JD Scoop

With the recent announcement of Targeted Updates on Company Pages, LinkedIn has created yet one more way for lawyers and law firms to share content with segmented audiences on the professional network.

When it comes to Content Marketing, it's all about reaching the right people at the right time, and LinkedIn makes this easier than ever. In fact, there are now five key types of audience targeting on LinkedIn, each with its own particular strength. Here's a quick overview of each - and why they should be of interest to your law firm:

1. The Professional Network

A no-brainer, and first on the the list because this is where everyone should start. This audience might not be "segmented" in the traditional sense of the word (ie, exclusively leaders in the insurance industry), but, as a measure of the personal and professional relationships forged by each attorney in your firm, it is incredibly valuable.

I find that, given LinkedIn's professional context, most connections in my network don't abuse the ability to share and engage. I check in several times a day and the stream of content produced by my network is always fresh and interesting (more signal, less noise).

The takeaway: each attorney in your firm has the ability to grow a trusted audience on LinkedIn. Without abusing the privilege of this attention, your attorneys should be sharing law firm content within their networks. This is indeed a targeted group of readers for your updates and publications, including the ability to cross-promote expertise from other practice groups (example: someone in your Corporate Law group shares the latest white paper on an aspect of family wealth management for owners of private companies, produced by your Estate Planning team.)

2. LinkedIn Groups

Yes, group members are another form of targeted audience on LinkedIn. The act of joining a group is a form of self-selection, segmentation ("This is what interests me").

Each group has its own self-policing set of rules regarding what members can share and how, but I have come to count on the daily and weekly group emails as another source of targeted information provided by LinkedIn. Your firm should be participating.

I find that most attorneys tend to join LinkedIn groups populated by other attorneys. A better strategy: join the groups that cater to the industries in which you work. Use those groups (in HR, energy, insurance, finance, securities, life sciences, etc.) to hear what is on the minds of the professionals you serve. And also, as appropriate, use those groups to disseminate meaningful, targeted content produced by your firm, on topics that matter to group members. Terrific thing about groups: engaging content often spurs immediate conversation.

3. Company Profiles

In our experience, by now most law firms have established a Company Profile on LinkedIn. And the recent Targeted Updates announcement pertains to this particular feature.

Your "followers" are already a well-targeted group on LinkedIn; they're all professionals who've opted to hear from your firm. Every one of your updates appears in their network stream. Now, LinkedIn has produced a number of tools that make it even easier to segment that pool of followers, including the ability to share with people by industry, location, or company size.

It's an excellent feature (and I suspect a response to targeting offered by Facebook and Google Plus), backed by the ability to measure engagement for your shares. In order to be effective, it does, however, require that you have a large enough group of followers in the first place. (At a glance, most law firm profiles appear to be followed by hundreds of people, not thousands.) Luckily there's a solution; another new offering: you can now add a button to your website encouraging visitors to follow the firm directly on LinkedIn.

4. JD Supra's Legal Updates on LinkedIn

Do I have a bias here? Absolutely, guilty as charged - and yet, our Legal Updates LinkedIn InApp remains one of my favorite ways to reach targeted audience on the professional network.

Why? Well, an update on your Company Profile is a way to reach people who have opted to hear about your law firm. An update via "Legal Updates" is a way to reach people who have opted to hear about specific legal issues that matter to their business.

With the former, you engage people who already know about you. With the latter, you extend your reach, engaging with people beyond your network who don't yet know your firm and its expertise, but should.

Legal Updates distributes law firm content to any professional who has added the application to their LinkedIn profile. Users receive advisories and updates pertaining to their industry (insurance law news to people in insurance, finance and banking to professionals in that field, and so on) - and anyone can customize the feed to add any other legal subject that interests them.

The app allows your firm to reach a targeted audience beyond the scope of the network you and your attorneys are building. Content in the app is easily shared and it all drives back to the firm or attorney who authored the work in the first place. In this way, it complements your networking and audience-building as outlined above; we see readers connect directly to the firms and attorneys whose work they discover and appreciate via Legal Updates.

5. LinkedIn Answers

There are three types of meaningful audience available to your firm via LinkedIn's "Answers" feature. The first: the professional who asked the question in the first place. Highly targeted because, most of the time, questions tend to be quite specific. It's an opportunity not for a general update on a broad topic by one of your attorneys, but for a showcase of some pretty specific expertise. That's worth the time it takes to find good questions and answer them.

The second audience: others who have answered that same question. In the mix, you'll find professionals for whom this topic is important. Such people are worth knowing, and they should know about the expertise held by attorneys in your firm.

The third audience: lurkers, those people who don't ask or answer questions, but browse or search LinkedIn Answers for the information they need. This will be the largest of those three audiences, and taken as whole, it is a good, targeted audience, worth your effort on LinkedIn.

Some attorneys will undoubtedly hesitate over ethical issues raised by answering specific questions on LinkedIn. I think you can craft a way to both share useful information and not bump up against those concerns. Either way, as with the other avenues outlined above, all roads should lead back to your firm, and the attorneys in it.

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@adrianlurssen

Happy new year! For your interest, here's a look at some of the most-viewed law news and updates on JD Supra for December 2011:

1. Law Passed Banning Held Held Cell Phone Use by Commercial Drivers - by Tammy Ensslin
2. Are You Being Sued by Midland Funding, LLC? Why You Should Fight Lawsuits by Debt Buying Companies - by John Skiba
3. Fashion Model Mangled by Airplane Propeller is Among Hundreds Injured in Aviation - by Lawyers.com
4. Doors Could Open Wider for Skilled Immigrant Labor - by Ronald Shapiro
5. Arizona Consumers Use FDCPA to Challenge Debt Collectors - by Pew Law Center
6. Legal Alert: Senate Passes National Defense Authorization Act - Ford & Harrison LLP
   
7. Florida Supreme Court Says Bank and Homeowner Can't Settle Mortgage Foreclosure Case - by Duane Morris LLP
8. DOT Restricts Mobile Phone Use Effective January 2012 - by Fisher & Phillips LLP
9. New Employment Laws for 2012: Oregon, Washington, and California - by Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
10. Will Kobe Bryant Lose Millions? - by Cooper Gordon LLP
    
11. 2012 California Construction Law Update - by Farella Braun + Martel
12. A Reporting Nightmare - The IRS Finalizes Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets - by Akerman Senterfitt
13. Fear Factors: Dual Nationals and the IRS - by Sanford Millar
14. California Governor Signs S.B. 459, Dramatically Increasing Penalties for Misclassifying Employees as Independent Contractors - by Schnader
    
