Our weekly roundup of legal news links, legal PR client news and story ideas

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

We’re heading into the second major U.S. holiday of the summer, the Fourth of July. Many businesses will be closed on Monday. I won’t be posting a blog entry on July 5, but here are a few stories to check out over the three-day weekend.

LMM Client News

A $1.5 million personal injury settlement obtained by Jim Lemonds and Andrea McNairy of St. Louis-based Brown & Crouppen and Greg Roberts of The Roberts Law Firm was highlighted in this week’s Missouri Lawyers Weekly.

Spencer Farris of The S.E. Farris Law Firm received the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys’ President’s Award, which is given annually to an attorney whose efforts help Missouri citizens gain access to the civil justice system.

Notable Links for Lawyers

My Top Ten Rules for Job Search Success

Richard Russeth, the wise counselor behind The Last Generalist, shares his top 10 rules to follow if you’re in the job market. In addition to reminding readers that it takes work to find work, noting that doing some volunteer work at least once a week will give you a sense of accomplishment and encouraging us to say thank you, he gives us this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Be silly. Be honest. Be kind.”

Essential Tools for SEO on a Budget

Analyzing your site with the use of Google’s free Webmaster Tools, researching keywords and obtaining inbound links are three strategies suggested by ReadWriteBiz’s John Paul Titlow for improving your website’s performance.

Keeping Your Online Reputation Up to Par

Rob Stretch’s guest post on The Saint Louis Social Media & Tech Report reminds businesses to monitor their online reputations, remain active on the Internet by using several different methods for reaching customers and remaining engaged on social media sites.

Six Ways to Manage International Relationships Online

Zachary Sniderman’s post on American Express OPEN Forum and Mashable is handy for anyone who conducts business internationally. Suggestions for researching basic country information, a time zone converter, translation help and quick faux pas checks to help avoid embarrassing etiquette breaches are just a few of the links provided.

To ensure that you don’t miss out on this valuable information, subscribe to our regular e-mails or RSS feeds. You can also find Legal Media Matters on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

At Legal Media Matters, we provide legal public relations, law firm marketing and attorney website content writing services.

Our weekly roundup of legal news links, legal PR client news and story ideas

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

There are several ways to promote your practice. On Monday I discussed why you should include your referral base in your firm’s PR outreach efforts. On Wednesday I noted that legal press releases are a good way to reach out to clients, add fresh content to your website and get inbound links.

Seminars, honors and awards are another way to increase your visibility, strengthen your firm’s brand and generate publicity for your firm.

In this week’s roundup I want to take a moment to congratulate three law firm clients for their recent achievements and outreach efforts.

LMM Client News

The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis recently bestowed on John Campbell of The Simon Law Firm the John C. Shepherd Professionalism Award, which is given each year to a young lawyer who exemplifies the tenets of the profession.

David Zevan of Zevan & Davidson received the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys’ Thomas G. Strong Trial Attorney Award, which is given annually to an attorney whose advocacy skills in difficult cases demonstrate great skill and passion for the injured, who has handled complex cases with some frequency and who has a reputation for professionalism, ethics and integrity.

Marta J. Papa is offering her 40-hour divorce mediation training course. It began June 23 and will wrap up on June 27.  The training includes demonstrations, lectures, role-play and coaching.

Notable Links for Lawyers

The Right PR Strategy for a Company Crisis

Against the backdrop of the Toyota and BP meltdowns, three PR veterans interviewed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Henry Unger weigh in on the best practices for companies facing crises. In addition to the need for crisis-simulation exercises and clear designation of who is authorized to deliver a unified message, the experts emphasize the need to bring PR experts to the table alongside operations, legal and financial advisors.

At Buffalo News, New Rules for Online Comments

This week, The Buffalo News announced that it would require everyone who posts a comment on its website to first provide his or her name, place of residence and phone number. Jeremy W. Peters of The New York Times reports that similar information is required of people who submit letters to the editor to the Times. The commenter’s name and hometown appear along with the comment.

Twitter Lets You Automatically Follow Facebook Friends

Twitter has announced two major upgrades to its Facebook and LinkedIn applications, Mashable’s Ben Parr reports. The apps allow you to see which of your friends or connections are on Twitter. However, the Facebook Twitter app wasn’t working properly on June 24; according to the last available information, Facebook was working to resolve the problem.

