| | It's finally starting to look like Spring around here. For me, Spring brings about thoughts of spring cleaning - clearing out what isn't necessary or doesn't work any more to make way for something new - or just to give room for different things to become the focus.
For my clients, sometimes that means letting go of bad clients, putting more focus on one practice area over another, revamping their marketing, or delegating tasks so they can focus on what they're really good at.
My first featured article in this issue of the Lawyer Meltdown newsletter highlights some new ABA ethics opinions that may affect your marketing - especially if you blog, write articles, or post on social media about cases you've handled, or if you're thinking about starting to.
While the opinions don't really bring up anything new, they do clarify some issues about what you can and cannot say about your cases, even after they're over. I think it's worth a look if you use case examples in any of your marketing. And if you're new to the idea of using social media for your practice, you might also want to check out a guest blog post I wrote on the Top 5 Social Media Tips for Lawyers.
The other featured article this month is by Maddy Martin of Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists, who provides some valuable pointers on how to get the most out of a virtual receptionist so your clients and potential clients get the service they need when they contact your office, without you worrying about answering the phone yourself or missing calls when you're out of the office.
You'll see Smith.ai is our featured resource as well - if you're ready to make the switch to a Virtual Receptionist, look for the special discount code for my readers below.
âââââââHappy Spring!
Some of you responded last month, but if you haven't, I want to make sure that I am delivering the most relevant content to you, so let me know -
What is your biggest challenge right now? |
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| | | Guidelines for Legal Bloggers and Social Media Users | Last month the ABA Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility released Formal Opinion 480, Confidentiality Obligations for Lawyer Blogging and Other Public Commentary, reminding lawyers that their duties of confidentiality extend to blogging and other online activities.
The opinion cautions lawyers about commenting publicly about cases or information relating to the representation of a client, including the fact of representation, even if some of that information is already publicly available. | | Read More |
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How to Run a More Efficient and Profitable Law Practice with Virtual Receptionists | When youâre running a law firm on your own or with just a couple partners, youâre shouldering more than just lawyering work. Responsibilities for administrative, marketing, and operational tasks fall on your shoulders, and thereâs only so much time in a day. Finding ways to take work off your plate that donât require your unique skill set as a lawyer means more time for profitable (read: billable) work.
Virtual receptionists have been a popular choice for small-firm and solo lawyers for over a decade, to help them minimize distractions and gain efficiency. But many attorneys are still reluctant to take the leap and hand-off tasks that take up precious time. The most common reasons related to a lack of comfort, trust, attention to detail, comprehensiveness of services, and personal touch. | | Read More |
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âââââââMay 2018
Webinar: Leveraging LinkedIn for Marketing and Business Development May 22 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Eastern
This webinar will be presented for Women Owned Law as part of their virtual speaker series. I'll be talking about how you can really maximize LinkedIn as a marketing and business development tool for your law practice.
This one hour program will show you how you can take advantage of LinkedIn to build and leverage your network, get known in your area of practice, demonstrate your knowledge, enhance your reputation and build your practice. Weâll focus on practical tips that you can begin implementing right away to make your LinkedIn Profile stand out, build real relationships from your LinkedIn connections, and participate strategically to get the most out of the time you spend on LinkedIn.
June 2018
Webinar: Put Your Practice on Auto-Pilot with Automation, Templates and Checklists June 7 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Eastern CORRECTED DATE!
I'm doing this webinar with the good folks at RocketMatter. The program will focus on how you can automate more of your practice to improve your client service and get more consistent with your marketing. You'll learn how to develop systems the right way, use forms, templates and checklists, and automate them using available tools. After all, when you know important tasks are being done consistently and effectively, you can focus on serving your clients.
You can always find my upcoming events by checking my calendar here. Want to Improve Your Marketing? |
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If you want to dial up your marketing, the first step is to get exceptionally clear about your target audience (both clients and referral sources). One way to do that is by completing my Ideal Client Profile workbook.
This workbook takes you step by step through the process of identifying and targeting your ideal clients. It's the same process I use with my consulting clients. | | Learn More |
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Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists offers all of the services outlined in the article above. They also leverage artificial intelligence to power these additional features: - Automatic spam blocking of over 2 million numbers
- Caller recognition for personalized client greetings
- Easy status changes via SMS (e.g., text âDo Not Disturbâ when you arrive at court)
- Call transfer requests and post-call notes sent to your email, SMS, or Slack
With plans starting at $60/month, attorneys get the experience and quality of an in-house receptionist at a small fraction of the price.
Hereâs what one of Smith.aiâs long-time clients had to say:
"I am extremely pleased. The ease of use, reasonable cost, and very professional ` staff have made this one of my best business decisions of the past year." - Kevin Levine, Immigration Attorney
If youâd like to sign up for Smith.ai or simply test it out with a 30-day/10-call free trial, you may do so online at https://smith.ai, by phone at (650) 727-6484, or by email at support@smith.ai.
Readers of the lawyer meltdown newsletter will also receive $50 off your first month with code LEGALEASE. This code can be used in combination with your free trial, for a total savings of $110. I may get a small commission if you use this code, but you get a significant discount!
Contact Smith.ai Questions about virtual receptionists and how they can help your firm be more efficient and profitable? Smith.ai support is available Monday through Friday between 6 AM and 6 PM PST at (650) 727-6484 or support@smith.ai. Follow:   |
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