Constant Content : Legal Ghostwriting & Content : Janet Raasch : Copy for Lawyers & Attorneys, Law Firm Business Development

Here is part four of my article on broadcast journalism for lawyers and law firms:

Using the Internet, lawyers and law firms can bypass the traditional mainstream media entirely and self-broadcast their own video and audio – on their own Web sites or on sites that accept user-generated broadcast content.

 

When lawyers appear on television or radio, law firms can post links on their Web sites or blogs or even request the files for posting.  In addition, using inexpensive equipment and applications, they can easily create their own video and audio podcasts for download from law firm Web sites.  It helps to have a good video/audio editor on staff.  In this day and age, no lawyer presentation should go unrecorded.  Law firms can also “broadcast” these reputation-building podcasts to clients and prospects via email alerts.

 

Once created, law-firm-generated video and audio can also be posted on a wealth of online content sites, which provide automatic RSS feeds that attract search engines.  (RSS should also be added to any of your own Web site content.) 

 

The line between print, broadcast and online news has become increasingly blurred.  Print publications host audio and video on the Web sites – some of it generated by professionals and some of it contributed by “citizen journalists.”  Television and radio station Web sites also include text and photographs.

 

A law firm, for example, that cannot get the local TV station to cover the opening of its remodeled lobby can now make its own video and post in on the station’s well-optimized Web site.

 

All modern media sites host blogs by their reporters, which can include links to video and audio.  All of them offer versions for mobile devices.  All of them offer subscriptions via Facebook, Twitter, RSS, email or text.  All of them accept user contributions.

 

Law-firm-produced video and audio can also be easily posted on a wide range of social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Martindale-Hubbell Connected.  It can be added to social content sites like JDSupra, Legal OnRamp and HubStreet.  Legal Talk Network is a “talk radio” vehicle for lawyers and law firms.  Savvy lawyers and law firms are even posting their own videos (and broadcast ads) on YouTube.

 

Finally, use Twitter to send out a short notification and a link every time you appear in the traditional broadcast media or self-broadcast your own video and audio content.

 

Be that lawyer!  By consistently and carefully pitching, catching and self-promoting -- using traditional and online broadcast media -- lawyers and law firms can optimize search engine results and successfully spread the word about their professional expertise.

Here is a link to the entire article:

Lawyers and law firms:  Broadcast your expertise, build your reputation

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Here is part three of my article on broadcast journalsim for lawyers and law firms:

 

In the case of a breaking news stories, news directors and reporters often come to you – looking for a comment (if you are directly involved in the story) or background (if you are an expert in a particular subject area).

 

If you are involved in a newsworthy event, understand that “no comment” is a terrible response to a media inquiry – especially if you are captured fleeing on camera with your hand in front of your face.  If the case or matter is truly newsworthy, the story will appear with or without your input.  Strategize with your client and, with the client’s permission, make sure that your client’s point of view is included in a dignified fashion in the report.

 

If you are asked to provide background on breaking news in which you have no direct involvement, it is usually because you have let the stations know ahead of time that you are an expert, are available to comment, and can speak coherently and intelligently in front of a camera or microphone.  Do not be afraid to make this contact.  Broadcast reporters are always interested in deepening their pool of qualified legal experts.

 

It never hurts to be on-site, either.  When terror suspect Najibullah Zazi was inside the Denver Federal Courthouse, hundreds of reporters were waiting outside for hours in the frigid winter weather.  Local lawyer and media commentator Craig Silverman was not sitting behind his desk waiting for the phone to ring.  Instead, he braved the weather to circulate in the crowd of local, national and international reporters.  As a result, his face and voice were all over the evening news.

 

Be aware of a major change in the way modern news directors and reporters “catch” their stories and expert commentators in the Internet age – Google and other search engines.  According to recent reports, 85 percent of all reporters use Google on a daily basis.  If you want the call to comment on a particular legal development, your name must show up in Google results for the keywords used by a researching reporter.

