Legal Marketing & Consulting

Federal district court cautions lawyers to be careful about repeating judges’ compliments

An attorney in Newark, N.J., has vowed to appeal a recent U.S. district court ruling that his law firm’s website may not post excerpts from judicial opinions praising the quality of his work on various cases. The Dwyer Law Firm primarily represents employees pursuing claims against their employers. Shortly after…

Oct 1, 2013 8:20 AM CDT

Some solos say advertising in the Yellow Pages is still worth it

Kyra Payne believes that when people browse through the Chicago Yellowbook in search of a lawyer, they’ll stop when they see her smiling face at the bottom of page 671 and pick up the phone. “I’ve had people say, ‘I like your picture. You look like someone who will take…

Oct 1, 2013 7:20 AM CDT

A $4.2M mistake? Lawyer is liable for faxing ‘mundane advice’ to accountants, 7th Circuit says

An Illinois lawyer who faxed newsletters to more than 200 accountants with “mundane advice” along with his specialties and contact information could be on the hook for millions of dollars in damages as a result of a federal appeals court ruling. Lawyer Gregory Turza violated federal law banning unsolicited fax…

Sep 16, 2013 10:30 AM CDT

Want to work at home and make thousands, lawyer’s ad asks? Have a baby, dump dad

“Do you like to work at home? Would you like to make thousands a month?” asks an ad placed by El Paso, Texas, lawyer Mark T. Davis. Have a baby, get rid of the father and “get the money,” then spend the funds on “drinking, expensive restaurants and clubs,” reads…

Sep 10, 2013 4:15 PM CDT

Letters: Simply fabulous marketing tips

SIMPLY FABULOUS MARKETING TIPS What a gold mine of information is provided in “50 Simple Ways You Can Market Your Practice,” July. Some marketing experts package just half of these key points and sell it on as marketing consultancy strategies. Thanks for sharing, and in such simple language. Karl Obayi…

Sep 1, 2013 10:00 AM CDT

6 tools to help firms track social media

There’s a pressing need for a tool that can monitor and archive everything a law firm’s client says and does on social media, given that more and more e-discovery demands are including data generated by employee mobile devices. More than 41 percent of firms surveyed last year reported having to…

Sep 1, 2013 7:40 AM CDT

Law firm’s exclusive ads on Philly buses violated antitrust law, competitor’s suit alleges

A personal injury law firm in Philadelphia claims in a lawsuit that a competitor violated antitrust law with exclusive advertising contracts for ads on the exterior of Philadelphia buses. The suit by Larry Pitt & Associates claims Lundy Law also locked up advertising at the Wells Fargo Center and on…

Aug 29, 2013 2:20 PM CDT

Lawyer says his divorce coupon ad is working

A Georgia lawyer who advertises his “cheap divorces” says this unusual offer is working: Buy one divorce, get the next for half off. “End the misery today!” the ad says. Lawyer Sean Simmons tells the Huffington Post the ad has gotten noticed, though some dislike it. Jay Leno showed it…

Aug 27, 2013 1:08 PM CDT

Law firms can’t describe ‘specialties’ on LinkedIn, New York ethics opinion says

Law firms may not describe their services in a section of LinkedIn devoted to specialties, according to a New York ethics opinion. New York ethics rules allow lawyers, but not law firms, to state that they have been certified as a specialist, according to the June 26 opinion (PDF) by…

Aug 16, 2013 4:25 PM CDT

Legal ethicists are playing catch-up to create social media guidelines for lawyers, judges

Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn–there are now many social media platforms which lawyers are urged to use to build business and retain clients. But they also present many opportunities to run afoul of legal ethics rules. In recent years, the states have been putting out a steady stream of ethics…

Aug 10, 2013 9:42 PM CDT

‘My sentencing instincts suck,’ blogging judge admits, wishing ex-con-turned-law-student well

This week, we noted that Shon Hopwood—who wrote a rare winning certiorari petition to the U.S. Supreme Court while in federal prison for bank robbery and has since been released and entered law school—has been hired as a clerk for Judge Janice Rogers Brown of the U.S. Court of Appeals…

Aug 9, 2013 1:30 PM CDT

Law firm files racketeering suit over legal consultant’s claimed ‘bogus Internet marketing program’

Updated: A Michigan law firm has filed a federal civil racketeering lawsuit against a legal consultant that allegedly sold a “bogus Internet marketing program” to multiple small practitioners, sparking Web comment and criticism of all parties involved in the case. The plaintiff firm, Seikaly & Stewart, says that The Rainmaker…

Aug 6, 2013 5:55 PM CDT

Dechert looks to Hollywood for marketing edge (video)

Duncan Wiggetts, a London-based partner at Dechert, talks with Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia about the release of A Price Worth Paying, a new film produced by the law firm and Area 17 that highlights some of the corporate governance issues facing today’s boards. Written by Wiggetts and directed by Nick…

Aug 1, 2013 5:41 PM CDT

Some law firm trendsetters, like corporate clients, are testing attorneys for job compatibility

You don’t learn to dance by reading a book. Yet those in charge of major legal partnerships, unlike the corporations for which they work, typically don’t have formal testing and training programs to supplement the knowledge attorneys bring to the job from law school and select the right individuals to…

Jul 25, 2013 10:20 PM CDT

Controversial Facebook underwear photo offers a diversity message, says law grad seeking work

Brian Zulberti apparently hoped to stand out among the horde of recent law graduates seeking legal work by including a nontraditional photo of himself in a mass email to potential employers. And he succeeded, big time. Some might think the technique backfired when it caught the attention of Above the…

Jul 25, 2013 6:59 PM CDT