Category: Law Office Management

National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. Annual Conference

The National Law Review would like to remind you of National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. 2011 Annual Conference on October 13-16, 2011 in Bloomington, MN:

2011 Convention

2011 Convention postcard art Metrodome with skyline

Online registration closes Friday, Sept. 30th

Walk-up registrations accepted at the door.

Hotel Information

Hilton Minneapolis St. Paul Airport (use group code NFP)
Single or Double Occupancy:  $159.00 per night

Education Sessions

This year we will be holding 24 seminars plus the Student Workshop. There will also be a cooking class offered on Wednesday featuring Hilton Chef Eric Gideon Baker.  There is limited space for the Chef’s class and it is expected to fill up quickly so sign up early! The convention brochure (PDF) has details for all of these educational opportunities.  All sessions other than F and X are approved for 1.25 hours of CLE credit each.

Casual Up! for Breast Cancer

Casual Up! logo

Support the National Breast Cancer Foundation and Casual Up!
Friday, October 14, 2011

We all know someone or have heard of someone affected by breast cancer. One of the ways NFPA can help fight this disease is by using the privileges we have at our Annual Convention to make an impact in the fight against breast cancer. Friday, October 14th will be casual day to help raise money for breast cancer awareness and funding for mammograms for those in need. It’s simple, fun, and a great way for attendees to become involved in something that saves thousands of lives.

What do you wear on Friday, October 14th to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation and Casual Up? The dress code for donors (minimum donation $5) on this particular day will be relaxed. Be creative and inspire your friends or regions to get involved in a good cause. You can wear jeans, a pink T-Shirt or a pink ball-cap. You can even wear pink socks. The point is to be creative and help increase awareness of breast cancer.

You can also purchase Casual Up T-Shirts for $20 each…must be ordered by August 30, 2011. Shirts are designed by NFPA and available in unisex adult sizes.

Keynote Speaker

Judge Meyer

Honorable Helen Meyer
Minnesota Supreme Court Judge

Judge Helen Meyer earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Minnesota. She earned her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law and then worked for 20 years as a civil trial lawyer and mediator. She co-founded Pritzker & Meyer in 1987 and established Meyer and Associates in 1996.

Judge Meyer is certified as a civil trial specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and the Minnesota State Bar Association, is a past board member of the Minnesota State Board of Legal Certification and the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association, and has held leadership positions with the Minnesota State Bar Association and Academy of Certified Trial Lawyers.

Judge Meyer served for three and one-half years on Governor Ventura’s Judicial Merit Selection Commission, assisting him in the appointment of over 60 trial court judges and 5 appellate level judges. She was appointed by Governor Ventura as an Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court in June of 2002. Judge Meyer took the oath of office on August 5, 2002.

Pro Bono Conference

The 2011 Pro Bono Conference will be held on Friday, October 14, 2011, in conjunction with NFPA’s Annual Convention in Bloomington, MN.  The Conference will include presentations by paralegals working on pro bono projects across the country, as well as information on how to start or enhance your association’s pro bono efforts. Guest speakers include Erika Applebaum who is the Executive Director of the Innocence Project of Minnesota and Eric Cooperstein, chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Rules of Professional Conduct Committee. There will be 1.25 hours of Continuing Legal Education available for Mr. Cooperstein’s presentation – Real-Life Ethical Predicaments for Pro Bono Coordinators and Volunteers.

Registration will be held in conjunction with registration for the Annual Convention. No charge for NFPA members!

Click here for the Pro Bono Conference details.

Leadership Workshops

3:45 to 5:30 PM Friday

Topics include:

  • Strategic Planning in Tough Economic Times – presented by Debra Hindin-King
  • Use of Technology for Local Associations – presented by Jessica Swedenhjelm, RP; Dana Murphy-Love, CAE; Kim Walker

National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. Annual Conference

The National Law Review would like to remind you of National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. 2011 Annual Conference on October 13-16, 2011 in Bloomington, MN:

2011 Convention

2011 Convention postcard art Metrodome with skyline

Online registration closes Friday, Sept. 30th

Walk-up registrations accepted at the door.

Hotel Information

Hilton Minneapolis St. Paul Airport (use group code NFP)
Single or Double Occupancy:  $159.00 per night

Education Sessions

This year we will be holding 24 seminars plus the Student Workshop. There will also be a cooking class offered on Wednesday featuring Hilton Chef Eric Gideon Baker.  There is limited space for the Chef’s class and it is expected to fill up quickly so sign up early! The convention brochure (PDF) has details for all of these educational opportunities.  All sessions other than F and X are approved for 1.25 hours of CLE credit each.

