Real Lawyers Have Blogs

Why your law firm should forget about building an iPhone App

Kevin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:53:18 -0800

Since the advent of iPhone applications in July, 2008 over 134,000 iPhone applications have become available at the Apple App Store. Over 3 billion of such applications for news, information, entertainment, and more have been downloaded by iPhone users.

With ESPN, The New York Times, Facebook, LinkedIn, CNN, and MLB all having applications, why not our law firm? Everyone could read our blog posts, articles, and alerts on an iPhone. It would be so cool. We'd look so hip.

I'm in agreement with online PR and social media professional, Niall Harbison. Forget about building an iPhone App.

Couple reasons. First your law firm's app will never get found or used widely. Follow Harbison's analogy of a European football stadium.

Every single one of the 80,000 people in this stadium is an iPhone app that does something that it’s creator thinks is amazing and will deserve your attention.

Among these 80,000 are some of the really big boys including Google, Facebook, Twitter, News organizations, game manufacturers, professional publishers and huge brands to name but a few. These huge companies will be putting massive amounts of cash/labor and marketing dollars into just one of the 80,000 people (iPhone App's).

The app store is very much like the stadium in that it is closed off by the people who own it. They don’t want all 80,000 people getting the attention equally. Just like the 30 players who will line up on the pitch, a small select group of apps will be featured by Apple to be showcased to the wider public. There is very little guarantee that it will be your app.

Although many people will have a huge interest in the stadium and what happens there, they are not going to come along and pay every single day of the week for a ticket. This will reflect how people use the app store. Sure people will stop by and make purchases, but they will choose the bigger apps and the trusted brands and they won’t be doing it every single day.

Second, the logic motivating a law firm to develop an App is flawed. Consider Arnold & Porter's iPhone app for their Consumer Advertising Law Blog, the launch of which is outlined at Larry Bodine's Law Marketing Blog.

Arnold and Porter's iPhone requires that iPhone users download and install a separate application to get their blog. Arnold and Porter is presuming such an App would make it easier for their blog readers to follow their blog while on the go and to get their blog's content more widely disseminated. Doesn't work that way.

Following Arnold and Porter's logic, iPhone users would download a separate application for each entity and publication distributing content. I want to stay up with a couple hundred blogs, something I easily already do with my newsreader, on my iPhone or at my desktop computer. Arnold and Porter would have me download 200 iPhone Apps. That's nuts.

Look at widely successful iPhone Apps such as Yelp, a user review site with 25 million users, ESPN with millions of sports fan users, Urban Spoon with millions of users in major cities receiving restaurant reviews, and the New York Times and Wall Street Journal disseminating edited news stories covering hundreds of 'topic channels' to millions of readers. Each one of them aggregates content into one iPhone App making the App an attractive one for you and me.

You are not going to see successful iPhone Apps for each restaurant, each NY Times column (already with a 1,000 times the readers of 1 law blog), or for each college sports conference. Why? Because we don't consume content that way. You aren't going to get more people to your restaurant by getting off Yelp and Urban Spoon and having your own App, you'll get less people.

Having a separate iPhone App for each law firm and their blogs is akin to a law firm developing a separate RSS reader for their content. How crazy would that be?

What's the answer? Get your law firm's content where content is being aggregated. That's where people are consuming content.

Consider getting your blog on Kindle so it can be read on the Kindle. Apple's upcoming iPad is run on an iPhone operating system so the Kindle App will presumably run on the iPad as well.

Get your law blog into edited law blog networks such as the LexBlog Network or the Law.com Blog Network. These networks which are aggregating content from leading lawyers are producing hundreds of law blog posts a day across various subjects. JD Supra is also aggregating content by subject.

Such networks are apt to develop iPhone Apps aggregating blogs allowing users to select the type of content they want ala what ESPN does with separate sports, teams, and conferences.

The way we consume content is changing at lightening speed. I expect Apple's iPad to be a game changer making us laugh at how we used to consume information on a computer. We may have any number of iPads laying around our office or house for easy access to more and better content than we have today. Many of us will add the iPad to our must haves when we leave the house each morning.

Sure it sounds sexy and cool to say you have an iPhone app for your law firm - and it's easy and cheap to get an App developed.

But you'd much better served to think things through than to waste resources and time on an iPhone App and, in my mind, look silly by demonstrating that your law firm doesn't understand how content is consumed online.

Best in Law Blogs : LexBlog Network : February 8, 2010

Colin O'Keefe — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:34:56 -0800

Well, I hope everyone enjoyed the Super Bowl; watching Peyton Manning channel his inner Favre was a bit surreal. Anyway, we had 129 posts on the LexBlog Network today with Jamie Spencer providing one of the more interesting posts, offering insight on cops, lawyers and judges using iPhone apps.