Here is a link to the complete article:

Lawyers and law firms:  Broadcast your expertise, build your reputation

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“Pitching” to the traditional broadcast media

Here is part two of my article on broadcast journalism for lawyers and law firms:

When “pitching” news to the traditional broadcast media, remember that it has to be real news – and not self-promotion.  News is information that a station’s viewers or listeners need to know in order to make good decisions about their personal and business lives.  Always emphasize how your story will be of value to viewers or listeners.

 

In other words, news is important to people outside the law firm – not inside the firm. It often contains an additional element of new, first, best or most.

 

News that an associate has made partner, for example, is not likely to generate coverage.  That happens all the time.  News that the new partner is a deaf, orphaned, immigrant associate who worked his or her way through college and law school in the mail room at your firm might generate interest.

 

Make the story as easy as possible for the reporter.  Never mail a press release.  Call or email the right reporter with your story idea.  If the reporter expresses interest, send additional information.  New on the scene is the electronic press release, which includes not only background, but also direct email links to your experts as well as online links to photos, audio, video and other related news stories and Web sites.  Imagine how helpful this material can be to a reporter rushing to complete a story on deadline!

 

Broadcast news directors and reporters like to produce exclusives – stories that none of the competitors can cover.  Offer exclusives – and honor them.

 

Once the station has expressed interest in your pitch, time is of the essence.  Broadcast news directors and reporters face multiple deadlines each and every day (with Internet publishing, the deadline has become “right now”), and are driven to feature their stories in a timely fashion – preferably sooner than anyone else.  Make sure that you are actually available, at work or at home, in person or by phone (in the case of radio) to do the interview on deadline.

 

Think like a broadcast reporter.  Television stations like stories that offer more than “talking heads.”  They can be attracted to a story that includes a good visual setting, physical activity and interesting props.  Radio stations find “value added” in stories with interesting sound effects (like an IP case involving recorded music).

 

Finally, know what you are going to say and who is going to say it – even before “pitching” the broadcast media.  Practice in advance the 30-second “sound bites” you will use.  Videotape and review them.  Work with a media expert if necessary.

Here is a link to the complete article:

Lawyers and law firms:  Broadcast your expertise, build your reputation

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Recently, I posted an article on broadcast journalism in the Internet age.  The article was based on a panel discussion and I felt, after I'd written it, that I wanted to expand the article to include points not made by the panelists.  So I wrote another article on the subject of lawyers, law firms and broadcast journalism.  Here is the introduction (the entire article will appear over the next few days):

“Hey, you’re that lawyer!  The lawyer from the TV news about that case last night!  The lawyer who was interviewed on public radio regarding that issue last week!  The lawyer on the podcast about pending industry regulation that I downloaded and listened to last month!  You’re obviously the expert.  Let’s talk.”

 

Under national and state bar ethics rules, lawyers usually cannot call themselves experts in a given subject area.  But they can use broadcast media to position themselves as experts in the eyes of consumers of legal services.

 

Until recently, it took a lot of work with a public relations expert for a lawyer to appear on television or radio as an expert.  Broadcasters owned and controlled the airwaves, and access was limited.

 

Over the past ten years, with the advent of the Internet, the rules of the game have changed completely.  Today, users own and control the Internet, and access is unlimited.  There are many more opportunities to “broadcast” your expertise than ever before.

Upcoming sections include:

       "Pitching" to the traditional broadcast media

       "Catching" from the traditional broadcast media

       "Self-broadcasting" in the world of social media

For the impatient, here's a link to the entire article:

Lawyers and law firms:  Broadcast your expertise, build your reputation

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When it comes to the latest developments in social media usage, Kevin O'Keefe of LexBlog is one of the best resources around.  Go to his blog and subcribe to his feed!  Just this weekend, he added two posts that are must-reads for anyone in the legal marketing profession.

