‘Tis the season! You know the one – when every other day holds the promise of a networking opportunity, as you take clients to holiday lunches, send out your holiday cards, and attend all of those lovely parties. 

The parties are what bring me here today, because I’m here to tell you about a key to networking that I’ve observed over the past nine years with the ILN. 

RELAX.

Now, I’m not talking about letting loose and forgetting that you’re in a professional setting – on a side note, don’t forget to turn off any devices that might allow you to post photos to a social site when you’re at a holiday party. 

But I am talking about letting go of business for a moment. Because, paradoxically, that is where you will find your strongest professional relationships. 

Continue Reading ‘Tis the Season…to Network!

This month, we’re highlighting our Floridian firm, Shutts & Bowen LLP, as our firm of the month! Congratulations to Tim, Raul, and their colleagues!

   

 

Shutts & Bowen LLP

Member of the International Lawyers Network

Dear INSERT_FIRST_NAME,

 

The ILN is proud to announce this month’s "Firm of the Month" – Shutts & Bowen LLP, Florida, USA! 

Shutts & Bowen is a full service international law firm, with approximately 250 attorneys, in seven offices located throughout Florida – Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, Tallahassee, Tampa, West Palm Beach, and an office in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Shutts & Bowen offers its clients, whether local, state, national or international, a diverse and complete range of high quality and responsive legal services. The firm represents major industrial corporations and life insurance companies, utilities companies, securities brokerage firms, transportation concerns, national and international financial institutions, local banking firms, major foreign companies, health care organizations, local municipalities, local corporations, and individuals and smaller enterprises of every nature.

Full descriptions of Shutts & Bowen LLP’s services, expertise, and lawyer profiles are available on their website.

Lindsay Griffiths
 Director of Global Relationship Management
International Lawyers Network

Lindsay Griffiths

 

Learn More

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Main Contacts: 

Tim Murphy

Timothy Murphy

Email: tmurphy@shutts-law.com
Telephone: +1 (305) 379-9137

Practice Groups:
Immigration, International Tax, Taxation, Administrative Law, Insurance Regulatory Practice
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Raul Salas

Raul Salas

Email: rsalas@shutts-law.com
Telephone: +1 (305) 379-9146

Practice Groups:
International Tax, Taxation

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Alan Griffiths

“The ILN is happy to recognize Shutts & Bowen as this month’s Firm of the Month, and we look forward to showcasing their firm as they host the 2013 ILN Regional Meeting of the Americas later this month.”

Alan Griffiths
Executive Director
International Lawyers Network

+001.201.594.9985

www.ilntoday.com

 

I’ve had an idea for a post noodling around in my brain for a few weeks, but I’ve been having trouble getting it to crystallize. Until yesterday, when I read Sayre Happich’s "Seven Content Marketing Tips for Lawyers." 

Sayre says: 

All lawyers can benefit from content marketing. By creating targeted content — blog posts, articles, tweets — and pushing it out through the right channels, you can position yourself as a thought leader in a specific area of law. And, whether you are a solo practitioner or part of a megafirm, that can lead to more clients."

She is absolutely right.  I’ve seen time and time again that the firms that are successful today are the ones who are sharing substantive content on a regular basis (there are other contributing reasons of course, but the same mindset that leads them to create substantive content and share it, is the mindset that helps them find success). 

What I’m going to say next might be a bit controversial, but I’ll say it anyway – clients do not care about press releases announcing that an attorney was quoted in an article. They’re not going to do the work of first clicking through to the firm’s press release to see that someone was quoted, and then clicking again to get to the actual article – they’re too busy. That’s not substantive content. Even if something leads to substantive content, if you make it hard for your audience to find it, they will not take the time to do so. 

Continue Reading Content Marketing is King

To many people, fall may just be the prelude to winter – the days get shorter, it’s darker earlier, and the leaves are falling. But I’ve always thought of fall as a fresh start. It may be years since I’ve been in school, but something about the chill in the air makes me feel renewed and revitalized. 

With that in mind, I was recently chatting with my friend, Jaimie Field, about this very thing and how close we are to the end of the year. This starts to be the time when firms and attorneys look at their marketing and business development plans, to see how they’ve done in terms of meeting their goals for the year and what they want to accomplish in the following year. 