Keeping Stuff out of Trials: Dirty Tricks - Palm Coast lawyer Philip Chanfrau on his Palm Coast Injury Law Blog
Proving fault in a slip and fall case - Dallas attorney Bryan Fears of Fears Nachawati on the firm's Texas Injury Law Blog
The High Road to Labor Law Reform... - White Plains lawyer Tom Walsh of Jackson Lewis on the firm's EFCA & Labor Reform Blog
Sign Of The Times: iCop, iLawyer, iJudge - Texas attorney Jamie Spencer in his Austin Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
Going "Undercover" to Determine How Corporate Policies Play Out in the Workplace - Fort Worth lawyer Russell Cawyer of Kelly Hart & Hallman on the firm's Texas Employment Law Update
Huge Snowfall Leads to Wave of Roof Collapses - Arlington attorney Timothy Hughes of Bean, Kinney & Korman on the firm's blog, Virginia Real Estate, Land Use & Construction Law
Attorney General Jim Hood Recovers $18.5 Million for Mississippi Following "Loss" in Zyprexa Litigation - Mississippi personal injury lawyer Philip Thomas on his MS Litigation Review & Commentary
Measuring the effect of social media - Boston attorney Dave Broadwin of Foley Hoag on the firm's Emerging Enterprise Center Blog
Problems At Trial: The Suddenly Unavailable Key Witness - Greensboro lawyer Mack Sperling of Brooks Pierce in his blog, the North Carolina Business Litigation Report
It Only Took 16 Years: New York Appellate Court Defines Standard for Judicial Dissolution of Limited Liability Companies - New York attorney Peter A. Mahler of Farrell Fritz in his New York Business Divorce Blog

Best in Law Blogs: LexBlog Network: February 5, 2010

Colin O'Keefe — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:13:40 -0800

Fridays are always slightly slower as far as posting goes, but not too much slower as we still had a respectable 119 posts on the LexBlog Network today. Hope everyone has a very enjoyable Super Bowl weekend, not sure who I'll sway my allegiances toward; let's hope for a good game.

Municipal Ordinance Permits Attorney Fee Award Only In Limited Proceedings - Complex litigation attorney David J. McMahon on Barger Wolen’s Litigation Management and Attorney Fee Analysis Blog
The Combs v. Chevron opinion is out, and it's big news for the Texas state tax world - Dallas lawyer Alan E. Sherman in his Texas State & Local Tax Law Blog
The Million Dollar Haircut: NC Business Court Reduces Fee Application In Wachovia/Wells Fargo Class Action - Greensboro attorney Mack Sperling of Brooks Pierce in his blog, the North Carolina Business Litigation Report
Illinois Supreme Court: Medical Malpractice Caps Unconstitutional - Houston lawyer David Oliver of Vorys on the firm's blog, Mass Torts: State of the Art
Hard times shouldn't mean soft ERISA compliance - Retirement expert Jerry Kalish on the National Benefit Services' Retirement Plan Blog
Seventh Sign of The Apocalypse: Movie About eDiscovery - Wilmington attorney Christopher Spizzirri of Morris James on the firm's Delaware eDiscovery Report
The Volcker Rule, Bipartisan Progress, and a Chance of Snow - The blogging lawyers and attorneys at Blank Rome on their blog, Financial Reform Watch
VOGEL POOL BALL THEORY- Web 2.0 Networking - Dallas lawyer Peter Vogel of Gardere Wynne Sewell on his Vogel Internet, Information Technology and e-Discovery Blog
Can a Green Schools Program Be Inequitable? - LEED AP Chris Cheatham of Crowell Moring on his blog, Green Building Law Update
Third Circuit Splits Itself On MySpace First Amendment Cases -- Or Does It? - Philadelphia attorney Maxwell Kennerly of The Beasley Firm at his blog, Litigation & Trial

LexBlog interviews from Avvo Conference

Lisa Kennelly — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:36:35 -0800

The first-ever Avvocating Conference was hosted in Seattle a couple weeks ago by the folks at Avvo, and some members of the LexBlog team were able to head over and chat with some of the attendees. You may have read some of Kevin's blog posts on the Avvo conference. Now you can check out the video interviews as well on our site, LexConference.

We'll try to keep interviewing interesting attendees at any conference LexBlog attends, so if you have something to share and don't mind the camera, don't hesitate to reach out.

New blogs joining the LexBlog Network for the week of 2/1-2/5

Colin O'Keefe — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:21:16 -0800

We have five launches in total this week with topics covered ranging from construction law to human resources to employment and human rights to oil and gas evaluation to nano and clean technology. Whew, a lot. Whether these blogs cover your area of expertise or not, feel free to drop in and take a look, maybe leave a comment if you feel so inclined.

Toronto lawyer Lisa Stam authors Employment & Human Rights in Canada. One of the reasons Lisa decided to start the blog was that social media in the workplace has been such an important legal issue that she wanted to get firsthand experience with it.
The professionals at Southwest Florida law firm Henderson Franklin publish the HR Law & Solutions blog. Topics covered on the blog include HR seminars, workplace safety, employee benefits and workplace policies.
Looking to provide a good resource for lawyers in the energy field, the Obsidian Energy Company has launched The Oil and Gas Evaluation Report. On the blog they aim to discuss current issues and developments pertaining to oil and gas evaluations for both the non-industry and industry professional.
AmLaw 200 firm Foley & Lardner launched their great-looking Nano & Cleantech Blog, with Dr. J. Steven Rutt —a Partner and the Vice-Chairman of the firm's Nanotechnology Industry Team—serving as the blog's editor.
Boasting a very sharp design, Construction Law Today is published by Chicago lawyer Joshua Glazov, who aptly describes the publication as "a legal blog about construction contracts, disputes, finance, and the people whose job it is to deal with them."

Best in Law Blogs : LexBlog Network : February 4, 2010

Colin O'Keefe — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:37:29 -0800

139 posts on the LexBlog Network today and some really great content in today's top ten. Richard Renner of the Whistleblower Protection Blog has a good post on Howard Zinn, founding Board member of the National Whistleblowers Center. Chuck Peterson has a post on an attorney who won a $31 million settlement for a drunk driving victim and some insight on how he did it. Good stuff.