Casual Up! for Breast Cancer

Casual Up! logo

Support the National Breast Cancer Foundation and Casual Up!
Friday, October 14, 2011

We all know someone or have heard of someone affected by breast cancer. One of the ways NFPA can help fight this disease is by using the privileges we have at our Annual Convention to make an impact in the fight against breast cancer. Friday, October 14th will be casual day to help raise money for breast cancer awareness and funding for mammograms for those in need. It’s simple, fun, and a great way for attendees to become involved in something that saves thousands of lives.

What do you wear on Friday, October 14th to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation and Casual Up? The dress code for donors (minimum donation $5) on this particular day will be relaxed. Be creative and inspire your friends or regions to get involved in a good cause. You can wear jeans, a pink T-Shirt or a pink ball-cap. You can even wear pink socks. The point is to be creative and help increase awareness of breast cancer.

You can also purchase Casual Up T-Shirts for $20 each…must be ordered by August 30, 2011. Shirts are designed by NFPA and available in unisex adult sizes.

Keynote Speaker

Judge Meyer

Honorable Helen Meyer
Minnesota Supreme Court Judge

Judge Helen Meyer earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Minnesota. She earned her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law and then worked for 20 years as a civil trial lawyer and mediator. She co-founded Pritzker & Meyer in 1987 and established Meyer and Associates in 1996.

Judge Meyer is certified as a civil trial specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and the Minnesota State Bar Association, is a past board member of the Minnesota State Board of Legal Certification and the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association, and has held leadership positions with the Minnesota State Bar Association and Academy of Certified Trial Lawyers.

Judge Meyer served for three and one-half years on Governor Ventura’s Judicial Merit Selection Commission, assisting him in the appointment of over 60 trial court judges and 5 appellate level judges. She was appointed by Governor Ventura as an Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court in June of 2002. Judge Meyer took the oath of office on August 5, 2002.

Pro Bono Conference

The 2011 Pro Bono Conference will be held on Friday, October 14, 2011, in conjunction with NFPA’s Annual Convention in Bloomington, MN.  The Conference will include presentations by paralegals working on pro bono projects across the country, as well as information on how to start or enhance your association’s pro bono efforts. Guest speakers include Erika Applebaum who is the Executive Director of the Innocence Project of Minnesota and Eric Cooperstein, chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Rules of Professional Conduct Committee. There will be 1.25 hours of Continuing Legal Education available for Mr. Cooperstein’s presentation – Real-Life Ethical Predicaments for Pro Bono Coordinators and Volunteers.

Registration will be held in conjunction with registration for the Annual Convention. No charge for NFPA members!

Click here for the Pro Bono Conference details.

Leadership Workshops

3:45 to 5:30 PM Friday

Topics include:

  • Strategic Planning in Tough Economic Times – presented by Debra Hindin-King
  • Use of Technology for Local Associations – presented by Jessica Swedenhjelm, RP; Dana Murphy-Love, CAE; Kim Walker

Carried Interest Language Narrowed, but Remains Far-Reaching

Recently posted in National Law Review an article by Kevin J. Feeley, Gary C. Karch and Patrick J. McCurry of McDermott Will & Emery regarding Obama administration’s recent carried interest tax provision:

This newsletter summarizes the Obama administration’s recent carried interest tax provision. The provision is not expected to be enacted soon, but the proposal contains drafting changes of interest to those following the discussion.

On September 12, 2011, President Obama submitted to U.S. Congress legislative text for the American Jobs Act, including a revised version of the carried interest tax provision that has been introduced several times since 2007. The latest provision is unlikely to be enacted soon, but gives an indication of the form that ultimately enacted legislation may take. The latest language appears narrower than prior versions, but remains potentially applicable to more taxpayers and transactions than one would expect from the announced purpose to treat the carried interest income of investment fund managers as ordinary income subject to self-employment tax.

General Approach Continues

The latest provision would add a new Section 710 to the Internal Revenue Code. New Section 710 would continue to create a new defined term called anInvestment Services Partnership Interest (ISPI). It also continues to provide thata partner’s income from holding or disposing of an ISPI is ordinary and subject to self-employment tax, even if it would be capital gain and not subject to self-employment tax under general tax rules.

The latest provision also continues to apply to all partnership interests, not just interests received for services or otherwise disproportionate to capital, unless a Qualified Capital Interest (QCI) exception applies. The QCI exception continues to apply only to a class of equity that is held by persons who do not provide any services to the partnership and are not related to the partner holding the ISPI. There is no exception for completely pro rata partnerships, as there was in the most recent prior version.

