Month: September 2014

Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) September 29, 2014 - The newest issue of Bigger Law Firm magazine helps attorneys maximize their potential through creative, intelligent online marketing. BLF's experts track the lawyer's changing tech landscape to make new initiatives approachable, practical and effective for firms of every size.

In this issue's feature, Brendan Conley breaks down "Panda 4.0: What Happened, What It Means and What to Do About It." Conley cuts through the abstract technical changes to find the the concrete steps a firm can take to boost its search result rankings under the update. Readers may be surprised to find how much their aged content is now pulling them down -- and even more surprised to find how easy it is to make changes for the better.

BLF founder Jason Bland reflects on ten years of legal marketing in "Obiter Dicta," his recurring column. Drawing on his extensive experience, he explains why and how attorneys now need to distribute the content they create through their firm's own website.

James Ambroff-Tahan gives legal readers a detailed introduction to Udemy, an online learning platform that offers firms an unexpected and valuable way to expand their reach through teaching. "Back to School With Udemy" explains how lawyers can create their own useful, straight-talk courses on the law for potential clients.

This issue's feature focuses on the Google Panda update, but Google has been busy in other areas, too. In "By the Numbers," Cari Cymanski tours recent changes to Google Analytics, demystifying its Demographic and Interest Reports tab by tab and page by page. With the updates, the reports should become a far more useful tool for legal teams.

The term "hacker" tends to conjure images of (often malicious) computer whizzes in glasses, pounding Red Bulls and breaking through FBI firewalls late at night. But in the last few years, hacking has changed. In the past two years, as Kristen Friend explains in "Hackcess to Justice," the legal community has gathered for several hackathons, hoping to find solutions that will give every American full, fair access to the legal system.

Software updates can be a hassle and a pain, especially when a firm has many devices to unify. But as Kerrie Spencer explains in this issue's "Law + Ethics," attorneys have a duty to stay abreast of changes as ABA members and as guardians of their clients' confidential information.

Twitter Cards have expanded a tweet's potential for marketing, and they are well-designed for businesses with a DVD or mouthwash to sell. But Laura Donnell highlights how "Using Twitter Cards" can also benefit an attorney's marketing plan, even though law firms rarely have a tangible product to sell.

Less than five years ago, web designers created fixed-width sites to fit the most common screen sizes. In 2014, most users who encounter a page that does not adjust itself to their screens click away immediately. As Justin Torres explains, "Responsive Design" that reacts to any screen size or device type should now be expected of all quality legal sites.

This issue's "Get Social" takes aim for targeted marketing. Kerrie Spencer offers insider techniques that help marketing managers in every industry identify and reach the specific audience they want.

To learn more about how to build a Bigger Law Firm, visit https://www.biggerlawfirm.com

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• Google Limits Search Results Per Domain for More Diversity – How Does This Affect Law Firms?
• Big Results for Big Law Firms
• The Role of Cybersecurity in the Legal Field
• SEO Hierarchy of Needs: A Guide for Beginner Law Firms
• Should Law Firms Use Chatbots Rather Than Mobile Forms?
• Outside the Box: Non-Standard Lawyer Website Inspiration
• Does Your Firm Need a Legal Credit Card Processor?
• How Facebook’s New Political Ad Guidelines Are Affecting Lawyer Advertising
• Why Law Firms Need to Use VPNs
• Why Newsletters Fail and How Your Law Firm’s Newsletter Can Succeed

WSHB’s commitment to diversity to be celebrated at DRI conference in October

Los Angeles, CA (Law Firm Newswire) September 17, 2014 – Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP has been selected to receive the DRI’s Law Firm Diversity Award at the 2014 DRI Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA on Thursday, October 23, 2014. DRI is the nation’s leading organization of defense attorneys and in-house counsel. Each year, DRI’s Annual Professional Achievement and Service Awards celebrate and honor outstanding performance by law firms and individuals.

“This award demonstrates a significant commitment to diversity,” said J. Michael Weston, DRI President, in a letter to the firm. “Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman’s commitment to diversity is demonstrated not only through your policies and practices, but also by your many civic contributions.”

"Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman was appealing to me because of its diversity," says Rosary Hernandez, WSHB Partner. A first generation Cuban American, Hernandez lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her two daughters. Her mother was born in Mexico City and her father was born and raised in Havana, Cuba Two-thirds of the WSHB women partners are also mothers. Stacy Douglas, another WSHB Partner, recently went back to work in the WSHB Los Angeles office after having her first child. "There's no question the firm is supportive of me and my needs. By helping women lawyers keep their families intact, they retain quality talent."