Florida's Statutory Fix: Race To Clean Up Congress' Estate Tax Mess - Miami attorney Juan Antunez of Stokes McMillan Maracini & Antunez in his Florida Probate & Trust Litigation Blog
Jury Awards $31M for Drunk Driving Victim - Boise lawyer Chuck Peterson on Peterson Law Offices' Idaho Criminal Defense Blog
Unfair Competition Law Cases Still Occupy Numerous Spaces on the California Supreme Court's Docket - Los Angeles attorney Larry Golub of Barger & Wolen on the firm's Insurance Litigation & Regulatory Law Blog
In memoriam: Howard Zinn (1922-2010) - Richard Renner of the National Whistleblower Center on their Whistleblowers Protection Blog
When Is It Okay to Cuss Out Your Boss? - Portland lawyer Dennis Westlind of Stoel Rives in the firm's World of Work Blog
Leaving the Air to Run For Office - What to Do With The Broadcaster Who Becomes a Candidate - Washington, D.C. attorney David Oxenford of Davis Wright Tremaine in the firm's Broadcast Law Blog
Understanding Texting and Negligence - Palm Coast lawyer Philip Chanfrau on his Palm Coast Injury Law Blog
The Alabama Supremes Hold That Two Is Not Better Than One - New York attorney Russell Jackson of Skadden on his blog, Consumer Class Actions and Mass Torts
Bankruptcy Laws Allow Owners Of Assisted Living Facility To Ignore $1.2M Judgment Against Them - Chicago lawyer Jonathan Rosenfeld of Strellis & Field's on his Nursing Homes Abuse Blog
The Need for an Expert in Legal Malpractice Litigation - Andrew Lavoott Bluestone on the New York Attorney Malpractice Blog

Best in Law Blogs : LexBlog Network : February 3, 2010

Colin O'Keefe — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:16:26 -0800

Well, we're more than half way through the work week. The total number of posts today? 110. Not too bad. We have a few posts from some of the frequent contributors to the roundup: Daniel Schwartz, Max Kennerly and David Oxenford. Schwartz chimes in from LegalTech and Marylee Abrams responds to his post.

Child Labor Penalties Increased for Violations that Cause Death or Serious Injury - New York lawyer Douglas Weiner of EpsteinBeckerGreen on the firm's Prima Facie Law Blog
Pennsylvania's Cell Phone Driving Ban - Conshohocken attorney Stuart Carpey of Kreithen Baron & Carpey on his blog, Pennsylvania Injury Law Report
Someone is Talking About Your Business; But What Are they Saying? - Marylee Abrams of Abrams & Schmidt on the firm's Minnesota Labor & Employment Law Blog
Social Media Policies and Practices Developing as Companies Begin to Embrace It - Hartford lawyer Daniel Schwartz of Pullman & Comley in his Connecticut Employment Law Blog
Pornography Investigation at SEC Ongoing - California attorney Debra Reilly on her blog, Workplace Investigations
Will The Separation Of Powers Kill Climate Change Action? Call In the Green Deal Coalition - Philadelphia LEED AP Shari Shapiro on her Green Building Law Blog
Law Is Made On A Lawyer's Desk: Thoughts On The Supreme Court's Pending "Judicial Taking" Case - Philadelphia lawyer Maxwell Kennerly of The Beasley Firm at his blog, Litigation & Trial
Never Underestimate the Value of Face Time: Kersey v. PHH Mortgage Corporation - Arlington attorney Heidi Meinzer of Bean Kinney & Korman on the firm's Virginia Real Estate, Land Use & Construction Law blog
TV Stations - Remember to Publicize the Location of Children's Television Programming Reports or Face FCC Fine - Washington, D.C. lawyer David Oxenford of Davis Wright Tremaine in the firm's Broadcast Law Blog
You Choose: Four Years of Litigation or Taking Care of the Copyright Portfolio - Kansas City attorney Dave Rein of Husch Blackwell Sanders on the firm's blog, Owners, Borrowers & Thieves 2.0

Best in Law Blogs : LexBlog Network : February 2, 2010

Colin O'Keefe — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:52:23 -0800

Before moving onto the roundup, I want to point out something cool that happened to one of our bloggers. The Supreme Court of Washington Blog was recently mentioned in the campaign email of Justice Richard Sanders. It's one thing when blogs are being cited by newspapers and media outlets, it's another when they're mentioned as credible sources by the subjects they cover. Anyway, total posts on the LexBlog Network today: 128. Here's 10 of them.