ISPIs Defined More Narrowly

Prior versions defined an ISPI as any partnership interest where the holder was expected to provide services regarding the acquisition, financing, management and disposition of securities, real estate and partnership interests, referred to as Specified Assets. The latest proposal limits the ISPI definition to partnerships in which “substantially all” of the assets are Specified Assets; the holder owns the partnership interest in connection with a business that “primarily involves” the acquisition, financing, management and disposition of Specified Assets; and more than half the contributed capital of the partnership is contributed by persons who hold their partnership interests for the production of income. The “production of income” requirement appears intended to imply that the interest is not held as part of a business. This change may exclude partnerships that conduct operating businesses, and partnerships in which more than half the owners are involved in the business.

The ISPI definition attributes a business of one member of a corporate group to all others. This provision may be intended to remove most corporate internal partnerships and external joint ventures from becoming subject to the rules.

The limitation of the ISPI definition to partnerships in which substantially all of the assets are Specified Assets may remove the so-called enterprise value of some investment fund managers from ordinary income treatment. The fund manager’s carried interest from funds it operates would be ordinary, but a gain attributable to the enterprise value of the fund manager itself might qualify as capital gain.

No Loss Deferral

Prior versions of the carried interest legislation deferred all losses from an ISPI. This provision is dropped from the most recent legislation.

Disposition Provisions Narrowed Somewhat

The proposed legislation continues to require recognition of ordinary income in normally tax-free transfers. The proposal continues the exception for contributing an ISPI to another partnership if an election is made to treat the resulting partnership interest as an ISPI. The proposal adds an exception for some gifts and charitable contributions. However, other tax-free transactions including corporate contributions and mergers where ISPIs are among the assets would be taxable to the extent of the gain inherent in the ISPIs.

Publicly Traded Partnership Provisions Deferred 10 Years

The proposed legislation provides that publicly traded partnerships with income from ISPIs could continue to be publicly traded pass-through entities for 10 years after enactment.

Exceptions and Phase-Ins Removed

Unlike some prior versions of the legislation, the latest version would apply to 100 percent of ISPI income beginning January 1, 2013. The legislation does not contain an exception or a reduced rate of recharacterization for the disposition of ISPIs held more than five years.

The proposal does not contain exceptions for pro rata partnerships or family farms. The pro rata partnership exception was thought to exclude family partnerships that could not use the QCI exception because all partners are related. It is unclear whether family partnerships and family farms would avoid the provision due to the narrowing of the ISPI definition described above.

© 2011 McDermott Will & Emery

Mind the Gap: Reducing the Sponsorship Gap Between Men and Women in the Workplace

Recently posted in the National Law Review an interesting  article by Brande Stellings of Catalyst Inc. regarding how a mentor differs from a sponsor and compensation that women face and the gaps in career advancement and compensation that women face

While recently moderating a panel on mentors and sponsors in the workplace, I was struck when one of the panelists, a seasoned, extremely accomplished General Counsel at a prestigious institution, mused aloud that she had had many sponsors in retrospect, but did not know there was a name for it.

This is not surprising.  Everyone knows what a mentor is.  But not everyone knows how a mentor differs from a sponsor.  And recent Catalyst researchindicates it is this critical difference that helps explain the gaps in career advancement and compensation that women face right out of the gate, as well as over time, in comparison to their male peers.  

Statistics regarding women’s advancement in the legal profession are well-known.  The National Association of Women Lawyers (“NAWL”) annual survey of women in AmLaw 200 law firms shows that women’s representation in the equity partner ranks has plateaued at the 15-16% range in the five years since NAWL began the survey.  The MCCA survey of women general counsels in the Fortune500 fares a bit better, with women clocking in just under 19%.  These numbers are not dissimilar to women in US business generally. The annual Catalyst census of women’s representation of Fortune 500 Board directors and executive officers has also stalled out in the 14-15% range.

How do we move off this plateau and get closer to gender parity in our top leadership positions?

For years, many have looked to mentoring as a solution.   Yet, for all the time and resources invested in mentoring, it has not yielded dramatic results. Indeed, Catalyst research has revealed a paradox. According to Catalyst’s landmark study of high-potential MBA graduates, Mentoring: Necessary but Insufficient for Advancement, more women than men reported having mentors, but mentoring provided a much bigger pay-off for men than women.  For example, mentoring was a statistically significant predictor of promotion for men but not for women.   We also found that men with mentors made more than women with mentors in their first post-MBA job – to the tune of $9260.

