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Archive for March, 2010
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
Once you start your practice, it’s easy to make mistakes, lose your concentration, or feel the drudgery of every day activities. Don’t despair! There’s something you can do about it starting right now! Implement these concrete steps to eliminate burnout:
- Write down your goals. List the personal and professional goals that matter to you: career, family, finance, personal and spiritual. List 3-5 priorities under each goal, and be prepared to follow through! Take time each week to review your goals. Get your practice in sync with what you really want, and say bye-bye to burnout!
- Schedule slack. Law practice is brain work, and you need time to foster your best creative thinking. If you’ve let things slip to the point where you don’t have productive thinking time then you’re robbing yourself. Figure out when you’re most creative, and actually schedule time on your calendar each day with yourself!
- Use practice management software. It’s here to stay, and it’s helpful, so if you’re not taking advantage of technology to control your practice, you’re short-changing yourself and your law practice. Practice management software is designed to organize, simplify and control your practice, so you can focus on the priorities of practicing law. It will streamline your work and get your documents, files, contacts and calendar under control. It’s easier than you think! The best practice management software is simple to use and yet powerful enough to link every aspect of your work. Command your practice in just a few clicks!
When your practice is under control, you will have peace of mind and avoid attorney burnout. Visit AbicusLaw for more details. Lawyer Success, Inc likes their product!
Tags: avoid law practice burnout, Avoiding attorney burnout, Avoiding Lawyer Burnout
Posted in Lawyer Success Tips | Comments Off on Avoiding Lawyer Burnout – Avoiding Attorney Burnout
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
A judge has awarded a San Francisco attorney $7,000 in damages in a rare trial under California’s anti-spam law – $1,000 for each unsolicited, misleading commercial e-mail he received.
Daniel Balsam, who started suing spammers even before he graduated from law school in 2008, filed suit against Trancos Inc., a Redwood City advertising company, over a series of ads that showed up in his personal e-mail in-box in 2007.
The “from” line in each e-mail named a nonexistent source – for example, “Your Promotion,” “Paid Survey” or “Join Elite.” At least one message had a subject line, promising recipients $5 to complete a survey, that the judge described as misleading. None of the advertising e-mails named Trancos, which sent all the messages.
The ads violated California’s 2004 anti-spam law, Judge Marie Weiner of San Mateo County Superior Court said in a March 10 ruling. The law prohibits sending an uninvited commercial e-mail from California, or to a California recipient, that misrepresents either the source or the subject.
The federal government has a similar law, but it allows suits only by the government or an Internet service provider and not by individual recipients. California allows suits by consumers and provides damages of $1,000 for each serving of spam, even if, like Balsam, the recipient didn’t accept any of the offers and lost no money.
Some anti-spam suits have been tried in small claims courts, but lawyers on both sides of Balsam’s case said it appeared to be the first suit by a consumer to go to trial in Superior Court. Weiner presided over the nonjury proceedings in October.
“Advertisers who work to hide their identities are violating consumer trust,” said Timothy Walton, Balsam’s lawyer in the case.
Trancos’ lawyer, Robert Nelson, described his client as “a successful, ethical Internet advertising business,” and said it would appeal the ruling.
He argued that spam is largely regulated by federal law and that only a consumer who is actually defrauded and suffers losses – which Balsam did not claim – is entitled to sue under state law.
Weiner rejected that argument in her ruling, saying Congress allowed states to prohibit deceptive e-mail headers, subject lines and content.
She said Trancos had deliberately sought to “impair a recipient’s ability to identify, locate or respond to it as the initiator of the e-mail” and is liable for damages.
Tags: Lawyer sues over spam emails and wins
Posted in Lawyer Website Design | Comments Off on Lawyer sues over spam emails and wins $7,000 in San Francisco
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
So how do you get a lawyer with no money? To work for you for free? First I understand that times are tough and legal services are expensive, but do not make a mistake and not hire an attorney. In most cases, if you need a lawyer then hire one. The cost of not hiring an attorney or hiring the cheapest lawyer in town could and most likely will cause you a lifetime of suffering.
Any very important legal situation that could potentially alter the rest of my life would make me figure out a way to scrounge up the money needed to hire a good lawyer! Again legal issues can affect you for the rest of your life and without a reputable and experienced lawyer, the damage of not having a good lawyer could be very costly.