And he's not afraid to evolve with the times and trends.  Last year, O'Keefe advised his lawyer/clients to stick with the "big three" of blogging, Twitter and LinkedIn.  On Saturday, based on the latest stats on the meteoric growth of Facebook, he noted that "more people are hanging out on Facebook than any other place on the net" and added Facebook to this list.  "With the world going to Facebook, how can I ignore it and survive as a successul business leader?"

Today, O'Keefe reported on a recently released social media study from the Nielsen Company, which states that the time spent by Americans on social media sites increased 210 percent in 2009 (the increase was 82 percent for global users).  The top U.S. social media sites are Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Classmates and LinkedIn.

O'Keefe concludes his post by questioning the fact that -- in spite of these statistics -- 45 percent of US law firms continue to block the use of social media and social networking sites.

I agree completely.  Law firms need to trust their lawyers to act appropriately in "public."  You don't ask them to stay home from "real world" business networking opportunities on the off chance that they'll say something inappropriate.  Social networking sites are no different.

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In 2008, spending on content marketing comprised 11 percent of marketing budgets; in 2009, this amount tripled to 33 percent.  According to Joe Pulizzi, founder of Junta42, sixty percent of marketers plan to spend significantly more on their content marketing efforts in 2010.  (Only 7 percent are planning to spend less.)  A copy of this interesting survey of 259 marketing professionals can be downloaded from the Junta42 Web site.

The survey lists results (In decreasing order of use) for social media, e-newsletters, blogs, white papers, article marketing, case studies, online video, custom in--person events, microsites, traditional media, custom virtual events, ebooks, podcasts, print newsletters, digital magazines, custom print magazines and mobile content.  All of which needs to be written.

Interesting stuff!

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Thanks to the Internet, the line between print, radio and television news has become increasingly blurred.

Print publications host audio and video on their Web sites -- some of it generated by professionals and some of it by "citizen journalists."  Radio and television station Web sites include not only audio and video podcasts, but also text and photographs.

All of these sites host blogs by their reporters, which can include links to audio and video.  All of them offer versions for mobile devices.  All of them offer subscriptions via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, RSS, email or text message.  All of them accept user contributions.

Any lawyer, law firm or professional service provider can get into the broadcast game, publishing original audio and video content on their own Web sittes or on a wide variety of user-populated "content" sites like YouTube.  To see the entire article:

Lawyers and law firms:  Broadcast journalism in the Internet age

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Over the years, I have ghostwritten more than 15 comprehensive books on a wide range of legal and business subjects.  I recently persuaded a new client to go the ebook (rather than hard copy) route.  She liked the idea -- and now I must "walk the talk" by familiarizing myself with the process, including ebook compiler software.  Based on preliminary research, it looks like folks write in Word, transfer to PDF and then upload to a compiler.  Is this correct?  Any recommendations on process as well as ebook compiler software would be welcome.  Is there any software that lets you compose and publish in the same package?

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Any time I talk to a lawyer who questions the value (or the propriety) of social media marketing, I bring up the story of Tom Goldstein -- who went from solo to head of the Supreme Court practice at Akin Gump using social media like his SCOTUS Blog and SCOTUS Wiki to make a name for himself in this very exclusive area of the law.  He has also made a number of non-self-important videos that he has posted on YouTube.

In today's Wall Street Journal Law blog, Ashby Jones reports on a Variety story  that NBC is developing a TV show based on Goldstein's remarkable success story.  The working title is Tommy Supreme -- "depicting a likeable guy in an unlikeable profession."

Now I have even more ammunition to use when attempting to persuade  lawyers and law firms who think that social media are too undignified for the law or their particular practice!  What is more dignified than a Supreme Court practice?

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Kevin O'Keefe of LexBlog posts that social media are being used by nearly all Inc. 500 companies. 