Civil Rights Division Announces Plan to Target Public Employers - Harrisburg attorney Adam Santucci of McNees Wallace & Nurick on the firm's Pennsylvania Labor and Employment Blog
Dealing with Data Breaches: Health Net Suit Highlights Need for Effective Security Incident Procedures and Training - New Jersey lawyer Jason Gavejian of Jackson Lewis on the firm's blog, Workplace Privacy, Data Management & Security Report
The State's "Biederman & Burleson" Motion in Limine - Frisco attorney Hunter Biederman on his Frisco DWI Lawyer & Attorney Blog
Georgia Court of Appeals Reverses Trial Court's Dismissal of RICO Indictment Against Pastor, Bank Officer - Georgia lawyer Anthony Lake of Gillen, Withers & Lake in the firm's Federal Criminal Defense Blog
Is your business too small to have to pay overtime? - New York attorney Joel Greenwald of Greenwald Doherty on the firm's blog, Overtime Advisor
Climate Update: SEC Guidance, EPA and Cap & Trade - Cleveland lawyer Joe Koncelik of Frantz Ward in his Ohio Environmental Law Blog
NC Court Of Appeals Affirms That Dynasty Trusts Don't Violate The Rule Against Perpetuities - Greensboro attorney Mack Sperling of Brooks Pierce in his blog, the North Carolina Business Litigation Report
The True Scope of the Salami/Pepper Salmonella Outbreak - Seattle lawyer Drew Falkenstein of Marler Clark on the firm's Food Poison Journal
Louisiana Court Affirms Denial of Certification of Class Alleging 40 Years of Exposure to Radioactive Dust - New York attorney Russell Jackson of Skadden on his blog, Consumer Class Actions and Mass Torts
BIG NEWS: Google Search Engine Results Now Provides Social Network Updates - Dallas lawyer Peter Vogel of Gardere Wynne Sewell on his Vogel Internet, Information Technology and e-Discovery Blog

Best in Law Blogs : LexBlog Network : February 1, 2010

Colin O'Keefe — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:01:32 -0800

February 2010 is off to a good start as we had 138 posts on the LexBlog Network today. One of my favorite posts from today has Carolyn Elefant providing insight on the topic of ghostblogging and whether or not ghostbloggers should be outed.

Reasons to Love Lady Gaga - Los Angeles lawyer Staci Riordan of Fox Rothschild on the firm's Fashion Law Blog
Toyota Announces little fix to the Accelerator pedal nightmare - The blogging lawyers and attorneys at LaBovick & LaBovick on the firm's LaBovick Injury Law Blog
Wisconsin Supreme Court Hopes to Adopt E-Discovery Rules Later This Term - Matthew Splitek of Quarles & Brady on the firm's blog, E-Discovery Bytes
Super Bowl XLIV In South Florida Likely To Spike DWI Arrests - Houston DWI attorney Herman Martinez of Madrid, Martinez & Associates on the firm's Houston Criminal Law Journal
President Obama's 2011 Budget - Where does Food Safety Stand? - Seattle lawyer Bill Marler of Marler Clark on his MarlerBlog
Obama Proposes No Proprietary Trading for Financial Institutions - Ohio attorney Jack J. Gravelle of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur in the firm's Federal Securities Law Blog
Creative Commons Licensing and Writing Attributions Correctly - Public interest law and technology expert Kate Bladow on technola
Facebook and FINRA: FINRA's Social Media Guidance - Dallas non-compete lawyer Rob Radcliff on his Smooth Transitions Law Blog
Ghostbusting in the Blogosphere: Is Ghostblogging Unethical & What's the Best Way to Deal With It? - Washington, D.C. attorney Carolyn Elefant in her blog, My Shingle
Google Goals - Boston lawyer Dave Broadwin of Foley Hoag on the firm's Emerging Enterprise Center Blog

LegalTech New York: Why LexBlog is there

Lisa Kennelly — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:19:43 -0800

LegalTech remains one of the primary legal conferences out there – clearly LexBlog thinks so, since we sent three members of our executive team to New York for this week's event.

Though LexBlog CEO Kevin O'Keefe isn't presenting at the conference this year, he can be found there along with Vice President of Client Development Kevin McKeown and Vice President of Product Development Jake Ludington.

Why is LegalTech important? It's where people who usually can only communicate through phone, email, or Twitter can meet off-line and discuss some of the biggest issues in legal technology. Like last year, when many lawyers and legal professional realized for the first time how Twitter could be used to follow a conference from afar.

There's the usual e-discovery coverage this year, but also hot-button topics like "Social Networking in the Corporate Environment" and "Facebook: Perspectives on Corporate eDiscovery and Social Media".

"LegalTech brings some of the leading minds from businesses supporting the legal profession together," Kevin O'Keefe says. "Meeting face-to-face with business people you know otherwise allows relationships to grow."

Many firms who are members of the LexBlog Network are represented as well. One blogger in particular is e-discovery attorney Peter Vogel of Gardere Wynne Sewell. Peter writes the Vogel Internet, Information Technology and e-Discovery Blog, and he'll be presenting in a two-part panel on Feb. 3: "Recurring E-Discovery Challenges Part I: Avoiding the Hidden Pitfalls" and "Recurring E-Discovery Challenges Part II: Leadership Lessons from the Trenches".

For coverage of LegalTech, you can follow the #LTNY or #LegalTech hashtags.

Kevin and the others are looking forward to meeting informally with lawyers, legal marketing professionals and others serving the legal profession during the week, and if anyone else wants to set up a meeting or just to chat, you can email Kevin or call his cell at 206-321-3627.

And if any members of the LexBlog Network are in attendance and blogging about it, we'll be sure to highlight your commentary in this space as well.

My ACLEA Orlando Social Media Presentation

Kevin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:04:20 -0800

Most enjoyable Sunday morning here in Orlando keynoting at the 46th mid year meeting of the ACLEA (Association for Continuing Legal Education). About 250 pretty fired up folks from all over the country in attendance.

You may download a copy of my PowerPoint here or clicking on the above slide..

After my presentation I had the honor of sitting on a panel discussing social media with Nathaniel Trelease of WebCredenza, Peter Berge of Minnesota CLE and publisher of Small Firm Success, Amy Danziger Shapiro , Director of Strategic Marketing at American Law Institute-American Bar Association (ALI-ABA), and
Alli Gerkman of Colorado Bar Association CLE.
We reviewed Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and how lawyers and law firms are using them?

