It’s time for our 4th annual Best Law Firm Websites. (Here are the results from 2010, 2011, and 2012.) Nominate your picks for best website right here, in the comments. All we need is a link to the website, although you’re welcome to add a note explaining why you think your law firm website nomination is the best (or explain why other nominations are the worst).
We will close nominations (and the comments) on June 15th. Our panel of experts will comb through the nominations to pick the 10 best, post them, and then you get to vote on the winner.
UPDATE: No nominating your own website, or websites you’ve designed. The goal is to find the best law firm websites, not to find the biggest self-promoter. If nobody is willing to nominate your website, we’re not going to consider it, either.
(image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodimullen/7182159418/)
I’m teaching a CLE with a colleague today, and I’m excited about both the topic and the presentation. Teaching a CLE, however, can be a lot of work. I have heard more senior attorneys wonder if the non-billable work (creating the materials, the powerpoint, and the presentation) is worth it. Will the CLE help their reputation? Their business? I have no idea, but I can speak first hand to benefits new attorneys can reap when they jump into the CLE-teaching arena.
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You need to make yourself indispensable at your job.
In case you hadn’t heard, the legal job market’s still hurting. Barely half of all 2012 grads have long-term, full-time legal jobs. Yikes. You mean you didn’t go to law school so you could ask someone if they wanted whipped cream on that Frappuccino?
But no matter the cause to the glut of legal grads these days (which has been the subject of many other articles), if you’re already out there with a JD Sheepskin and one of the coveted law jobs, you’re probably past the point of caring why it’s happening. Instead, you’re probably wanting to make sure you keep that job — or if you’re a solo make sure you keep the lights on.
In order to keep your job, you need to make sure your firm has clients. Take an active role and start building your own book of business. I want to share some things that have worked for my neighborhood practice.
And I promise at the end, I’ll tell you what the picture at the top of this post is about. Keep Reading ⇒
A: A central point of contention between people who think online marketing (read: social media) is worthwhile for lawyers who want to get clients and those who think it is a waste of time is this question: Is there a critical mass of good-quality clients online, and are they ready and willing to hire you if you market yourself online?
In other words, if you go all-in with online marketing, could you get the kind of business you hope for in your wildest dreams?
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At PandoDaily, B.J. Mendelson (author of Social Media is Bullshit, natch) pokes holes in the myth of social media ROI (that’s “return on investment” if you don’t speak marketing-ese). It’s not that social media ROI doesn’t exist; it’s just not what you think. When social media does pay off, it’s usually not the result of hitting the organic social media viral jackpot. It’s usually the result of hard work and lots of money, just like regular marketing.
But what about those famous social media success stories — the from-out-of-nowhere viral blockbusters? Mendelson breaks a couple down. Let’s take PSY.
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Did you catch this one? As reported by Central Florida News 13:
You’ve seen him on commercials saying he’s “For the People.” Now, Orlando attorney John Morgan is “For Tim Tebow.”
Morgan’s law firm Morgan and Morgan released an ad on the firm’s official YouTube account. In it, Morgan makes a case for the Jacksonville Jaguars to sign the former Denver Broncos and New York Jets quarterback.
The ad will reportedly play on TV and radio in the Jacksonville area.
So, why is Morgan doing all of this?
John Morgan’s son says they’re not just big fans, they love the guy.
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Recently, I was talking to a lawyer about the ideal mix of business with pleasure, in the context of successful business development. This attorney observed that a lawyer in his firm with lots of clients seemed to devote most of his life to his practice. All of this successful lawyer’s social and community activities revolved around clients or potential clients. His personal life was hardly separate from his work life.
This lawyer I was speaking with wondered if he should take the same approach. Should he be marketing 24/7? I hate to sound like a lawyer, but the answer is both yes and no. First, I’ll provide the “yes” answer. Then, I’ll provide the “no” answer.
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If you plan on having a successful career as a lawyer, you had better understand some things about trust.
How is it created? How is it destroyed?
Who trusts you? Who do you trust?
What types of things do you do at your practice to earn, nurture and solidify trust?
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Want a great blog on Lawyerist's network of blogs? Get a great one for just $99/month from Lawyerist Sites.
Sam’s manifesto on why your blog sucks is worth the read. I thought I’d take the micro-approach and tackle one comparatively tiny thing: headlines.
What is a headline?
A headline is the title of your post. The best headlines, generally speaking, are short and descriptive. The worst are cute or clever and objectively fail to match the post’s content, like a bait-and-switch. I’ve written good headlines. I’ve written bad ones. Just like anything else, writing a “good” headline depends on your overall level of skill and what you want to accomplish.
But one thing’s for sure: the best headlines provoke an emotional response from the reader. Do new lawyers really get rich and famous by blogging, as the headline of this post says? No, generally not. But I bet you’re curious.
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Want a great blog on Lawyerist's network of blogs? Get a great one for just $99/month from Lawyerist Sites.
We are really excited to let you know about a project we have been thinking about and working on for a long time.
Today we are launching Lawyerist Sites, a new service to design and host great law firm websites and blogs.
It’s Time You Had a Better Website
If you’ve been paying attention, Sam has been focusing a lot of energy lately on criticizing the current state of a lot of law firm websites and law blogs.
The truth is that a lot of law firm websites and blogs are terrible—either they have bad design, are out of date, or they don’t understand how to write great content for readers.
It’s time to change that.
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