15. A Wave of New Changes to California Employment Laws for 2012 - Allen Matkins
16. RIM Defeats Sherman Act Section 2 Claims At Pleading Stage - Sheppard Mullin
17. "Wage Theft Prevention Act" Takes Effect January 1, 2012 - Fisher & Phillips
18. Compliance Countdown to 2012 for California Employers: New Laws for the New Year - by Duane Morris LLP
19. Parent Company Of Defunct Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Reaches $17 Million False Claims Act Settlement With Federal And State Governments - by Warner Norcross Judd's White Collar group
20. Florida Legislature Pre-Session Report on Healthcare and Casino Gambling - by Akerman Senterfitt
21. VISIT USA Act Will Give Foreign Investors in Florida Real Estate a US Visa With $500K+ Purchase - by Rosa Eckstein Schechter
22. Gifting and Marcellus Shale - by McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC
23. On Legal Writing: Hemingway, not Faulkner - by Miles Cooper
24. The Case Against Arbitration: Do the Doubters Have a Point? - Quinn Emanuel
    
25. Another 10 Major Misconceptions Plan Sponsors Have About Their Retirement Plans - The Rosenbaum Law Firm

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Follow @JDSupraBuzz for daily updates on trending topics, searches, and documents on JD Supra. A great way to see what's hot and find fodder for your own next article or post.

Also see our newest blog featuring roundups of consumer and personal law news: Is That Legal?

Archive:

- Most-viewed on JD Supra: Nov 2011
- Most-viewed on JD Supra: Oct 2011
- Most-viewed on JD Supra: Sept, 2011

...from those who know. (With excellent bonus tips to boot.)

We've been asking CMOs, marketing managers, and biz dev folks at law firms that use JD Supra how they support the writing efforts of their attorneys and practice groups. The idea: put together a list of "Think Like an Editor" tips by law firm marketers for law firm marketers. Here's what we've heard so far in reply:

1. Create Editorial Calendars

"At Fenwick & West, we've found one of the best ways to keep the content trains running is the use of editorial calendars. Each quarter, we get the practice or industry group to agree upon the topics that are likely to be of interest to clients and reporters in the upcoming two quarters. Partner and associates are then assigned roles for those topics: article, alert, PR contact, blog post, twitter feed, etc. These assignments to specific tasks and topics help keep the content flowing because the attorneys know they only have one or two things to do each quarter. A marketer serves as project manager, reminding people when content is due, as well as coordinating proofing and distribution if applicable. For a firm our size, this method helps us generate a relatively significant amount of content and press visibility."

- Rob Kahn, Fenwick & West

2. Follow the Leads

"What are your competitors writing about? What new cases have been decided? What news articles are trending? What are the other bloggers saying? Any new legislative actions? I subscribe to numerous RSS feeds and have them all categorized so I can quickly scan to see what's happening in our industry sectors. I can then relay story ideas to our team of bloggers."

- Heather Morse, Barger & Wolen

3. Foster Group Accountability & Assign Manageable Writing Tasks

"At a monthly practice group meeting we ask for someone to commit, in front of their colleagues, to a single article for that month, with a hard due date. (The practice group itself has committed to producing twelve such publications in a meeting at the start of the year.) A single article in a given month for one attorney is a manageable amount of work - it's easy to imagine getting that done. Couple the assignment with the group accountability, and usually we see a finished article within a few days after the meeting."

- Carla Cogan, Manatt

4. Spotlight the Right Stuff
 
"When we kicked off our social media plan, we recognized that lawyers might lack the internal motivation to be regular participants in these tactics. It was new, unproven, took time and they would be personally responsible for it. So, we started a feature in our regular internal marketing news called "Whooz Famous Now?" (so called because of a long firm tradition of "Woohoos" for victories and significant events). Each issue, we shine the light of recognition on the PR side, skewed to social media, both for participants and what results we gather anecdotally. Not only does this make our contributors more visible among their fellow lawyers, but it has demonstrated itself to be an incentive for them to report to us."

- L. Russell Lawson, Sands Anderson

5. Educate Your Attorneys

I help the attorneys in our firm understand the power and reach of the Internet: "Remember the days when attorneys had to pay absurd amounts of money to be found in a big yellow book?  Today, your clients and colleagues use search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo for the latest news in their industry. If you want to be found then writing is the solution. Once you write an article, that article can also be included on your website, cited by mainstream news sources, promoted through third-party news providers, and shared across various social media outlets. Now your article can be found in more than one place and eventually could lead to another marketing opportunity, such as a speaking engagement, or even a new client..."

- Kyle Shumate, Dinsmore & Shohl

...

Bonus Tips: we cast a wide net for these tips, and will be adding others as they come in. (Please send yours!) Here are two:

6. Nag

"Nag, nag, nag. And learn early not to take rejection personally."

- Beth Cranson, Warner Norcross & Judd

7. Use JD Supra's Trending Topics

"We encourage attorneys to author by posting their published work on our website, sharing it in our internal newsletter and by using the published articles for business development opportunities, which is a testament to the attorney's knowledge and experience in the authored area. More often than not, the most difficult part of authoring is selecting the topic.  In order to assist, we often provide them with the list of trending topics from JD Supra, which helps identify what topics are at the forefront each month."

- Lori Foleen, Lane Powell

8. Leverage existing content 
 
Proactively seek opportunities to leverage content being written or prepared by your attorneys for client memos, legal alerts and upcoming seminars. Typically this content has already been researched extensively and is very timely - no arm-twisting needed. For example, when an attorney tells our marketing team he or she plans to send out a legal alert, we immediately reach out to the legal publications to gauge their interest in an article on the particular subject area. Once the article has been published, (with permission from the publisher of course!) we take the content and distribute it via online channels such as LinkedIn, Twitter and JD Supra. We also share the article link with the attorneys in our weekly "Marketing Minute Monday" electronic internal communication which provides both peer recognition and an opportunity for our attorneys to share valuable content with their contacts. Attorneys usually express how grateful they are to see their hard work go further than it would have just a few years ago. As marketers, our team is excited we have the opportunity to add tremendous value with online tools at our fingertips.

- Sara McKibben, Snell & Wilmer

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What works for you as you support your attorneys' writing efforts? Send me a note and I'll include your tip here...

@adrianlurssen

For your reference, here are three recent articles to do with Content Marketing that are worth your attention. Each underscores in its own way the importance of creating and distributing valuable content as part of your law firm's marketing strategy.

I've highlighted some takeaways after the links - I suggest reading each post in full when you have the time:

1. 10 Tips for Better Content Marketing

Mikal Belicove's follow-up to his earlier piece (Why Content is King) in Entrepreneur magazine. You'll find solid tips listed here to do with diversifying your content, writing on evergreen topics, creating a calendar, curating your publications, and more. Here's one of Mikal's rules that can't be overstated:

"4. Distribution rules: If content is king, then distribution is the ace. Putting content in front of the right consumers -- and lots of them -- is key. Without traffic, your content is worthless. This means distributing your content using social channels such as Facebook and Twitter, aligning with the right content curators and securing links from relevant sites."