ACLEA is a great organization with wonderful members. Highly recommend attending one of their meetings if you are in the business of CLE or in a busines serving the CLE community.

And jump on the opportunity if asked to present at one of their events. No truth that I am influenced by their having beer on ice along side the soft drinks at the mid-afternoon break between sessions.

Best in law blogs : LexBlog Network : January 29, 2010

Colin O'Keefe — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:25:26 -0800

The Conan O'Brien controversy is winding down a bit but I'm always keen to check out when anyone on the Network has done some excellent firsthand reporting. Today, Jeffrey Mehalic has an interview with Patricia Glaser, Of Counsel to Conan O'Brien. Just one of 135 posts on the LexBlog Network today.

Why The Criminal Justice System is Broke in Tennessee - Nashville lawyer Rob McKinney on his Nashville Criminal Law Report
What Should Business Owners Learn From Tiger Woods, Toyota, And David Letterman? - Marylee Abrams of Abrams & Schmidt on the firm's Minnesota Labor & Employment Law Blog
"Shoots" of Green Building Laws Emerging in Southern Maryland Counties - Maryland LEED AP Megan Reuwer of O'Malley, Miles, Nylen & Gilmore on her blog, Building a Green Maryland
Despite Assertions to Contrary, Employment Laws Do Exist - Portland attorney Marc Alifanz of Stoel Rives on the firm's blog, World of Work
How Social Media May Be Influencing Human Clinical Trials and Access to Potentially Life-Saving Investigational New Drugs - Management consultant Cliff Mintz of BioInsights Inc. in his Bio Job Blog
Interview with Patricia Glaser, Counsel for Conan O'Brien - Charleston lawyer Jeffrey Mehalic on his West Virginia Business Litigation Blog
Too much product modification could cost a seller its favorable tax rate - Dallas attorney Alan E. Sherman in his Texas State & Local Tax Law Blog
Energy Efficiency, Green Retrofits and ROI: The Empire State Building - Arlington lawyer Timothy Hughes of Bean, Kinney & Korman on the firm's blog, Virginia Real Estate, Land Use & Construction Law
Tim Tebow's Super Bowl Ad - Any Real FCC Legal Controversy Here? - Washington, D.C. attorney David Oxenford of Davis Wright Tremaine in the firm's Broadcast Law Blog

New blogs joining the LexBlog Network for the week of 1/25-1/29

Colin O'Keefe — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:23:15 -0800

We have two new law blogs launching and joining the LexBlog network along with two special projects going live, one of which being a blog from LexBlog's own Ashley See. All are very cool, take a look.

The Anchor Plate is a blog on intellectual property authored by St. Louis attorneys Pete Salsich and Geoff Gerber. The two—who write on topics that include litigation, media, copyrights and trademarks—aim to provide an alternative voice on the practice of intellectual property litigation.
Published by Brad Giering and Brian Perley of Independent Discovery, the Medical Summation & Litigation Strategies blog provides insight and commentary on legal research and the analysis of medical records.
A very special blog, Emmy's Prayer for Sight is the effort of Emmy's parents, Kristen and Elmer Latchford. Emmy was born prematurely and it was discovered later that she had Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, a medical condition that results in underdevelopment of the optic nerves. However, Kristen and Elmer have found a hospital in China that is having amazing results in helping ONH babies and children to improve, many to the point of sight. They hope to raise enough money for the hospital stay, treatments, doctor bills, and flight to China because none of this is covered by their medical insurance.
Freshly Vegetarian is authored by LexBlog's own Author Services Manager, Ashley See, a recent adopter of vegetarianism. She will write on what vegetarianism entails, vegetarian recipes, the health advantages of vegetarianism and her continued experience with being a vegetarian.

Best in Law Blogs : LexBlog Network : January 28, 2010

Colin O'Keefe — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:12:39 -0800

The LexBlog section of my newsreader was the only one that wasn't completely clogged up with posts on the Apple iPad. Nevertheless, there was still one solid iPad post in that folder as Jeff Neuburger points out the many legal issues raised by the new device. Total number of posts on the LexBlog Network today: 129.

Old Wine, New Tablet: New Apple iPad Raises Many Legal Issues - New York attorney Jeff Neuburger of Proskauer Rose in the firm's New Media & Technology Law Blog
Camp Delta Sergeant Joe Hickman blows the whistle on Guantánamo "Suicides" - Lindsey Williams of the National Whistleblower Center on their Whistleblowers Protection Blog
Outsourcing Providers Pitching Business? Be Careful What You Wish For. - New York lawyer Joseph I. Rosenbaum of Reed Smith on the firm's blog, Legal Bytes
Simplify, Simplify, Simplify Simplify - Houston attorney David Oliver of Vorys on the firm's blog, Mass Torts: State of the Art
Nationwide ban on texting while driving for large commercial vehicles goes into effect - The blogging lawyers and attorneys at LaBovick & LaBovick on the firm's LaBovick Injury Law Blog
Get Back To Basics: Throw Out That Technology - Legal marketing specialist Tom Kane of Kane Consulting Inc. in his Legal Marketing Blog
Speed Cameras - For Staten Island's Safety or Revenue? - New York lawyer Frank Dito of Decker, Decker, Dito & Internicola on his blog, Staten Island Injury Law
Rising numbers and costs of data breaches - Washington DC attorney Vadim Schick of Post & Schell on the firm's Health IT Law Blog

It's who knows what you know

Kevin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:55:58 -0800

Talking to long time lawyer and now business development coach, Cordell Parvin, last week he said something that really resonated with me. That being that the formula for client development success for lawyers used to be "It's not just what you know -- it's who you know." Now, with the advent of social media, Cordell says "It's not just what you know -- it's who knows what you know."

