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LinkedIn Signal : Powerful networking tool to follow relevant discussions

Kevin O'Keefe — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:17:12 -0800

Kate Rose of the UK's Rose McGrory Social Media (@RoseMcGrory), penned a good piece last week on how to use LinkedIn Signals to find the conversations relevant to your business development work.

So, did you know that it’s possible to search the whole of LinkedIn – all the public Group and Update content – for conversations around keywords which are relevant to your business? And not only that, you can also refine the search results by geography, industry, job seniority and more?

It's done via the LinkedIn's Signal feature.

Under the “News” heading in the main menu bar, choose the option “Signal” from the drop down menu. This will give you a feed of everything that’s being published, content wise, from people in your personal network.
The real power is in the filters located on the left hand side. The default is set to restrict results to those of your immediate contacts.
Use the filters to pick out precise combinations of a company, location or industry.
Further use the filters to find discussions by topic (hashtag), seniority of people, groups discussing the topic, the school people attended who are discussing a topic.
You're not limited by the items suggested by LinkedIn in the filters, you can search at each level.

Here's a brief video from LinkedIn explaining how to use Signal.

Networking is not a dirty word

Kevin O'Keefe — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:30:34 -0800

In an article on CNN Money, Reid Hoffman (@quixotic), co-founder of LinkedIn, addresses the fear of networking that holds many lawyers back when it comes to business development on or offline.

Many people are turned off by the topic of networking. They think it's slimy, inauthentic. Picture the consummate networker: a high-energy fast talker who collects as many business cards as he can and attends mixers sporting slicked-back hair. Or the overambitious college kid who frantically e-mails alumni, schmoozes with the board of trustees, and adds anyone he's ever met as an online friend. Such people are drunk on networking Kool-Aid -- and are looking at a potentially nasty hangover.

Luckily for lawyers, networking doesn't have to be like that. Traditional networking is all about relationships.

Old-school networkers are transactional. They pursue relationships thinking solely about what other people can do for them. Relationship builders, on the other hand, try to help others first. They don't keep score. And they prioritize high-quality relationships over a large number of connections.

The keys to building relationships through networking are two-fold per Hoffman.

See the world from the person's perspective. It's only when you put yourself in the other person's shoes that you begin to develop an honest connection.
Think about how you can collaborate with and help the other person, rather than thinking about what you can get. You need not be so saintly that a self-interested thought never crosses your mind, but your first move should always be to help.

Start with a friendly gesture and genuinely mean it. Just as in negotiations, search for shared interests and ask questions of the other person.

When networking through the Internet, whether blogging or using LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook, keep these simple concepts of networking in mind.

Networking is something people have done for hundreds of years. The Internet did not change the value of networking nor the concepts of networking.

Law firm websites are not the foundation of online business development

Kevin O'Keefe — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:16:26 -0800

In response to my post that law firms are focusing too much on websites, my friend and legal marketing professional, Steve Matthews, responded that he couldn't disagree more and that websites are the foundation of business development online for law firms.

I’m very confident in my position that the law firm website continues to be the foundation piece for executing business development online — and that includes relationship, referral, and word-of-mouth marketing. Not having a website, or a poorly executed website, can be one of the most serious detriments to the online sales chain. Bad firm websites are a roadblock that stops every other law firm online activity in its tracks.

Let’s face it: lawyers can have outstanding online reputations or be well regarded online commentators. But if their firm website doesn’t back that reputation up, contact conversions (emails, phone calls and contact forms) die at the doorstep; traffic simply won’t convert to contacts. Most legal marketers have seen this happen at least to one of their clients’ websites over the years.

Online commentary and reputation are excellent ways to bring people to your door. But very few will pass over the threshold if you can’t even explain what business you’re in.

The fact is law firms have websites. The question is not whether to have a website or not. The question is whether law firms should throw more money and time at their website when the firm's lawyers and business development professionals don't know how to use the Internet to network.

Relationships and a strong word a word of mouth reputation are how lawyers get their work. Always has been. Always will be.

Lawyers and law firms got plenty of work before we had websites. They did it through networking.

The Internet doesn't change that. The Internet just presents lawyers a golden opportunity to network so as to build relationships and enhance one's reputation at an accelerated rate.

When it comes to networking through the Internet, a website doesn't make the list of the most important items to master.

LinkedIn. Not just as your profile of record that's more important than the bio on your websites, but as a consumate networking arena.
RSS reader. How can you network with others online if you cannot hear what others are talking about?
Blog. There is simply no better way for a lawyer to grow professionally and from a business development standpoint than to blog in an engaging fashion.
Twitter. In addition to Twitter possibly being the single biggest personal branding tool since the television, Twitter provides lawyers a powerful information network and relationship building tool.
Facebook. Too many lawyers divide the online world into personal and professional. Networkers know you can't do it. Facebook enables lawyers to enhance their relationships with close business associates.
Google+. No one has a firm grip on where Google+ is headed, but their is no question it's here to stay and is going to influence search and discovery of information and people. Lawyers would be well served to experiment with Google+.

Those six tools are all about networking through the Internet. Networking that empowers a lawyer to build relationships and enhance their reputation.

Networking online certainly does not replace face to face networking and meetings. Networking online accelerates the opportunities for face to face networking and meeting with prospective clients.

I meet a hundred times the people I want to meet for business development reasons as other business people do. The reason is that I network through the Internet. The same is the case for lawyers who do so.

I have never heard of one person who has developed a relationship with me or another lawyer through LinkedIn, Blogging, Twitter, and other online networking turn the other way because of a deficiency in our websites.

