‘Ghostblogging’ Law Firms Risk Their Reputations, Consultant Says

Law firms should encourage their lawyers to write online content—by creating financial and career advancement incentives, and by making sure the top lawyers lead by example, according to a law firm consultant. A professional editor who guides lawyer’s contributions and edits content is also a good idea, according to Jordan…

Feb 16, 2011 2:44 PM CST

Law Firm Gives Away Free Divorce on Valentine’s Day

A West Virginia woman has won a free divorce in a law firm’s annual Valentine’s Day contest. The Webb Law Firm of Charleston, W. Va., named Loretta Travis the winner of its contest for her “creative and humorous description of her husband,” according to a press release. The firm gives…

Feb 15, 2011 2:09 PM CST

E-Mails Suggest Law Firm Considered ‘Dirty-Tricks’ Plan to Discredit Chamber Critics

The Hunton & Williams law and lobbying firm considered proposals from three data security contractors to undermine opponents of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, according to e-mail released by hackers angered by the CEO of one of the security firms. The Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post have stories…

Feb 15, 2011 1:40 PM CST

Lawyer’s Sanction Hiked After Calling Ethics System a ‘Hideous Aberration of Justice’

Lawyer Patrick Rocchio didn’t mince words in writings and testimony contesting a disciplinary matter in Indiana, calling the discipline system “a hideous aberration of justice” and the ethics rules “frivolous and antiquated.” He failed to persuade the Indiana Supreme Court, which decided to increase Rocchio’s sanction because of his contempt…

Feb 14, 2011 3:23 PM CST

Recruiters ‘Attack Like Piranhas’ as Law Firms Start to Crumble

The first sign of trouble for a law firm often occurs when partners with a large portable practice become dissatisfied with management and jump to a new opportunity. Then the next tier of partners fears problems and they circulate their resumés, according to New York recruiter Jerome Kowalski of Kowalski…

Feb 8, 2011 1:42 PM CST

A Coach for Solos Sees Lessons in ‘Uppity White Trash’ Experience

A solo-practice coach learned how easy it is to misjudge people during a trip to the supermarket after oral surgery. Susan Carter Liebel, the founder of the Solo Practice University website and an ABA Journal Legal Rebel, says she looked like “a battered Walmart shopper” when she ventured out to…

Feb 7, 2011 12:00 PM CST

Legal Marketer Sees Lessons in Alleged Near-Assault by Airline Employee

Legal marketer Larry Bodine usually uses his blog to deliver advice and news about how law firms can attract more clients through good communications strategies and effective use of technology. After a clash with a United Airlines employee, Bodine was once again delivering marketing advice, although this time it was…

Feb 2, 2011 3:11 PM CST

PI Firm Seeks Tweets About Icy Walkways; Promises to Donate Sandbags to Slick Properties

A Milwaukee personal injury law firm is on the hunt for slick spots on the city’s sidewalks. The Warshafsky Law Firm is soliciting tips from city residents through Twitter, Facebook to identify slippery spots around the city and then posting them on a dedicated blog, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel blog Proof…

Feb 1, 2011 9:12 PM CST

Watch Your Social Media Posts Because Lawyer Regulators, FTC May Be

While social media marketing is still in its Wild West stage, devil-may-care attorneys recklessly exploiting the media could soon face grief, according to a panel that helped open LegalTech New York 2011 this week. Lawyers engaging in hyperbole on blogs, artificially inflating the number of followers they have on Twitter…

Feb 1, 2011 7:16 PM CST

Seduced: For Lawyers, the Appeal of Social Media Is Obvious. It’s Also Dangerous

Feb 1, 2011 10:20 AM CST

Blawg 100 Popular Vote: The Readers Have Spoken

Feb 1, 2011 9:30 AM CST

Law on the Open Road: One Man’s Avocation has Become His Niche

Feb 1, 2011 7:00 AM CST

Is Anybody Reading Law Firm Client Alerts? Not If the ‘Spray and Pray’ Method Is Used

If you believe the in-house lawyers at a recent marketing partner forum in Arizona, nobody is reading client alerts. One general counsel said he gets more than 50 client alerts in the e-mail with each legal development, according to Adrian Dayton, a social media consultant writing for the National Law…

Jan 31, 2011 12:00 PM CST

As Clients Shift Work, How Do We Deal with This Change Thing?

Editor’s note: The New Normal is an ongoing discussion between Paul Lippe, the CEO of Legal OnRamp, and Patrick Lamb, founding member of Valorem Law Group. Paul and Pat spend a lot of time thinking, writing and speaking about the changes occurring in the delivery of legal services. We hope…

Jan 24, 2011 2:02 PM CST

Crowdsourced Legal Answers Website Gets $600K from Investors, Including Google Ventures

A legal website that offers “crowdsourced” answers to legal questions posed by California companies, especially startups, is getting $600,000 in funding from Google Ventures and individual investors. The website is called LawPivot, and it could “disrupt some of the [legal] industry’s most basic business practices,” according to a November story…

Jan 21, 2011 5:16 PM CST