How to Get Started Blogging

Grammar Girl has a great post filled with useful blogging tips. She walks the reader through the important process of defining the audience and discusses how to build confidence as a blogger.

Social Media Risks

Over at Slaw, business lawyer David Canton lists the factors that lead to bad social media policy decisions and writes that some forget that the old rules still apply to new media. A comment that shouldn’t be made in person or in an e-mail is also likely to be inappropriate as a blog post. He also notes the powerful role of perception: People tend to underestimate the risks associated with familiar technologies and processes and overestimate the risks associated with the unfamiliar — such as social media.

Story Ideas for Business, Consumer and Law

Reporters, Writers and Bloggers

Legal Liability for Online Comments

The announcement by The Buffalo News that it would no longer accept anonymous comments is the latest chapter in the vigorous debate over liability concerns stemming from unfettered speech.

Those worried about curbs on speech oppose any comment restrictions. Media outlets report that some attorneys are also advocating against controls because poor controls might expose a paper to greater defamation and slander liability than no controls at all. (This is similar to the legal reasoning applied to the dilemma of removing snow from a business parking lot. It is better to let the snow accumulate than to do a substandard job of trying to remove it, or so the reasoning goes.)

On the other side are journalists who believe that the old standards that required the newspapers to verify information submitted with a letter to the editor should apply. There are also many who are weary of reading racist, inappropriate, flamethrowing or rage-filled missives.

The tensions between these points of views and how media outlets are handling them could be a good subject for exploration.

To ensure that you don’t miss out on this valuable information, subscribe to our regular e-mails or RSS feeds. You can also find Legal Media Matters on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

At Legal Media Matters, we provide legal public relations, law firm marketing and attorney website content writing services.

Our weekly roundup of legal news links, legal PR client news and story ideas

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

The law and advanced tools for communicating continue to converge — and collide — on the Internet.

In this week’s roundup I’ve highlighted several stories that demonstrate how lawyers are leveraging the Internet, social media and emerging technology in their legal PR and marketing efforts.

In some cases, it is the Internet or tech companies who are using the law as a tool.

But first, client news.

LMM Client News

A sex discrimination class action lawsuit against Roto-Rooter has been allowed to proceed. Last week, a federal judge denied the company’s motion to dismiss the$5 million case, which claims that the plumbing giant denied promotions to women. The Simon Law Firm represents the plaintiffs, and one of the firm’s lawyers, Erich Vieth, was quoted in this article in Law 360, reprinted on Forbes.com.

Notable Links for Lawyers

Amazon Patents Social Networking System, Winks at Facebook

The U.S. Patent and Trademark office has awarded Amazon a social networking-related patent. Mashable’s Stan Schroeder writes that if you replace the word “system” in the patent language with “Facebook” it reveals “how flawed the U.S. patent system is.”

Dallas Divorce Lawyer and Dallas App Developer Team Up for iPhone DIY Divorce Apps

A Dallas divorce lawyer and an app developer have teamed up to offer two divorce-related apps, each priced at $9.99. One tracks the cost of divorce and helps track key information. The other helps create an inventory of assets and liabilities. The story, by Victor Godinez, originally appeared in The Dallas Morning News and was highlighted on Robert Ambrogi’s LawSites.

Quebec Bar Association Redesigns Its Website – Adds Virtual Tour Guide

Slaw’s Michel-Adrien Sheppard reports that the Quebec Bar Association has revamped its website. The site, which features a virtual guide tour, aims to provide information to both lawyers and the general public in clear, simplified language. Sheppard says the bar association is also active on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and co-produces a TV show.

Using Social Networking as Legal Tool

The Wall Street Journal’s Nathan Koppel writes that law firms are devoting more resources to cultivating an online presence. In addition to traditional websites, firms are also developing niche websites and sites that have the look and feel of forums and news sites.

How to: Build a Twitter Strategy for Your Business

When it comes to leveraging social media for business purposes, a clear strategy makes sense. Writing for Mashable, Megan Berry outlines the five questions every business should ask and answer before  developing a comprehensive Twitter strategy.

Story Ideas for Business, Consumer and Law Reporters, Writers and Bloggers

Pet Provisions

Certainly, there are people who prefer the companionship of their pets over relatives. But can a dog, cat, horse or snake — the reptilian sort, that is — inherit property?