That's so true - both for me personally, and for the lawyers I see achieving rockstar status in their niche via the effective use of social media. We get to be known not just by what we know, but by all the people who know what we know. And it's not just more people knowing what we know, it's hundreds of highly respected people sharing word of what we know with others - others who happen to be in our target audience.

People, whether on their own behalf or on behalf of organizations they work for, hire lawyers who are not only smart, but also who are viewed as thought leaders in their field. People are looking to hire lawyers who have influence. Influence among their peers - peers not of the lawyer, but peers of the person purchasing legal services. And influence among people who influence the people who hire lawyers - bloggers, reporters, association leaders, conference coordinators and the like.

How do you get more people to know what you know and view you as a thought leader? Use social media, leading with blogging, and continuing with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the like. Rather than shouting out content which lawyers are apt to do, engage in the existing conversation by sharing your insight and commentary on things already being discussed.

Reference on your blog what is being written elsewhere and offer value to what is being written. In effect, you'll be joining a conversation. You'll get seen by the people you are referencing.

What you say on your blog and Twitter will start to get mentioned by the influential people you are referencing. You'll get seen more often by your clients, prospective clients, and those people who influence them - such as reporters who will call you and conference coordinators who will ask you to speak at events attended by prospective clients.

In addition to just getting seen, you've got more people out there spreading word of what you know. When someone shares what you've said with an audience who trusts them, you've picked up an endorsement that you're a respected professional in your niche. The person doing the sharing wouldn't have referenced you and what you said if you were not.

LexBlog has in large part been built on who knows what I know. By sharing information, insight, and commentary of interest to my target audience over the last seven years, I've built a brand. A brand that I know something about networking through the Internet for successful client development. Not only do people what I know, but they are sharing with others that I know something about blogs and other forms of social media.

I don't say this to impress you. I say it to impress upon you that successful businesses and brands (including your brand as a leading lawyer) are built upon who knows what you know. I also want to impress upon you that if I can do this with half the brain power of most other lawyers, that you can easily get out and get more people to know what you know.

Best in Law Blogs : LexBlog Network : January 27, 2010

Colin O'Keefe — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:46:30 -0800

Yet another day of 130+ blogs posts on the LexBlog Network as today's total comes in at 131. One interesting post has Larry Bodine pointing out that AmLaw 100 firm Arnold & Porter has created an iPhone app for their Consumer Advertising Law Blog, similar to what Santiago Cueto of the International Business Law Advisor has done with his blog.

Sexual Stereotyping Creates Liability - Los Angeles lawyer Diane Crumpacker of on her blog, the Southern California Employment Law Report
NASCAR Drivers Cannot Cry Foul After Expressly Assuming Risk of Revived Bump-Drafting - Los Angeles attorney Jeffrey Kravitz of Fox Rothschild on the firm's Sports Law Scoreboard
A La Carte legal Fees in Contingency Cases? - Palm Coast lawyer Philip Chanfrau on his Palm Coast Injury Law Blog
Tribe Signs Landmark Union Labor Contract For Casino Dealers - Seattle attorney Greg Guedel of Foster Pepper on the firm's blog, Native American Legal Update
Are You Ready For Some Football (Ads)? - Minneapolis lawyer Karen Brennan of Winthrop & Weinstine on the firm's Duets Blog
Should a Flat Fee Include Post Trial Work? - Michael Kallus of Confluence Law Partners on their blog, Flat Fee IP
Arnold & Porter Creates an iPhone App for Law Firm Marketing - Legal marketing expert Larry Bodine on his Law Marketing Blog
Remember "Super Bowl", the "Olympics" and "March Madness" Are Trademarked Terms - Don't Use Them In Advertising Without Permission - Washington, D.C. attorney David Oxenford of Davis Wright Tremaine in the firm's Broadcast Law Blog
"I Didn't Know The Law" Is Not A Good Excuse For Any Lawyer - Burbank lawyer Adrianos Facchetti on his California Defamation Law Blog
Five Strategies for an Effective Law Firm Retreat - Law marketing consultant Elizabeth Ferris on her Authentic Law Marketing Blog

Four benefits of blogging for lawyers

Kevin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:02:39 -0800

Web marketing and communications consultant, Amy Campbell, has a nice post this morning on the benefits of blogging for lawyers.

Amy, who specializes in working with law firms and who I have learned a great deal from over the years, highlights four benefits.

Reputation enhancement. Blogs are a very effective way for professionals to raise their visibility and position themselves as accessible, helpful experts on a specific topic or niche practice. By writing about and commenting on and linking to other useful information in an area of expertise, a lawyer can help to demonstrate his/her knowledge around that subject and maybe even become a 'thought leader.'
Syndication of content. Blogs have an advantage over typical web sites in that blogs have a built-in syndication feed. Each time you publish a blog post, a news feed is sent out automatically that alerts the search engines, news aggregator sites, and newsreaders used by reporters, fellow bloggers, and innovative professionals. Blogs also often allow for readers to subscribe to updates by email. (A traditional web site waits for the search engines to come to it.)
Search engine performance. With frequent posts your blog becomes attractive to search engines -- not necessarily for its frequency, but for the collection of relevant information you've amassed around related keywords.
Viral marketing. Blogs become extremely effective when they provide 'information of value' in the form of original material and commentary. If you can write something extremely relevant and informative, you will gain the benefit of viral marketing -- where other web sites and bloggers will comment on and link to your blog post, as well as share it on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook and the like.