Why is it that men reap much bigger rewards from mentoring than women in terms of promotion and compensation?

Mentoring: Necessary but Insufficient for Advancement found that although more women than men have mentors, women’s mentors have less clout.  In other words, men are more likely to be mentored by CEOs or other senior executives who are in a position to act on behalf of their protégés.  These powerful mentors act as sponsors.  A sponsor is someone with power and rank and significant influence on decision-making processes.  A sponsor can ensure that a high-performing woman’s work is noticed, that she is put on key projects or client engagements, and advocate for her promotion.

Take the example of a woman partner who is now a leader in her firm and in the profession.  When she first came up for partner at her firm, she and her supporters assumed she would make partner. When she did not, her supporters rallied around her, engaged the support of other partners, including, critically, a member of the partner election committee, and she made partner the following year.

In the example above, note that the most important work of the lawyer’s sponsors was done behind closed doors.  As a sponsor stated in our latest report:

A lot of decisions…are made when you’re not in the room, so you need somebody who can…advocate for you and can bring up the important things of why you should advance. You need somebody or people at that table…speaking for you….I can’t think of a person who rose without a sponsor or significant sponsors.

Catalyst research regarding differences between women and men’s mentors in the high-potential MBA population corresponds to the findings in Catalyst’sWomen of Color in US Law Firms research report.  Of all the groups of lawyers Catalyst surveyed, women of color were the most likely to say they had a mentor, and white men were the least likely to say they had a mentor.  The difference emerges in terms of access to influential mentors.  Women of color were leastlikely to feel their mentors were influential.

Sponsorship does not replace mentoring, by any means.  Mentoring is still necessary, but it is not sufficient on its own.   Good advice without the opportunity to put that advice into action will take one only so far.  As Catalyst research demonstrates, women get a lot of advice, but are not getting ahead.

To learn more about the latest research on sponsorship, and hear from women leaders in the business and legal world, join me at the Seventh Annual National Association of Women Lawyers General Counsel Institute on November 3, 2011 for a panel discussion, Beyond Mentoring: Career Advancement Strategies.  For more information on NAWL’s General Counsel Institute and to register, visit NAWL’s website.

© 2011 Catalyst Inc.

Department of State Releases October 2011 Visa Bulletin

Recently posted in the National Law Review an article by Eleanor Pelta, Eric S. Bord and A. James Vázquez-Azpiri of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP regarding the DOS October 2011 Visa Bulletin:

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released its October 2011 Visa Bulletin. The Visa Bulletin sets out per country priority date cutoffs that regulate the flow of adjustment of status (AOS) and consular immigrant visa applications. Foreign nationals may file applications to adjust their status to that of permanent resident, or to obtain approval of an immigrant visa application at an American embassy or consulate abroad, provided that their priority dates are prior to the cutoff dates specified by the DOS.

What Does the October 2011 Bulletin Say?

EB-1: All EB-1 categories remain current.

EB-2: Priority dates remain current for foreign nationals in the EB-2 category from all countries except China and India.

The relevant priority date cutoffs for Indian and Chinese nationals are as follows:

China: July 15, 2007 (forward movement of three months)

India: July 15, 2007 (forward movement of three months)

EB-3: There is continued backlog in the EB-3 category.

The relevant priority date cutoffs for foreign nationals in the EB-3 category are as follows:

China: August 8, 2004 (forward movement of three weeks)

India: July 15, 2002 (forward movement of one week)

Mexico: December 8, 2005 (forward movement of two weeks)

Philippines: December 8, 2005 (forward movement of two weeks)

Rest of the World: December 8, 2005 (forward movement of two weeks)

How This Affects You

Priority date cutoffs are assessed on a monthly basis by the DOS, based on anticipated demand. Cutoff dates can move forward or backward, or remain static and unchanged. Employers and employees should take the immigrant visa backlogs into account in their long-term planning, and take measures to mitigate their effects. To see the October 2011 Visa Bulletin in its entirety, please visit the DOS website at http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_5560.html.

Copyright © 2011 by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. All Rights Reserved.

Chief Litigation Officer Summit Fall 2011 15-17 September 2011, Red Rock Casino, Resort, Spa, Las Vegas, NV

The National Law Review is  pleased to announce the Chief Litigation Officer Summit Fall 2011 is taking place on the 15 through 17 of  September 2011, Red Rock Casino, Las Vegas, NV.