Hernandez and Douglas both applaud WSHB's founding partners for their leadership spearheading an organic effort focused on recruiting and mentoring high quality, well-rounded women candidates and candidates of color with diverse backgrounds. Said Douglas, "What WSHB's founding partners did early on was recruit talent and place women in positions of decision making. WSHB has been actively working on the diversity of its staff long before it was popular. "

Hernandez is a member of DRI's Executive Diversity Committee and is expected to chair the DRI Diversity Seminar in Chicago next summer. "America is our land of opportunity. As corny as it sounds, it's true. Neither of my parents was born in the United States. I am a first-born high school graduate, first-born college graduate and first-born law school graduate. And I had absolutely no connections, " says Hernandez. " When I hire, I look for different backgrounds. I look for the scrapper - someone like me who is persistent, tenacious and determined. Someone who has overcome adversity. "

WSHB also recognized up front the importance of diversity and jury selection. Douglas serves on the Executive Board Black Women Lawyer's Association of Los Angeles, Inc. and has published numerous articles regarding diversity in law. In "Diversity and Voir Dire: Why Attorneys Should Use Diversity to Relate to Jurors," Douglas said, "Diversity in a law firm allows a firm to empower its clients. A diverse trial team has many advantages, as not only is there is a visual benefit of the jury seeing a diverse team, but it also allows the trial team to be strategic. A firm with diversity among its attorneys can decide on a moment's notice that is best suited for voir dire based on jury makeup. If jurors believe that an attorney is a relatable figure, they are more likely to be candid in their responses during voir dire, and to trust that attorney more than the opponent throughout the trial."

Both Douglas and Hernandez are proud that WSHB has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to diversity. "Yet we still need to change the way the rest of the legal profession operates," says Hernandez. "More need to be given that important opportunity. More will step through that door when you open it for them."

About Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP
Founded in 1997 by David F. Wood, Kevin D. Smith, Stephen J. Henning and Daniel A. Berman, WSHB is today one of the fastest growing firms in the United States. WSHB currently employs 150 attorneys in 15 offices in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington. WSHB is also one of the most diverse firms in the country. Approximately 44% of WSHB attorneys are female, 42% of WSHB partners are female, and 25% of WSHB attorneys are minority. With active practices in medical malpractice and healthcare, commercial, construction, environmental, professional liability, employment, real estate, transportation, toxic tort and intellectual property litigation, WSHB's attorneys have tried over 860 cases to verdict with a 92% success rate. For more information: Deborah Lawrence, 760-809-2622, dms_lawrence@hotmail.com.

ALA and Nesso Strategies Announce the Managing Partner Executive Director Forum

Lincolnshire, IL (Law Firm Newswire) September 12, 2014 - The Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) announces a new interactive educational event, The Managing Partner/Executive Director Forum in Orlando, Florida on February 23-24 in partnership with Nesso Strategies.

Designed to explore and develop leadership skills and experience, The Managing Partner/Executive Director Forum is a hands-on workshop that enables Managing Partners and Executive Directors to collaborate on shared leadership and management challenges.

“Today, more than ever, the working relationship among the law firm executive team, lawyers plus executive administrators, is critical to a firm’s success,” said Judy Hissong of Nesso Strategies, ALA’s partner in delivering this program, “A variety of modalities will be used to examine familiar challenges within law firms, building connections between leadership, management, and bottom line results.”

The Managing Partner/Executive Director Forum will provide insights into the challenges facing law firms today, while also giving law firm leaders the opportunity to work as a team. The result is a common understanding and commitment to the key components of successful leadership in the firm.

Faculty for the event are Judy Hissong and Steve Wingert, Principals of Nesso Strategies, who have over 30 years of combined law firm leadership. Their experience integrating leadership with strategic planning, process improvement, and client service will provide a highly engaging and experiential learning environment.

“We are delighted to welcome two of the most dynamic speakers in the legal management field in this one-of-a-kind opportunity for law firm leaders to roll up their sleeves together and tackle some of the biggest issues in law firm management, ” said Oliver Yandle, J.D., Executive Director of ALA. “The Managing Partner/Executive Director Forum is an unprecedented opportunity for law firm leaders to come together and move the needle forward for their firms.”

Who should attend? The Managing Partner/Executive Director Forum is designed for medium sized law firm leadership teams, however solo attendees are welcome.

For more information and to register visit http://www.alanet.org/mpf/

About the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)
ALA is focused on the delivery of cutting-edge management and leadership products and services to the global legal community. It identifies and provides solutions to the most critical strategic and operational challenges its members and customers face today, and prepares them for the opportunities and challenges of tomorrow. For more information on ALA, visit http://alanet.org

About NESSO Strategies
NESSO Strategies partners with law firms to develop people while focused on profit-oriented strategies required in the competitive business environment. NESSO looks for opportunities to elevate leadership in the legal environment, providing cutting edge attention to business practices so law firms move intentionally and consistently forward in their client relationships. For more information on NESSO Strategies, visit http://www.nessostrategies.com/