Zen & The Art of Legal Networking : Lawyers & Attorneys in an International Legal Network for Relationships & Referrals

Recently, we've been looking more in-depth at the ILN Marketing Specialty Group roundtable, which focuses on what mid-sized firms are doing in social media.  Today, we look at question four, which asks "How do you and your firm connect with your firm’s top clients and top prospects via social media?"

Do Kim Dung: Leadco, as a firm, does not have connection to our firm’s top clients and top prospects via social media. Certain partners and associates within the firm do use Facebook and LinkedIn in their professional capacities to connect and communicate with clients and colleagues.

Simone Fell: As with Leadco, lawyers connect with clients and prospects individually through LinkedIn and their personal Twitter accounts. We have not done much to advertise our social media presence. This will likely only change once we have a policy in place and have determined a better way to generate timely and interesting information that top clients (who already get our newsletters) will want to read. 

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Happy Friday all! I'm traveling in Europe, so you're getting your weekly roundup of ILNToday content early this Friday! Without further ado, a top seven...

• News You Can Use: Handling IP assets in your estate plan from Lommen Abdo: Lommen Abdo released their January/February 2012 newsletter with information about the firm and their clients. 
   
• Foreign Lawyers Permitted “Fly-in and Fly-out” Practice in India from LexCounsel: LexCounsel discusses foreign lawyers practicing in India. 
   
• EEOC reports provide insight for employers from McDonald Hopkins: McDonald Hopkins writes on the EEOC's recent reports for 2011, on their statistics and strategic plan, and what the takeaways for employers are.

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Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of co-presenting a webinar with Kevin O'Keefe on Blogging Basics.  During the call, I mentioned a couple of blogs that I recommend, and I thought I'd share my full list here, as well as my notes about each!

• Corcoran's Business of Law Blog: Tim's blog makes me a better marketer, because he's always making me think and challenging me to keep an open mind.
   
• The Legal Shakeup: Rebecca Wissler and Laura Gutierrez author this blog, which offers stories and advice from two rising stars in the legal marketing industry. 
   
• Myrland Marketing: This is Nancy Myrland's blog, where she offers marketing advice to the legal community, with a social media focus.
   
• The Legal Watercooler: This is one of the first legal blogs I followed, and it's still my go-to source for inspiration. Heather Morse does an excellent job of balancing blog voice and personality with the issues that lawyers and legal marketers face.

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Without further ado, some of this week's top content from ILNToday: 

• A Tale of Two Trademark Appeals from Clark Wilson: In this post, Clark Wilson's Larry Munn discusses two trademark appeals (as the title suggests!) - that of Clic International Inc. v. Convenience Food Industries (Private) Ltd., 2011 FC 1338 and David M. Locke v. Osler, Hoskin & Harbourt LLP, 2011 FC 1390. 
   
• First Circuit Limits SOX Whistleblower Protection to Employees of Public Companies from Epstein Becker & Green: In another discussion of appeals, EBG's Christina Fletcher talks about the US Court of Appeal for the First Circuit's decision, which narrows the scope of SOX whistleblower protection to employees of public companies, and not employees of their contractors or subcontractors who are private companies. 
   
• Epstein Becker Green Launches First-of-Its-Kind App: Wage & Hour Guide for Employers from Epstein Becker & Green: This week, EBG launched a unique app - a Wage & Hour guide for employers. Learn more about the app and how to access it here. 
   
• 4th business conference: AN ESTONIAN-FINNISH ECONOMIC UNION? from Tark Grunte & Sutkiene: Tark Grunte & Sutkiene's fourth annual business conferences focuses on the ways that companies in the two countries can work together, key challenges, and practical experiences. 
   
• City of Akron announces Tax Amnesty starting March 5, 2012 from McDonald Hopkins: McDonald Hopkins discusses who is eligible, how to participate, and the benefits of participation in the city of Akron's tax amnesty program. 

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Following up on our last Rainmaking Recommendation from expert Jaimie Field addressing the issues of why clients don't come back, we have the next in the series - "Acknowledge me! "

Reason #2 Why Client’s Don’t Come Back: You’re Unresponsive

In a continuation of the series on “Why Client’s don’t come back”, this Rainmaking Recommendation will address the number one reason why clients’ don’t come back - because you don’t respond to them.  

In this day and age of immediate communication – Wi-Fi, 24 hour internet access, smartphones, emails, and social media – clients almost demand that you respond on instantaneous basis.  It used to be that 24 hours was an acceptable amount of time to get back.  Now, people want a response yesterday.

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The last two weeks, we've been looking more in-depth at the ILN Marketing Specialty Group roundtable, which focuses on what mid-sized firms are doing in social media.  Today, we look at question three, which asks "Do you have a social media policy in place? If so, how are you handling training on both policies and proactive use of social media and tracking of results?" 

Do Kim Dung: Leadco does not yet have a social media policy.