If you're a law firm not using social media,  how are you to engage and network with corporations who are effectively  using blogs, Twitter, Facebook and the like to build relationships?  Aren't you going to be viewed as an outsider looking in?  To leaders of America's fastest-growing companies, isn't your law firm going to look behind the times?

Amen, Kevin.

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The recent economic crisis has had a significant impact on everyone -- including most law firms.  The following article summarizes a presentation made Nov. 10 by Kristin Stark of Hildebrandt International to the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association.  In this presentation, Stark presents and interprets  third-quarter 2009 Hildebrant Peer Monitor index results.  She also specifically addresses the impact that the economy has had on the marketing function at most law firms.

Hildebrandt interprets impact of economic crisis on legal industry (download)

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Martindale-Hubbell recently launched a social network that includes both public and private groups for marketing professionals.  This week, I am guest-hosting forum conversations on this site on the subject of the use of persuasive content marketing to position lawyers and law firms as experts on the Internet.  So far, I've started threads on ghostblogging and attorney biographies/profiles.  For those of you who are already members of MH Connected, check it out and join the conversation.  If you have not yet joined, give it a try.  You might have to wait a day or two to be approved.

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Although the number of lawyers on LinkedIn is steadily increasing, very few of them are taking full advantage of the site's potential as an inexpensive thought-leadership and business development tool.  This article is a synopsis of a presentation on LinkedIn and other social networks made by John Reed of Jaffe Associates and Laura Hazen of Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pasco.

LinkedIn:  Lawyers and law firms can use social networks to develop new business

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Now more than ever, law firms of all sizes need good leadership in order to thrive.  The characteristics that traditionally make a good practicing lawyer, however, are quite different from the characteristics that make a good leader -- or a good follower.  It's time to change that tradition. 

This article is a synopsis of a presentation made to the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association by Mark Beese of Leadership for Lawyers, who discusses the importance of leadership in law firms and how to transform good lawyers into good leaders as well.

Good lawyers.  Good leaders.  Are they mutually exclusive?

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To understand what a news reader is, it helps to know what a news reader was.

Back in the day, a news reader was a person who read a mountain of newspapers, magazines and journals on behalf of a client, clipped out relevant articles, and circulated the articles to those who needed to keep up with developments in a particular subject area.  Sometimes this was done by an in-house person.  (In fact, "news reader" was my first job out of college in support of more than 100 individuals at the League of Women Voters National Headquarters in Washington,D.C.)  Sometimes news reading was done (for a hefty fee) by a PR firm or a clipping service.

By the time the article was written, printed and distributed by the publisher, and then read, clipped and circulated by a human news reader, the news could be many months old.

Times and tools have changed -- for the better.

Today, a news reader (or aggregator) is an Internet or desktop application that continuously searches the Internet (including blogs and other social media) for breaking news about a particular person, law firm, industry or subject area.  It automatically collects all of this information in one place.  It is a free, immediate and customized collection of the news and conversation essential to the success of any firm or professional services provider.

You can use a news reader to subscribe to the RSS feeds of resources like newspapers, blogs or courts.  You can also use a news reader to subscribe to saved searches for certain keywords.

You can save a search, for example, for your law firm's name.  If this name appears in the online version of a newspaper, magazine or journal; in a blog or comments to a blog; in a Twitter post; on a social network; or in RSS-enhanced content posted to any Web site (your own or others), that information will show up immediately in your reader -- where you can use it to support your daily professional and business decisions.  Searches can also be created for individuals, clients, cases, competitors, industries and subject areas.

There are a variety of news readers out there.  In the past, I have used Bloglines.  Currently, I am using Google Reader.  For a good tutorial on how to set up and use news readers, check out a recent Webinar presented by Kevin O'Keefe and the good folks at Lexblog.

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Thanks to Mister Thorne of the Set in Style blog, who posted a nice interview regarding my practice.  Questions and answers include:

What does a ghostwriter do?

What are the ethics of ghostwriting for lawyers?

How do you "bridge the gap" between lawyers and readers?