LexBlog's website has always been a sense of frustration for our team. We're not convinced our website conveys well what we do or how we're different.

We have plans to upgrade our website, but our networking to build relationships and build our word of mouth reputation has enabled LexBlog to grow at a pretty fast clip year over year.

Websites simply don't get law firms and lawyers new legal work from the types of clients most law firms and lawyers want. Rainmaking through networking does.

I am not suggesting that law firms do away with websites. I am not suggesting that law firms not have a website.

What I am suggesting is that once you have a website, put your money where you get your best clients - into learning how to network online.

Ask the best lawyers in your firm. Ask the lawyers in your community who have the best business. Ask the managing partners leading successful law firms. Ask the chief marketing officers of major firms.

All of them will tell you their best work comes from relationships and a strong word of mouth reputation. All of them will tell you that relationships and a strong word of mouth reputation come from lawyers getting out networking.

Now that the Internet has arrived, don't change course. Don't leave your common sense at the doorway. Go with what brung you. Networking to build relationships and a strong reputation.

Unfortunately, networking online is not something which many lawyers and law firm business development people understand. Nor does networking online come naturally.

That's why law firms out to forgo emphasis on existing websites, and put their money into educating their lawyers, business development professionals and their marketing/communications professionals what networking online is all about.

Networking through Internet still in infancy

Kevin O'Keefe — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:28:14 -0800

Reid Hoffman (@quixotic), co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn as well as an early investor in Facebook, told CBS News this week that networking through the Internet remains very young.

You have Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter. I think that the notion of a social web is actually still at its very beginning stages, and the notion of how we form these human ecosystems, these societies together, I think we've just begun to see the interesting apps by which people either navigate sharing with their friends or managing careers. And I think there's decades of innovation left.

I'm in complete agreement. The notion that we're on social media overload and that social media and social networking has peaked is fool hardy.

As attorneys, we've networked for decades (perhaps hundreds of years) in order to build relationships and enhance our reputations.

It's only been the last few years that applications the likes of LinkedIn and Facebook have been developed allowing attorneys to network through the Internet. Blogging and Twitter also powerful networking tools, are less than 10 years old.

Attorneys, law firms, and other professionals, by and large, have not adopted the Internet as means of networking. It's only a select few who have recognized the opportunity of networking through the Internet.

In the decades to come, we're going see attorneys and other professionals begin to network through the Internet in droves. Entrepreneurs are going to enhance existing Internet networking solutions and develop new ones to serve the growing demand.

For those of you who believe you're a luddite and that the world has passed you by, don't worry for a second more. We're just getting started. Those of you who begin to network through the Internet now will be years ahead of your competitors who fail to adapt.

It's an exciting time to be an attorney who has left the practice to develop solutions empowering attorneys to network through the net.

Are law firms equipped to handle technology needed for business development?

Kevin O'Keefe — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:09:35 -0800

You may already be following the advent of LXBN TV on LXBN (LexBlog Network). For those of you who haven't seen LXBN TV, we're doing interviews with leading lawyers on legal issues and current affairs in the news.

The interviews are conducted via Skype with a split screen displaying Colin O'Keefe, Editorial Manager at LexBlog, and the lawyer being interviewed.

LXBN TV is being well received by LXBN Network members. They love the positive exposure that being interviewed by an independent network gives them. The law firms find it much more beneficial from a business development and PR standpoint than if the firm was doing its own video work.

When I asked Colin how things were progressing he said great, except many law firms don't allow Skype at their firms. I responded that the lawyers ought to then use an iPad on which it's easy to download and run the Skype app. Colin responded that the Wifi access in many law firms is so slow, that won't work.

One lawyer on Facebook told me that it looked like some of the lawyers were doing the interviews from home. They were because they had to.

Amazing. Simple solutions available at home and to your kids at school are not available in many law firms.

How can it happen? Leadership that's uninformed as to where the world is headed and without the ability to get things done.

Everything else is just an excuse.

Security? Work around it and come up with solutions like other companies do.
Too busy? Time to prioritize.
Our IT team is not equipped to get this done? Get them on the ball or replace them with an IT team that is.
Skype is amateurish? You said the same thing of YouTube a couple years ago.

For entrepreneurs and small firm lawyers who get things done and can't imagine such roadblocks, this happens routinely in large organizations. After my last company was bought by LexIsNexis, it took LexisNexis a year to get me VPN access so I could effectively operate remote when I was in Seattle - and I was an officer of the company.

My friend, Ernie Svenson, reminds me each time I see him that it's as William Gibson says, "The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."

Why Google+ Matters for Lawyers -- client webinar on Thursday, 2/23

Helen Pitlick — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:52:21 -0800

Google+ launched in June 2011 and opened to general use in September 2011. Since then, Google+ has received a fair amount of buzz, though many lawyers still don't understand what it does or why they might use it.

On Thursday, February 23 at noon ET / 9 a.m. PT, LexBlog CEO Kevin O'Keefe will host a free, hour-long webinar on Google+, "Why Google+ Matters for Lawyers," that will demystify Google's social network and help you decide whether Google+ is worth your time.

"Why Google+ Matters for Lawyers" will cover:

What is Google+?
Why you might consider using it
Why Google+'s smaller userbase is to your advantage
Effects on social search
Advantages and criticisms

You can register at LexBlog's events center -- the password has already gone out in an email to clients, so email Helen Pitlick if you did not receive it.

For those of you who are unable to attend, this session will be recorded and posted here and on LexBlog's support site within 24-48 hours after the session.

