Everyone knows lawyers are not supposed to chase ambulances, but do you really know what that means? What are the ethical traps that lawyers unintentionally fall into when placing information on their websites? Is it okay to say you “specialize” in an area of law? Refresh your memory of the basic marketing ethics rules that you haven’t looked at since you took the MPRE. There are
Want to get something for nothing? Has that ever turned out well? Maybe yes...maybe no. But it can with cloud technology. Plenty of legal organizations subscribe to Microsoft 365 and do so primarily for Word, Excel, and Outlook. But there's another great benefit to Microsoft 365 - whether you are a solo attorney or a multi-member firm: OneDrive. Every Microsoft 365 subscription includes...
The ABA and Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s (ABA/HBFF) groundbreaking 2016 study confirmed devastatingly high rates of both mental health concerns and substance abuse amongst lawyers. For example, between 21-36% of attorneys qualify as problem drinkers—3-5x higher than the general population. Moreover, 25-30% of attorney disciplinary matters, 60% of all malpractice claims, and 85% of
Videoconferencing is supposed to be the pandemic equivalent to in-person meetings, from meeting with a client to appearing before a judge. It is equivalent, in the sense that you can still meet or network “in-person,” but the person is encapsulated in a tiny square. It isn’t equivalent when you realize that most participants are sitting at home in the corner of their ...
Lawyers have an ethical duty to be competent and to keep their client data confidential. Clients too want to keep their confidential data protected. All too often, information security is not prioritized by law firms. It costs money to protect data and businesses frequently resist budgeting for security, even though an ounce of prevention is far less expensive than a pound of cure. Investigating a
Smart attorneys know that it’s not enough to have the best argument or the perfect solution—you also need to be able to communicate ideas effectively. This is certainly the case when it comes to PowerPoint presentations.
Flashes of Brilliance is a dynamic program that shows you how to create and deliver winning visual presentations regardless of your design...
As lawyers moved to working remotely, they flocked in droves to Zoom for video conferencing. As they quickly learned, it was easy to use – and their clients loved it too. Zoom is rich in features, but beware – in order to use Zoom ethically and competently – you need to become educated about using Zoom securely. That requires training. Many of the stories you’ve heard ...
Legal technology is a double-edged sword; it can cause malpractice, or it can guard against it! Most of the top causes for malpractice and grievance issues are related to organization, communication, and law office management. As such, they are largely preventable. How do you properly communicate confidential information with clients? How do you properly negotiate documents with opposing counsel?
As attorneys, chronic stress is often a part of our job. If we do not effectively manage chronic stress, however, it has the potential to cripple our productivity levels. Chronic stress can also make it physically, mentally, and emotionally impossible to advocate for our clients and communicate with them effectively and competently. Further, we run the risk of violating the rules of professional ...
Many lawyers forget that law is a service profession. Studies show that the most frequent reason for losing clients is poor service. And retaining clients in a volatile economy is crucial to your practice. So how do you make sure you’re providing the best service?