However here is the information on how to get a lawyer with no money.
– Start by find the right attorney first. Do you need a divorce attorney? Do you need a car accident lawyer?
– Some lawyers only charge by contingency fee basis which means some cases they only get paid if they collect money for you.
– Ask your local Bar association for a list of pro bono lawyers in your area.
– Do you have a skill that an attorney may trade for legal services?
– Do you know someone in your family or friend’s family who is a lawyer?
– Do you have property that could be used instead of making a payment?
– Can you find a part time job to pay for the legal services? A lawyer might be able to get you a continuance in order for you to raise the money.
– Ask family and friends to help you or do odd jobs for friends and family to raise the money.
– Visit your local Labor Ready or Manpower job sites to earn some quick dollars.
– Do you ave a news worthy case? Some cases change the case law or grab headlines. If so, there would be many great attorneys willing to work you case for the opportunity to gain notoriety or to set a precedent.
The point is that you can afford an attorney if you put forth the plan to make payment arrangements, get a continuance, ask for odd jobs, etc. Remember the cost of not having a lawyer or a good lawyer could cost you much more in the long run!
I hope this may help be able to obtain a good attorney. Lawyers are important when you face serious legal issues.
Tags: How to get a lawyer with no money, How to get an attorney with no money
Posted in Lawyer Website Design | Comments Off on How to get a lawyer with no money
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
So you need a lawyer and you do not have the money to pay for one. So how do you get a lawyer to work for you for free? Let me just say this… If I really needed a lawyer for a very important legal situation that could potentially alter the rest of my life I would make the extra money I could to be able to find a good lawyer! Legal issues can affect you for the rest of your life and without a reputable and experienced lawyer, the damage of not having a good lawyer could be very costly.
However here is the information on how to get a free lawyer.
– Start by find the right attorney first. Do you need a divorce attorney? Do you need a car accident lawyer?
– Some lawyers only charge by contingency fee basis which means some cases they only get paid if they collect money for you.
– Ask your local Bar association for a list of pro bono lawyers in your area.
– Do you have a skill that an attorney may trade for legal services?
– Do you have property that could be used instead of making a payment?
– Do you ave a news worthy case? Some cases change the case law or grab headlines. If so, there would be many great attorneys willing to work you case for the opportunity to gain notoriety or to set a precedent.
I hope this may help be able to obtain a good attorney. Lawyers are important when you face serious legal issues.
Tags: How to Get a Free Lawyer, how to get a lawyer for free, pro bono lawyer
Posted in Lawyer Website Design, Tips for the Public | Comments Off on How to Get a Free Lawyer
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
LegalContentWriters.com is a newly released website that offers the most value for any attorneys hard earned money. They offer search engine rich and unique web content to your website! What I love about adding fresh content to my sites is the fact that it is an investment that pays off month after month!
Why pay for clicks? Once you have spend your money on clicks, that money is gone forever. With SEO content, your ad spend continues to drive new business each and every month. Plus you traffic increases month after month because the articles and web content is still on the website generating traffic.
Adding content also increases your website’s rankings with a well optimized website and content that is written for website visitors but is also written for the search engines. Keyword research is also very important as it will help you to write content that actual people are searching for. If you are interested in having someone write new content or law firm articles for your website than visit LegalContentWriters.com today to check out their lawyer writers, pricing and content samples. You may also call (769) 218-6099 for a free consultation and rate quote.
Tags: attorney website content, legal content writers, legal website content
Posted in Lawyer Website Content | Comments Off on Attorney Website Content
Friday, March 26th, 2010
Proposed ammendments to the Rules of Professional Conduct that govern lawyer advertising and communications by lawyers with prospective clients in the State of Virginia are designed to prohibit attorneys from making any in-person solicitation in all areas of law, not just legal issues stemming from personal injury cases.
A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Alexander v. Cahill on March 12, 2010 further progressed the idea that the legal industry will see even greater protection of First Amendment rights for lawyer advertising and solicitation of clients. Although the recent decision does not set aside New York’s thirty-day ban on direct unsolicited communications with potential clients in regards to potential personal injury and wrongful death actions, the Court of Appeals did however side a side many prohibitions on lawyer advertising such as the regulation of commercial speech that was purportedly false or deceptive.