...

2. Three Things Marketers Can Learn From a Law Firm (Yes, a Law Firm) About Creating Awesome Content

Published by MarketingProfs earlier this week, a terrific profile of Chicago law firm Levenfield Pearlstein's content marketing efforts, with a particular emphasis on what the firm is doing with videos. Short answer: they're using videos to humanize their lawyers with behind-the-scenes vignettes:

"In one vignette, Steven Bright, a partner in the Banking & Finance Service and the Real Estate & Finance Practice groups, talks about what he was like as a child. In another, Lisa Vandesteeg, an associate in the firm's Litigation, Bankruptcy, and Restructuring and Insolvency Practice Groups, gives a tour of her office. Visitors sometimes tease her for her stockpile of diplomas and awards on the wall, Lisa says before she shows off her proudest professional accomplishment: Her trophy earned for spanking her colleagues in the firm's annual chili cookoff..."

The videos appear on lawyer profile pages on the firm's website. "'We saw these videos both as a way to differentiate who we are, and also to start the relationship off right,' Andrea said, adding, "They're a way to tell our story.'"

...

3. Content Marketing Strategies of the 7 Media Giants

Really, what you should do is simply connect to Joe Pulizzi's Content Marketing Institute (source of this third post) and read everything they publish; the site is a regular source of high quality writing on marketing with content. I chose this particular post for a number of reasons, not the least being the point that 'content' is by no means limited to text:

"The lesson to learn from the Big 7 and apply to your own content marketing efforts is to use every form of content (and every angle) you can to promote your product or service. In fact, the more ways you use content the better.."

A good reminder of the four basic types of content, most of which can be leveraged by lawyers and law firms. Quote:

Text:

• Online: blogs, micromessaging (e.g., Twitter), social networking sites (Facebook & Google+), your website.
• Offline: books, articles, reports, newsletters.

Audio:

• Online: podcasting, online radio, MP3s.
• Offline: CDs, MP3s.

Video:

• Online: YouTube, Vimeo, etc.
• Offline: DVDs, TV, movies, etc.

Speaking/Teaching:

• Online: webinars, teleconferences.
• Offline: seminars, interviews, etc.

...

As I put together this Friday reading list, I came across one more post on law firm content marketing, from writer Janet Ellen Raasch. Your bonus link - have a good weekend:

Content marketing and web analytics: The yin and yang of any successful law firm marketing campaign

--
@adrianlurssen

I recently read a HubSpot blog post relevant to any lawyer writing for online visibility today:

4 Content Creation Lessons Marketers Can Learn From Journalists ... worth a share within your firm (especially to your lawyers writing for the web), because even though some of the pointers might appear obvious by now, time and again we see them overlooked: 

- publish timely content
- publish content that teaches
- publish content that is relevant to professionals in a specific industry (the industry you serve)
- develop an outlet that communicates (your firm's) niche specialties

Here's one lesson from the piece that I believe simply cannot be overstated:

Understand your audience

"...stay committed to creating the types of content your target audience wants. Focus your content around what is important to the people who you want to be your customers [clients for law firms]. Be an informative and credible voice based on your industry expertise and write about topics that you are naturally an expert in..."

Naturally, content that your target audience wants to read (versus blatantly promotional content you want them to read) helps you to stand out in a noisy crowd. Want someone to listen to you? Be helpful to them.

But, today, there's another, perhaps equally important reason first and foremost to address reader needs and interests in your online legal commentary:

When you bring your particular expertise to bear with a clear understanding of audience, the result tends to be more shareable content - and, frankly, shareable content is the name of the game these days.

We see this playing out daily on JD Supra. When it works, for example: an ERISA attorney writes a piece on retirement plan management that so clearly speaks to the needs of his target audience, the article becomes the most-viewed post for the month when benefits planning sites link to the piece and an ever-increasing pool of readers (financial advisors, plan sponsors, others) share it widely with their own networks on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc. Your audience has an audience of its own, as they say, and - well ... you stand to benefit. No pun intended.

--
@adrianlurssen

We're pleased to welcome the following lawyers and law firms now distributing their updates, blog posts, and other legal publications on the JD Supra network:

- Akerman Senterfitt:

""Akerman is ranked among the top 100 law firms in the U.S. by The National Law Journal NLJ 250 (2011) in number of lawyers and is the leading Florida firm. With 500 lawyers and government affairs professionals, Akerman serves clients throughout the United States and overseas from Florida, New York, Washington, D.C., California, Colorado, Virginia, Nevada, Utah, and Texas..." See portfolio>>

- Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.:

"Epstein Becker Green is uncompromising in its pursuit of legal excellence and client service in its areas of practice: Health Care and Life Sciences, Labor and Employment, Litigation, Corporate Services, and Employee Benefits. The Firm was founded to serve the health care industry and has been at the forefront of health care legal developments since 1973. The Firm is also proud to be a trusted advisor to clients in the financial services and hospitality industries, among others, representing entities from startups to Fortune 100 companies..." See portfolio>>

- Harney Westwood & Riegels:

"Harneys is a leading international offshore law firm. We provide the world's top law firms, financial institutions and corporations with legal services relating to British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cyprus and Anguilla law. Key practice areas include corporate & commercial, banking & finance, investment funds, litigation & insolvency and private client..." See portfolio>>

- Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason LLP:

"Zelle Hofmann attorneys are proud to represent clients in their most challenging insurance-related disputes, antitrust/competition and other complex business litigation in venues across the United States and around the world. Our experience in successfully resolving high-profile, high-exposure cases and our commitment to efficient and responsive service supports everything we do..." Read portfolio>>

- Ladas & Parry LLP:

"Ladas & Parry LLP is a law firm primarily engaged in the practice of intellectual property (IP) law. Our practice is broad-ranging, from all aspects of patent, trademark, and copyright law, to advice on entertainment law, domain names, security interests in intellectual property, licensing, franchising and related aspects of commercial law and other legal areas dealing with technology" See portfolio>>

- Wahab & Medenica LLC:

"Wahab & Medenica manages the spectrum of legal issues confronting businesses, large and small, through consistently proactive advocacy. Assisting our clients with issues such as business transactions and governance, technology, and intellectual property, we provide a complete array of services ranging from complex agreements to litigation" See portfolio>>

- Chang, Ruthenberg & Long PC:

