Legal Marketing & Consulting

Declining productivity costs law firms an average of more than $74K per lawyer, report says

Law firms have managed to maintain profits per equity partner and increase billing rates, but they shouldn’t be complacent. Those achievements could be masking weaknesses and preventing law firm leaders from adapting to new challenges, according to the 2018 Report on the State of the Legal Market.

Jan 12, 2018 7:00 AM CST

Lawyer Slack becomes LawyerSmack, adds functionality and membership fee

Corrected: Keith Lee, founder and moderator of Lawyer Slack, is updating and rebranding the online community as LawyerSmack. “I made this change to ensure quality of the community,” says Lee, who is based in Birmingham, Alabama. While watching this international community grow, Lee also saw the project take up more…

Dec 7, 2017 3:05 PM CST

Florida Bar says former president can’t represent startup in suit claiming anti-competitive conduct

The Florida Bar argues that a former bar president should be disqualified from representing a Florida startup in its antitrust suit against the bar. The bar filed a disqualification motion Dec. 1 along with a motion seeking dismissal of the suit, the Daily Business Review (sub. req.) reports. TIKD Services,…

Dec 5, 2017 5:04 PM CST

What makes a good law firm website?

Each law firm has to decide the right course of action regarding website design based on its services and the type of client it wants to attract.

Dec 1, 2017 12:08 AM CST

7th Circuit rejects another appeal by lawyer ordered to pay up to $4.2M for sending junk faxes

A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal by an Illinois lawyer who was ordered to pay up to $4.2 million for sending junk-fax newsletters without an opt-out provision. The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals noted that the class action against Gregory Turza was nearly a decade old.…

Nov 16, 2017 3:19 PM CST

Chicago-based Levenfeld Pearlstein goes for open-book approach on website

For most law firms, information about fees, billing rates, and details about lateral partner hiring and integration are closely guarded secrets akin to the nuclear launch codes or Game of Thrones spoilers. When Chicago-based law firm Levenfeld Pearlstein decided to redesign its website, however, it decided to go the opposite…

Oct 13, 2017 2:50 PM CDT

Lawyers employ algorithms to guide pricing, advertising and advising

Drew Vaughn, founder of NuVorce, a divorce law firm in Chicago, created a cost-benefit formula that turns a consultation into a flat-rate fee structure.

Oct 1, 2017 2:00 AM CDT

Philly law firm sues Morgan & Morgan, claims its ads are misleading

Updated: A Philadelphia law firm has sued Morgan & Morgan for what it contends is misleading advertising by the Florida-based rival. Rosenbaum & Associates filed the federal suit on Sept. 22 over Morgan & Morgan ads targeting personal injury clients in the Philadelphia area. The complaint says Morgan & Morgan…

Sep 29, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

These four variables affect client retention, DLA Piper study found

DLA Piper estimated it increased revenue by $37.6 million by following advice gleaned from a data analytics study aimed at learning why revenue from some clients was staying flat or decreasing. The study, discussed at a recent conference sponsored by the International Legal Technology Association, found four key variables affected…

Aug 22, 2017 3:47 PM CDT

Ask Daliah: Want media attention? Take these four steps toward making the news

Dear Daliah: You've been in newspapers and on TV. How do you attract media attention?

Aug 17, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Be relevant and grow clientele by really using social media

Eighty-one percent of people use social media to connect with one another, engage with news, share information and entertain themselves. This number is up from just 5 percent in 2005, and it includes the more educated and affluent at all age levels. Not using social media is akin to being…

Aug 1, 2017 1:00 AM CDT

How prepared are law firms for cyber breaches? And how often are firms being attacked?

On the same day that a massive ransomware attack hit DLA Piper, cybersecurity startup firm LogicForce released a chilling report that found that law firms are still woefully unprepared for all sorts of cyber threats.

Jun 29, 2017 8:41 AM CDT

‘Marketing fees’ paid to Avvo violate New Jersey lawyer conduct rules, ethics opinion says

Lawyers in New Jersey can’t participate in client-linking services offered by Avvo because of ethics issues stemming from the company's "marketing fee," according to a joint ethics opinion by three New Jersey Supreme Court committees.

Jun 26, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Do you use social media to market your professional efforts?

Last week, Daliah Saper wrote about steps lawyers can take to use social media to market their law practices. Lawyers who don’t use social media for professional efforts may be an exception to the rule: In a survey earlier this year by the blog Attorney at Work, 70 percent of…

Jun 21, 2017 12:20 PM CDT

Ask Daliah: Four steps to making social media work for you

Dear Daliah: How do you use social media to market your law firm?

Dear Readers: I use social media on a daily basis to learn about recent legal trends, build my network, stay connected with existing clients and attract new ones. If you haven’t already leveraged the power of social media, you should start today.

Jun 15, 2017 8:15 AM CDT