You may not be aware (as evidenced by the number of hardware devices I see being sold that do the same thing), Windows 10 has the ability to mirror your screen to any other Windows 10 computer, as well as other devices compatible with the Miracast standard. It’s a easy, free way to add…
Category: Starting Your Own Firm
From the Trenches – Genius Advocacy or Sleazy Tactics?
Remember the days before the pandemic when we actually went to court for trials? In one of my many weird cases, the defendant had managed to continue the trial seven times and delayed my client’s day in court for over a year. Here is the technique he used, and while it is not something I…
Don’t Let the Client’s Problems Create Problems for You
Being actively concerned about your clients’ problems will naturally come with the territory if you have a heart. When you are representing someone who is about to lose their home due to fraud, or lose visitation of a child through a custody battle, you can’t help but be awed by the life-altering nature of your…
How to Use “Freemiums” to Market Your Law Firm
“Freemium” is a business model that works by offering a product or service free of charge (typically digital offerings such as eBooks) while charging a premium for advanced features, functionality, or related products and services. The word “freemium” is a portmanteau* combining the two aspects of the business model: “free” and “premium”. Thanks Wikipedia. Freemiums…
Student Debt? What Student Debt?
With the downturn in the economy and the upturn in law school tuition, the perfect storm was created for a bumper crop of extremely dissatisfied law school grads, saddled with debt and finding only poor job prospects. On my Internet Defamation Blog, I wrote about the law student from Thomas M. Cooley Law School…
Don’t Be That Attorney – What Part of “Without Cause” Don’t You Understand?
Forgive me if I periodically vent here, but I’ll use my diatribes to illustrate important points. One of my fundamental points is that the practice of law is far more enjoyable if you are on the right side of a case. You can feel great about what you are doing, knowing that you are on…
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…
It’s Your Time to Shine, Juke Box Hero
In a town without a name, in a heavy downpour Thought he passed his own shadow, by the backstage door Like a trip through the past, to that day in the rain And that one guitar, made his whole life change – “Juke Box Hero” by Mick Jones (Foreigner) At the risk of sounding grandiose…
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…
New York Busts 19 Companies for Fake On-Line Reviews
Bloomberg Businessweek published a great article on Tuesday, discussing fake Yelp reviews, following a sting operation in New York, designed to catch businesses engaging in the process. Referring to the process as “astroturfing”, the article details the sting by the New York State Attorney General. The AG set up a fake yogurt shop in Brooklyn,…
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,…
Unhappiest Job in America: Associate Attorney
The website CareerBliss.com has compiled a list of the happiest and unhappiest jobs in America, and found that associate attorney is the absolute worst. Based on a survey of 65,000 employees, which examined such factors as relationship with boss, work environment, job resources, compensation, daily tasks and control over work, associate attorney rated just 2.89…
If You Lie Down With Dogs You Wake Up With Fleas — Rule #1 for a Satisfying Law Practice
My book on starting your own firm is oh so close to publication, and a call from opposing counsel today reminded me of the ramifications of violating Rule 1 from that book. Rule 1 is a lesson they never teach in law school; one that many attorneys never learn. In civil litigation, no one is…
Let Me Google That For You
I just had one of those “how did I not know about this great website” moments. But first let me tell you how I’m going to use this site. Here is how the call typically goes. Caller: “I just got fired and my union isn’t doing anything about it.” Me: “Oh, I’m so sorry, we…