With the recent news that Conchita, the beloved Chihuahua of Miami heiress Gail Posner, who, with two other dogs  has been bequeathed the right to live in an $8.3 million mansion and a $3 million trust fund was set aside to take care of her needs, the question becomes, “Is that legal?” If it isn’t, are there any steps a pet owner can take to ensure that an animal is provided for in the event the owner dies?

To ensure that you don’t miss out on this valuable information, subscribe to our regular e-mails or RSS feeds. You can also find Legal Media Matters on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

At Legal Media Matters, we provide legal public relations, law firm marketing and attorney website content writing services.

Our weekly roundup of legal news links, legal PR client news and story ideas

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

In the U.S. today caps a four-day work week. Missouri lawyers planning to attend the Solo & Small Firm Conference next week will enjoy another compressed week.

I will be attending, and blogging and tweeting from, the Solo & Small Firm Conference, scheduled for June 12-14 at the Lake of the Ozarks. If you’re one of the approximately 800 lawyers who plan to attend, let me know. It would be great to meet you.

More about the conference next week. Right now, client news and notable links.

LMM Client News

A $3 million wrongful death settlement obtained by Jim Lemonds and Andrea McNairy, of St. Louis-based Brown & Crouppen, and Greg Roberts of The Roberts Law Firm, was highlighted in this week’s Missouri Lawyers Weekly.

Notable Links for Lawyers

The Fall

Jeff Smith: A Political Tragedy in Three Acts

Opening with a quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald — “Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy” — St. Louis Magazine’s Jeannette Cooperman chronicles the downfall of Missouri state Sen. Jeff Smith. Once a rising star in Missouri politics and the subject of a documentary, Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? Smith is now serving a prison sentence of a year and one day on federal obstruction of justice charges.

Venting Online, Consumers Can Find Themselves in Court

A critic who airs complaints online may find him- or herself the target of an old-fashioned lawsuit. The New York Times’ Dan Frosch explains how strategic lawsuits against public participation — or meritless defamation claims — are raising the ire of some First Amendment lawyers.

Marrying Out: One in Seven Marriages Is Interracial or Interethnic

A new report from the Pew Research Center reveals that a record number of new marriages in the United States were between spouses of different races or ethnicities. The study also indicates that most Americans approve of racial or ethnic intermarriage.

In 1967 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Virginia’s law prohibiting interracial marriages in the landmark case Loving v. Virginia.

Report from the ODR Conference in Buenos Aires

David Bilinsky attended the first South American conference on online dispute resolution. In a post on the Canadian legal blog Slaw.ca, he highlights the five major themes that emerged from the conference, including the need to educate about ODR, questions about whether ODR will grow within the legal system or parallel to it, the types of disputes heard and the potential benefit ODR promises to Third World Countries.

How Lawyers Are Using Social Media for Real Results

Mashable’s Matt Silverman highlights how increasing numbers of lawyer are using social media to network, obtain business and raise their profiles nationwide.

Manage Service of Process via the Cloud

A web-based tool that allows legal professionals to manage every stage of service of process is featured on Robert Ambrogi’s Law Sites blog.

Story Ideas for Business, Consumer and Law Reporters, Writers and Bloggers

Gagged by the Doctor

In addition to highlighting the problem of SLAPP suits, the New York Times story mentioned above notes that some physicians are requiring their patients to sign agreements that give the physician more control over what patients post online.

It would be interesting to know how many doctors are asking their patients to give up the right to speak out, whether any breach of contract suits stemming from the practice have been filed and what the public policy ramifications of such a move might be.

Have any links to suggest? Give them a mention in our comments section. And if you have any recommendations for next week, feel free to e-mail them to me. geri@legalmediamatters.com

To ensure that you don’t miss out on this valuable information, subscribe to our regular e-mails or RSS feeds. You can also find Legal Media Matters on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

At Legal Media Matters, we provide legal public relations, law firm marketing and attorney website content writing services.

An in-house lawyer wants to reach executives and explain the services a general counsel offers

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, I invited my Twitter followers to pose a question (in 140 characters or fewer, of course) that I would take up on this blog. One lawyer sent a direct message wanting to know the best keywords to attract chief executive officers and chief financial officers who want to learn more about what their in-house lawyers can do for them.