Best in Law Blogs : The LexBlog Network : February 16, 2012

Colin O'Keefe — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:19:33 -0800

Aw yeah, Linsanity hits the daily roundup. And honestly, I cannot get enough of it. I watched this video at least 15 times in a row last night. Also, today's LXBN TV discusses the possibility that Google's controversial new privacy policy violates a previous FTC settlement. Total posts on the LexBlog Network today: 159.

So, does the CDC not like Jimmy John's Sandwiches or just like Taco Bell's Tacos more? - Seattle food safety attorney Bill Marler on the Marler Blog
Trash Talk Facebook Posts in a University Setting on Appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court - Arden Hills, Minnesota lawyer Marylee Abrams of Abrams & Schmidt on the firm's Minnesota Labor & Employment Law Blog
John Loxas Murdered by Scottsdale Police, From 'Protect and Serve' to 'Get Some' - Phoenix attorney Vladimir Gagic on his blog, the Arizona Criminal Law & Sex Crimes Post
Citibank to Pay $153 Million to Settle Yet Another Case of Wrongful Conduct: Thank You Sherry Hunt - Washington, D.C. lawyer Steve Berk of BerkLaw on the firm's blog The Corporate Observer
FTC Report Calls For More Notice Involving Mobile Apps Directed To Kids, Warns Enforcement Could Come Over Next Six Months - Washington, DC lawyer Lindsey Tonsager of Covington & Burling on their blog, Inside Privacy
LINSANITY: The Trademark - Boston attorney Geri Haight of Mintz Levin on the firm's blog, Copyright & Trademark Matters
Eminent Domain Weekly Round-Up - Irvine lawyer Brad Kuhn of Nossaman on the firm's blog, California Eminent Domain Report
DOL Publishes its Proposed Rules on Military Family Leave and Flight Crews; FMLA Forms No Longer "Expired" - Leigh Anne Benedic of Porter Wright on the firm's blog, the Employer Law Report
“Linsanity” for Employers to Fail to Post Required Notices - Hartford lawyer Daniel Schwartz of Pullman & Comley in his Connecticut Employment Law Blog
Louboutin Red-Sole & Surrounding Contrast: An Implied Trademark Limitation - Minneapolis lawyer Steve Baird of Winthrop & Weinstine on the firm's Duets Blog

For more of the best, check out LXBN, a complete review of the top insight and commentary across the LexBlog Network.

Are law firm websites where you want to spend your time and money?

Kevin O'Keefe — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:45:27 -0800

With it being the beginning of the year I'm seeing a flurry of blog posts and articles on law firm websites.

Best way to portray your industry groups and attorney bio's.
How to improve your websites SEO.
How to watch out for the unscrupulous law firm SEO companies.
How to make sure your website is ethically compliant in North Carolina.
How to make sure your website doesn't look like it was built in 1995.

Having so many law firm marketing professionals and business development people following what I share on Twitter, I've felt compelled to share these type of articles and blog posts with them. I also felt I needed to help the people and companies who wrote these articles and posts, who are good folks, get their word out.

But man, websites are not where good lawyers and law firms get their work. At the same time, the Internet presents law firms and attorneys a golden opportunity to get work.

Law firms and their attorneys need to get over the fact that a website is not the only way to do marketing and business development on the Internet. Heck, it's not even in the top 3 or 4 best ways to get work.

Lawyers and law firms get their work via relationships and word of mouth. Period.

If you're too lazy to build relationships and don't believe you can create a a positive word of mouth reputation, then go for it, pour your money into websites. You may also want to pour your money into signs at airports, billboards on the sides of busses, and late night television.

But if you're concerned about relationships and word of mouth, ask yourself if upgrading your law firm website does that. Be honest.

Ask yourself if your time and marketing and business development money would be better spent on educating your firm's attorneys and business developing/marketing professionals on some of the following things?

To understand that the Internet did not change a darn thing when it came to getting work - the Internet just accelerated relationship building and reputation enhancement.
That LinkedIn, used well, enables networking and builds relationships. And how that's done.
That listening, via a RSS reader, comes first when building relationships and a reputation on the Internet. And how that's done.
That short form social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and now Pinterest, alone, is not going to cut it for good attorneys. Heck, you pitch those things first and you're going to lose the interest of attorneys who have an once of common sense when it comes to bringing in work.
That personal blogging by individual attorneys on their own or group blog outside the law firm's website is gold for building relationships and enhancing their reputations. And teaching them how to do it.
That Twitter and other short form social media are gold for learning (professional growth), building relationships, and reputation enhancement once you've laid a foundation for business development on the net through the above items.

Sure, continue down the website path if you're looking for an easy way out.

You set a date for having a new website.
You approve the design at luncheon meetings with caesar salads topped with grilled chicken.
You put 'milk toast' blogs on the website because the website developer said it would be a good way to get more traffic.
You send out a press release and a letter all clients that you've got an innovative website.
You watch web analytics monitoring traffic to the website, foolishly believing that's a measure of relationship building and reputation enhancement.
You look back on a year well done, by revamping our website before we get to the 'thorny issues' of teaching our firm's attorneys and marketing professionals how the Internet is really used to get work.

Perhaps I am being too cynical. Perhaps I am taking this position because LexBlog only does websites for clients committed to using the Internet for building relationships and enhancing their reputations and with whom we have good relationship. I don't know.

One thing I do know is that I care about helping attorneys and law firms use the Internet effectively. And that does not begin nor end with a website.