"Over 20 years as a firm exclusively focused on employee benefits law ... we're one of the largest ERISA compliance practices on the West Coast. It's all we do. Our team of attorneys and pension consultants works with employers, fiduciaries, administrators, CPAs, and corporate counsel to improve plan designs, ensure compliance, build benefits teams, solve problems, implement ESOP succession strategies and realize goals..." See portfolio>>

- Gilbert LLP:

"Based in Washington, DC, with an office in Austin, Texas, Gilbert LLP is a law firm that represents a wide range of clients, including corporations, partnerships, non-profit organizations and individuals in complex disputes, including high-stakes litigation, class actions and ADRs. Best known for representing policyholder interests in insurance coverage matters, Gilbert LLP also has active commercial litigation and pro bono practices..." See portfolio>>

- Mark Bressler/Sassoon & Cymrot:

"As partner with Sassoon & Cymrot, I work with investors and business owners whose assets are over-leveraged, distressed or non-performing. I advise businesses that have difficulty accessing the capital equity and debt markets, and develop strategies for restructure and workout of business and real estate debt with lenders and secured creditors. I represent borrowers and lenders in the restructure, reorganization, sale and disposition of distressed businesses and real estate assets. I represent developers, investors, managers and lenders of hotel, retail, office, industrial and multi-family properties, and advise businesses who face leasing, financing or expansion needs..." See portfolio>>

- Lawyers.com:

"Lawyers.com provides you with legal information and the ability to search for a lawyer to help with your legal issue. Lawyers.com is powered by LexisNexis, a worldwide leader in legal and business information. Arm yourself with the information you need to solve your legal issue. Whether you hire a lawyer or do it yourself, use Lawyers.com to take action to empower your life..." See portfolio>>

- DepoTexas:

"DepoTexas is the preferred deposition and litigation services provider for leading law firms and corporate legal departments throughout Texas. Our offices are located in Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Houston, Midland, Odessa and San Antonio. We promise to provide speed and accuracy in addressing all your court reporting, deposition and litigation support needs from the inception of your case through trial..." See portfolio>>

We're also happy to announce the recent arrival of some of law firm Warner Norcross & Judd's practice groups on JD Supra:

- Michigan Employment Law:

"Steven Palazzolo brings a unique and varied background to the practice of labor and employment law. Prior to attending law school, Steve spent seven years as a shop floor supervisor in both union and non-union food processing plants. Steve also spent 11 years as in-house counsel specializing in labor and employment law for a multi-billion-dollar multinational corporation with extensive manufacturing operations. During this time Steve also supervised a staff of HR professionals. He emphasizes counseling clients on employee relations issues, policy development, NLRB, ADA, FMLA and international labor relations..." See portfolio>>

- Appellate Practice Group:

"The WNJ Appellate Practice Group is one of the Midwest's leading appellate litigation practice groups, counting among its members a recent Michigan Court of Appeals judge and former federal appellate clerks from the 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Circuits..." See portfolio>>
 
- White Collar:

"Warner's 'Better Partnership' is uniquely suited to help clients stay on the right side of the law. Our truly unusual law firm structure and history promote interdisciplinary collaboration with our colleagues who are subject-matter experts in areas impacted by government oversight. Most importantly, we take the time to watch and predict enforcement priorities. We understand that our clients want to be responsible corporate citizens so we make that our top priority..." See portfolio>>

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What about you? Ready to increase your online visibility with a JD Supra portfolio for your publications?

Learn more about JD Supra now>>

For your reference, three articles recently posted on JD Supra that offer solid insights into (as Joshua Fruchter puts it in his whitepaper below) the "mainstay of a firm's online presence" - the law firm website:

1. The Top Ten Law Firm Website Best Practices
From Fruchter/eLawMarketing: "A law firm website that is well-designed, easily navigated, and populated with useful content projects expertise, attention to detail, and technological savvy - key qualities that clients look for in a law firm.

On the other hand, an outdated, poorly designed website is, as one general counsel aptly remarked in a recent survey, 'like showing up to a meeting in a crumpled suit.'

Deploying a law firm website that attracts visitors, holds their attention and converts them into leads, requires compliance with 'best practices.' This white paper will discuss the following top 10 law firm website best practices..." Read on>>

2. The Future of the Law Firm Website
From Robert Algeri/Great Jakes Marketing: "During the past two years, my colleagues and I have studied the Great Recession's effects on legal marketing and law firm Web sites. Our conclusion is that the law firm Web site is about to undergo a revolution. Specifically, we expect law firm Web sites to:

• Become more valuable. Web sites will rival face-to-face meetings in terms of their importance in business development.

• Become bigger. They will grow to accommodate much more content.

• Focus more on attorneys. Law firm Web sites increasingly will cater to the business development needs of individual attorneys.

In short, a law firm's Web site will no longer be considered supplemental marketing collateral. Rather, it increasingly will be thought of as a marketing platform that is central to all aspects of a firm's marketing activity (online and offline). This may seem a radical notion for some firms. However, it is a natural reaction to major changes that have occurred in the business environment..." Read on>>

3. Law Firm Website Contact Forms
From Steve Matthews at Stem Legal: "It's arguably the most important thing on your law firm's website, the whole reason why it exists. Yet it's usually parked in some distant corner of the site, and a challenge for visitors to find quickly and use easily...

A prospective client, having reviewed a firm's website in detail, often decides to reach out and speak with one of the firm's lawyers. This contact is typically established using one of three methods: Phone us; Email us; Fill out and submit this online contact form.

Many firms use all three contact methods, while some firms will limit the number of contact points made available. I recommend maximizing both the number and visibility of contact options, but ultimately, each contact style is an option for firms, not a requirement.

In this month's column, I thought it might be interesting to isolate and discuss one of those methods: the law firm website contact form..." Read on>>

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[Also see John Hellerman's response to the Great Jakes post: Robert Algeri Predicts the Future]

FOLLOW: Legal Marketing articles & updates on:
Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | JD Supra

[The following is a continuation of yesterday's Law Firm Facebook Pages: 5 Examples of Doing It Right. That post features 5 law firm pages, each a good example of professional visibility on Facebook. It helps to read it first.]

If most advice about connecting and communicating on Facebook focuses on consumers and it probably doesn't make sense for an austere law firm to run a social campaign with videos starring a bald, handsome guy with an eye patch and his sidekick dog that counts beers by tapping his paw, the question becomes:

how do you build professional visibility on the world's largest communications platform?

One answer might be to look at three styles (or types) of law firm Facebook pages.