As we were talking, I had an idea – why not think of each quarter of the year as a fresh start? I’m not suggesting that we all write a new plan for each quarter (no one has time for that!). But take a few minutes today to set up a calendar reminder for yourself to look at your plan on the first business day in each quarter. 

Then, when that reminder comes up, take out your plan and review it: 

  • Which goals have you accomplished?
  • Which goals have you made progress on?
  • What is still left to achieve?

I do this periodically (approximately quarterly), and each time I do it, I then set up additional reminders for myself for each of the outstanding goals – I’ll break them down into manageable increments and task myself with one or two things over the next three months on days that look to have a bit more space on the schedule. 

I can always reschedule those things if need be, but by doing that, I’m making a commitment to myself and my goals for the year. It helps me to keep track of what I’m doing on a regular basis, as well as to revisit my goals throughout the year so I know what’s working, what’s not working, and what I can improve on for the following year. 

So why not treat fall (and every new quarter) like a fresh start – track down your marketing and business development plans and do a quick review and scheduling. 

And a very Happy Halloween to all those who celebrate! 

Continue Reading A Quarterly Refresh of your Marketing/Biz Dev Plan

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of sitting in on another of the LMA’s Social Media Shared Interest Group’s webinars, this time with Adrian Lurssen of JD Supra. Adrian talked about some best practices for getting clients to read a law firm’s online content, using a case study to walk us through. 

As I’ve noted before, I won’t give away everything from the webinar, since it’s an LMA membership benefit, but there was some great advice that Adrian shared with us. 

His case study focused on the discussions surrounding the America Invents Act, for which JD Supra saw 82 firms producing content.  Of these firms, only one stood out, Pepper Hamilton. Adrian delved into the "why" of the popularity of their post, as well as defining the goals we should be pursuing as we produce content. 

Continue Reading Is Anybody Going to Click on That? Getting Clients to Read Law Firm Content, A Webinar Recap

This month, we’re highlighting our Norwegian firm, Økland & Co DA, as our firm of the month! Congratulations to Tom, Vegard, Tor Erlend, and their colleagues! 

   

 

Okland & Co

Member of the International Lawyers Network

 

Dear INSERT_FIRST_NAME,

The ILN is proud to announce this month’s "Firm of the Month" – Økland & Co DA, Norway! 

The law firm Økland & Co DA is a full-service business law firm serving legal needs throughout Norway, with an expanding international practice.

The attorneys at Økland & Co DA offer experienced representation and strategic guidance, with the goal of providing complete and effective service for their clients. They attach great importance to quality and achieving the best result possible for the client.

The law firm Økland & Co DA was established in 1983 and today numbers 20 attorneys and associates, with continued growth planned. They have offices in Oslo and Lillestrøm.

Full descriptions of Økland & Co DA’s services, expertise, and lawyer profiles are available on their website.

Lindsay Griffiths
Director of Global Relationship Management
International Lawyers Network

Lindsay Griffiths

 

Learn More

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Main Contacts: 

Tom Carsten Troberg

Tom Carsten Troberg

Email: tom@oklandco.no
Telephone: +47 64 84 60 71

Practice Groups:
Corporate, Finance and Restructuring, International Dispute Resolution, Labor & Employment
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Vegard Oien

Vegard Øien

Email: vegard@oklandco.no
Telephone: +47 648 460 72

Practice Groups:
Dispute Resolution, Litigation, M&A, Finance & Restructuring, Construction Law, Contract Law, Labor & Employment

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Alan Griffiths

“Økland & Co DA have been an invaluable addition to the ILN, and their strong commitment to client service and the Network is apparent.”

Alan Griffiths
Executive Director
International Lawyers Network

+001.201.594.9985

www.ilntoday.com

 

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, Attilio Ferrari of our member firm, Ferrari Pedeferri Boni Studio Legale Associato in Milan, Italy!

In one sentence, how would you describe your practice?
We are an Italian medium size law firm providing clients (mainly companies, but also private clients) with high quality and tailor-made legal assistance.

Who would be your typical client?
Medium size companies, based Italy and abroad, which – also with our legal assistance and co-operation – want to grow.

What would you like clients and potential clients to know about you?
That they will find a dedicated lawyer and a team who will cooperate with them in a timely manner, are ready to understand their needs and to share their goals and challenges as an effective legal partner.