Twitter retains your contacts for 18 months : Ethical dilemma for attorneys

Kevin O'Keefe — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:59:34 -0800

David Sarno(@dsarno), technology and business writer at the Los Angeles Times broke the story yesterday that Twitter retains your iPhone contact list for 18 months after you scan your contacts to see who may also be using Twitter.

Twitter Inc. has acknowledged that after mobile users tap the "Find friends" feature on its smartphone app, the company downloads users' entire address book, including names, email addresses and phone numbers, and keeps the data on its servers for 18 months. The company also said it plans to update its apps to clarify that user contacts are being transmitted and stored.

Twitter's privacy policy, per Sarno, does not explicitly disclose that Twitter downloads and stores user address books.

It does say that Twitter users "may customize your account with information such as a cellphone number for the delivery of SMS messages or your address book so that we can help you find Twitter users you know."

How's this work in action? As with many social networking sites and apps, Twitter allows you to look for friends who are also registered users.

With Twitter, you'll see a screen noting that the service will "Scan your Contacts for people you already know on Twitter."

Twitter does not intend to limit its current practice of scanning and retaining. When asked about the process, Twitter spokeswoman Carolyn Penner (@cpen) told Sarno Twitter is planning an update to the language they use in the mobile app.

"We want to be clear and transparent in our communications with users," Penner wrote in an email. "Along those lines, in our next app updates, which are coming soon, we are updating the language associated with Find Friends -- to be more explicit. In place of 'Scan your contacts,' we will use "Upload your contacts" and "Import your contacts" (in Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for Android, respectively).
Penner also noted that Twitter users can have the service remove their contact databases using the "remove" link on this Twitter webpage.

There's a dilemma here for attorneys that doesn't present itself for everyone. An attorney cannot disclose their clients or breach confidential information. Information scanned by Twitter like this may cause a problem on both fronts.

A similar issue confronted attorneys with the advent of LinkedIn. The rest of the world may want to freely share who their connections are. For an attorney, sharing the names of connections who may be clients presents an ethical issue.

The key for attorneys is to remain aware and to act in a fashion that does not breach confidences or disclose who your clients are.

That's much easier said than done in this day when social networking sites like Facebook can change their privacy rules and app settings every few minutes.

Best in Law Blogs : The LexBlog Network : February 15, 2012

Colin O'Keefe — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:02:48 -0800

Another day, another LXBN TV. Hey, did you know Zynga, in all likelihood, blatantly stole the Facebook game Farmville? Now you do, as Scott Schaefers breaks down ongoing litigation surrounding the company. Also, great stuff in today's roundup from Dan Harris, Russell Jackson and Theodore Kobus. Total posts on the LexBlog Network today: 171.

Apple v. Proview. China Trademarks And So Much To Learn. - Seattle lawyer Dan Harris of Harris & Moure on the firm's China Law Blog
Fourth Jimmy John's "Sproutbreak" in Four Years - eattle lawyer Bill Marler of Marler Clark on the firm's Food Poison Journal
My Reply to the Circuit Public Defender - McDonough lawyer Scott Key on his Georgia Criminal Appellate Law Blog
Importance of Social Media Policies and Training - Iowa lawyer Rush Nigut of Brick Gentry in his blog, Rush on Business
The Cybersecurity Act of 2012--What Does It Mean? - New York lawyer Theodore Kobus III of Baker Hostetler on the firm's Data Privacy Monitor
Does Condemning Nothing, Cost Nothing? - Irvine lawyer Ben Rubin of Nossaman on the firm's California Eminent Domain Report
BREAKING NEWS: FCC Adopts New Rules to Limit "Robocalls" - Washington, DC lawyer Mark Brennan of Hogan Lovells on their blog, Chronicle of Data Protection
Fake Lawsuits To Promote Message. Who Benefits? - The blogging lawyers at Greenberg & Bederman on their blog, Maryland Injury and Disability Law
How Did Some Class Action Lawyers Become Humorless Prigs? - New York lawyer Russell Jackson on his blog Consumer Class Actions & Mass Torts
Proposed FMLA Regulations on Military Family Leave and Flight Crew Eligibility Published in Federal Register; We Need Your Feedback - Chicago attorney Jeffrey Nowak of Franczek Radelet on the firm's blog, FMLA Insights

For more of the best, check out LXBN, a complete review of the top insight and commentary across the LexBlog Network.

How can public relations professionals not have a Twitter account?

Kevin O'Keefe — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:03:46 -0800

This morning Melissa Higgs, in public relations for LexisNexis UK, issued a press release regarding a couple LexisNexis iPhone and iPad apps which will make legal information more accessible to lawyers on the go.

I picked up the release because I follow the term, 'LexisNexis' in my my Google News feeds on Mr Reader. The subject of the LexisNexis release is the type of information I like to share with my followers on Twitter.

As is my practice, I took a quick search to find Higgs' Twitter handle. That way when I share news of the apps via a quick hit of the Twitter share on Mr Reader, I can give Higgs attribution of getting the news out there.

As with all good news and public relations people, I know that Higgs must want to know who's spreading word of their news and releases. She can then build relationships with those folks for further releases and let her company know how the news is breaking.

God knows the majority of LexisNexis target audience prone to use these apps is receiving of such news via social media - Twitter, blogs, and Facebook - not traditional legal publishers who might be relying on press releases.

The way I let Higgs know I'm 'sharing the word' is to do a quick attribution in my tweet by including her Twitter handle. I do this with all my Tweets - I include the news or public relations person's Twitter handle.