A Unique Event

The future of litigation will bring new matters, increased competition and a strong need for budget maximization. Employment, IP, product liability, commercial and securities litigation continue to become more complex and therefore more costly. As a Chief Litigation Officer, one of the main challenges is to stay within budget, and tactics such as eDiscovery and specialized outside counsel certainly compound this challenge.

Executives that can find solutions and best practices to work through these challenges will stand out amid a mounting sea of litigation counsel. By employing alternative billing structures, one can allow for fair and accurate budgeting in hopes of maximizing resources, which will help contribute to a successful trial. Skillful planning, organizing and managing of cases is absolutely necessary to stay on top of your game during the trial or deciding on alternative dispute resolution. Enhancing outside counsel relationships through effective communication can greatly increase your odds and assist in dealing with a building case load.

The Chief Litigation Officer Summit provides a unique forum for service providers to gain access to the leading in-house counsel across the nation. Over three days, service providers will meet and interact with the heads of litigation from the country’s leading organizations through a number of one-on-one business meetings and many networking activities. In addition, service providers will attend strategic conference sessions and keynote presentations delivered by these heads of litigation. Within the luxurious settings of The Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa, this networking event presents a unique opportunity to develop meaningful and valuable business relations.

marcus evans will seek CLE accreditation in those states requested by registrants which have continuing education requirements. CLE credit hour information will be displayed on the certificate of attendance, which is provided to the attendees after the event has run and once each State has confirmed approval. marcus evans certifies that this activity has been approved for CLE credits by the State Bar of California and the State Bar of Pennsylvania.

Our executive delegation is selected according to the following criteria:

  • Scope of Responsibility
  • Budget
  • Sign-off Authority
  • Company Revenue
  • Interest in Purchasing Products and Services

Delegates will include decision makers with the job titles of General Counsel Litigation, Assistant General Counsel Litigation, Associate General Counsel, Litigation, Chief Litigation Officer, Vice President, Litigation and Senior Litigation Counsel with ultimate responsibility for litigation within their corporations.
Six Reasons Why You Should Attend the Summit:

  • Attend innovative summit sessions that outline tools to maximize the profitability of your company or organization
  • Network with an executive, focused group of your peers to discuss and debate differentiated strategies and develop future business contacts
  • Meet with leading Solution Providers to gain solutions to your most pressing business challenges
  • Maximize your time spent at the event by pre-selecting Keynote presentations, summit sessions, one-on-one meetings and networking activities through the Secured Summit Web site and scheduling software
  • Extensive opportunities for informal peer networking throughout the weekend through day and evening leisure activities
  • Documentation of presentations and information presented at the Summit via the interactive Web site

 

 


Delegate Package 

  • Pre-event Secured Web site access for scheduling
  • Executive Summit Program
  • 8-10 one-on-one business meetings with Solution Provider executives
  • Post-event Web site access for documentation and information on next event
  • Two nights accommodation at the Resort
  • All meals, receptions & special events
  • Participation in the Summit networking activities


For information on attending as a Delegate, please contact:
Marketing Manager
E: webenquiries@marcusevansbb.com
T: 246 627 3761

 

Diversity and Its Impact on the Legal Profession

Recently posted in the National Law Review an article by Jon Minners of Vault Inc. regarding the importance of diversity in law firms:

“Diversity is a very critical element of our society,” said Robert J. Grey, Jr.—a partner at law firm Hunton & Williams—during a keynote speech at the 6th Annual Vault/MCCA Legal Diversity Career Fair, held on Friday, July 29, 2011 in Washington, D.C.

In discussing his path to Washington and Lee University School of Law, Grey engaged the audience with a story about his first meeting with the then-dean of the law school.  While his story was filled with humor, Grey conveyed an important message: rather than judging a book by its cover, the dean gave Grey the opportunity to fulfill his dream of becoming a lawyer.  Grey—who formerly served as president of the American Bar Association—has been an influential voice in the legal profession through his work and his commitments to pro bono and diversity.  He was nominated by President Obama to serve as a Board Member of the Legal Services Corporation—a post he now fills—and also currently serves as the Executive Director of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.

“Recognizing talent and giving it a chance – that’s what diversity is about,” said Grey.

Grey’s speech formed a fitting backdrop for the day as hundreds of minority, female, LGBT candidates and candidates with disabilities gathered at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown D.C. to speak with recruiters and hiring partners from law firms, as well as corporate and government employers.  Earlier in the week, candidates and legal employers on the West Coast participated in the career fair at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles.