Think of it this way: so far, you know you need "transportation." Now you need to decide: bicycle? moped? car? skateboard? hummer? helicopter? tank? The answer depends on where you are going and who is coming with you, among other considerations:

1. The Company Intranet

Consider what you'd do and say on Facebook if your law firm's page was a modern-day corporate Intranet. Obviously, there are certain things that appear on your Intranet that would never appear on Facebook, but then plenty of other items would. Example: pics of the ice cream social for summer associates.

Or, a terrific press mention. Or a shout-out to employees for reaching an amazing philanthropic milestone. (All real-world examples from one of my favorite go-to law page examples, Fenwick & West.)

Who reads a company Intranet? Obviously, employees. But when you start thinking about programming your Facebook page in the same style, feel-good HR content becomes feel-good PR content.

Transparency.

A corporate Intranet is hidden from public view; on Facebook, a page-as-Intranet is not. And that's what matters.

On Facebook you can count on others (friends, advocates, past and future employees, prospective clients, old clients, media, others) looking over your shoulder, seeing how you: treat your employees; celebrate firm, attorney, and client successes; reach corporate milestones; invest in community service, and all of the rest. It is branding, PR, a mix of the two.

The topic deserves a post all of its own - I hope you get the point. If you think about your page this way, you begin to understand your first audience: current employees. And, given the "viral" nature of Facebook, as your employees "engage" with the page, the audience grows. Good.

2. Corporate Outpost

Consider what you'd do and say if your Facebook page was another important corporate outpost, one part of your firm's whole digital presence - akin to that section of your website where you show people who are interested 1) what you do, and 2) why you are good at it.

Again, another example from yesterday's post, Miller Starr Regalia's landing page:



I don't need to spend too much time telling you what to include on a Facebook page focused on your corporate messaging (think: "We are Loeb & Loeb ... Bryan Cave ... Davis Wright Tremaine ... your firm name ... and this is what we do well"), but it makes perfect sense to me that each of these firms above, and others, include an archive of firm publications (updates, alerts, commentary, etc.) directly on their page. Content works overtime on social media to showcase firm expertise and authority in fields of practice.

Why build a corporate outpost on Facebook? First answer: because people will Google your firm name. And, given it is Facebook, with time, your law firm page will start showing up on the first page of Google. So: at a minimum, you build a corporate outpost on social to control your firm's corporate message in search. As important as that is, it hardly ends there.

3. The Subject Page

What is your firm's chief focus? Or, the chief focus of key practice groups? Which professions and industries do you serve? Consider what you would do and say on Facebook if your firm's page was constructed with an editorial focus chiefly in answer to those questions.

Thinking like an editor.



As you've heard time and again, ours is the Age of Information. And yet, we're burdened by noise. There are an awful lot of people who are great at writing titles, but not so hot at writing what follows after you click the link (the article, the post, the news, the thought piece). We're also burdened by a lack of filtering, and so enter "curation" that catch-all buzzword that means becoming an authoritative, trusted source of information that matters to me.

I have long said that lawyers and law firms stand to benefit by participating in this "online landscape" - call it what you will. It requires authenticity and professionalism, but the fact is, at a time when it has never been easier to distribute information:
- lawyers and law firms actually have hard-earned professional expertise; you actually have something to say
- the practice of law is in no small way a daily relationship with language; you are communicators to begin with
- you understand the role of the written word in establishing and maintaining reputation, authority, sense of expertise.

Enough already, translate that to: one terrific approach on Facebook is not to build a corporate page but to build an industry- or subject-specific page that focuses on the informational needs of the people you serve.

Yesterday's example: Fashion Law by Fox Rothschild attorney Staci Riordan. Almost all of the content shared on the page focuses on the needs and interests of the audience, not the opposite. The page is indeed a promotional platform; it just also happens to be useful and interesting.

Many of you have undoubtedly thought this through with the creation of a practice-specific blog. Now, recreate that hybrid, new-media outlet on Facebook, where an engaged audience grows itself, and can help spread what you share beyond your immediate network of followers.

Professional visibility.

(I'd be remiss not to point to our many subject-based law pages as example. Our goal on Facebook: find and connect to audiences that need to know what lawyers and law firms are writing about, on any given subject that matters to them. Our most recent page, launched two weeks ago: Predatory Lending Watch.)

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Fact is, when you choose what style of law firm Facebook page to build, it's not an either/or proposition. You can incorporate elements from all three (and many others!) and who knows: maybe a dog that counts beers in the fridge is exactly what your page needs. It just depends on two things: 1) your audience, and 2) your ability to prove it.

Happy to talk you about your Facebook plans - drop us a line.

...
Also see:
- Law Firms on Facebook: 5 Examples of Doing It Right
- 3 Quick Ways to Spruce Up Your Law Firm Facebook Page
- Facebook as Major News Source: You Stand to Benefit

We're frequently asked to provide examples of 'well-done' law firm Facebook pages. Here's a look at some of the pages we offer in response, with accompanying annotations to explain a few of the things we think each firm is doing well.

This is by no means a complete list, nor a complete appraisal of 'what makes a good law firm Facebook page.' As you will see, each page below includes some aspect or element that serves as a good example of what you might do to create your firm's presence on Facebook. [I've included longer notes about what constitutes 'good' on Facebook below the list - read them at your own peril.]

1. Miller Starr Regalia

- brand-specific landing page; clear intro to the firm
- the human side to the firm is captured in images running across the Wall
- good blend of content including legal updates/commentary and law firm news (firm and attorney activities, hosted conferences, firm milestones)
- a list of related "likes" that resonates with firm practice and location

2. Fenwick & West

- some of the same reasons above, plus:
- via content and style, a fairly well-communicated sense of audience (which, I noticed early on, appears to include many past and present Fenwick employees)
- a casual tone at times (see "Fenwickians" and "Dude, where's my financing...") that manages to be Facebook-informal but stay on subject
- includes a focus on philanthropy, shows humanity behind the firm
- a good blend of legal news and updates, while promoting the firm with a light touch

3. Wilson Sonsini

- some of the same reasons above, plus APPS:
- using Events to promote firm-hosted roundtables and seminars
- using our Documents app to include repository of legal updates & publications directly within Facebook

4. The Divorce Collaborative

- a Family Law practice that seems to understand its audience, and as a consequence:
- mostly an informal, relaxed tone
- owner/attorney Stephen McDonough often stops by to add comments of his own, engage with visitors in replies
- also, good integration of blog, custom designed to replicate original look and feel within Facebook

5. Fashion Law

- example of an attorney at a larger firm (Fox Rothschild) using Facebook to cover her industry, further reinforcing authority in field of practice
- good idea for attorneys and practice groups, building a page around a topic rather than a corporate name
- good blend of regularly updated, on-topic content

Again, this is by no means a complete list, but rather a sampling of what's available to you as you consider a law firm presence on Facebook. If you like other firm pages not mentioned here, tell us about them in the comments.
 