The question is much more complicated than it might seem at first blush.

Here’s a driving analogy. If someone asks how to start a car, the easiest answer is: “Just turn the key in the ignition.” But there’s a complicated assortment of processes going on behind the dashboard and beneath the hood that are responsible for starting the engine.  Even though the key signals to the engine that it is time to start, it is the first piece of a complicated process.

In other words, simply possessing a key will not make a car run — and the same key won’t start every car.

As with cars, there’s often a multilayered process that is engaged in before keywords will work. As with car keys, the keywords that will deliver the best performance are going to vary; one size does not fit all.

Legal Keywords and Problem-Solving

Keywords help people sort through the huge pool of information provided on the Internet and find what they’re looking for. But vague keywords, or inefficient keywords in areas where there is a lot of expert competition, are like replacement keys that are almost exact duplicates: They’re not going to work in the way you want them to.

To discover what types of keywords might attract them to your website or blog, you must first figure out what keeps executives up at night. Once you’ve done that, you can explain how an in-house lawyer is a problem-solver and ally when it comes to providing solutions to those specific problems.

Is an executive looking for loan workout help or bankruptcy reorganization advice? If the company is located in the U.S., does the executive have questions about the new healthcare legislation and how it applies to his or her company? What are the legal pitfalls a domestic company looking to expand abroad must avoid?

Once you’ve brainstormed ideas, it’s time to test them. There are several free tools — among them Google Insights, Wordtracker and Google AdWords — you can use to conduct research. (For more on the mechanical steps of finding keywords used in actual searches and then including them in your content, read “Law Firm Websites: Seven Tips for Legal Content Writing.”)

For a test run, I chose the simple phrase “in-house counsel” to see what would come up.

At Google Insights, a worldwide search of the phrase revealed that the top searches involved finding jobs and salary information.

I went to Wordtracker and plugged in “in-house counsel” to see what would come up. The most-searched phrase turned out to be the most specific grouping of keywords (a “long tail”): “in-house counsel obligation regarding spoliation.” Several job search-related queries also surfaced. There were two searches recorded for the keyword phrase “evolving role of in-house counsel.”

At Google AdWords, the “in-house counsel” query once again pulled up several job-related searches. However, it also indicated that the phrase “general counsel” is extremely popular and that “attorney client privilege in house counsel” is one substantive area that receives some inquiries.

There are, of course, additional strategies and techniques to sort and sift the information, but this brief exercise illustrates four points:

1. When it comes to keywords, there is no virtual master key.
2. Avoiding certain keyword phrases, such as the ones related to job searches, is just as important as finding the phrases you want to use.
3. The best-performing site will have one page dedicated to each distinct phrase — for example, a page addressing spoliation, another explaining attorney-client privilege and a third discussing the evolving role of in-house counsel. (For more information on how to use your keywords on a page, read “Three Keyword Rules for Law Firm Website.”)
4. You must measure the performance of your Web pages and keywords. Most sites require monitoring and adjustment. Because keyword selection isn’t as straightforward as one might hope, you may find one set of keywords performing extremely well and another set underperforming. (For more information on measurement, read “How to Install Google Analytics to Measure Your Marketing Campaign.”)

Integrate Your Legal Keyword Efforts with Media Outreach

At Legal Media Matters, we research keywords, develop strategies based on the basis of our clients' goals and then write content. We also emphasize the importance of integrating online and traditional public relations strategies.

In addition to your online outreach, don’t forget traditional print publications as a means of reaching out to executives. Some of the best places for this type of outreach are the so-called industry bibles and trusted trade publications that accept guest articles. Review the editorial calendar to find an opening. (For more on this process, see “Writer’s Guidelines and Guest Articles,” and “Editorial Calendars and Guest Articles.”)

Another way to educate your audience is to post comments to articles related to your topics. In both instances, comments and guest articles can serve as the initial means of engaging your target audience. A website address or link back to your blog, if an executive is reading the information online, will allow him or her to continue the conversation — and may also provide valuable inbound links to your site, boosting its performance and the reach of your keywords. (For more ideas on finding your audience, see “Law Firm Marketing: To Draw Clients In, Reach Out.”)

If you need help researching keywords, writing content or devising a print publication placement strategy, contact Legal Media Matters. We can help you with your legal content writing project and tailor a legal marketing and public relations plan tailored to your firm’s unique goals.