Vault kicked off the career fair in D.C. by honoring the Top 25 Law Firms for Overall Diversity, Top 3 Law Firms for Diversity for LGBT, Top 3 Law Firms forDiversity for Women and Top 3 Law Firms for Diversity for Minorities. While recognizing that diversity is important throughout all careers, Vault.com‘s Law Firm Diversity Rankings focus on the legal profession. These rankings are the result of a survey taken by close to 16,000 law firm associates throughout the country.  This year, and for the third consecutive year, Carlton Fields was ranked the No. 1 Firm for Overall Diversity.

“This represents how far we have come as a nation and an industry,” said Gary Sasso, President and CEO of Carlton Fields, during the award ceremony.  “We have a very long-standing tradition of diversity.  We like to say we celebrate diversity in all things at all times.  It’s in our DNA.”

And it is fast becoming part of the DNA of many organizations who truly see the potential of a more diverse office makeup.  During a panel discussion moderated by Vault.com law editor Mary Kate Sheridan, various professionals in the legal industry weighed in on the subject and discussed ways to make sure that diversity is not just an idea, but a part of the everyday practice.

“Diversity wasn’t really something on top of anyone’s discussion list in the 80s,” said Jackie Stone, a partner at the law firm McGuireWoods.  “But it is an important discussion today.”

Thomas E. Zutic, a partner at the law firm DLA Piper, stated that because of its importance today, “diversity is not about window dressing.  It’s not a one time, show off to the client aspect of business.”

Stone added: “Clients are watching very closely.  They want to see that diversity continues in terms of who actually gets to do the work.”

Lori L. Garrett, vice president and managing director of the southeast region of theMinority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), said that once you recruit diverse talent, the best way to keep them is to make them feel like they are part of the team.  “Mentoring is one of the most important ways anyone can connect to supervisors,” she said.  “They understand what it takes to reach the next level, but diverse employees should not just speak to supervisors.  They need to create relationships everywhere.”

Zutic also noted that diverse candidates need to make sure they take ownership of their careers by making themselves desirable candidates.  “Grades are still important,” he said, noting that students should approach law school as their jobs and perform as well there as they would in their careers.  “It’s so basic, but it’s so important,” he said.  “We can talk diversity, but in the end, if you are not bringing the right skill set and the right credentials, it’s not going to work.”

© 2011 Vault.com Inc.

Strategic Marketing in the Modern Law Firm 2.0 – Value at the Intersection of Communication & Collaboration – Sep 21st NYC

Strategic Marketing in the Modern Law Firm 2.0 – Value at the Intersection of Communication & Collaboration- September 21, New York, NY presented by ARK Group :

As clients push for greater value in legal services, the role of law firm marketing is shifting from simply chronicling the firm’s success—to engaging with clients to understand and deliver value. Clients want direct access to a firm’s knowledge assets—both to assess the firm’s expertise and to obtain legal information that will address their basic legal needs—almost as a precursor to determining whether a firm can meet their higher-value needs.  The world is changing and law will “normalize” to look more and more like other industries. Fortunately clients are sharing information about themselves in a variety of new and different ways. And legal marketers with insight and gumption will help their firms deliver superior value at the intersection of communication and collaboration.

Ark Group/Managing Partner’s Strategic Marketing in the Modern Law Firm 2.0—Value at the Intersection of Communication & Collaboration will provide a unique platform for legal marketers to discuss and better understand the value of content and collaboration in creating a “marketing culture” that can help the firm leverage its intellectual capital effectively.

Discussion topics and focal points of the forum include:

  • Identifying the link between Marketing and Knowledge Management to energize client development
  • Actionable business intelligence as a byproduct of Knowledge Management
  • Social CRM & Web 2.0 Collaboration: Elevating the conversation with clients and prospects
  • Strategic alignment and cross-functional efforts that contribute to value creation for the client
  • The role of knowledge in developing and retaining clients: Why fresh content will make your attorneys better business developers
  • Why lawyers and marketers must demonstrate—through their own engagement—that they are worthy of knowledge sharing
  • Positioning your CRM platform as the lifeline between the various departmental silos, enabling access and an opportunity (across the organization) to contribute to client data
  • The integration of law firm functions—such as Marketing, Business Development, Client Relationship Management and Knowledge Management
  • Assessing client relationship-building initiatives: keys to success and seeds of failure

For More Information and to Register:

This event is held on September 21st at the AMA Executive Conference Center ~ New York, NY.  Please click  HERE  for more information.


Affordable Attorney Marketing

Recently posted in the National Law Review an article by Margaret Grisdela of Legal Expert Connections about Affordable Attorney Marketing. 