What has been your most challenging case? Why?
One of the most challenging cases was probably when advising a foreign client in the acquisition process as a new main industrial shareholder in one of the Italian privatizations. It was challenging because of the complexity of the transaction and the general context: the seller was a huge public company, there was the internal frontline with other shareholders participating in our NewCo (Italian and foreigners, industrial and investment banks), the external frontline with other bidders, the seller, trade unions, public opinion and political background, etc.  All main Italian law firms were involved and the entire transaction took us almost one year to be successfully completed.

What has been your proudest moment as a lawyer?
There are many, but anytime I receive a request for legal assistance from someone who was a counterparty in the past, I know we did a good job.

What do you do when you’re not practicing law?
Family, family, family (and some sport, when children sleep…)!

What would surprise people most about you?
My novels drawer!

What has been your most memorable ILN experience?
The first ILN meeting in Philadelphia, in 2005. I immediately realized that the ILN was something different compared to all other lawyers’ networks or conferences I experienced before. The motto “Where lawyers become friends!” is well deserved and completely true.

What career would you have chosen if you weren’t a lawyer?
If I wasn’t a lawyer, I probably would have become an entrepreneur (looking for legal assistance all around the world through the ILN!).

If a movie were made of your life, who would you want to play you?
At least a movie should be a daydream, and it can be far away from reality: therefore I would say: Brad Pitt!

How would you like to be remembered?
As someone who tried to make a little difference in favor of people around him.

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, Bill Ruskin of our member firm, Epstein Becker & Green in New York!

In one sentence, how would you describe your practice?
At its core, I defend corporate clients who are alleged to have caused harm to persons or property due to their manufacturing or marketing of products or by their historical waste disposal practices.

Who would be your typical client?
A typical client is someone who makes something.

What would you like clients and potential clients to know about you?
I am a problem solver. I take pride in knowing that clients can carry on with their business while I work hard addressing their issue.

What has been your most challenging case? Why?
My most challenging case was a Superfund cost recovery action in federal court in Pensacola, Florida. My client – a chemical manufacturing facility – had spent millions and millions of dollars cleaning up decades-old contamination. We brought suit against the prior owners of the plant and adjacent industrial owners to pay their fair share of the clean-up costs. We were up against eight adversaries – a case of David and Goliath. It is challenging enough to litigate against one adversary, it is very challenging to litigate against eight. We successfully managed one-on-one mediation with each to achieve a series of successful settlements.

What has been your proudest moment as a lawyer?
I received a decision on behalf of a client in another environmental cost recovery case, which was the culmination of a 3-month trial against one of the world’s largest mining companies. Through extensive discovery, we were able to undermine the credibility of the adversary’s technical experts – through use of historical aerial photographs and their own client’s production documents, which demonstrated that extensive contamination had taken place on our adversary’s watch. The case was extremely complex and required us to fully understand the impact of six decades of contamination.

What do you do when you’re not practicing law?
I spend time with my family and play tennis (poorly!).

What would surprise people most about you?
I am a huge Cornell ice hockey fan.

What has been your most memorable ILN experience?
My most memorable ILN experience was obtaining a dismissal forum non conveniens for a Spanish-based manufacturing client of ILN counsel in Barcelona. The client was sued in federal court in New York City by a New York-based food conglomerate seeking millions of euros in damages for a massive consumer food product recall in several E.U. countries. After submitting our papers to the court, the plaintiff agreed to dismiss the case.

What career would you have chosen if you weren’t a lawyer?
I would be a History Professor, teaching a course about how movies impact political and societal views.

If a movie were made of your life, who would you want to play you?
That’s easy, James Stewart. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence are two of my favorite films.

How would you like to be remembered?
Riding off into the sunset on a white palomino.

 

With our 2013 European Regional Meeting kicking off this Thursday in Mainz, I thought there was no better time to highlight one of our German firms, WOLPERT RECHTSANWAELTE! 

   

 
Wolpert RechtsanwaelteMember of the International Lawyers Network

 

Dear INSERT_FIRST_NAME,

The ILN is proud to announce this month’s "Firm of the Month" – Wolpert Rechtsanwaelte! 