I couldn't find Higgs Twitter handle. Nothing on a general Google search except for a Melissa Higgs, also in the UK, who says her tweets are personal. No one by the name of Melissa Higgs on Twitter who says they are working for LexisNexis. Not seeing any tweets referencing LexisNexis from folks by the name of 'Melissa Higgs' on Twitter, I didn't want to give an incorrect attribution by guessing. I went to Higgs LinkedIn profile, where most folks include their Twitter handles. Nothing.

I don't get it. Some reporters and public relationships pro's get their Twitter handles up front and center. They'll include it in the byline for a story, in the press release contact info, and in their LinkedIn profiles.

While others who do not understand social media or are unwilling to play by the new rules social media dictates, whether they like or not, hold back. They're just making it difficult for others to spread news they're looking to get spread.

Time to get with it folks. Time to make it easier on people like me who are trying to help you do your job.

Here's a powerpoint from Dr. Corrine Weisberger of St. Edward's University on using Twitter as a public relations' tool. Though you can't glean the most from a powerpoint alone, Dr. Weisberger includes some nice points in her presentation.

Download document to PC

Best in Law Blogs : The LexBlog Network : February 14, 2012

Colin O'Keefe — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:51:01 -0800

First off, a happy Valentine's Day to all. To mark the occasion, we've got a special LXBN Roundtable on Valentine's Day in the workplace. Also on LXBN today: Stefan Passantino of McKenna Long & Aldridge breaks down the STOCK Act. Onto the roundup. Total posts on the LexBlog Network today: 157.

Religious Discrimination or Legitimate Business Decision? It Depends. -Boston lawyer Martha Zackin of Mintz Levin on the firm's Employment Matters blog
Court Sanctions Plaintiff and Lawyer for Facebook Spoliation - Texas lawyer Tom Crane on his San Antonio Employment Law Blog
Federal Securities Law Blog's Monthly Litigation Review (February 15, 2012 Edition) - Washington, DC lawyer William McGrath of Porter Wright on the firm's Federal Securities Law Blog
The "Blame It On Law School" Controversy, or Unrequited Law Students - Legal management consultant Ronda Muir on her blog, Law People
White House 2013 Budget Proposal Would Boost Funding for Many Employment-Related Programs, Agencies - Washington, DC lawyer Ilyse Schuman of Littler on the firm's blog, Washington, DC Employment Law Update
How to Ruin a Good Case at a Deposition - Palm Coast lawyer Philip Chanfrau on his Palm Coast Injury Law Blog
Robinson R44 Fuel Tank Design Implicated in Filmmakers' Crash? - San Mateo attorney Mike Danko on his Aviation Law Monitor
Measured Mile: How Contractors Can Recover for Lost Productivity - Construction lawyer Matt DeVries of the Best Practices Construction Law Blog
Brain Injuries, Not Lawyers, May Spell The End Of Football - Philadelphia lawyer Maxwell Kennerly of The Beasley Firm on his blog, Litigation & Trial
Filing Your Taxes During a Divorce: What to do? - New Jersey attorney Sandra C. Fava of Fox Rothschild in the firm's NJ Family Legal Blog

For more of the best, check out LXBN, a complete review of the top insight and commentary across the LexBlog Network.

Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media : Role model for legal profession

Kevin O'Keefe — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:00:41 -0800

If you've been following Mayo Clinic, you've seen their commitment to be the leader in social medicine in medicine.

The latest comes with the announcement of their fourth annual Social Media Summit, a week long program in Rochester, Minn. campus this October.

Mayo Clinic is not placing an emphasis on social media as a gimmick or as an attention grabber. Mayo is doing so because of its dedication to the patient. Mayo sees social media as critical to helping its colleagues promote health, fight disease, and promote healthcare.

Mayo has founded the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media and developed a world wide Social Media Health Network as part of their efforts.

Mayo doesn't look as social media as anything new.

The Mayo brothers founded Mayo Clinic over 160 years ago. Knowing Rochester on the plains of Minnesota was off the beaten path, one of the brothers was always on the road nationally and internationally to network. Through networking they could bring back the latest in health care ideas to Rochester and bring doctors from around the world to Rochester to collaborate and learn from each other.

Watch this powerful video of Mayo Clinic's CEO John Noseworthy, M.D. addressing last year's Social Media Summit regarding why Mayo Clienic is so dedicated to social media.

Best in Law Blogs : The LexBlog Network : February 13, 2012

Colin O'Keefe — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:45:27 -0800

Drawing on a whopping 182 posts hitting the LexBlog Network, it's time again for our roundup. Starting off, I want to commend Vladimir Gagic on his excellent reporting work surrounding the Phoenix-area police and the recent shootings of multiple Marines by law enforcement officers. Also, if you haven't seen it yet, check out today's LXBN TV as Craig Hoffman of Baker Hostetler breaks down Facebook's privay disclosures in advance of its IPO.