“I am a new attorney in the Northeast looking for a way to get clients. My practice areas are Bankruptcy and litigation. I understand the fundamentals of building a referral base and SEO and are implementing the same now, but those are long term strategies. What is a starving attorney to do in the meantime? This is where I hope you can help me.”

This is a question that came into my inbox this week, and it’s a good one. “Affordable attorney marketing” is the quest when you open a new law practice, or need to rejuvenate an existing one.

Here are a few ideas that come to mind:

1. Join a lawyer referral network. Many local bar associations offer a referral network. While you won’t get rich, you should start to get a few cases coming in. This can give you visibility in the courts and among your peers.

2. Use LinkedIn to build your network and stay connected. Use the “Share an Update” feature from your LinkedIn home page to post an interesting item every 1-2 weeks. This will keep you “top of mind” with those you know.

3. Test a small Google AdWords campaign. While this can be expensive, it is possible to set daily limits on your ad budget and focus on a small geographic area. Also, be sure to filter out terms that don’t apply to you with the negative keywords feature.

4. Start a blog. Demonstrate your knowledge in bankruptcy, litigaion, and other practice areas with an educational blog. WordPress or Blogger allow you to start a blog quickly and easily. Actually the set up is the easy part. Write at least 1-2 blog posts per week, focusing on practice area keywords and also relating stories to your geo area of coverage. Feed the blog posts through other social medial (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook) using a service like Hootsuite. Select a URL with important keywords to help get online recognition.

5. Consider BNI or similar lead groups. This can help you to meet other professionals and get the word out about your legal services.

Overall, have lots of business cards and network, network, network! Tell everyone you know what you do. Marketing to those you know is your best source of new business fast. Picking a niche for your practice can also help your marketing dollars work smartly.

© Legal Expert Connections, Inc. 

Embracing Technology of Tomorrow

Posted in the National Law Review an article by Kristyn J. Sornat of Much Shelist Denenberg Ament & Rubenstein P.C.  on what innovative technology will be available in the next five years or by the end of the decade. 

 

Think of what new platforms have become available for marketing in the past ten years —social media sites (including YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn) and the smartphone/tablet with mobile applications and paid search tools, such as Google AdWords. It makes it hard to imagine what innovative technology will be available in the next five years, let alone by the end of the decade. Plenty of gimmicky technology with a significant “cool” factor will be developed by the year 2020; however, the more important trends to watch involve the transformation of legal marketing staples.

CRMs Will Be Easier to Use

Not only will CRMs be more useful, attorneys will be required to use them! By the year 2020, there will be no more excuses as to why attorneys cannot use their firm’s client relationship management (CRM) system to support business development efforts. The most common complaints I hear about our CRM are the following: “It’s too hard to use;” “The process of entering and maintaining my information is too cumbersome;” or “I don’t have time to learn it.” However, I’ve noticed that since the economic downturn (which necessitates working smarter and harder on business development) it has been a lot easier to get the late adopters on board. However, these users still struggle with the functionality of the product.

Over the past decade, software providers have made great strides in improving the user interface of CRM products, and they have gotten smarter by incorporating it into what attorneys do every day — check email. The leading CRM providers in the legal market now allow attorneys to access their products via their email client. Companies like CRM4Legal developed their product with this in mind while others, such as LexisNexis InterAction (with version 6.0), have finally integrated the majority of their main product functionality into Outlook. This integration will make future CRM versions much easier to use. Over the next decade, these companies will take this trend a step further. Not only will using the product be more intuitive for attorneys, but the amount of information automatically pulled into the system will be greater than ever before. In addition to looking up who at your firm “knows” a client, you’ll be able to see what the client was billed in the last year, what practice groups were utilized, where the growth opportunities are and which of your other non-internal contacts have a connection to the client. There may even be access to “personal” preferences for the client (like music and food), and best of all, attorneys will not have to enter this information into the database themselves. Firms have used portal technology to facilitate bringing information into one place, but CRMs will differ from portals by tapping into third-party resources, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and news sources, to deliver unprecedented, one-step access to information that can be useful in pitching a prospect or servicing a client.

The Demise of Email Marketing

In the year 2020, firms will have shifted their efforts from mass email marketing campaigns to other online distribution channels. The effectiveness of email marketing is already on the decline, and over the next decade email clients will become even stricter about the types of information they allow through their spam filters. Compounding this issue, users are now relying on tools like social media, RSS feeds, blogs, search engines and other resources, rather than email, to find the information they need. Firms will no longer have the luxury of knowing they can inform their clients of emerging legal issues just by sending a monthly newsletter or weekly alert. They will need to find new ways to get this information to clients and prospects, preferably through a myriad of distribution channels. To prepare, firms should concentrate on using search engine optimization (SEO) for their websites (especially on pages that tend to get a majority of visitors from email distributions) and encourage attorneys to use social media to proactively share their articles and experience in specific practice areas.