In view of the recent trend towards increased specialisation in the legal and economic systems, Wolpert Rechtsanwaelte dedicates themselves to legal advice and representation in specialised fields. Their experience and competence provide a solid basis for effectively solving legal problems concerning Intellectual Property Protection, including Copyright and Competition Law, also especially for pharmaceuticals and medical devices, food and cosmetics, Antitrust Law, Contract-, IT- and License Law and related issues of Commercial Law.

They are committed to comprehensive, competent and forward-looking consultancy that keeps abreast of the development of law inside and outside of Europe, resulting from the ongoing globalisation of the world’s economies.

Wolpert Rechtsanwaelte, along with the ILN German Group, are jointly hosting this year’s 2013 European Regional Meeting in Mainz on 19-22 of September, 2013. 

Full descriptions of Wolpert Rechtsanwaelte’s services, expertise, and lawyer profiles are available on their website.

 

Lindsay Griffiths
Director of Global Relationship Management
International Lawyers Network

Lindsay Griffiths

 

Learn More

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Main Contacts: 

Marga Wolpert-Witzel Marga Wolpert-Witzel

Marga Wolpert-Witzel

Email: info@wolpert-ra.de
Telephone: +49 (0) 6172 28892-0

Practice Groups:
Antitrust and Contract Law; Intellectual Property; Competition Law (incl. Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices, Food and Cosmetics) (incl. litigation)
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Nicole Aicher

Nicole Aicher

Email: info@wolpert-ra.de
Telephone: +49 (0) 6172 28892-0

Practice Groups:
Antitrust and Contract Law; Intellectual Property; Competition Law (incl. Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices, Food and Cosmetics) (incl. litigation)

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Alan Griffiths

“Wolpert Rechtsanwaelte is a long-standing member of the ILN, whose dedication to excellence has been proven again and again.”

Alan Griffiths
Executive Director
International Lawyers Network

+001.201.594.9985

www.ilntoday.com

 

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, Jeanne Feltgen of our member firm, Lutgen & Associes in Luxembourg!

In one sentence, how would you describe your practice?
I think that I can accurately describe my practice as a fascinating and most gratifying search for best possible results and solutions.

Who would be your typical client?
My clients are national and foreign companies as well as institutional entities, my daily contacts are company lawyers, managers and representatives of institutional entities. I could add that I’ve been working for a lot of them for quite a number of years.

What would you like clients and potential clients to know about you?
Above all, clients and potential clients should know that I’m dedicated to their very best interests. I also would like to mention that I consider mutual trust, complete transparency as to all elements of the situation at stake and, last but not least, good teamwork the keys of a successful working relationship.

What has been your most challenging case? Why?
My most challenging case has probably been an action I brought against a huge telecommunication company which had acted unfaithfully towards my client, a much smaller company created and directed by a pioneer in mobile entertainment. What made this case a special challenge was, beside the necessity to describe in our submissions numerous, quite complex technical aspects, thus the necessity to get familiar with those aspects within a short delay, the ’David and Goliath’ situation we found ourselves in.

What has been your proudest moment as a lawyer?
I find it difficult to compare those special moments and to pick a specific one. Let me say that I live proud moments as a lawyer when happy clients offer me a job in their company…

What do you do when you’re not practicing law?
I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, I keep my house organized and I do as much exercise as I need to feel good.

What would surprise people most about you?
I think that people would be surprised to learn that I am perfectly able to sit in a deck chair without doing anything for more than five minutes …

What has been your most memorable ILN experience?
I can honestly say that each ILN meeting I’ve had the opportunity to attend was a very special event and that I’ve spent a lot of memorable moments. However, I would like to mention in particular the warm welcome Lindsay, Alan and quite a few colleagues offered me at my first ILN conference, back in 2006 in Geneva.

What career would you have chosen if you weren’t a lawyer?
If I were not a lawyer, I today would seek to work for a nonprofit organization serving disadvantaged people. I think that jobs in this domain are mostly very satisfying. Years ago, I would probably have been a judge or a notary public.

If a movie were made of your life, who would you want to play you?
This a quite an amusing question. Cameron Diaz, maybe? On a more serious note: I would probably choose the French actress Sophie Marceau, an actress who, in my view, perfectly expresses strong and delicate character traits. Otherwise, I would choose another French actress, i.e. Carole Bouquet, for no other reason than that I adore her class.

How would you like to be remembered?
I definitely would like to be remembered as an upright person who could be relied on.