How can attorneys get articles published?

What is it like to work with lawyers and law firms?

How does your journalism and teaching background affect your work?

What is an attorney's "on-line reputation"?

How important is design?

What are the elements of persuasive writing?

How can young attorneys use writing to enhance their careers?  Partners?

Who is your ideal client?  What is your ideal project?

What is the best part of your job?

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Once you have created a bio/profile that works as a persuasive marketing piece on your Web site, be sure to add that content to the full range of social networking and media sites.  I am constantly amazed at the results these sites -- with their robust RSS -- generate in search engines.  I write and blog constantly, and post my articles to a wide variety of online content sites, but my social media profiles still show up higher in search engine results than any other catetory of content.

When I Googled my name earlier this week, the top two results were my JDSupra and LinkedIn profiles -- which consistently rank even higher than this well-tended blog.  Making a surprising showing at Number Ten was my Facebook profile -- which has long been a secondary effort.  Even so -- it shows up in the first page of Google results for "Janet Ellen Raasch."

According to an article in Sunday's The New York Times business section, Facebook expects to register its 200 millionth user this week:  "This saggering growth rate -- doubling in size in just eight months -- suggests Facebook is rapidly becoming the Web's dominant social ecosystem and an essential personal and business networking tool in much of the wired world."

Anecdotally, I would have to agree.  I have received more requests to "friend" old acquaintances on Facebook in the past month than in the past two years.  Something is happening here.  I am going to pay much closer attention to "working" that profile.  So should you.

Lawyers should Google their names to see what shows up on the first page of results and make every effort to "own" that first page of results.  Post high-qualify, professional profiles on LinkedIn, JDSupra, LegalOnRamp -- and even Facebook.  If you focus on personal injury, estate or family law, you should probably be on MySpace. 

Look in your search engine results for directories like AVVO that have created pages for all of the lawyers in quite a few states -- entries that often include nothing more than your name and address.  There is a lot of debate over the propriety of AVVO's tactics (especially its ranking feature), but an empty entry looks bad -- plain and simple.  It looks like you are inactive.  Complete AVVO and any other blank directory pages to include the profile that appears on your Web site and other sites.

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Web site bios should be so much more than lifeless resumes -- they should be persuasive marketing documents.  At a certain point in a lawyer's career, professional competence is assumed.  Potential clients are looking for lawyers (and other professional services providers) who are not only skilled, but also good and interesting people with whom to build a close relationship that will last for many years.

One of the best ways to demonstrate that you are a good and interesting person is by the addition of personal quotes to an online bio.  Journalists know that quotes add life, urgency and authenticity to an article; quotes can add the same qualities to a Web site bio.

If short, quotes can be woven unobtrusively into the narrative.  If longer, they can be broken out and used as a graphic element to make the page more interesting -- indented, in a side bar or in a box.  If lawyers are uncomfortable with quotes on the main bio page (which they should not be, but often are), quotes can be accessed by a "more about Jane Smith" link.

A skilled interviewer can elicit good quotes -- from almost any subject -- by asking good questions and following up.  Over the years as a journalist and a writer, I have interviewed thousands of subjects -- and have found a way to make each and every one interesting in some way.  A journalist is trained to ask who, what, where, when, why and how.  Ask your lawyers:

-- Why did you choose this profession?

-- What was your favorite matter or case ever, and why?

-- If you had to change professions, what would you be, and why?

-- Which emerging legal topic is intriguing you lately, and why?

-- Other than your profession, what is the most interesting thing about you?

The answers to these and other questions will help you draft quotes that add an entirely new dimension to a lawyer's bio -- adding highly persuasive values, depth and character to an otherwise dry list of credentials, and clearly differentiating a lawyer from other lawyers being considered by a potential client.

Do not reproduce the quotes verbatim.  (This is one way in which you can differ from a journalist!)  Combine them to create an interesting narrative.   All draft quotes, of course, should be provided to the lawyer -- to be refined and "claimed" before they are posted, or before they are shown to anyone else at the firm.