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Adrian's notes:

Talking about a well-done Facebook page feels a little like talking about a good email campaign; it's relative. What makes either one 'good' entirely depends on who you are trying to reach, what you are trying to say, and whether you are on your way to effectively doing both. (Among other things.)

Put another way, your firm's time on social media is not an end to itself, just a means to an end. What you do and how you do it depend on well-considered objectives that, at the start, have little to do with Facebook and more to do with your overall communications strategy.

Additionally, the bulk of writing about social media use tends to focus on tactics for connecting and communicating with an audience of consumers - where it makes sense to give away t-shirts, offer free iced-coffee coupons with your next donut purchase, send fans on scavenger hunts through YouTube that involve watching short videos of a handsome bald guy with a patch over his left eye and a cute dog for side-kick that herds chickens and counts how many beers are in the fridge by tapping his right paw.

With professional services, things are a touch different, perhaps a little more austere. And I think they begin with a single, simple goal: visibility. Professional visibility. (Which is not to say you can't be creative and engaging and professional on Facebook - because you can.)
 
There's much to say about professional visibility - fodder for future posts - but if you know me you know what I'm going to say next: it includes the dissemination of meaningful content online. In their own ways, all five pages above are programmed by people who appear to understand that.

Post continues with: 3 Styles of Law Firm Facebook Page.

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Related:
- 3 Quick Ways to Spruce Up Your Law Firm Facebook Page

For your reference, a list of some of the most-viewed documents on the JD Supra network for July, 2011:

1. Why Retirement Plans Need A Financial Advisor
[By: The Rosenbaum Law Firm |In: Employment Law, Finance & Banking]

2. Online Poker Should be Taxed, But How?
[By: Sanford Millar |In: Tax Law]

3. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter: The Changing Face(s) of Social Networking for Lawyers
[By: Aviva Cuyler |In: Legal Marketing, Law Practice ]

4. Base Closures Raise Need for Complete SF86 Reviews
[By: Armstrong Teasdale |In: Military Law]

5. 10 Social Media Must Haves For Your Corporate Compliance And Ethics Program
[By: Sheppard Mullin |In: Antitrust, Employment Law]

6. Why the 401(k) Fiduciary Guarantee Should Get The F******** Out
[By: The Rosenbaum Law Firm |In: Employment Law, Finance & Banking]

7. Standards of Proof - What The Casey Anthony Verdict Reminds Us Civil Litigators
[By: Demas Rosenthal |In: Criminal Law]

8. The content marketing boom. 8 reasons why lawyers are creating all of this stuff.
[By: Great Jakes Marketing |In: Legal Marketing]

9. Moving On Up: Reaching the Next Rung on the Law Firm Ladder
[By: Andrea Lee Negroni |In: Law Practice ]

10. The Recent Detroit Lending Discrimination Settlement
[By: Jonathan Cannon, BuckleySandler |In: Finance & Banking]

11. Company Use of Social Media Best Practices: Checklist
[By: Practical Law Company |In: Communications & Media Law]

12. 10 Reasons Why Most Lawyer Blogs Are Boring
[By: Cordell Parvin |In: Legal Marketing, Law Practice]

13. HIPAA Audits Are Coming: Are You Prepared?
[By: International Lawyers Network |In: Health Law]

14. What Will A Short Sale, Bankruptcy, or Foreclosure Do To My Credit Score?
[By: John Skiba |In: Bankruptcy Law]

15. Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts Reporting ("FBAR") and Amnesty Through August 31, 2011
[By: David C. Morganelli, Partridge Snow |In: Finance & Banking]

16. Sulfide Gases From Chinese Drywall Deemed Pollution for Which There Is No Coverage
[By: Sedgwick LLP |In: Construction Law, Insurance]

17. The Use of Social Media in Hiring Decisions: Tempting Fruit from a Poisonous Tree
[By: McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC |In: Employment Law]

18. Department of State Releases August 2011 Visa Bulletin
[By: Morgan Lewis |In: Immigration]

19. Unsecured Creditors Beware! The Western District of Texas Bankruptcy Court Declares an Unsecured Creditor Cannot Have Its Cake and Eat It Too
[By: Bracewell & Giuliani LLP |In: Bankruptcy, Finance & Banking]

20. In re Borders Group, Inc. - Notice of Cancellation of Auction, Bid for 30 Stores
[By: Randall Reese |In: Bankruptcy Law]

21. Alert - Hawaii General Excise Tax Exemptions
[By: Robert Thomas |In: Tax Law, Business Organizations]

22. Wireless Network Patent Owner Accusing Electricity Coops of Infringement
[By: Sutherland |In: Intellectual Property]

23. What General Counsel Need to Know About Protecting Their Company's Trademarks on Social Media Sites Such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube & Others
[By: Dinsmore & Shohl LLP |In: Communications & Media Law, IP]

24. Best Practices for Defending Against Patent Trolls
[By: Quinn Emanuel |In: Intellectual Property]

25. Public Trust Climate Change Lawsuit Strikes Out in Montana
[By: Lane Powell PC |In: Environmental Law]

--

Follow @JDSupraBuzz for daily updates on trending topics, searches, and documents on JD Supra. A great way to see what's hot and find fodder for your own next article or post.

Archive:

- Most-viewed on JD Supra: June, 2011
- Most-viewed on JD Supra: May, 2011
- Most-viewed on JD Supra: Apr, 2001

You have to be a media company, because content drives everything today.
- Adam Stock, director of marketing & business dev., Allen Matkins.

Last week we released the first three in a series of video user studies showing how lawyers and law firms use JD Supra's Pro content distribution service to increase professional visibility and reach targeted readers online. For your reference:



Solo practitioner Ary Rosenbaum describes how JD Supra helped to put his new ERISA practice on the map by reaching an ideal national audience of professionals in the fields he serves...

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Russell Lawson, marketing director at Virginia- and North Carolina-based Sands Anderson PC describes how JD Supra helps the firm achieve its content marketing objectives, including expanded awareness of Sands Anderson's full range of expertise...

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Adam Stock, director of marketing and business development at Allen Matkins, describes how JD Supra serves as a "valued partner" to his AmLaw 200 firm, ensuring that "we are getting the right readers and we are maximizing the viewership for our content."

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JD Supra's Legal Updates on LinkedIn application plays a central role in all three stories in its ability to distribute legal commentary, analysis, and updates to professionals across a broad range of industries.

If you have any questions about JD Supra's Pro service, how we help law firms on LinkedIn - or how we might help you with your online visibility, contact us.

For your reference here is an interesting video currently making the rounds: a smart conversation that deserves a listen if you are a law firm marketer who cares about using content in your marketing strategy.