To ensure that you don’t miss out on this valuable information, subscribe to our regular e-mails or RSS feeds. You can also find Legal Media Matters on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Our weekly roundup of legal news links, legal PR client news and story ideas

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

Awareness. Engagement. Conversion. When you’re adopting a social media strategy for your legal practice, measure your effort with these three goals in mind, advises writer Brian R. Hook in the article “Climbing the B2B Business Ladder.”

I use the same yardstick to evaluate my own online marketing and social media outreach.

In January, the new Legal Media Matters site was launched. Over the course of five months the number of unique monthly visitors has more than doubled. We’ve received feedback and comments on a variety of articles. Our article providing photo shoot tips generated the greatest number of comments.

Our network on LinkedIn has expanded as well. Not only has our social media outreach on the business sight brought in new legal PR and law firm website writing clients, but it has also resulted in great conversations with people such as Nils Montan, an IP lawyer who owns IPAlly.com and lawandsocialnetworking.com.

Initially a skeptic, I have a newfound respect for Twitter. I joined, tweeted for a few weeks and then ignored the site. Eventually I gave it a second chance and put more effort into it. I’m glad I did. I have thoroughly enjoyed my interactions and learned a lot from a variety of people, from @richardrusseth, a lawyer in Colorado and general counsel for a private company, to @MaxDolotov, a law practitioner in Ukraine, and @dfscot, a lawyer in Scotland.

Through the Legal Media Matters Facebook page I’ve been able to share interesting legal news items and tips with people I know and individuals I hope to get to know better in the future.

So, to our friends, followers, subscribers, readers and commenters:  Thank you!

I would also like to thank Kerry Bailey, a tireless copy editor who helps me dot my i’s and cross my t’s in my posts and in the writing work we perform for our clients. Enrique Serrano, a programmer and designer, helps me keep my site running with style, provides technical insights and conducts important keyword research on behalf of our clients.

We’re heading into a three-day holiday weekend in the United States. With Memorial Day just around the corner, I’d like to issue a final thank-you, this one to our service men and women.

I will not be posting an entry on Monday but will resume Wednesday. In the meantime, you can still find me on Twitter. (@legalmediamtrs)

LMM Client News

Consumer attorney John Campbell, of St. Louis-based The Simon Law Firm, was recently highlighted in Missouri Lawyers Media. Campbell appeared before the Missouri Supreme Court and argued that class action waivers contained in arbitration agreements are unenforceable. The case is Beverly Brewer v. Missouri Title Loans Inc.

St. Louis divorce lawyer and mediator Marta J. Papa is offering her 40-hour divorce mediation training course June 23-27. The training includes demonstrations, lectures, role-playing and coaching. I’m delighted to be a guest speaker during the training session in which I’ll discuss ways to market your mediation practice.

Notable Links for Lawyers

Victims Allege Man Posing as Attorney

A fugitive felon who is supposed to be serving a 10-year sentence for stealing sets up shop in downtown St. Louis as a bankruptcy legal representative. Fox 2 investigative reporter Chris Hayes confronts Richard O’Donnell, the man posing as attorney who opened up Bankruptcy n’ More, whose clients allege he took their money and provided less than nothing.

Do You Comply with the FTC’s Red Flag Rule?

On June 1, the federal government’s so-called Red Flag Rule that requires businesses to spot red flags to prevent identity theft, goes into effect. In this Inc. article, Courtney Rubin notes that small businesses, including law firms, may be subject to the law.

Majority of Adults Now Google Themselves

More online users are taking online reputation management seriously, according to a study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Mashable’s Jennifer Van Grove notes that young adults are becoming more aware of the information they post online and how it can affect their careers. As the article, “Do You Google Yourself,” explains, lawyers also need to monitor their virtual images.

Make Marketing a Habit

On Slaw.ca, Allison C. Shields reminds lawyers that marketing is a marathon, not a sprint, and offers five excellent marketing habits lawyers should consider establishing.  For more PR and marketing ideas, read “Is Your Marketing Resolve Slipping?”

Climbing the B2B Business Ladder

To survive and thrive, all businesses will eventually need to adopt a social media strategy, Brian R. Hook writes for E-Commerce Times. Hook explains the options available to businesses and discusses the three ways to measure efforts:  awareness, engagement and conversion.

