Legal Marketing & Consulting

Lawyer Makes Ethics Entertaining

A lawyer with a love of theater has combined his appreciation for entertainment with his interest in ethics. Jack Marshall tells the Washington Post he thinks ethics can be entertaining. He runs a business, ProEthics, that offers legal and ethics training courses using professional actors and musicians to help deliver…

May 12, 2008 5:20 PM CDT

Some PR Advice to Law Firms Facing Bad Press: Be Honest, Tell a Positive Story

A well-publicized mass e-mail by a fired associate at Paul Hastings is raising questions about the proper way for law firms to handle news of lawyer dismissals and other negative press. The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) is raising the issue after a mass e-mail to colleagues by Shinyung Oh…

May 12, 2008 10:48 AM CDT

Lawyer Finds Niche Representing Gay Clients

A lawyer from downstate Illinois has developed a niche representing gay couples. Bloomington lawyer Jon McLaughlin told Dolan Media Newswires that about a fifth of his clients are gay or lesbian. “My firm does quite a bit of estate planning, and I thought it would be nice for someone to…

May 9, 2008 1:14 PM CDT

Big Firms Hurt Profits With Non-Equity Partners, Consultant Finds

Big law firms with the most non-equity partners may be hurting their partner profits. That conclusion seems counterintuitive, Legal Blog Watch points out. Many would assume that having fewer equity partners means higher profits per partner “because there are fewer partners taking a piece of the profit pie.” But law…

May 9, 2008 12:03 PM CDT

Appeals Court Says Lawyer’s Ad Seeking Plaintiffs Wasn’t Defamatory

A California appeals court has ruled that a lawyer’s ad seeking potential class-action plaintiffs did not defame a company mentioned in the solicitation. The ad said owners of wood decks using galvanized screws made by three companies might be entitled to compensation or free repairs, the Recorder reports. The lawyer…

May 2, 2008 4:28 PM CDT

Best for the Business

“Top workplace” firms garner loyalty from clients and employees

May 1, 2008 1:00 PM CDT

Cravath Welcomes New Strategy Director, Sort Of

Cravath, Swaine & Moore has hired a director of strategic planning. He’s William Johnston, who formerly worked at Hildebrandt International for 11 years as a vice president and director, the AmLaw Daily reports. Despite the impressive resume, presiding partner Evan Chesler couldn’t remember Johnston’s new title when AmLaw contacted him…

Apr 30, 2008 3:32 PM CDT

Bingham’s ‘Provocative’ Bear and Baby Ad Recognized

Bingham has won first-place awards for branding identity and advertising from the Legal Marketing Association. Larry Bodine’s LawMarketing Blog calls Bingham one of the big winners at the association’s 2008 meeting in Los Angeles. Among Bingham’s winning entries was an ad showing a bear holding a baby, the blog says.…

Apr 29, 2008 2:11 PM CDT

Advocacy Groups Among Contributors to New Legal Docs Database

About 200 lawyers and legal organizations have contributed legal documents to a website that launched at the end of February. Contributors to the site, JDSupra.com, include the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Cato Institute, the New York Times reports. The site allows lawyers to share pleadings, research memoranda and other…

Apr 28, 2008 4:52 PM CDT

Restrictive DUI Lawyer Advertising Bill Advances in Tenn.

Legislation that would prohibit lawyers from advertising that they offer discounts for anyone charged with DUI has passed through the Tennessee Senate’s Finance, Ways and Means Committee. Lawmakers are apparently reacting to ads in which lawyers claim to specialize in DUI. “What kind of message does that send? Clearly and…

Apr 23, 2008 11:32 AM CDT

New Website Plays Matchmaker For Would-Be Plaintiffs

A new website that has been described as a “reverse Martindale Hubbell” directory is getting some attention as it tries to match would-be plaintiffs to trial lawyers. Prospective plaintiffs looking for a lawyer can visit SueEasy.com, select a category of lawsuit and create a profile. The idea is that lawyers…

Apr 21, 2008 4:48 PM CDT

Law Firm Business Development Spending Up 20 Percent, Survey Says

Spending on business development among law firms surveyed by ALM Research went up by more than 20 percent last year. Meanwhile, the survey says, these law firms spent 1.2 percent of their gross revenue on business development and marketing, reports the Associated Press. “Hiring last year for business development was…

Apr 17, 2008 3:26 PM CDT

Hiring of Former Pentagon GC Not Big News to Chevron

Chevron Corp. has hired William “Jim” Haynes II, the former Pentagon general counsel criticized for his role in approving harsh interrogation techniques, but the company didn’t rush to publicize its new acquisition. Chevron informed its management committee it had hired Haynes as its chief corporate counsel on Feb. 27, but…

Apr 11, 2008 2:14 PM CDT

Law Blogging Shifts from Novelty to Community-Builder in Ohio

Lawyer-run blogs haven’t completely taken off in the Columbus, Ohio, legal community, but they’re becoming increasingly common. While corporate America uses blogs to detail product development and further brand identity, the Dayton Business Journal notes that law blogs “are more likely to stick to communicating about a specific practice area…

Apr 4, 2008 5:13 PM CDT

Akin Gump Wins Dismissal of Suit by Disappointed Recruiter

A New York judge has granted summary judgment to Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld in a suit by a recruiter who claimed he deserved to be paid for referring a Korea specialist to the law firm. Judge Jane Solomon of Manhattan cited evidence that the law firm hired Korea…

Apr 4, 2008 2:02 PM CDT