This post was written by Jordan Furlong: "After my recent swipes at case law updates and voice mail, you might think I'm just spending my time beating up on the weakest members of the lawyer communication fraternity. If so, today's entry on news releases likely will confirm that line of thought. But what I'm really trying to do is isolate and attack a pernicious habit within law firms of all sizes: the phenomenon of rote communications, producing things simply because we've always produced them. Don't get me wrong, though; I am quite interested in beating up on news releases..."

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Source: Law Firm Web Strategy, 24 August 2010. Copyright © 2007 - 2010 Stem Legal Web Enterprises Inc. Reproduced with permission of the author.

This post was written by Susan Cartier Liebel: "An old post/column I wrote -  e-mail etiquette (or lack thereof) and the impact on clients - led me to check out other technologies which, without policies regarding their use, offend clients and people in general.  There was a great archived article in Missed Manners which discusses the impact of poor etiquette when using Blackberries, PDAs and Smartphones as well as e-mail.

It's worth a read because most people don't realize they are behaving rudely.  As business people we have to be extra-aware or risk our professional and personal reputations and relationships.

Technological advances give us new freedoms.  But they also come with a whole new set of rules regarding their use. If inappropriately used, those very freedoms can impact our behaviors and destroy our professional and personal relationships.

Continue reading this interesting post and reach the active links by clicking on the author's name.

Source: Build a Solo Practice, 16 August 2010. © SPU 2010 Susan Cartier Liebel, reproduced with permission.

This post was written by Jordan Furlong:  "So, have you recently left a voice mail for someone under 30, never to have it returned or even acknowledged? A post at the Legal Blog Watch might have the answer: it seems Millennials regard voice mails as unsolicited messages not much different than spam, and treat them accordingly. It's an interesting idea, one I fact-checked with a friend in his 30s. His reply: "I've been known to let my voice mail sit for days. If it's important, they'll (a) call back or (b) email my BlackBerry, and I can respond from wherever I am." It's hard to argue with the sheer pragmatism of that approach.

The LBW post touched off a lengthy discussion in which many people talked about how much they dislike voice mail. Interestingly, though, most of the dislike was for receiving voice mails, the hassle of going through the endless series of commands only to get a short and often pointless message. Hardly anyone talked about whether they liked leaving voice mails. And that raises a question relevant to communication in law firms, one I've been pondering for a while. Here's the question, one you can ask yourself: "As a general rule, if I'm phoning someone to give them information, am I happier to reach them in person or to to hear the click of the voice mail activating?" 

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Source: Law Firm Web Strategy, 13 August 2010. Copyright © 2007 - 2010 Stem Legal Web Enterprises Inc. Reproduced with permission of the author.

This post was written by Randall Ryder: "Litigation attorneys engage in contentious battles to get the best outcomes for their clients. Many times, however, lawyers can get so engaged in the case that they lose sight of their client's goals. Never forget that your job is help your client achieve their goals..."

Three gentle reminders can by found by clicking on the author's name.

Source: Lawyerist.com, 18 August 2010.  Lawyerist Media, LLC.  Reproduced with permission of the site editor, Sam Glover.

This post was written by David Canton: "Following my customer service post last week, I had an experience on the weekend where store clerks were so intrusive that it was annoying.  So much so that it makes me wonder if I want to go back to that store again.  It's a reminder that while we need to be attentive to customer / client needs, it's possible to cross the line from good service to annoying and creepy.  And it's possible to try too hard to sell our services..."

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Source: Slaw.ca, 18 August 2010. Reproduced with permission of Simon Fodden, founder of Slaw. 

Podcast description from the site: "The conventional wisdom has long been that your website, or perhaps your blog, should be at the core of your web presence. Today, your Internet presence is likely to consist of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts, and a variety of other places people can find you. Is this expansion of "presence" changing the common wisdom and bringing us to what's been called the "Siteless Web"? In this episode, co-hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss the changing Internet environment, whether a website really matters anymore, and how to manage your multi-faceted presence on the Internet.  After you listen, be sure to check out Tom & Dennis' co-blog and book by the same name, The Lawyers Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Clio.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:08 -- 27.6MB)

Related Podcasts

• October 7, 2009 -- Bulls and Bears: Lawyers Using Social Media
• August 24, 2009 -- Online Reputation Management
• October 30, 2008 -- Social Media, Twitter & Law Firms
• July 15, 2010 -- Legal Issues Surrounding Social Media
• June 16, 2010 -- Tweeting and Blogging from the Courtroom 

Active links and podcast are available at the source site listed below.

Source: Legal Talk Network, 17 August 2010. © 2010 · Legal Talk Network. Reproduced with permission of Scott R. Hess.

This post was written by Mister Thorne: "You're an attorney, not a typesetter.

You're concerned with the wording of agreements, briefs, or contracts, not the details of how those words are rendered.

But -- if your goal is to persuade -- you should be concerned, and that's because appearance matters: first impressions do too.

Let me say it again -- the first impression someone has of what you wrote isn't what you wrote; it's the appearance of it..."

Continue reading this interesting post by clicking on the author's name.

Source: Set in Style, 3 August 2010, reproduced with permission of the author.

This post was written by Tom Kane: "There is a very interesting article by Anthony Green in Law Practice Today which talks about Web 2.0, Web 1.0 and social media in general. Not being one completing sold on all the hype surrounding social media, I agree with several points Green raises about the need to get back to basics.

He (and I) recognize the role social media can and is playing. The question is have we lost focus on the main point surrounding personal services marketing? As Green points out "In all likelihood, the big decision makers still prefer face-to-face communication..." and although social media and the virtual world is playing an "increasingly important (role)... keep in mind that most business in the professional services world is still done face-to-face..."

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Source: Legal Marketing Blog.com, 17 August 2010, reproduced with permission of the author

This post was written by Cheryl: "Making that first impression in business with the appearance of your web site, the decor, the marketing, or just the friendliness of the first company representative a customer encounters, helps to brand your business. You don't always have to be faster or cheaper to keep your customers from straying off to the competition, but you need to maintain a consistent brand of professionalism, speed, and convenience.

Customers may leave because they don't like your product, their friends have influenced them to move to another company, or the competition simply has you beat, but according to statistics, most customers leave because of a change in attitude or indifference by the business. Customers always have to think you care, and customers want you to make them feel good..."

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Source: Service Untitled, 12 August 2010. © 2006-2010 Service Untitled Group, reproduced with permission of Douglas Hanna.

This post was written by Theresa Zagnoli: "In several previous blogs, we've highlighted examples of poor communication. From poorly worded media statements of companies in crisis making horrible word choices to poorly phrased email statements to downright awful corporate announcements which highlighted insensitive, inconsiderate and thoughtless communication by corporate leadership - poor communication is everywhere. However, occasionally, I run across an example of corporate communication done right.

A couple weeks ago, I read about the acquisition of deal-a-day website Woot by the e-commerce giant Amazon. I knew nothing about the Woot brand, their corporate culture or the deals of the acquisition, but the letter to employees written by CEO Matt Rutledge was nothing short of brilliant. He utilizes Cicero's model of successful communication utilizing three essential ingredients: charm - teach - move.

For the full text, click here.

Throughout the letter, Mr. Rutledge employs Cicero's model, but let's look at a few specific things he did right:..."

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Source: Visual and (Non) Verbal Communication, 4 August 2010, reproduced with permission of the author.