The ostensible focus: a look at all of the ways Thomson Reuters has leveraged current tools and practices to reach and engage audiences via content - but really, the wide-ranging conversation is of value to anyone who wants to get a handle on content marketing.

My bullet point notes, hastily written, included below:



Adrian's Take-aways:

Derek Gordon of Reimagine Group touches upon many issues in this video. I highlight a few below; stand-out remarks that I think every law firm marketer needs to underscore when they bring a content strategy to their firm.

We use this language here at JD Supra every day:

1. It starts with knowing your audience deeply.

You must deeply understand your audience: who are they? Where do they gather? Where do they like to read the information they care about? What do they care about?

2. Marketing departments need to act like publishers.

Think of yourself as a mini New York Times. Write articles, blog posts, case studies - repurpose content across many channels.

3. Social is a channel.

Social media - that catch-all phrase - is a channel for distribution and engagement. Use your channels to promote your content.

However, regarding this third point: the video opens with a key observation. Content marketing is not about pitching - via brochures etc. - your firm's products and services, but rather engagng your target constituents by giving them something they care about.

In other words: don't use social channels to spam your story. Address the needs of the people you want to engage.

I stopped counting the number of times I heard "know your audience" - a key point. (Audience response to your promotional materials: "Enough about you, what about us.")

Further, consider your content strategy in three segments:

1. Content - the work you are creating to reach people, and the degree to which it is optimized for Search and Social.
2. Cloud - summed up as the characteristic of this age: always being available, whenever people want what they are looking for. (One take-away: don't put your content behind a screen. Also: deliver to people where they gather.)
3. Technology - leveraging what is available to you today to open channels to reach your audience.

All good stuff. All affirmed by what we see at JD Supra daily. The best firms and lawyers participating on JD Supra today regularly write content that means something to the audience they are trying to reach, and they see the work from the point of view of audience need.

Don't under-appreciate the notion of figuring out where your audience gathers. This, in my view, is one key point defining the shape of the online landscape today: content is portable. You don't have to "build it" and wait for "them" to come. Now, more than ever, you can take your work to where people gather. And, while everyone in our space seems to argue about whether lawyers gather on the likes of Facebook and Twitter (we know lawyers gather on LinkedIn!) ... here's a truth: their/your clients gather on those platforms.

Which is why your firm should be participating there.

(Hat tip to Ed Adams for tweeting the vid.)
 

Here's an overview of the three-stepped, strategic approach I've been suggesting to marketing directors and lawyers who realize they'd "like to create our firm's Facebook page" but ultimately don't know how or why.

I find myself repeating this advice enough on the telephone (to good reception), thought it might deserve a post:

First: Just Do It, Build a Page>>

Translation: set yourself the single goal of creating a firm Facebook page. Get started here. Include basic information, images, a handful of requisite links to website, blog, etc. Don't worry too much about what, exactly, you're going to do once the page exists - just create it.

When you are done you'll have something akin to a LinkedIn Company Profile: a page titled with the firm's name that includes basic corporate messaging, contact information, and other elements typically available on your website.

Again, don't worry about what you're going to do with the page. Just create it.

Why: this first, easiest step has more value than you might think. For one thing, until you build your firm page on Facebook, you have no controlled presence on the platform. And by controlled presence, I mean: that well-crafted brand message you spent so much time developing simply does not exist on a platform used by 500 million and counting. What users find when they look for information about you will be in the hands of anyone but you.

However, more to the point: Facebook pages tend to show well in Google. And that's why to start with this first, easiest of steps: now, when an interested party Googles your firm's name, you'll have one more listing on the first page of Search that has been crafted (is owned) by you. Reason enough to start a page.

Second: Turn Your Page Into a Broadcast Channel>>

Translation: Once you start a page, an audience will start growing around it, as measured by people who click to LIKE what you have created there. The more you promote your page (in newsletters, on your blog, via whatever method you see fit), the more likes/connections you'll get. You might also see a fair amount of organic growth, as people find the page in Google, or as your network expands on Facebook when connections of connections come to investigate what is being LIKED.

Now, start delivering content to these connections.

For lawyers and law firms, that often means: start sharing your analysis, commentary, alerts, blog posts and other substantive publications. (We built an app to make this easy for you.) However, I've also seen lawyers (example: Elliot Alderman) who "curate" mainstream, third-party news related to their field of practice and in this way, via shared content, are establishing themselves as a daily source of interesting information. It's all about visibility.

I've also seen larger firms share slightly more promotional content (versus the analysis and legal commentary) such as news of lawyer accomplishments, speaking events, conference info, and generally what falls under public relations material. Fine. Go for it. It's your page. Keep in mind, though, that the best content strategy approaches matters from the point of view of your audience. What are their interests? Answer to that question should be the main driver of what you post on Facebook.

I suggest: mix it up. Share your own writings, interesting and relevant news, and the occasional promo. Done well, it should be well-received (just like a firm newsletter in years past; a mix of all).

Why broadcast: several reasons. Here are two to start with:

1) It'll help you get a sense of who likes your page. Or, more to the point, it'll help you get a sense of where your connections' interests lie. As you share content on your page, you'll be able to measure (through "likes" and other insights) whether or not the work resonates with your growing audience. In this way you can start fine-tuning both a sense of who on Facebook your audience appears to be and what type of content appeals most to them. Two great insights as your calibrate your social media marketing efforts. And...

2) Much has been written about Facebook as a major news source. I suspect the meteoric rise of this phenomenon has everything to do with what happens to news on the platform. In short: news travels quickly on Facebook. (Include in your definition of "news" anything of interest to someone.) Actions on Facebook are so amazingly transparent. "Like" a piece of legal analysis that covers a recent development in your industry and suddenly all of your friends know about it. And they tell two friends, and they tell two friends - and on and on. (I don't really visit blogs any more; they tend to find me on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.)

When you turn your Facebook page into a broadcast channel, you're increasing the odds of viral spread (ie, visibility) of your content. Indeed, at JD Supra we see, daily, that legal content shared on Facebook finds a good audience.

Third: Start Engaging with Your Connections>>

Translation: I recommend "engagement" as a third step because, generally, it is the most resource-intensive. And it seldoms makes sense to engage until 1) you've built an audience and 2) you know something about that audience.

The big picture here is that, as time passes, it might make sense to invest more resources to cultivate those people gathering around your Facebook corporate presence. You built a page, an audience grew (and continues to grow), and now it is time to build relationships.

How? There are a number of options. People usually first suggest: ask questions. Facebook developed a nifty "Questions" app, tied to every page, and by all indications page fans liked to be asked for their opinion(s).