Amy's a professional too. She knows that a lot of lawyers and legal marketing professionals use law blogs merely as a tool to gain favorable treatment on he search engines.

...[T]his is also what leads to a lot of the junk blogs out there. For instance, a lot of personal injury attorneys are notoriously bad bloggers that methodically regurgitate verdict and settlement reports from news sources in order to create a blog post that uses lots of keywords around, say, motorcycle accidents, or cerebral palsy. Then, as a last paragraph, they add on a statement about if you need a motorcycle accident attorney, contact us. That type of blogging is not flattering for the profession and some of it borders on plagiarism.

Good stuff Amy. if you've not done so already, add Amy's blog to your RSS feeds. And check out her Legal Marketing Reader, which tracks 27 top law firm marketing blogs. My blog must be 28. ;)

Best in Law Blogs : LexBlog Network : January 26, 2010

Colin O'Keefe — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:23:33 -0800

There were 135 posts on the LexBlog Network today and something for just about everyone. Jason Krebs has some insight on how cutting off social media use may be a good idea during a personal injury case. Also, Teri Rasmussen has a great wrap-up of legal analysis on the Conan/Leno debacle.

Twitter Defamation Case Gets Tossed - But Concerns Remain - Glastonbury lawyer Kane Bennett of Raymond & Bennett LLC on his Connecticut Business Litigation Blog
Is Avatar Really a Political Commentary on Eminent Domain Abuse? - Irvine attorney Rick Rayl of Nossaman on the firm's California Eminent Domain Report
Data Security, Destruction and Encryption Leads the Way for States in 2010 - New Jersey lawyer Jason Gavejian of Jackson Lewis on the firm's blog, Workplace Privacy, Data Management & Security Report
FINRA Issues Guidance in New Social Media Websites Notice - New York attorney Joseph I. Rosenbaum of Reed Smith on the firm's blog, Legal Bytes
One Tweet Can Tank Your Personal Injury Case - Missouri lawyer Jason Krebs on his Springfield Injury Law Blog
Are Class Actions Unconstitutional? Does It Matter? - Virginia attorney Andrew Trask of McGuireWoods on the firm's blog, Class Action
In Hard Financial Times, Legal Malpractice Shadows Bankruptcy - Andrew Lavoott Bluestone on the New York Attorney Malpractice Blog
Insurance Coverage Denied: Now What? - New Berlin lawyer John Bruce of Schober Schober & Mitchell on the firm's Wisconsin Business Law Blog
The "Fish Philosphy": Bait and Switch at the Pike Place Fish Market! - Mike Cook of AMJ Group on their blog, The Heart of Engagement
Jay & Conan - Best Legal Analysis Roundup - Columbus attorney Teri Rasmussen of Plunkett Cooney in her Ohio Practical Business Law Blog

Jay O'Keeffe of De Novo: A Virginia Appellate Law Blog: LexBlog Q&A

Lisa Kennelly — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:44:20 -0800

Virginia attorney Jay O'Keeffe is a self-described "kid in a candy store" when it comes to appellate litigation, and his passion for that type of work comes through in his blog posts on De Novo: A Virginia Appellate Law Blog.

At the encouragement of professional development coach Cordell Parvin (also a member of the LexBlog Network, who blogs at Law Consulting Blog), Jay started his blog to build the visibility of his practice, keep up on appellate developments and get some writing practice.

While he hasn't (yet) gotten anyone else at his firm, Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, to join him in the blogosphere, he's built and solidified relationships with thought leaders and influencers in his own field and beyond.

"My potential clients and referral sources follow those sources closely," Jay says. "Blogging has let me join the conversation, but at my own speed."

We reached out to Jay for this LexBlog Q&A to find out more about what he's learned about social media and what kind of work he does in his "day job."

See our email exchange with Jay, after the jump.

Lisa Kennelly: Briefly, describe your practice and the type of clients with whom you work.

Jay O'Keeffe: That’s easier said than done. I split my time between business and appellate litigation. At Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, our core client group is made up of closely held companies and medium-to-high net worth individuals. On the business litigation side, I help those folks out with commercial disputes. When I joke about my “day job” on the blog, that’s what I’m talking about.

The other half of my practice deals with appeals, and they come from almost anywhere. This is the work that I really love, and I am very, very lucky—the way our firm is set up, I’m like a kid in a candy store when it comes to appellate work.

Much of our appellate group’s work comes from in house, either defending or challenging trial court judgments. On those appeals, our clients reflect Gentry Locke’s overall client base. Our firm has a plaintiff’s practice that tries a high number of cases, so many of our appeals come from them. We also accept cases on appeal that were handled below by trial lawyers outside the firm. These cases cover a huge variety of subject areas. They are generally sent our way by very good trial lawyers in our referral network who work at smaller firms. The referring lawyers generally are not interested in handling their own appeals and/or don’t have the time or dedicated in-house capability to do so.

Lisa Kennelly: Why did you decide to start a blog?

Jay O'Keeffe: Our firm has been working with Cordell Parvin, a professional development coach. He suggested blogging to me. As Cordell explained it, blogging would help me build the visibility of my practice, while forcing me to keep up on appellate developments and giving me loads of writing practice. That all turned out to be true. What he didn’t mention—though I quickly learned—is that it’s also really a lot of fun.