To summarize, the Court of Appeals decided that a many of provisions governing lawyer advertising were indeed unconstitutional such as:
1. Client testimonials are not inherently misleading. While they could mislead if they suggest that past results indicate future performance, not all need do so.
2. Portraying a judge in an advertisement is not per se false, deceptive or misleading. What would be of concern is the implication that the attorney has the ability to influence the court improperly.
3. Banning gimmick type of ads such as humorous or “attention grabbing” features is not appropriate: “[q]uestions of taste or effectiveness in advertising are generally matters of subjective judgment.” Indeed, “[g]immicks . . . do not actually seem to mislead.”
4. An outright prohibition on the use of nicknames, mottos or trade names that imply the ability to obtain results in matter is not appropriate. The Court also noted that slogans or nick names such as “The Heavy Hitter” would indeed be prohibited even though it does not appear to be at all misleading.
Although this decision only applies to New York lawyer advertising rules, many states with will feel the pressure to uphold similar rule changes to protect the First Amendment rights of commercial speech.
Tags: .S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Alexander v. Cahill, first ammendment rights for lawyer advertising, new york lawyer advertising rules, new york Rules of Professional Conduct, personal injury cases, unsolicited communications
Posted in Advertising Rules | Comments Off on New York Attorney Advertising Rules Lose Ground
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
As the internet become THE way most people research and find the information they are seeking, it is of the utmost importance that lawyers take advantage of this trend and create lawyer blogs with content that attract the people who are looking for them.
This seems like a basic, almost redundant, statement.
Yet the majority of websites and blogs, especially professional blogs such as lawyer blogs, are so focused on “looking good” that they forget about who the website is for.
Your lawyer blog design and every single entry made must be aimed at persuading your clients that you are the lawyer that they want. Blogs can be very effective in answering questions, educating and informing your clients.
All the while, you are building yourself up as a credible, competent lawyer.
To create a blog that is effective there are specific steps that you must do. (After all, there are hundreds if not thousands of blogs that are completely ineffective- we are avoiding that out come!)
First, every word and graphic used MUST be aimed at your client. Write with them in mind. What are they concerned about? What are they looking for? You have the solution to their problem. Give it to them.
Second, don’t write to impress. Write to inform.
In doing so a peculiar thing happens. Your ratings on Google and other traffic sites will go up. That is because Google and other search engines are looking for content driven web pages and blogs. Google knows what your clients want- valuable, informative content.
In addition to filling the blog with valuable content, the content must be easy to understand. Lawyer jargon needs to disappear and the site needs to be written and presented in a way that the client with no legal history can not only understand it, but process and engage with the information.
In addition, the blog must be clean and readable. Do not focus on fancy graphics. Keep them to a minimum. Over and over, consumers report they do not like a “squishy” or “messy” site. (Think about the Google homepage- almost completely “clean”).
Studies show the consumer spends approximately 10 seconds on a page before clicking somewhere else or moving on. Just 10 seconds to capture someone’s attention.
Make sure your attorney blog design pulls in and captures the attention of your readers. With effective writing, readers turn in to customers.
Most attorneys’ blogs won’t be able to do this. It is not because it is a highly complicated or difficult task. But there are certain ways to format an attorney’s blog and write content that have proven time after time to attract and gain customers.
It is not a secret- it is simple direct marketing. Aiming your message at the people who are looking for you with the right words and design.
It is essential for your attorney’s blog to not only survive but thrive on the web.
The worst thing you could do is to invest hours and hours developing and writing a blog only to be buried at number 86,456 on the search engine’s lists.
At Lawyers success, we can help set up a blog site that is not only effective in attracting search engines to notice your blog, but attract customers as well.
We can teach you how to write content that is attractive to both search engines and customers.
Or we could do it for you. At Lawyer Success, we have lawyers who write content and articles specifically for blogs and websites, creating lawyer blog designs that connect with your customers.
Get in the online game. And come out on top.
For a free consultation concerning blogs for attorneys call us today at (769) 218-6099.