Forex Dealer Sued For Allegedly Ignoring Red Flags Of Fraud - Manhattan fraud investigation lawyer Fred Abrams in his Asset Search Blog
How Long Should I Continue To See My Doctor After An Accident? - Philadelphia attorney Stuart Carpey of Kreithen Baron & Carpey on his blog, Pennsylvania Injury Law Report
Warning Signs: Promotions Using Facebook’s “Like” Feature - Washington, DC lawyer Julie O'Neill of Morrison Foerster on the firm's blog, Socially Aware
EPIC Alleges Epic FTC Fail In Google Saga; We Review the Complaint - New York lawyer Boris Segalis on the Information Law Group blog
Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr., Another Unarmed Marine Shot and Killed by Police - Phoenix lawyer Vladimir Gagic on his blog, the Arizona Criminal Law & Sex Crimes Post
Using Information Technology to Detect Health Care Fraud - Albany lawyer Laurie Chisolm of Iseman, Cunningham, Riester & Hyde on the firm's blog, Healthcare Integration Advisors
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce Vows to Continue Its "Aggressive Oversight" of President Obama's Recess Appointments and Future Actions Taken by the "Obama" NLRB - Sara Hutchins Jodka of Porter Wright on their Employer Law Report
$900 Trillion (That's Right, Trillion) Child Custody Lawsuit Filed in New York - Spartanburg attorney J. Benjamin Stevens of The Stevens Firm on their South Carolina Family Law Blog
All the M&A-Related Litigation Reference Material in One Convenient Location - Ohio attorney Kevin LaCroix of OakBridge Insurance Services in his blog, The D & O Diary
Responding to Government Demands for Content Restrictions: The Need to Focus on Responsible Implementation Strategies - Washington, DC lawyer Vivek Krishnamurthy of Foley Hoag on their blog, Corporate Social Responsibility & The Law

For more of the best, check out LXBN, a constant review of the top insight and commentary across the LexBlog Network.

Twitter : Where you go for breaking news

Kevin O'Keefe — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:23:58 -0800

I was asked to participate in a Financial Times roundtable discussion in New York a week ago. The Financial Times was looking for feedback from publishers, subscribers, and other executives on what they could do better -- especially as it pertained to producing and distributing the news in this day of the iPad and social media.

One question they asked was where we went for breaking news. Many said television and others said news sites such as CNN.com. I said Twitter and I was not alone.

This weekend Twitter broke the news of Whitney Houston's death 27 minutes before the mainstream media broke the story. I picked up the news via Facebook before it was reported on television.

Is it any wonder? Look at the below tweet from someone whose aunt worked for the singer.

In response to how this story broke, Mathew Ingram (@mathewi) of GigaOm commented this morning about Twitter and the incredible shrinking news cycle.

In the not-so-distant past, news generally tended to travel in a few well-worn paths. Either it was reported by a newspaper, or it appeared on television at noon or 6 pm, or it was mentioned on a drive-time radio show -- and those involved usually had plenty of time to report it and produce it. The arrival of CNN and 24-hour news changed all that, however, and Twitter and Facebook have changed it again: now, the news is just as likely to appear in a tweet, or to be posted as a status update by someone who is directly involved in the event. In a nutshell, this means that the value of a simple "scoop" or breaking news report is declining rapidly -- and that might just be a good thing.......Much of that journalistic process of verifying and making sense of news reports used to happen behind the scenes, inside newsrooms and TV studios and news-wire offices. Increasingly, however, it is happening out in the open, where anyone can see it -- and where anyone can take part in it by committing what Andy Carvin of NPR has called "random acts of journalism." German chancellor Otto von Bismarck allegedly warned that anyone who enjoys either the law or sausages should not watch either one being made, and the same is true of the news -- but we have no choice but to watch now, because it is happening all around us.

Journalists and the mainstream media have always played a key role in confirming reports. Now they're going to have spend time confirming and analyzing reports that come through social media.

In the process we're going to see "random acts of journalism" and how sausage is made. As such, we also play a role in verifying the stories we see.

Notre Dame ranked number one in use of social media

Kevin O'Keefe — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:17:54 -0800

I'm going to meeting with some folks from Notre Dame today, one from the development office and another who heads Notre Dame's Innovation Park.

As a Notre Dame alum, we'll be talking about how we may be able to work together on a couple things, particularly how I may leave a legacy through a cause at the University.

Being curious how Notre Dame and Innovation Park may be using social media, I did some quick checking. I was surprised to find that Notre Dame was voted #1 in social media by USA Today. Not bad when you beat out Syracuse, one of the leaders in journalism and social media, Harvard, and Stanford.

The reasons, as highlighted in the ND Newswire by Susan Guibert (@susanguibert), Assistant Director of Public Relations at Notre Dame, and US Today include:

Notre Dame has greatly encouraged the use of social media and recognizes social media as important to professional development.
Notre Dame has become a “influencer and brainstormer” online through the strategic use of Facebook, Twitter and You Tube.
Many areas on campus are successfully engaged in social media, including athletics, the Alumni Association, development and individual schools and colleges.
The University has adopted a social media policy that recognizes the importance of open exchange and learning between the University of Notre Dame and its many constituents and recognizes the phenomenon of user-generated Web content—blogging, social websites, and networking—as an important arena for interaction and collaboration.
Notre Dame news, libraries, alumni, and other accounts can be found throughout the social web, including Facebook and Twitter.
Even if you’re just a fan of Notre Dame athletics, the school has something to offer you, with Irish Alert text messaging, as well as Twitter and Facebook pages for almost every sport.

I'm not a big fan of rankings and I am not suggesting we read too much into the USA Today Report, but there is real place fro social media in academia.

Students and professors should be using blogging and other social media for learning and professional development. Rather than top down knowledge management, social media promotes learning from a network that extends far beyond the campus.
For recruitment of students and professors. Wouldn't you rather go to a school harnessing the powers of innovation and leveraging social media to provide you and others a transparent look into the University.
Fund raising. Make the University more relevant with its alumni. Rather than solely kick out information to alumni via magazines, newsletters, and social media (using it as a bullhorn), engage alumni through blogging, Twitter, and Facebook. Proactively highlight the accomplishments of alumni through blogging, Twitter, and Facebook, rather than having alumni send you cheesy updates. Leverage the university's brand by building custom social media solutions to curate blog posts and Tweets of alumni - empower alumni to really network and build relationships.
Accelerate learning and advancement of causes by educating professors, students, and administration how to effectively network through the Internet with professors, the business community which supports the university, fellow alumni, and students.
Placement of students. As I blogged about law school placement and social media last week, graduating students are woefully unprepared to use the Internet to network so as to enhance their reputations and build relationships so as to gain employment.

