<b>Sales and Service Strategies</b> Establishing a Key Client Sales Initiative
July 31, 2006
We at <i>MLF</i> are pleased to announce this new bi-monthly column featuring knowledge and information about sales and service excellence tips and tools, and thank LSSO for contributing authors and content.<br>We begin with guidelines for establishing the firm's major client sales initiative for success.
<b>Technology In Marketing: </b> Time to Upgrade Your Firm's Web Site?
July 31, 2006
Despite their importance, many law firm Web sites are outdated ' having been designed, developed and launched several years ago when Web technologies were far less advanced than they are today. As a result, many law firms are not taking advantage of new technologies that could simplify site maintenance, improve the 'user experience' of site visitors, and more effectively promote the firm's expertise. <br>This article reviews some new technologies that firms should consider when evaluating whether their Web site is in need of a functional upgrade.
<b>Op-Ed:</b> 'I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar' ' or Not!
July 31, 2006
With the exception of about 15 firms nationwide, there are no solid programs that truly benefit women in law firms. Yes, many firms list their women in law programs on their Web sites, and several tout their programs as being at the forefront of the movement, but this is not the reality. While there are lots of women in law firm programs, most of them merely exist to 'paint a picture' that will demonstrate to clients that they are diverse. For all intensive purposes, this is a joke ' and the joke is on the women in these firms. Is it any wonder that many women leave law firms to either go in-house or leave the profession entirely?
<b>Media & Communication Corner: </b>In-house Interview With Joshua Peck
July 31, 2006
One of the questions I am most often asked relates to the area of public relations and particularly how media is handled in law firms as it impacts marketing and business development. To answer those questions, I am pleased to introduce a new series that will feature interviews with top law firm in-house public relations professionals. These interviews will be conducted by the public relations team of Jaffe Associates.
Counterpoint: Marketing in Law Firms
July 31, 2006
I found your Op-Ed piece, 'The Land of Wannabe,' in the May 2006 issue of Marketing The Law Firm, to be a valid assessment of what I believe to be a failed incursion of 'marketing' into the business of law firms. You conclude that if the right marketers were available, law firms might figure out how to use them. However, I don't see this happening by any evolutionary or natural process, for all the reasons it has failed to date.
Lessons Learned: The First Step to Successful Law Firm Marketing
July 31, 2006
As a marketing junkie, I am always looking for that yet-untapped space in which to implement good business-development practices. I found that the legal field area was crying out for attention. <br>Law firms are slow to warm up to dedicated marketing programs. The most tactical entry was a flank attack. By working my way through the third-party sidelines, I maneuvered to my ultimate goal: Director of Marketing at a respected firm.
REITs: The Challenge of Parking Facilities
July 28, 2006
The careful negotiation of the rights and responsibilities involved with the operation of parking facilities associated with commercial properties is an often-overlooked component of the acquisition and leasing of those properties. It has been noted that the inadequate resolution of the competing interests between owners, lessors, and lessees of parking facilities can harm the interested parties' businesses and ultimately drive the parties into costly and time-consuming legal battles. Stacy E. Smith, Negotiating Parking Privileges in Commercial Leases: What Every Tenant Should Know. <i>Com. Leasing L. & Strategy</i>, July 2005, at 1. Unfortunately, the presence of a real estate investment trust ('REIT') among the concerned parties adds an additional layer of complexity to an already challenging situation.
Dealer Protection Statutes Level the Playing Field for Heavy Equipment Dealers
July 28, 2006
Dealers who sell and lease expensive heavy equipment, and therefore those who finance them, are often at the mercy of the manufacturers whose products the dealers sell or lease. Disparities in bargaining power between a local equipment dealership and a national or international manufacturer can force the dealership to accept unfair or oppressive terms. And if the manufacturer arbitrarily terminates the dealership agreement, the thriving business that the equipment dealer built can be totally ruined, often with little or no legal recourse, thereby also putting those who finance the dealer at peril.
L..A. Practice Notes
July 27, 2006
Big Firms Move Into L.A.<br>Silicon Valley Firms Pursue Hollywood Clients
Patent Injunctions After eBay: The Bidding Is Open on Who Really Benefits
July 27, 2006
When faced with the threat of a crippling injunction, many businesses would rather pay for a patent license than spend millions litigating an uncertain result. This simple principle lies at the heart of what has been called the 'licensing-by-litigation' model, and has led to numerous battles over patent rights.