At Lawyer Success, “Your Success is Our Business.” Each new client is treated as if they were our only client and we understand that your success with our services is our responsibility and is critical to a long term client for our company. Lawyer Success, Inc. was founded by law firm marketing expert James Greenier. Over the past 11 years, Mr. Greenier has personally worked on, developed or consulted with 7 of the top 10 most trafficked legal websites on the Internet. He also served as the primary web marketing advisor for over 3,500 law firms. He will be your primary contact at all times and will develop the strategy for your project. He will also personally supervise and participate in your project to ensure that you receive the highest level of service, support and performance. For a free consultation concerning blogs for attorneys call us today at (769) 218-6099.
Tags: attorney blog design, law firm blog design, Lawyer Blog Design, legal blog design
Posted in Lawyer Blog Design | Comments Off on Lawyer Blog Design | Attorney Blog Design
Saturday, March 20th, 2010
You have made the big jump. You have decided to build a website.
You have also decided to hire a web designer to build and design it for you.
Smart move. Today’s technology advances and changes at a moment’s notice. It is much easier to hire someone who keeps themselves up to date with the knowledge to build and make changes to a website quickly and efficiently. You should be commended on your decision to outsource tasks others can do so you can focus on building your law practice.
But there are still some decisions that need to be made.
The importance of choosing your web designer carefully cannot be overemphasized. Too many people have paid extraordinary amounts of money for websites that did not attract the right customers or did not present the image the lawyer wanted.
Here are some guidelines to help you through the process or hiring a web designer.
Before you Begin
First, decide on the design and layout. Remember, you are not building a site for the masses. You are carefully creating a professional site for people who are looking for the services that you provide.
What do you want your site to look like? Is your content written or do you need to hire a copywriter to help you formulate the copy of the site?
Ask colleagues for referrals to find a web designer. You probably will receive helpful feedback regarding efficient web designers as well as the designers to avoid. Your goal is to find a website designer who designs webs for lawyers and their law practices.
Finding a lawyer website designer can be risky because there are many inexperienced designers on the Web. Hiring a freelancer may seem attractive because the price may be significantly cheaper. A word of caution here- you can either strike gold hiring a freelancer…or not. Many freelancers are novices starting out their business.
Before making the decision to hire someone, ask the following questions:
- Do you have a portfolio? How much experience do you have creating websites for lawyers and other professional practices?
- Do you know what the ethics rules are in my state regarding lawyer websites and advertising?
- How long does it take for you to make a change to my website?
- Depending on the type of site you want, is the web designer able to add extras such as a blog, video spot or audio script?
- Will he or she be around to help with technical problems?
- If not, can they recommend a tech person to help with follow up?
- Does the web designer know how to place Meta tags and key words to attract search engines?
- Do you have a logo already? Are you expecting the designer to create a logo for you? Are they experienced at logo design and the concept of branding?
Great! You found someone to put the site together for you! Now, before you let go of the reigns, be careful to be specific with expectations and
- What are all the costs associated with working with the designer?
- How long will it take?
- Will he/she do make changes if you are not happy with the final product?
- Do you have at least 3 references of like area of practice?
Hiring a web designer to put an online face to your presence is a big deal. They are creating the visual “first impression” for your customers. However, when you do your research and hire a web designer who is familiar and comfortable with developing professional web you can have peace of mind that they will create a site that will help create a professional image of the services you provide.
While this article may give the appearance that finding a good web designer is easy, it may be more challenging than you expect.
One recent client of our said, “I made a few blunders starting out and paid a mint of money for a web site that I ended up shutting down and now I am having to start from scratch all over again.”
We hear from attorneys all the time who state, “I made the mistake of thinking the designer could create a site that I told him about even though his portfolio did not have any web sites that I liked or emulated my business.”
Unfortunately that happens all too often.
When developing Lawyer Success, I wanted to save others the frustration I had experienced by collecting a team that could comprehensively create an entire website especially for lawyers.
At LawyerSuccess.com we specialize in doing everything from building a site, writing the content and attracting customers to your site.
We would be privileged to help you with your site.
For a free consultation concerning hiring a web designer call us today at (769) 218-6099.
At Lawyer Success, “Your Success is Our Business.” Each new client is treated as if they were our only client and we understand that your success with our services is our responsibility and is critical to a long term client for our company. Lawyer Success, Inc. was founded by law firm marketing expert James Greenier. Over the past 11 years, Mr. Greenier has personally worked on, developed or consulted with 7 of the top 10 most trafficked legal websites on the Internet. He also served as the primary web marketing advisor for over 3,500 law firms. He will be your primary contact at all times and will develop the strategy for for your project. He will also personally supervise and participate in your project to ensure that you receive the highest level of service, support and performance. For a free consultation concerning hiring a web designer call us today at (769) 218-6099.
