Legal Marketing & Consulting

‘Tis the Season for Law Firms to Invite Laid-Off Lawyers to Holiday Parties

An invitation to a holiday party being hosted by Morgan Lewis & Bockius wasn’t greeted as glad tidings by every recipient. While being included in the event is perhaps a nice gesture, hearing about the firm’s successful year in a lengthy newsletter to law firm alumni hasn’t put them in…

Dec 8, 2009 11:33 PM CST

Law Firm Website Redesign Lesson: Review Photos as Well as Text

Even when a well-known legal consultant is handling a law firm website redesign, it’s important for partners to retain an oversight role, a small Texas law firm has learned the hard way. Stock photo illustrations of seeming crime victims published in connection with descriptions of Lindeman, Alvarado & Frye’s sex…

Dec 7, 2009 7:54 PM CST

Hildebrandt, Baker Robbins & Co. to Combine

Two legal consultancies—.one focused on management consulting, the other on information technology strategy—announced their plans to merge on Jan 1. Hildebrandt International’s and Baker Robbins & Co.’s consultants will work together under the Hildebrandt Baker Robbins name, according to a press release. Both are part of Thomson Reuters Corp., which…

Dec 4, 2009 8:58 PM CST

Risk Avoidance May Explain Why Big Firm Blogs Are Boring, Blogger Says

An inquiring blogger wants to know: Why are blogs associated with large law firms sometimes so boring, and why did so few appear in the ABA Journal’s Blawg 100? Blogger Mark Herrmann is a partner with Jones Day’s Chicago office who writes for the Drug and Device Law blog. He…

Dec 3, 2009 4:57 PM CST

Third Annual ABA Journal Blawg 100

Welcome to the third annual ABA Journal Blawg 100—the best legal blogs as selected by the Journal’s editors. This year we did something even more blog-like. We asked our readers to help us find blawgs worthy of note. We called it our Blawg Amici and we asked law blog readers…

Dec 2, 2009 5:50 AM CST

Like a Dress Code, Social Media Policy Can Prevent Excess Exposure

When potential clients Google your law firm, do you want a paralegal’s MySpace page featuring “unprofessional interests and photos” to be the first hit they get? Obviously, the answer to this question is no. But that’s exactly what happened when attorney Greg Ripple looked up a law firm he didn’t…

Nov 24, 2009 6:01 PM CST

What In-House Counsel Want: Relationship Building and Quick Answers

Sometimes legal costs aren’t the most important thing to in-house counsel selecting their outside lawyers. In-house lawyers also want law firms that are willing to take the initiative to build the relationship, according to a National Law Journal report on a recent panel discussion in Boston. The panel at the…

Nov 23, 2009 7:42 PM CST

PI Firm Sues Competitor for Hijacking Name in Online Searches

Wisconsin’s largest personal injury law firm has taken a different legal tack in an effort to get a competitor to stop hijacking its name in Google searches. Habush, Habush & Rottier has sued competitor Cannon & Dunphy for paying Google and other search engines to direct people who search for…

Nov 19, 2009 3:56 PM CST

Law Firm Loyalty Is Sometimes Overrated, Consultant Says

Loyalty to a law firm is laudable—to a point, a consultant says. Lawyers also need to consider loyalty to clients, their families and themselves, according to Frank D’Amore, founder of the legal recruiting firm Attorney Career Catalysts. These allegiances are more important than loyalties to a law firm that is…

Nov 13, 2009 4:46 PM CST

Lawyers Who Want Better Visibility on Avvo Can Pay for It

Lawyers who want to beef up their Avvo listings and learn more about their online visitors should be prepared to pay for the privilege. Avvo is offering a new premium service called Avvo Pro that costs $49.95 a month, although the first month is free, according to Robert Ambrogi’s LawSites.…

Nov 10, 2009 7:26 PM CST

Why Abandoning Lockstep Can Lead to Disgruntled Associates

Abandoning lockstep promotions and salary hikes for associates can hurt morale if the system is perceived as unfair, according to a consultant who is an organizational psychologist. Writing for the New York Law Journal, Larry Richard of the legal consulting firm Hildebrandt warns about the dangers of moving to a…

Nov 6, 2009 4:27 PM CST

Revised N.J. Ethics Rule Allows Lawyers to Tout Super Lawyers Designation

The New Jersey Supreme Court has changed the ethics rules to allow lawyers to tout their designation as among the “Super Lawyers” and “Best Lawyers in America.” The rule change, enacted Wednesday, carries some restrictions, the New Jersey Law Journal reports. Any ad that mentions such a designation must include…

Nov 6, 2009 12:49 PM CST

Partner Bloodbaths Ahead? Wary of Collection Numbers? Deal With It

Rumors of partner bloodbaths and wariness about the upcoming collections season are bound to send chills up lawyers’ spines. But the American Lawyer suggests it is time to “embrace the suck,” a military term that means the situation is bad—so deal with it. “What’s unclear is whether firms are, well,…

Nov 3, 2009 7:38 PM CST

Want to Update Your Avvo Listing? If So, Start Policing Client Comments, Opinion Says

Updated: South Carolina lawyers tempted to update their listings on websites such as LinkedIn and Avvo should consider a new ethics opinion by the state bar’s Ethics Advisory Committee. The advisory opinion says lawyers who “claim” the website listing by clicking on an “update this listing” link or otherwise adopting…

Oct 28, 2009 4:36 PM CDT

K&L Gates Touted Ties to Lawmaker Whose Earmarks Are Now Under Scrutiny

K&L Gates touted its relationship with U.S. Rep. Peter Visclosky, an Indiana Democrat whose earmarks are now under investigation. A Washington Post story notes the boast of “a very good relationship” in a lobbyist’s letter to a potential client. One pricing option offered: a monthly retainer of $6,500 in addition…

Oct 27, 2009 2:02 PM CDT