Kudos to Don Schindler (@donschindler), Director, Marketing & Communications at Notre Dame, and the rest of the folks at Notre Dame who are spearheading the adoption of social media at the university.

The advantage of blog networks versus stand alone blogs

Kevin O'Keefe — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:58:56 -0800

New York venture capitalist and blogger, Fred Wilson has a good post this morning on 'Utilities vs Networks.'

It's interesting to see a network, Instagram, starting to replace the iPhone's native camera application in many users' daily usage of their phones. I see this in my kids' behavior all the time. When they want to take a photo, they open Instagram, not the camera application.
In the PC era, when applications got bundled into the operating system, they became instoppable. All the competitive apps got left in the dust. But in the mobile era, it seems that a different dynamic is at play. The native applications are getting beat by networks. And these networks will eventually go cross platform which means that the native applications will be at an even greater disadvantage.

I see the same in the area of publishing.

Look at the popularity of Tumblr, a blogging community.
Facebook is a publishing environment, in and of itself, for many people. The reason is a network.
Google+ is gaining traction for publishing because of its social network.
Huffington Post and Forbes offer professionals the opportunity to blog as part of a network.

Networks offer member publishers any number of advantages.

Discovery of likeminded thought leaders. Engaging those thought leaders enables one to engage others through publishing so as to build relationships and enhance ones reputation.
Your content is curated by an editorial team who can create powerful distribution channels across web and mobile environments.
The safety and protection of the masses. Rather than hanging out there by yourself on your own blog and feeling the pressure to blog all the time, you're part of a larger network. You can also call upon content published by others to comment upon in your blogging.
The reach of the network gives you multiple points of exposure you cannot get on your own.
The people consuming blog content from attorneys and law firms cannot get their arms around all the content without some one curating the content and aggregating into easy to follow channels by area of the law and industry.
Apps have been all the buzz for law firms over the last couple years. Law firms are now coming to their senses and realizing that separate apps for each law firm is not how people are going to consume content. Just as consumers of content have read curated content in the likes of the Wall Street Journal or New York Times for years, they'll read curated blog content on networks ala LXBN.

For all of these same reasons we're going to increasingly see law bloggers drawn to networks, as opposed to blogging on their own.

I'm with Wilson. "Networks beat utilities in the age when everyone is connected to everyone else."

Law grads : Opportunities await in journalism and social media

Kevin O'Keefe — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:31:28 -0800

I received an email from a first year year law student at a law school downriver on the Mississippi from my home town of La Crosse.

She explained she's an avid enthusiast for social media and her legal education. She had just read by post about a social media internship being a path to a job as a lawyer or social media director

She's just beginning to branch out and figure out what it is she wants to do with her legal education. The idea of being able to study and deal with the two things she loves the most, social media and the law, sounded thrilling.

She wondered if I had any tips of where she should begin her search. Knowing I have lot of law students following me, I thought it worthwhile to share my thoughts with all of you.

Law grads don't need to go into the practice of law to make meaningful use of a law degree. US News just published the top five career paths for law grads other than the law. Number one was journalism and four was entrepreneurship.

If it's social media you're after, I'd be looking at the cross roads of journalism and the law. It's going to be filled with opportunities for people who understand how to use social media as part of reporting, publishing, disseminating, and consuming information today and in the future.

If you can get your arms around the journalism side, you can at least two ways. You'll be able to get over into the communications and public relations' side with law firms and the like as journalism is a typical path to that area already. Or you can be a journalist reporting on legal matters. The later may be the preferable route to go first, no matter if it's PR and communications you're after.

Either way, also be prepared to be a bit of a maverick and entrepreneur. There's no 'safe' career path today. Be prepared to work at small start-up companies. Be prepared to start out in part with your own reporting and publishing, while working another job to pay the bills.

To learn about this area and gain exposure/build relationships, start blogging now. Blogging is simply the best way to learn anything. Plus you need to learn to write as a reporter and columnist in oder to get to first base. Blogging will get you there.

Do not look at blogging as publishing articles. Look at blogging as sharing what you are reading and what you perceive as a result. Imagine you were teaching it to another person in your shoes.

The best way to do this is to begin to read blogs in the publishing arena in a news reader. If you have an iPad (you should), use the Mr Reader app and synch it with Google Reader. Follow Jay Rosen, Jeff Jarvis, Paid Content, Poynter, Romenesko, GigaOm, TechDirt, and ReadWriteWeb. Follow the people and sources they cite.

Follow the columnists you like in the NY Times and regional newspapers. Share in your blog what they are writing on at the cross section of journalism/publishing/media. Do some research on journalism and the law and see who you run across and see if they blog or use Twitter.

A great place to find reporters and publishers on Twitter is Muck Rack.

Law School is hard and time consuming, but blogging can be a heck of a lot of fun. And if you start to engage people in your blog (cite them and what they are writing) they will know you are doing so. You should connect with those people on LinkedIn, follow them on Twitter and use them as quasi-mentors whether virtual or in person.

There is a ton of opportunity out there for those who are idealistic, ambitious, and persistent.