Tags: Finding the Right Designer for Your Lawyer Website, lawyer website
Posted in Lawyer Website Design | Comments Off on Finding the Right Designer for Your Lawyer Website
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
The content on your lawyer website is the most important part of your website.
The content will change what customers find you and how long they stay.
It’s not the graphics, fonts, layout or logo that brings clients to your website. All those things may help and add value and credibility to your impression as a lawyer, BUT they will not get you the client.
On the web, content rules.
There are two reasons why content is priceless on the web.
First, content is what the search engines search to decide what kind of value your website brings to your customers. Search engines such as Google have one goal in mind- what kind of value is the website to our audience? Does it provide what the people are looking for? The more valuable your content is, the higher rank your site will get on the search engines.
Second, your content will gather your clients. Factors such as the design of your website, the readability of your pages, and the
This does not mean you have loud, annoying sales copy on your website.
Good content writers know this.
Think of writing content for your website in terms of hunting and fishing.
When you go hunting, the animals run and hide! They hear you coming. They know you spell DANGER and run for their lives! Of course, you run after them, attempting to shoot and catch the little critters.
Sales copy has that effect on people. You want to avoid that at all costs as you write the content for your website for attorneys.
Now, think of fishing. When you throw the line out in the water with the enticing bait on the end, do the fish swim away or come to take a nibble?
The curious fish approach the line. He is not sure if he wants it or not but the offer looks appealing. It looks like the answer to his problem.
Of course, the fishing analogy breaks down at this point.
Because, unlike the fisherman who wants to catch the fish to show off or to eat, you want to “catch” your clients because you have a valuable service to provide to them.
The “bait” you offer as a lawyer is the solution they need for the problem they currently have.
The biggest mistake most professionals make when writing content is focusing on them when they should be focusing on their clients. Don’t show off your services, show your client how your service solves their problem.
You must write your copy from the point of view of the client. They search the internet thinking about themselves, about their problem, about their circumstance and how they are going to fix it.
The breakthrough moment arrives when the client resonates with your content. When their response is, “wow, this lawyer knows what I’m going through.”
This is the bait that lures the client in.
Now, the bait may come in other forms as well.
The bait can be the unique service you provide, your USP- unique selling proposition, the way you stand out from the other lawyers in your field. The bait could be a subscription to your e-newsletter or a special report, a special price or fee waiver.
Whatever it is, remember your client is looking for specific answers when they look for you.
Remember the rules of direct marketing. Make a call to action to your potential clients. Always include an offer. This is not a hard sell, this is a smart sell. For you and your clients.
Otherwise, the fish that come to your side of the pond will grow disinterested and find more alluring bait elsewhere.
When you sit down to write your content, focus on fishing!
Writing valuable content for your website takes a lot of time. To focus your business on your law practice, enlist the service of a content writer for attorneys who can write what you need.
At Lawyer Success, our writers are lawyers who are familiar with the content you need, including legal terms, ethical rules for lawyers and state laws and regulations.
We can save you time and provide content that will not only interest and please your customers, but drive the traffic to your website.
For a free consultation concerning content services for your attorney website call us today at (769) 218-6099.
At Lawyer Success, “Your Success is Our Business.” Each new client is treated as if they were our only client and we understand that your success with our services is our responsibility and is critical to a long term client for our company. Lawyer Success, Inc. was founded by law firm marketing expert James Greenier. Over the past 11 years, Mr. Greenier has personally worked on, developed or consulted with 7 of the top 10 most trafficked legal websites on the Internet. He also served as the primary web marketing advisor for over 3,500 law firms. He will be your primary contact at all times and will develop the strategy for your project. He will also personally supervise and participate in your project to ensure that you receive the highest level of service, support and performance. For a free consultation concerning content services for your lawyer website call (769) 218-6099 to discuss your project today.
Tags: law firm website content writers, website content for lawyers, website content services for attorneys
Posted in Lawyer Website Content | Comments Off on Website Content Services for Attorneys, Lawyers, Law Firms and Legal Professionals
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