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Good biographies and profiles are more than a list of credentials.  They can stand alone as persuasive marketing pieces.  Their narrative sections have news value.  They also use compelling case stories and personal quotes to persuade.

I am a big fan of the use of case studies (which I like to call case stories) in online biographies.  In the courtroom, lawyers are great persuaders.  They know that they need to use evidence to prove their cases.  The same is true on an electronic biography.  You can't just say what you do in generic terms; you need to tell stories that illustrate how you actually do what you say you do.

In addition, a case story is a good way to  ndicate not only your skills, but also your values and contributions to the legal system as a professional services provider.

And when it comes to telling stories, the simple listing of a case citation does not cut it in a persuasive application like this.  I have seen countless lawyer  bios that include a long list of such citations -- which make a reader's eyes glaze over and do not tell a persuasive story.

A good case study should not be long and should tell a compelling story about how the lawyer solved a particular kind of legal problem for a client in a particular industry.  Unless the representation is particularly complex, I try to limit the case study to three or four sentences.

When working with a lawyer to write these stories, I seek the answers to the following questions:

1 -- What was the problem giving rise to the legal action?

2 -- What was the solution provided by the lawyer/firm?

3 -- What was the legal result?

4 -- What was the positive business or personal outcome for the client (financially and to reputation)?

Here's an example:

Do universities have a legal obligation to supervise a student’s personal, off-campus recreational activities? In University of Denver v. Whitlock, the Colorado Supreme Court said “no.” When a student who had been jumping on a trampoline at night in his fraternity house was seriously injured, the lower courts awarded a multi-million dollar judgment to the plaintiff. The Colorado Supreme Court reversed this decision and absolved the University of any liability

Obviously, it is essential that a lawyer or law firm achieve, in writing, permission from any client before using the client's name and representation information in any case study.  This is required by both confidentiality and publicity sections of the ABA and state codes of professional responsibility.  Contrary to popular opinion, this is true even if information about a case is already public on a court database or has been covered in the media.  This can be time-consuming -- but the use of actual cases as evidence is very powerful and well-worth the effort.

Failure to get permission can have dire consequences.  Last week, the law firm Quinn Emmanual published the amount of a confidential settlement in in its business litigation newsletter.  Facebook paid the firm's client, ConnectU, tens of millions to settle lawsuits accusing Facebook 's founder of stealing the idea for the successful social networking site.  Within hours, the law firm's snafu has spread far and wide over the Internet.

If you cannot get permission, it is posible to make the case study more generic -- as long as you do not use enough detail that the unwilling client can be identified.  Also, I have used hypothetical stories to demonstrate how a lawyer would approach a type of case -- but these must be clearly disclaimed as hypotheticals.  Getting permission and using names is the better alternative.

It is a good idea to use just three case studies on the main page of a bio.  I encourage my clients to use cases that are recent, newsworthy, and relevant to clients in the areas where they are actively seeking more business.  Others can be accessed via a link to "More cases."

Once they are written, there are many additional uses for these case studies or case stories.  They can appear in a lawyer's bio, but also in the practice area and community services sections of a Web site.  There can be a "case study" section on the site, where all cases are aggregated and searchable.  They can pulled for use in proposals and other marketing materials. They can be posted on outside egal content sites.

Research shows that a compelling story is much more persuasive and memorable to a client, potential client or reporter than any list of credentials.  Be sure to tell stories in your bios.

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Constant content for the Internet

In the Internet age, clients and potential clients (or reporters or program organizers) will put your name or practice area into a search engine as part of their hiring or decision-making process. The first page of search-engine results equals your professional reputation online -- and determines whether or not you get the call.

