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ALI CLE — Ethically Navigating the Three Rs: Lawyer Ratings, Rankings, and Reviews – Live Webcast, October 29th

ALI-300x108Of all the topics I have presented on in 22+ years of teaching law marketing ethics CLEs, my program on navigating the Three Rs—Ratings, Rankings and Reviews—may be my favorite. If you need your ethics credit, find your law firm often enveloped in dealing with the 3 Rs, or just enjoy the subject matter, join me for this live webcast on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 from 1-2 pm ET.

 

REGISTER NOW:  Ethically Navigating the Three Rs: Lawyer Ratings, Rankings, and Reviews

 

In putting together the ALI program, I was amazed not only by how much new information and materials were out there, but how much this area of lawyer advertising ethics had changed in recent years—sometimes for the better, often not. Ratings and Rankings have continued to grow exponentially—as if that was even seemingly possible. Outcries over the years to clamp down on the proliferation of businesses in this space have not only gone unanswered but have led to even more players in the space. There is simply too much money to be made, and plenty of egos to feed. But it is the impact of online reviews that have had the greatest impact among the three Rs. I get more audience questions after a CLE presentation about painful and problematic first-hand experiences in an attorney having to handle the impact of a negative review. On the flip side, many law firms are finding that the online review space is not only unavoidable but can be lucrative.

About the Program:

Why You Should Attend

Do you sometimes feel like half your life is spent dealing with some aspect of attorney ratings, rankings, and reviews? Or wonder how one of your colleagues at a competing law firm can get away with promoting questionable accolades when we have Rules of Professional Conduct and ethics opinions to police such behavior? Simply knowing how to respond (or not) to an online review can be the difference between a disciplinary infraction and good client service. How do you navigate this world so that your practice can utilize these “honors” and tools while staying compliant and avoiding potholes in an area of law firm marketing that simply can’t be avoided?

What You Will Learn

Ratings and rankings have been around seemingly forever. Since Martindale launched in 1868, other services such as Best Lawyers and UK-based Chambers USA, along with numerous Internet offshoots such as US News Best Law Firms and Avvo, have become familiar and convenient references, albeit with issues concerning trustworthiness. Recently, the explosion of lawyer reviews in places such as Google, Yelp, Facebook, and LinkedIn have only added to the ethical conflicts and traps when scrutinized under the lens of truthful, non-misleading information. Join us for this 60 – minute ethics CLE video webcast that looks at the multi-million dollar industry of attorney ratings, rankings, and reviews that increasingly has no bounds.

This program will take a look at:

  • The legitimate, improper and gray areas that exist in the multi-million dollar “lawyer ratings and rankings” marketplace
  • How these accolades can be ethically utilized without running afoul of the Rules for Professional Conduct and related state bar opinions
  • The “methodologies” surrounding lawyer ratings and rankings
  • How to navigate the proliferation of lawyer ratings and rankings services including Chambers USA, Martindale, Best Lawyers, US News Best Law Firms, and Super Lawyers, along with numerous local and regional competitors
  • State bar ethics opinions addressing the participation and use of lawyer ratings
  • How law firms have stepped into potholes when garnering online reviews, and responding to negative ones—on sites like Google, Yelp, Facebook and Avvo

All registrants will receive a set of downloadable course materials to accompany the program.

Who Should Attend

This course is for attorneys who want a better understanding of the operation and ethical implications ratings, rankings, and review systems.

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