Twitter Guide for Writers

Want to get the most from Twitter? Don’t be obsessed with the number of followers you accumulate, advises writer and cartoonist Debbie Ridpath Ohi, also known as Inkygirl. Instead, use it as a place to network and a source of support and encouragement. Although the tips are aimed at writers, the advice holds true for lawyers as well.

The Most Ridiculous News Typos Ever

If you’ve been reading my blog posts regularly, you know that I preach the gospel of a good copy edit. The reason? To avoid embarrassing mistakes like the ones the ones highlighted on the Huffington Post. (The menu item “honey mustard chicken diapers” is thoroughly unappetizing, and that’s just one of the tamer typos.) Want to ensure that your website doesn’t contain similar gaffes? Read “Editing Web Content for Law Firms.”

Story Ideas for Business, Consumer and Law

Reporters, Writers and Bloggers

Moral Turpitude Clauses

The latest issue of The Civil Litigator highlights a jury verdict for a football coach and social studies teacher at a Catholic high school in Iowa. When the teacher remarried without getting his first marriage annulled, he was fired for violating the moral turpitude clause in his contract. The teacher sued for breach of contract, and a jury awarded him more than $600,000.

How common are moral turpitude clauses? Can schools and businesses enforce them? If so, how can they do it without exposing themselves to liability?

Fireworks and the Fourth of July

We’re heading into the first U.S. holiday of the summer, and the second major American holiday, the Fourth of July, is just around the corner. That means we’ll soon be hearing the whistle of fireworks and the pop of firecrackers in our neighborhoods — even when they’re technically illegal.

A few possible story ideas:  If you set off fireworks and they end up damaging your neighbor’s property, are you liable? Does it make a difference from a liability standpoint if you shot them off legally or illegally? Are laws banning fireworks enforced? If you need legal experts to talk about these issues, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Have any links to suggest? Give them a mention in our comments section. And if you have any recommendations for next week, feel free to e-mail them to me. geri@legalmediamatters.com

Have a safe Memorial Day weekend!

To ensure that you don’t miss out on this valuable information, subscribe to our regular e-mails or RSS feeds. You can also find Legal Media Matters on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

At Legal Media Matters, we provide legal public relations, law firm marketing and attorney website content writing services.

Our weekly roundup of PR client news, notable links and story ideas

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

There’s no question that the law influences technology. From net neutrality to the quest to unmask anonymous commenters on news sites, courts in the United States and abroad have been asked to weigh in and formulate rules to apply to this virtual land.

But it is not a one-way street. Technology is also transforming the law.

From the way in which evidence is gathered to innovations that are giving real meaning to the ideal of open courts, technology is influencing how cases are investigated and how legal practices are managed.

Ironically, by giving the public front-row seat in courtrooms, technology may offer the legal system a chance to transcend the belief that meting out real-life justice is a simple, clean process.

In this issue I’ll highlight notable links for lawyers and ideas for journalists where law and technology intersect.

But first, client news.

LMM Client News

Last week Butsch Simeri Fields LLC and two other law firms filed a federal class action lawsuit against Farmland Foods in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Print, radio and television media located near Farmland Foods facilities picked up the story. You can follow it here:

KTVO-3 (ABC) Heartland News.com

KWIX 1230 AM

Canadian family lawyer Russell I. Alexander, based in Brooklin, Ontario, established a $5,000 annual grant for nonprofits serving greater Durham and Kawartha Lakes. The fund helps not-for-profit agencies that promote community development, arts and culture, sports, education and health and human services. In 2009, Covenant House of Toronto received the grant. The law firm is accepting applications for its 2010 grant.

Notable Links for Lawyers

What the Judge Ate for Breakfast

Who was one of the first newspaper reporters to tweet from a courtroom? You’re probably thinking of someone from The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal or the Los Angeles Times. But did you consider a reporter from the Wichita Eagle? Indeed, the Wichita Eagle’s Ron Sylvester is the courtroom tweeting pioneer. And it was a Kansas judge, Sedgwick County District Judge Ben Burgess, who allowed it.

Now Sylvester is using technology to further expand the reach of his legal reporting by incorporating courtroom video and interviews on in his blog, “What the Judge Ate for Breakfast.”