Janet Ellen Raasch works closely with professional service providers – especially lawyers, law firms, legal organizations and consultants to the legal industry -- to enhance your online reputation by creating informative, keyword-rich content that appears on the Internet under your own name. She writes in a style carefully crafted to appeal to the Internet reader and attract search engines.

This content can be posted on your own Web site and/or electronic newsletter – and syndicated over the Internet via RSS feed. It can be contributed to the social media Web sites where your clients congregate – blogs, content sites, social networks and wikis. 

Constant copy for print 

A well-written, published article with your name at the top is perceived by clients and potential clients (or reporters or program organizers) as a reputable third-party endorsement of your expertise in a particular subject area.

Janet Ellen Raasch works closely with professional service providers – especially lawyers, law firms, legal organizations and consultants to the legal industry -- to successfully bridge the communications gap that often exists between the jargon and writing style of a professional practice area and the language and style preferred by business and consumer publications and their readers.

Raasch uses her journalism education and experience to help you create interesting, informative articles and white papers that will resonate with publishers and readers. In addition, she writes press releases, client letters, newsletters and the full range of print marketing collateral. Most print copy will also be posted as Internet content – so there is value in working with a writer who works in both media.

Constant marketing context

The writing and publication of content for the Internet and copy for print should take place within a comprehensive marketing and business development agenda. Professional service firms “sell” the expertise of their practitioners -- and good published content and copy provide an example as well as a third-party endorsement of this expertise.

Janet Ellen Raasch is an active member of the Legal Marketing Association – and has participated in this organization as both a consultant and as an in-house marketing director. She is widely published (see "Writing Samples") on subjects at the core of legal marketing. Many of these articles are based on presentations by experts to the LMA Rocky Mountain Chapter.

Because of her dual strengths as an experienced journalist and a professional services marketer, Janet Ellen Raasch can help you create the articles, white papers and marketing collateral that enhance your reputation within an overall marketing context.

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Public speaking is a great way for lawyers and other professionals to establish themselves as experts within a chosen field of expertise.  Although most lawyers can speak in public, not all lawyers can do it well.  In this July 2006 article, speaker and trainer Brigid O'Connor dicusses how lawyers and executives can learn to speak in public with efficiency and purpose.

When engaged in public speaking, eliminate "noise" to improve communication

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Very few attorneys really understand what their hourly rates mean to a client.  Few clients select their lawyers based on fees.  Rather, the decision is usually driven by emotion.  In this January 2006 article, business development consultant Peter Darling discussed the subject of how lawyers can discuss their fees -- with both new and ongoing clients.

Money changes everything:  How lawyers can discuss fees with their clients

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Law firms often ask their lawyers to engage in activiites that will create relationships and generate new business -- activities like community service or public speaking.  A few lawyers find it easy and natural to comply with this request.  Many more lawyers do not.  In this October 2005 article, attorney K.C. Veio discusses how he has used community involvement to build his practice.

Serve. Speak. Succeed. How to build your book of business

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Law firm marketers can set the stage for new business development -- but it is always the job of the individual lawyer to "close the sale" with a new client.  How can a lawyer get new business without falling victim to the "unpaid consulting" trap -- where you lose control of the relationship and the potential client wastes your time and talent with a wide range of requests prior to a commitment to buy?  In this June 2005 article, Gary Harvey of Achievement Dynamics discusses how lawyers can avoid the unpaid consulting trap.

When to fish, when to cut bait:  When seeking new clients, don't waste your time and talent

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If marketers want to succeed as business development coaches to professional services providers, they need to concentrate on the "f-words" -- focus, feedback and follow-up.    In this October 2004 article, consultant Mark Maraia discusses how to implement a successful lawyer-coaching program.

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The role of a business development coach is to bring focus, skills and energy to the business development efforts of attorneys and their law firms -- just like a sports coach brings focus, skills and energy to an athlete.  In this April 2004 article, consultant Michael Colacchio discusses business development coaching programs for lawyers and law firms.

Business development coaches help partners and law firms dominate their "game"

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