Simone Fell: Not yet, but it’s in development. We already have policies regarding employees' use of technology and some of the issues would be covered under that. We used to track social media as a firm but we now have a number of lawyers with individual accounts who tweet/blog about a combination of personal and work-related issues, which why it’s even more critical that there be a formal policy in place. We have done some training on how to use social networking tools, which highlighted best practices (eg be conscious of who's in your audience and don't broadcast every thought you have without considering the impact) and have offered pointers at our business law and litigation department meetings. We expect lawyers to take a common-sense approach to their online business development activities and consider the same Law Society guidelines that govern other mediums. 

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Happy Friday all! It's been a very busy week here at the ILN, which makes me feel as though this is a well-deserved weekend ahead. On to the roundup - because it's been so busy this week, I'm going with a top 5! 

• You better get your 401(k) assets moving from McDonald Hopkins: McDonald Hopkins' John Wirtshafter discusses the issue of employer contributions to 401(k) plans, identifying what the Department of Labor sees as a reasonable amount of time to make these contributions and what companies should do to make sure they're complying. 
   
• IRS UPDATES GUIDANCE FOR W-2 REPORTING OF EMPLOYER-SPONSORED HEALTH COVERAGE from Davis & Gilbert: D&G's bottom line on this sums it up best: "W-2s issued in 2013 for the 2012 tax year will need to reflect the cost of employer-sponsored group health coverage. Employers should immediately begin determining which of their group health coverages (including EAPs, wellness programs, and hospital and fixed indemnity plans) must be reported in accordance with the updated guidance."  See the full article for additional details. 
   
• IRAN SANCTIONS: CAN INDIA WALK THE TALK? from LexCounsel: LexCounsel offers an interesting perspective on sanctions against Iran, detailing China's bilateral trade with Iran, as well as India's need to include them in their consumption of imported oil. 
   
• Off to the Marché We Go! – Not Descriptive and Not Confusing from Clark Wilson: Clark Wilson's Larry Munn discusses the Federal Court's recent ruling in Movenpick Holding AG v. Exxon Mobil Corporation and Attorney General of Canada over the trademark "Marche Express." 
   
• Excluding Chemical Risk Assessment Evidence From the Courtroom from Epstein Becker & Green: EBG's Bill Ruskin examines the potential use of chemical risk assessments in the courtroom, noting that since regulators base their assessments on a different set of criteria, which differ widely from the burden of proof required in court, these assessments are not legally relevant and should be excluded. 

Happy reading!

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There are still people out there who think social media is not for professionals.

C'mon, admit it. 

All right, so the likelihood is that those people aren't reading this blog, because, after all, it's part of that "social media stuff." But how many of you who have dipped your toe in the water (i.e. joined Facebook, staked your claim on your Twitter name, filled out your LinkedIn profile) are using social media? And how many of you are blogging...regularly? 

I'm sure more than one of you mentally raised your hand as you read that. 

And I'm sure some of you who did are still wondering why the heck you would want to use social media anyway.  So let's talk about that for a little while. 

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So yesterday, we had the chance to take a look at some of the higlights from the Superbowl commercials of 2012.  Now, it's time to see which spots failed, why, and what lessons law firms can take from them. 

We'll start with my pick for the worst commercial of the night...Go Daddy's Body Painting Commercial (which is pretty much tied with their Cloud commercial for worst in my book).

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While I know that most people watch the Superbowl for the sports (myself included, I do like the game!), the biggest football game of the year is also the Superbowl for marketers - because of the commercials.

I've heard mixed reviews of last night's spots from people via my social networks, but I have to say that unlike recent years, I was very pleased with this year's ads. As I did last year, I'll give you my thoughts on the good, the bad and the ugly, starting with the good...

Overall, I'd say that humor won out this year. To me, the commercials that did "funny" right were the real winners...and also the most memorable. However, one funny, expensive ad spot doesn't change a lot, but it's fun to see where they went right and the lessons that law firms can take from them. 

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Last week, we looked at the question of firms' biggest social media successes, but this week, it's time to look at the other side of the coin - challenges.

The question we posed was "What has been your greatest social media challenge thus far, and how did your firm tackle it?"

Do Kim Dung: The greatest challenge for Leadco is to get agreement within the firm as to what should be posted online.

Simone Fell: Agreement within the firm with regard to what should be posted online and who should be responsible for drafting and managing content. Truly meaningful content is usually generated at the individual and practice/industry level, where ‘experts’ in those areas update topic-specific postings and seek out useful information for their target audience. This is much trickier to do at the firm level as the audience is so broad and our marketing team does not have the time to seek out keywords associated with the firm’s brand and reach out to everyone talking about those topics with a personally crafted tweet, track the activities of our clients in the media and post items of interest to them (which would definitely require vetting by a group of lawyers), nor do they have the expertise to generate legal commentary. As a result, our general firm accounts repost articles and news items that can already be found on our website. 

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Once again, we're at the end of another week and here for a content roundup! So without further ado...