Lisa Kennelly: What has been the reaction to your blog from lawyers, clients or anyone else?

Jay O'Keeffe: Overwhelmingly positive. Here are some of the highlights:

The blog’s site design looks great. ~~I get~~ LexBlog gets a lot of compliments on the optics, and first impressions count.
Because of the nature of appellate work, a lot of my “clients” and referral sources are other lawyers. Writing De Novo has put me in touch with lawyers across the state who I wouldn’t have met otherwise, and it allows me to keep in touch with classmates and colleagues from my old firm.
Blogging also has put me in touch or solidified my relationships with “influencers” like Peter Vieth at Virginia Lawyer’s Weekly, and Steve Emmert, who maintains a website called Virginia Appellate News and Analysis. My potential clients and referral sources follow those sources closely. Blogging has let me join the conversation, but at my own speed.
I am starting to get business from the blog—not exactly a deluge (yet), but I really did not expect to generate much of anything for at least another 6-12 months.
Finally, blogging has taught me to use other social media more effectively. This has definitely helped my networking efforts. I’ve also become the social media guinea pig at our firm, and I’ve been trying to get more of my colleagues on board.

My biggest disappointment with blogging is only that I haven’t been able to convince more of my colleagues to get involved.

Lisa Kennelly: You mentioned meeting people you wouldn't otherwise have because of the blog - what kind of people, and do you have any anecdotes about that?

Jay O'Keeffe: This summer, I had a good result in construction appeal, Dunn Construction Co. v. Cloney. The blog put me in touch with construction lawyers, like Tim Hughes in Northern Virginia who runs the Virginia Real Estate, Land Use & Construction Law Blog and Chris Hill in Richmond who does Construction Law Musings. They’re great guys. I probably never would have met them without the blog. Now I read their blogs on RSS and follow them on Twitter, and they drop by De Novo and comment on my posts. Chris even gave me the opportunity to do a guest post on Musings. I can’t wait to get a chance to work with them.

Lisa Kennelly: You mentioned convincing some others at your team to get more involved in social media. What has been your "pitch" about social media, and what has been the response of those at your firm?

Jay O'Keeffe: My “pitch” definitely needs some work. I basically try to lure people into my office and show them what I am doing on the blog, iGoogle (including Google reader and Google Alerts), and Twitter, then suggest that they check it out. Social media provides a tremendously valuable and efficient information source; I check Google Reader and tweet about interesting stuff almost every morning.

On social media generally, our firm has been receptive but cautious—and understandably so. I’ve received wonderful support for De Novo, and the firm has provided in-house training on using LinkedIn. Institutionally, we are very sensitive to the potential ethical issues involved in social media. I think we have to be at the moment, given the absence of definitive guidance from the state bar.

Right now, the Roanoke market is at a stage where our most of clients (or their decision-makers) may not necessarily be using social media, but I’m pretty sure that their direct reports and other influencers are.

Interested in hearing more? Recent LexBlog Q & A posts:

Matthew Burnett & Kate Bladow of Technola [1.7.10]
Jerry Kalish of Retirement Plan Blog [1.5.10]
A.J. De Bartolomeo of Yaz on Trial [12.22.09]
Jim Walker of Cruise Law News [12.18.09]

Or, see our full list of legal blog interviews.

Best in Law Blogs : LexBlog Network : January 25, 2010

Colin O'Keefe — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:43:04 -0800

Today's total for posts on the LexBlog Network comes to 119; impressive for a Monday. It appears as though there's a new widespread salmonella outbreak, with salami possibly being the source of the outbreak. As always, Bill Marler is on top of it.

Franchisee Profitability: 8 Days, 8 Months or 8 Years - New York lawyer Charles Internicola on his New York Franchise Law Blog
187 Ill in 39 States Due to Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo Infections - Other Salmonella Strains Likely - Seattle attorney Bill Marler of Marler Clark on his MarlerBlog
Court Finds MetLife's Denial Of Short-Term Disability Benefits Arbitrary And Capricious - Florida lawyer Gregory Dell of Dell & Schaefer on the firm's Disability Benefit Claims Law Blog
Interesting Facts and Truths about Young Adult Drinking and Driving - Houston DWI attorney Herman Martinez of Madrid, Martinez & Associates on the firm's Houston Criminal Law Journal
Never Mind - Supreme Court sends back confrontation case - Waco lawyer Walter Reaves in his Texas Criminal Law Blog
A Mountain Dew, A Body In The Trunk, and The Wacky World Of Probable Cause and Qualified Immunity - Philadelphia attorney Maxwell Kennerly of The Beasley Firm at his blog, Litigation & Trial
Are Nursing Homes Required To Have Certain Numbers Of Staff? - Chicago lawyer Jonathan Rosenfeld of Strellis & Field's on his Nursing Homes Abuse Blog
Interview with Delaware LLC Experts and Practice Manual Co-Authors John Cunningham and Vernon Proctor: Part I - New York attorney Peter A. Mahler of Farrell Fritz in his New York Business Divorce Blog
Bank Failures Continue, Lawsuits Trickle In - Ohio lawyer Kevin LaCroix of OakBridge Insurance Services in his blog, The D & O Diary
The Importance of Getting Out in The World: How A Lawyer Found an Oprah-Worthy Case on a Trip to Staples - Washington, D.C. attorney Carolyn Elefant in her blog, My Shingle