Another “man am I glad I had the sense to start my own firm” story. I remember late in my second year of law school, when every one was looking for summer associate positions. Unless the practice has changed since the days of yore when I was attended law school, law students try to find…
Category: Practice of Law
Proofreading Documents by Having Them Read to You — Natural Reader Review
I don’t quite understand the phenomenon. I find great tools, use them for awhile, and then they somehow fall out of my mental toolbox. This is a tool that I used extensively for some time for proofreading documents, and only recently rediscovered it when I came across my own review article. I’ve started using it…
Add an Extra Monitor to Your Laptop for $14.99
How to add an extra monitor. I’ve written before about the quantum leap in efficiency you enjoy when using multiple monitors, and I assume that most attorneys who work with a desktop arrangement have at least two monitors going. But what if you use a laptop instead of a desktop arrangement, or are out and…
The Definitive Guide to Starting Your Own Law Firm . . . is Coming
Starting Your Own Law Firm When I created this website, I sought to make it a resource for new attorneys who want to start their own firms, and for established attorneys who want to grow the firms they have. There are many resources for learning the mechanics of starting a firm, so I spent…
Understanding Long Tail Searches, and Why You Should Keyword Optimize for Your Location
Over and over again I see attorneys make the mistake of trying to optimize their websites for the biggest and best search terms or, worse, paying big money for pay-per-click ads for those terms. Allow me to explain why, as counter-intuitive as it may appear, that you want to optimize for the search terms that…
A Heartfelt Thank You for the #1 Law Firm Marketing Book on Amazon
One year ago today my e-book on law firm marketing, How to Create a Big, Fat Pipeline of New Clients for Your Law Firm in Just 10 Days, appeared on Amazon, and shot straight to number one among all the books in that category. It occasionally drifts down a spot or two, but for the…
Fiverr.com – Your Law Firm’s Low Cost Personal Assistant
If you have not yet experienced the joy that is Fiverr.com, you are in for a real treat. Fiverr is the world’s largest online marketplace for $5 services, with weird services such as “I will write any message on my lips and take a photo” or “I will make fun of someone in my stand-up…
Does Starting Your Own Law Firm Have to be a Lonely Experience?
I happened across an article entitled Thinking of Going Solo? Think Carefully, published on the American Bar Association website by an attorney named Jennifer Ator. It is important to read the introductory paragraph, because Ms. Ator specifically confirms that starting your own firm can be a wonderful thing, and states that once her friends “eventually…
How Does Google Work?
In my book, How to Create a Big, Fat Pipeline of New Clients for Your Law Firm in Just 10 Days, I discuss all the factors Google looks at to determine which search results will appear on page one. I came across this very good video that discusses the issues as well, and provides a basic…
Chocolate-Covered Strawberries Restore My Faith in Humanity
No doubt much to the chagrin of my partner, I give away an obscene amount of free legal services. The thing is, I’ve been doing this so long that I have worked out easy solutions for many of the legal problems I get calls about. Most attorneys would no doubt bring the caller in and…
Five Reasons Attorneys Get Suckered by SEO Marketing Scams (and How to Make Sure You’re Not One of Them)
In my book, How to Create a Big, Fat Pipeline of New Clients for Your Law Firm in Just 10 Days, I provide the following anecdote: There is a classic Peanuts comic, where Linus is going door to door trying to sell wadded up pieces of paper as cat toys. His sales presentation is good,…
Yelp Reviews for Attorneys – Yelp Sues the McMillan Law Group, Claiming it Posted Fake Reviews
Yelp Reviews for Attorneys As part of your legal marketing, it is very beneficial if you can offer testimonials, and great if you have good on-line reviews. However, what follows is a cautionary tale of why attorneys must avoid the temptation of creating their own reviews. My primary practice area is free speech and defamation,…
iPad Tip for Lawyers: How to Put Your Contact Information on Your Lock Screen
It’s a very obvious idea that had never occurred to me until I saw this video. I have my contact information printed on a label on the back of my iPad, but why not put it right on the lock screen, so anyone who finds my iPad will see who it belongs to as soon…
Best Client Call of the Week
It is only Wednesday, so I suppose I could receive a call that would top this one, but I’m pretty confident this will be the winner. I received an inquiry by email, seeking representation on a breach of contract matter. The email mentioned that the contract was only two pages, so I responded that if…