New blogs on the LexBlog Network for the week of 2/6-2/10

Colin O'Keefe — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:01:37 -0800

This week's roundup of blogs joining the LexBlog Network includes four firms adding to their respective arrays of publications and another just hitting the ground running, with six publications live and ready to roll. Have a great weekend, everyone.

Paging Dr. Blog is the second publication on the LexBlog Network from Meiselman, Denlea, Packman, Carton & Eberz, joining their long-running Class Action Blog. This blog focuses specifically on health care law, with conversations on topics that include Medicare and Medicaid, nursing home abuse, pharmaceutical drugs and health insurance.
Energy and the Law is authored by Dallas lawyer Charles Sartain of Looper Reed & McGraw. This, the firm's third publication on the LexBlog Network, is intended as a resource for legal developments, commentary and analysis of the law of oil and gas and alternative energy resources.
Biosimilars Law Blog is the third blog on the LexBlog Network from Hogan Lovells. The publicaton's nine authors opine on subjects that include the basics of biosimilars, biosimilars vs. generics, the regulation of biosimilars and the naming and labeling of biosimilars.
Cole Schotz adds to their array of publications as Elder Law Perspectives is the ninth on the LexBlog Network for the firm. Authored my members of the firm's Tax, Trusts & Estates Department, the publication aims to provide the community with information about laws, programs and services that effect the elderly, including Medicaid and veteran’s benefits.
Empowered Conflict Resolution Journal is authored by Darren Hart, Managing Partner at Hart Legal. In his own words, "this blog is dedicated to empowerment, to assisting those that want to grow and achieve their full potential and to providing guidance in this regard to those that find themselves powerless, persecuted, oppressed, tormented, intimidated and bullied."
Hart Legal Associate Mark Norton serves as editor on the Inheritance Law Review. Originally from New Brunswick, Norton practices in British Columbia, with a focus on he area of wills and estates litigation and family conflict.
Victoria, British Columbia lawyer Graham Rudyk publishes the Abuse Claims Law Review. Covering child abuse, elder abuse and sexual abuse, this blog is intended to provide insight and commentary on the rights, responsibilities and remedies for abuse.
Christine Murray authors the Family Law Refocused, the fourth of six publications from Hart Legal.In her own words, the blog is intended to provide "a fresh perspective on divorce, spousal support, child support, parenting after separation and everything family law."
Empowering Women Law Journal is the second of three family law-related publications from Hart Legal. Authored by attorney Krystle Gill, this blog is specifically geared towards women who are going through a separation or divorce, providing them with the tools they need to rise to the various challenges that they may face in life, love and litigation.
And, to round things out from Hart Legal, we have the Adoption & Family Law Notebook from Lynda Cassels. As she describes it, the blog was created to "discuss issues related to adoption, reproductive technologies and the law, with a focus on topics of interest to parents and families."

Storm of video programming from publishers : Opportunity awaits law firms

Kevin O'Keefe — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:12:00 -0800

No longer are print news publishers going to stay with print only. No longer is video broadcasting going to remain the province of television networks.

The Internet has provided a distribution channel for video news, information, and commentary for mainstream print publishers. Print publishers are not just dabbling in video, they're doubling down through their investment in video.

The New York Times' Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) reported earlier this week on the flurry of video programming coming from the print news media.

The race is on at places that, until recently, did not think they could be or would be in the live video business. The Internet and a fleet of devices like the iPad have made it possible for, say, The Wall Street Journal to compete with CNBC and CNN for viewers’ time.
The Journal already produces about four hours of live programming each weekday, with plans for more hours this year. Other newspapers, like The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times, are preparing their own live programs as well. Last week, the Web site of The New York Times started running a morning business newscast, which joined its existing taped daily show, TimesCast.

Also last week, The Huffington Post said that it would enter the emerging market in a big way this summer with 12 hours of live video each weekday.

The video need not be live, it can be on demand. Heck, for those of you like me with kids, you know how they look at television on a schedule dictated by the networks. That's a nonstarter. They watch news, sports, and entertainment shows on YouTube, Hulu, and the like.

Video from print publishers is not going to be an 'over there' thing, it's going to play side by side with TV from the networks. From Stelter:

Over time, these news organizations believe, the definition and the distribution of television will change, allowing upstarts like The Journal’s live network, WSJ Live, to appear on both big and small screens alongside incumbent networks. Already, some Internet-connected TV sets can stream live and on-demand video from The Journal, which is seen as the trailblazer of this nascent industry.

The growth of online video presents huge opportunities for law firms. But law firms cannot repeat their mistakes of the past.

Video is not about you producing information about your firm and its attorneys. Get over it, it's boring and no one cares. The only people who like it are the ego driven and the producers and website companies who charge big bucks for the videos.
Video is not about you producing news and information blips to be run on your website. Your website is marketing, and you cannot change that by running news and commentary on the site.
Video needs to be run and played on environments such as on blogs and custom social media solutions that lie outside your firm website.
Video needs to be viral. You need to have it stored on YouTube for easy search and sharing.
Video should preferably be done and run by independent third parties, not your law firm. That makes it credible. Think LXBN or Bloomberg Law.
You do not need perfection. Look at the example of skype interview on LXBN of Attorney Jim Walker on the Costa Concord shipwreck. Your firm may think that's amateur, but that's the likes of the videos being run on CNN and major sports networks.

We've always talked video on the net as if it were a ways ahead. Well, we've arrived. And video today presents a golden opportunity for law firms prepared to do it the right way.

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