Also ask questions directly as you share content - you'll likely start to get more comments for each shared piece.

Scan the list of people who have "liked" your page and see if any of them should become personal connections on Facebook (either for you or other lawyers in the firm).

Engagement on Facebook can take many forms - and seldom works if it is forced. I also think there is a blurred line between this step and step two (broadcasting). Engagement may very well just be: sharing content with more resources spent on the follow-up, allowing readers to become friends.

Why: because relationships are everything!

...

Further reading:

- 3 Quick Ways to Spruce Up Your Law Firm Facebook Page
- 3 Apps for Your Law Firm's Facebook Page
- Facebook as News Source: You Stand to Benefit
- List yours in the Facebook Law Pages section of ThePageFinder

For your reference, here is a list of articles that explain how to claim and build out your law firm's Company Profile on LinkedIn.

The Company Profile feature benefitted from several excellent enhancements late last year (including the ability to add news feeds and for individuals to "follow" companies of interest). Lately we've seen increased interest by law firms to build a corporate profile on the professional network. Here's how:

- Company Pages Overview | LinkedIn Learning Center (LinkedIn)

Direct from the source, an overview of Company Pages from the LinkedIn Learning Center. Includes a thorough explanation of the various components of a Company Profile (how to use them and why they matter). The FAQ section includes a link to getting started with your firm's profile... 

- How to Create a Company Profile on LinkedIn (SitePoint)

A good, basic overview of how to start a Company Profile on LinkedIn, with screenshots for easy reference...

- LinkedIn Company Profile Tips with Viveka Von Rosen (MOSTraining)

Guest post by @LinkedInExpert Viveka Von Rosen, including video. Viveka touches upon the fact that anyone with a company email address can start a firm profile, so a first step should be to see if yours already exists. Also: tips about using relevant keywords in your company description...

- 8 Steps to a Healthier LinkedIn Company Profile (RWE Marketing)

Besides some of the more obvious but worthwhile suggestions (ie, create an Overview page) be sure to see step #2. Covers the creation of a Services page, including the use of rotating banner images (and, if you have the knowledge for it, Google analytics to track click-throughs)...

- How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Company Profile for Recruiting (Mashable)

A great post with misleading title from Mashable. The tips included herein are valuable for any firm (recruiting or otherwise) once they've established a basic firm profile on LinkedIn. Of note is point #2: "Employee profiles drive information." In other words, once you've established your corporate presence on the world's largest professional network, be sure the lawyers in your firm are doing the same...

...

Examples? Here are a handful of law firms with completed LinkedIn Company Profiles. All have tethered their own JD Supra legal updates to their profiles. Get in touch with us if you'd like to do the same:

Fenwick & West - Bryan Cave - Davis Wright Tremaine - Fisher & Phillips - Ropes & Gray - Wilson Sonsini ...

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And of course no post about law firms on LinkedIn would be complete without a prod to install Legal Updates on LinkedIn>>

For your reference, a list of some of the most-viewed documents on JD Supra for April, 2011:

1. How Will the IRS Catch Unreported Offshore Online Poker Income
[By: Sanford Millar |In: Tax Law]

2. How a Financial Advisor Can Start Or Grow Their 401(k) Plan Book of Business
[By: The Rosenbaum Law Firm |In: Employment Law]

3. Federal Circuit opinion in McKesson Techs v. Epic Systems 10-1291
[By: Bryan Beel |In: Intellectual Property]

4. The Facebook, Inc., Mark Zuckerberg v. Winklevoss: 9th Circuit Opinion Affirming Decision of Distict Court
[By: Santiago Cueto |In: Business]

5. ERISA Fee Disclosure Deadline Looms
[By: Miller & Martin PLLC |In: Finance & Banking]

6. PJM Moves to Rein in Demand Response "Double Counting"
[By: Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP |In: Environment & Energy Law]

7. Injuries and Damages Sustained From Chinese Drywall Are Within CGL Policy's Pollution Exclusion
[By: Sedgwick LLP |In: Consumer Protection, Personal Injury]

8. It Shouldn't Suck to Be an Associate at a Law Firm
[By: Jerome Kowalski |In: Law Practice]

9. MetroPCS Escapes Securities Class Action
[By: Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP |In: Securities Law]

10. SoundExchange Claims Credit for Shutting Down Webcaster Who Was Not Paying Royalties
[By: Davis Wright Tremaine LLP |In: Communications & Media Law]

11. Is SEO snake oil? Here's the truth about search engine optimization for law firm websites
[By: Great Jakes Marketing |In: Legal Marketing]

12. Keeping the Cap on Property Taxes Through Joint Tenancy
[By: Warner Norcross & Judd |In: Real Estate, Tax Law]

13. D.C. Becomes First Place in U.S. to Legalize Online Poker
[By: Ifrah Law |In: Commercial Law]

14. The Most-Offensive Advertisement in Law Marketing History
[By: Ross Fishman |In: Legal Marketing]

15. New York Wage Theft Prevention Act Now In Effect
[By: Fisher & Phillips LLP |In: Labor & Employment Law]

16. Mortgage Electronic Registration System May Not Foreclose by Advertisement
[By: Warner Norcross & Judd |In: Real Estate]

17. Could the Hospitality Industry be the Latest to Fall Under the FCPA
[By: Venable LLP |In: Criminal Law, International Law]

18. E-Discovery Since Zubulake
[By: Dinsmore & Shohl LLP |In: Electronic Discovery]

19. US Security Rule is a Curse on Seafarers.
[By: John A C Cartner |In: International Law & Trade]

20. Scope of Waiver of Tribal Immunity Under New Mexico Indian Gaming Compact
[By: Collins & Collins, P.C. |In: Commercial Law]

21. Mutual Funds vs. ETFs: The 401(k) Format War
[By: The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C. |In: Finance & Banking]

22. Angel/Seed Financing Survey - Internet/Digital Media and Software Industries - Silicon Valley and Seattle 2010
[By: Fenwick & West LLP |In: Science, Computers & Technology]

23. Lenders Taking Title by Foreclosure or Deed in Lieu: The Advantages of Obtaining an Owner's Title Insurance Policy
[By: Poyner Spruill LLP |In: Real Estate, Insurance]

24. How Clients Choose Lawyers
[By: Larry Bodine |In: Law Practice Support]

25. HSBC Account holders next target of IRS
[By: Sanford Millar |In: Tax Law]

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Follow @JDSupraBuzz for daily updates on trending topics, searches, and documents. A great way to see what's hot and find fodder for your own next article or post.

--
Archive:

- Most-viewed on JD Supra: Mar, 2011
- Most-viewed on JD Supra: Feb, 2011
- Most-viewed on JD Supra: Jan, 2011

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