• PETERKA & PARTNERS Newsletter: Our colleagues in the Czech Republic bring us the latest news on the amendments to the Commercial and Labor Code, to the Act on Transformation of Companies and Cooperatives, to the Code of Administrative Justice, and to the Employment Act, along with new legislation on corporate criminal liability and increased fees for entries in the Land Register.
   
• ILN Social Media Roundtable: This isn't legal content, but it comes straight from the marketers at ILN member firms - if you're wondering what the mid-sized firms in our Network are doing with social media, some of their challenges and triumphs, this is worth a read. 
   
• Not only is it reasonable but it is now obligatory: dilapidations from Fladgate LLP: Alison Mould of Fladgate discusses the courts recent adoption of the pre-action protocol for terminal schedules of dilapidation, thanks to ten years of efforts by the Property Litigation Association.

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Welcome to ILN-terviews, a series of profiles of ILN member firm attorneys, designed to give a unique insight into the lawyers who make up our Network. For our latest interview, we chose ILN member, Dimpy Mohanty of our member firm LexCounsel Law Offices in New Delhi, India.

In one sentence, how would you describe your practice?
Responsive and business-oriented.

Who would be your typical client?
One looking for advice which is well-rounded and covers diverse practice areas. 

What would you like clients and potential clients to know about you?
That we at LexCounsel offer practical solutions based on, but not bogged down by a narrow reading of, law. 

What has been your most challenging case? Why?
A transaction involving the transfer of an educational institution to a client. Other than the complexity of the matter stemming from the education sector being a highly regulated sector, the matter required bringing in the skills of a UN diplomat! The older generation of the transferring family was (i) sentimentally attached to the institution which they had founded and hence prone to heart stopping frequent doubts, and (ii) being ignorant of the due diligence process, regarded every request for information and documents as an act of distrust and invasion of privacy.

What has been your proudest moment as a lawyer?
There has been so much joy, but the proudest I believe it is still to come.

What do you do when you’re not practicing law?
Read, travel, watch the world.

What would surprise people most about you?
Initially, that I am a woman - since my name is not suggestive of my gender. Later, that I have an inordinate capacity for and store of trivia.

What has been your most memorable ILN experience?
It’s the fellowship which ensures that you seek out fellow ILN members even at non-ILN events – the most recent being chasing down a fellow member through five days, multiple venues and over 3000 delegates at the IBA conference to meet finally on the last day.

What career would you have chosen if you weren’t a lawyer?
Public Relations, Writing, Mystery Shopping or a combination of all three.

If a movie were made of your life, who would you want to play you?
Sandra Bullock.

How would you like to be remembered?
As someone who could be counted on.

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Today, I'm bringing you another excellent rainmaking recommendation from expert Jaimie Field - "I didn't know you did that."

“Why don’t clients come back?”

Recently, I received an email from a litigation attorney from Connecticut who asked the question above. It seems that some clients of the firm who seemed happy with the work the  attorneys of the firm were doing were going elsewhere for subsequent representation. 

So I dedicate this and the next few Rainmaking Recommendations to this attorney with thanks.

Over the next few emails we will cover  the reasons why clients don’t come back and how to ensure they do:

Rainmaking Recommendation # 51:  “I didn’t know you did that”

Reason #1  Why Client’s don’t Come Back:  “I didn’t know you did that”

One of the most frequently heard reason that clients don’t come back is that they don’t know all of your (and your firms) legal capabilities.  If you have ever heard a client subsequently say:  “I didn’t know your firm did that,” you have experienced this problem.

However, one of the objections that I hear is that from the attorney  is that they told them in the initial consultation that they (or their firm) could represent the client in many different matters. 

You need to understand, when a client comes in to your office, they are usually focused on one issue; the one problem they are currently experiencing.   This causes them to truly not hear anything else but what applies to this situation.  I mean literally.   The only thing they want to hear is how you can help them with this problem; what is going to stop their pain.  Anything else you tell them will go in one ear and out the other. 

Then you, the attorney, become “tunnel-visioned” - busy schedules, other matters and clients, court, briefs, yada yada yada -  which causes you to neglect to remind them of all of your other abilities. 

This is why you need to consistently and constantly tell them over the course of the representation all of your (and your firm’s) capabilities.  After you have met them, during the course of your representation, and following the conclusion of your matter, you need to keep reminding them how you can assist them with the other matters that may come up in their lives in the future. 

Use newsletters, connect with them on Social Media sites, send personal messages, ask for feedback.   Each time you contact a current client using Rainmaking and Marketing tactics to remind them of  all that you can help them with to make their lives better, you ensure that if something comes up with which you can assist, they will remember to contact you. 

Rainmaking Recommendations are sent the first and third Wednesdays of the month.  They are bite size tips that when implemented will cause you to make rain. To learn more about Rainmaking, Goal Setting and Achieving the Life you want as an Attorney please contact Jaimie B. Field, Esq.  If you have missed any of the previous Rainmaking Recommendations you can find them at www.jaimiefield.com The Enlightened Rainmaker Blog

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