2/8/10

Marketing Your Law Practice in Tough Economic Times

These are tough economic times and marketing your law practice is more important now than ever before.  Your decision to keep doing the same thing that is not working or not doing anything at all is simply not going to work.  You need to embrace the marketing and advertising that is available to you today. And let me tell you, these options are better than ever and can produce results that are superior to the advertising of yesterday.  But please keep in mind that the more avenues you can help people find you at the better off your practice will be.  But not every firm can do it all, TV, yellow pages, newspaper and of course Internet.  I believe very strongly that the Internet has the best bang for your buck.  Why?  Because you can create a presence that is both effective and has an extremely strong return on your investment.
I talk to a lot of attorneys on a regular basis and one of the common threads amongst attorneys that do not advertise or do very little advertising is they seem to be struggling more than the attorneys that have a solid marketing plan. 
There are a lot of good companies out there that can provide you with the right marketing plans.  Do your homework though.  If you are meeting with a web development firm make sure they can actually provide your firm with an effective online presence.  What do I mean by effective?  Simple, it will mke money for your practice.  A question I get from almost every attorney I meet with is how do I know who to trust or who can d the job.  There is actually a simple answer for that as well.  Remember, anyone can tell you anything.  Anyone can make a promise.  Simply ask the Internet Marketing Firm you are speaking with you to provide that they are getting results for their current clients.  YOU, as the attorney should type the phrases into Google yourself so you are sure no manipulation is being done (after all you will be spending your hard earned money so it's ok to be sure they are good).

2/1/10

"Tablet" Computers - How Can an Attorney Utilize These New Devices?

With the introduction of the Applie iPad last week and with companies like HP coming out with similar devices people everywhere are asking how they can justify buying one of these devices and how can they best utilize them?
Well, for attorneys I believe there is a very strong application for such products.  Instead of having t carry all your files into court why not bring one of the new tablets with you instead loaded with all the information you need to help you win your case.  The only drawback so far is the inability to actually write on such a device. 
I do believe that this scenario will start to play itself out over the next several years and will be much more common place than people may be imagining. 

Also, with Google Scholar readily available you can look up information ASAP without having to carry your laptop with you everywhere.