charlotte, NC
Micah Buchdahl, HTMLawyers, Inc., Moorestown, NJ
Jamie Diaferia, Infinite PR, New York, NY

One Plus One Equals Three: Men and Women as Collaborators
Friday, Feb. 9, 2007 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
JW Marriott – London II room

ABA Women Rainmakers Networking Reception
Friday, Feb. 9, 2007 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
JW Marriott – Pool Deck