Also, targeted online advertising, such as on LinkedIn and paid search, can be used to promote practice groups and help supplement the lack of exposure for these groups through email alerts. For example, firms can advertise their healthcare practice group to LinkedIn users in the healthcare industry, who have General Counsel as a title and live within 50 miles of the geographic area to which that practice group targets. Another paid search tool that may be useful is Google Remarketing, which allows firms to target ads to users who’ve previously visited their websites. Through this technology, users that find healthcare articles on a firm’s website through Google would later see an ad for the firm’s healthcare practice as they visit other websites or check their Gmail accounts. Legal alerts will still be written, but firms will rely more heavily on searchable syndication services, such as Martindale.com’s Legal Library or The National Law Review’s searchable database. Firms would be wise to prepare themselves for the inevitable by scaling back now on the amount of information they send to contacts through mass email messages. They should start tracking article clicks, opens and other performance data and use it to eliminate contacts from mailing lists. For example, if a contact only opens healthcare alerts or clicks on healthcare articles, a firm should only send them email distributions having to do with healthcare. In the future, if a firm wants anyone to open their email messages, they will need to condition their recipients to expect relevant information in every distribution.

Design for Mobile First

Mobile devices are everywhere, and they are fast becoming people’s primary access point to the Internet and email. In the past five years, although mobile devices have been a consideration when firms design websites and email messages, it hasn’t been a necessity to design for them first. By 2020, mobile devices (including tablets) will play the role which PCs do today. It’s important that firms start preparing for that shift now by creating a pared-down mobile version of their websites if all the pages of the site are not already mobile-friendly. Firms working on a website redesign should make sure they are giving mobile devices and PCs equal consideration. For example, if there is a search section for articles, more search buckets with dropdown choices should be created so that mobile users will have to rely less on typing in search terms. If Flash is utilized to emphasize important information on the website, there should be an alternative way to get that information across to iPhone users, who cannot view Flash animation. Although designing for mobile may inhibit creativity, it is better for mobile users to be able to see and use a highly functional website than to become frustrated by (or unable to view) a beautifully designed website. Mobile apps (currently a hot topic in legal marketing circles) will also be important, just not the way we think of them today. Many firms that have taken advantage of this new technology have focused on providing information that is already accessible on their websites and in other places. In the future, successful law firm apps will have two purposes: to aid users in things they are doing every day and to provide better service to clients. For example, Latham & Watkins has already realized this trend and released a useful app that allows people to search a glossary of legal, business and financial terms. How will apps help firms better service their clients in the future? They may allow clients to view hours billed and balances due, or search a firm’s attorney experience database based on specific criteria for a new matter. As firms develop ideas for apps, they should keep usability in mind so they don’t end up with an app that clients download out of curiosity, but then fails to entice them to come back again.

Website Overhauls

Websites will be vastly different by the end of the decade —not only will they be designed with mobile devices in mind, but they also may incorporate technology that delivers a different homepage experience to each user based on past visits. For example, tailored article and event feeds might display, based on previous visits to practice group descriptions, attorney bios or the user’s past site searches. Other website areas that will be affected will be attorney bios, practice group descriptions and resource centers. Firms should begin thinking about attorney bios more like social media profiles (maybe even connecting LinkedIn profiles with attorney pages), because the lines between websites and social media will be even more blurred. Video will be as important as text in getting marketing messages across on practice group pages, and firms will use articles and descriptions of experience to show practice group expertise rather than just “say”they have it in a lengthy practice group description. In the resource area of the website, firms will add more information that is useful to visitors. CLE webcasts may be a way to drive users to the website, much as articles do today. However, the trick to adding CLE resources will be figuring out how to give people their credit and comply with ethics rules for each state. Firms need to start preparing for what is to come in marketing technology — by 2020, tactics and processes will have evolved into a connected, mobile machine. To embrace this technology of tomorrow, firms should keep an eye on trends involving CRM systems, email marketing, mobile technology and websites, while maintaining caution from being distracted by a high “cool” factor that may not deliver real value to the firm or its clients.

This article was first published in ILTA’s June 2011 issue of Peer to Peer titled “Law2020TM: One Year In” and is reprinted here with permission. For more information about ILTA, visit their website at www.iltanet.org.

© 2011 Much Shelist Denenberg Ament & Rubenstein, P.C.