August 2015 - Ontario Lawyers Directory

Website as a Service or WaaS will Power Law Firm Websites in the Future

Posted on August 20, 2015January 9, 2021 by Law Firm Newswire

San Francisco, CA (Law Firm Newswire) August 20, 2015 - Get a glimpse of the future of search engine optimization services by looking at the concept of WaaS — website as a service.

The tech industry is always evolving, and it comes as no surprise that the latest spin on the concept of SaaS (software as a service) is likely to apply the success of that model to web design. Savvy law firms will want to get out ahead of this new development.

Until recently, the software used to run computers was generally a one-time purchase per version, with a new edition of the product coming out every two or three years. However, because technology changes and those changes spread so rapidly in the age of the internet, in order for software to function optimally, it became necessary to update it much more frequently. That prompted the software developers to create the SaaS model, in which customers subscribe to software rather than buying it outright, as a way to best keep their clients’ computers current and meet their changing needs.

As Cloud computing progressed, the next evolution in SaaS was a variety of Cloud-based applications and more monthly fees associated with those services. Modern software users now routinely pay a fee every month for access to all of their — regularly updated — software. SaaS may not be ideal for everyone, but is a good solution for many businesses.

And now another implementation of this model is slowly coming into its own: website as a service (WaaS). Lawyers need to know about WaaS because it is part of a dynamic marketing process that is relevant to clients and potential clients. Law firm websites must be continuously monitored, updated on the fly and must reflect changes in the market, legislative reforms, demographics and competition. The typical cycle of redesigning websites every so often is time consuming and costly. WaaS may be the cutting edge solution for keeping content, design and back-end framework up to date. It also provides the flexibility to sync with new devices.

WaaS is not here yet, but it may be available in five to six years. In the meantime, law firms can budget for monthly website updates and be ready for WaaS when it arrives. Updating every month keeps an attorney’s site fresh and current. Static web design can’t keep up with the pace of cyberspace. Websites need to evolve to market demands.

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What Law Firms Must Know About Information Governance

Posted on August 11, 2015January 9, 2021 by Law Firm Newswire

San Francisco, CA (Law Firm Newswire) August 11, 2015 - The most recent issue of The Bigger Law Firm magazine (BLF) discusses the importance of information governance as a way for law firms to effectively and efficiently manage their large amounts of data. In this issue, James Ambroff-Tahan explores the ways in which information governance can help law firms gain control over their data and thereby operate with more efficiency and reduced costs.

Law firms have traditionally been part of a very paper-intensive industry that one might expect to embrace the digital world. Ambroff-Tahan writes that as challenging as it might be to manage information in tangible form, intangible data also needs to be correctly managed. Information governance is a way of managing, using, and processing information in order to increase its advantages for a business while complying with legal, security and other regulations.

There is a growing necessity for a method of organizing enormous quantities of data. The production of data is doubling every two years, and it has been predicted that the amount of data in the digital world will increase 10 times from 2013 to 2020. Litigation and its attendant process of discovery are primary reasons for law firms to use information governance to manage their voluminous data.

Specifically, one statistic illustrates why it is imperative that law firms adopt information governance. Just one page of evidence is produced for every 1,000 pages that undergo processing via e-discovery. Thus, Ambroff-Tahan states, the ability to return solely relevant information via e-discovery would cause one to realize significant savings of up to a 1,000 percent decrease in costs.

In 2014, a survey was conducted concerning different kinds of businesses. The survey showed that half of all businesses were compelled to reproduce information because they were unable to find the original. Ambroff-Tahan also notes that 90 percent of the businesses lacked any knowledge of what their data contained.

Ambroff-Tahan’s article in the latest issue of BLF can guide attorneys with effective strategies for managing their data and facilitating the recovery of information.

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Is Paper.li a Good Match for Lawyers? BLF Magazine Readers Finds Out

Posted on August 7, 2015January 9, 2021 by Law Firm Newswire

San Francisco, CA (Law Firm Newswire) August 7, 2015 - The latest issue of The Bigger Law Firm magazine (BLF) explores several tools law firms can use to improve their online outreach to clients. In the issue, Brendan Conley reviews Paper.li, a news aggregation site that can help law firms, as well as other businesses, find and share the right content.

Conley outlines some of the biggest content marketing needs of law firms: Content must be topical and in plentiful supply, while also of high quality and of interest to readers. All content creation and social media use must be done with an eye to search engine optimization.

Robo-journalism, or automated tools for content marketing, can be a valuable tool for many law firms, writes Conley, and Paper.li is one such program.

Paper.li allows users to create a customized online newspaper based on news feeds and Twitter accounts that the user follows. The result is a readable online newspaper that updates regularly. Each article includes a photo and brief excerpt, as well as hotlinks to the source site. Users can customize their page as desired with the program's drag-and-drop interface. This can keep law firms up to date on the latest, most shareable news.

Conley discusses the potential applications of Paper.li for law firms. A firm may use the program to create its own online newspaper, which could help the firm become a trusted news source and position itself as an expert in the field. However, Conley notes that law firms need to continually maintain their page, reviewing pieces before publication to ensure that the site is up to par. Law firms who do not choose to run a site through Paper.li can still benefit by becoming contributors, which can result in a wider readership.

The most recent issue of BLF includes several other pieces about how law firms can improve their online marketing efforts.

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Attorney Locators and Encore Digital Media’s EmPower App Discussed in Latest Bigger Law Firm Magazine

Posted on August 4, 2015January 9, 2021 by Law Firm Newswire

San Francisco, CA (Law Firm Newswire) August 4, 2015 - Finding an attorney online with the assistance of a legal app is not new. However, new additions to the market are increasing competition, particularly in the mobile app niche.

Information technology is not a term solely related to software engineers, app developers or search engine optimization. These days, mobile technology has become a companion to, and in some cases almost replaced, the conventional tower for online searches. EmPower is one such application that may appeal to online users wanting to find an attorney quickly.

Online searching for everything from best tire prices to criminal attorneys is increasingly being done with smartphones or other mobile technology. This is important news because Google is now showing apps in mobile search results, and Google App Indexing provides a new vista for marketing law firms. The Index already contains 30 billion links, and when accessed by someone looking for legal information, the searcher receives related apps in the results.

Since install buttons appear beside the apps in the search results, with one click searchers will be sent to the Google Play store where they can download the app to their smartphone or other mobile device. This allows for immediate access to information, which can be especially helpful when a legal issue arises and someone needs an attorney right away.

EmPower, a new player in the app market from U.S.-based Encore Digital Media, LLC., includes an attorney search platform based on name, location and practice areas, and offers a full digital directory with lawyers’ website, office, biography and name. Directions to the attorney’s office are provided with an interactive mapping feature. All attorney biographies are available, and the app offers the option to call or directly email attorneys.

Are attorney locator apps worthwhile? Google is continuing to adjust search results to fit user needs, and law firms should be actively seeking ways to proactively stay in front of the most online viewers possible.

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