The blog offers a realistic picture of the various tensions in the U.S. judicial system: the bureaucratic mandate to push cases through the system; the inexact science of balancing responsibility, punishment, redemption; and efforts to minimize collateral damage to innocent family members.

Of course, there are no makeup artists, expensive costume designers or special lighting. Lawyers and legal affairs reporters will instantly recognize this is the real unglamorous deal.

On Monday I’ll post an interview with Sylvester, a veteran legal affairs and courts reporter who also covered the BTK serial killer. He’ll discuss his project and reveal how he was able to persuade judges, lawyers and court personnel to give him access.

For now, if you want “true” TV, watch Common Law: Trying a Judge’s Patience.

Federal Judiciary Launches Enhanced Website

Podcasts, widgets, a YouTube channel. When it comes to press releases from the U.S. federal judiciary, one usually doesn’t see these references to technology and social media. But on Monday the court unveiled its new website and announced that its communication efforts would include multimedia outreach.

MRIs and the Law

Last week, NPR’s Science Friday aired a segment on using MRIs to tell whether someone is lying. Although some technology companies claim that brain scans can show whether a criminal suspect is telling the truth, a recent study revealed a high rate of false positives.

Stanford University law professor Henry Greeley appeared as a guest on the show and discussed the legal and ethical questions surrounding the use of MRIs as evidence

Translating for IT and Earthlings

In the May issue of California Lawyer, Robert D. Brownstone’s guest article highlights the challenges of collaborating with IT departments on eDiscovery issues. Brownstone, law and technology director at the Silicon Valley firm Fenwick & West LLP, includes a handy chart that translates into plain English both “geek-speak” and legalese.

21 Rules for Social Media Engagement

Admit it: As lawyers, we can’t help like knowing the rules. So if you’ve been considering using social media as a method for marketing and communication, read these rules from Brian Solis, featured on Mashable.

10 Sure Cures for Blogging Burnout

Those of you who already have a blog will want to keep these 10 tips handy. Whether you’ve already encountered burnout or fear that it may creep in, Michelle V. Rafter at WordCount offers some helpful ideas to get past — and even avoid — the blogging blahs.

Story Ideas for Business and Law Reporters, Writers and Bloggers

Cameras in the delivery room

This week on Legal Lad, Adam Freedman tackles the question, posed by a reader, as to whether hospitals may ban cameras in the delivery room. A few years ago I wrote a piece for Missouri Lawyers Weekly, titled “Birth of a Lawsuit,” detailing the pivotal role played by delivery room video in a malpractice suit.

As a reporter, you could write about the tension between the desire to record such an important event and evidence-gathering. How are your local hospitals handling the question?

Technology and Open Government

In addition to the U.S. federal courts new website and Ron Sylvester’s vlog of daily courtroom drama in Kansas court, the Indiana Supreme Court has announced that it is now tweeting legal news.

Are your local courts embracing technology? If not, what are the reasons being given for resistance?

A Service of Note

When I prepare verdict and settlement reports for my law firm clients, I submit the write-ups to a number of publications, including The Civil Litigator. An online database serving the legal community in the Midwest, The Civil Litigator provides coverage of civil cases throughout Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. For more information about subscribing, e-mail editor@civil-litigator.com.

Beth Lewandowski, The Civil Litigator’s editor, is also a St. Louis family law attorney. Her firm, Law Office of Marta J. Papa, is a Legal Media Matters client.

Have any links to suggest? Give them a mention in our comments section. And if you have any recommendations for next week, feel free to e-mail them to me. geri@legalmediamatters.com

Have a great weekend!

Check your content to make sure it’s meeting these aims

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

In its May issue, the ABA Journal tackles the topic of bad blogs. In particular it notes that Findlaw’s 15 hyperlocal news-based blogs have been dubbed “spam blogs” by the legal blogosphere.

Writer Rachel M. Zahorsky explains the controversy over the blogs, which some have criticized as little more than regurgitations of local accident reports designed to dump search engine-friendly copy onto the Internet without adding to the legal discourse.

The blogs have also been criticized because nonlawyers have been hired as blog writers, resulting in mix-ups of criminal and civil terms and other snafus.

In a May 13 TechNewsWorld article, “Making a Place for Yourself in the Blogosphere, Part II,” writer Brian R. Hook interviewed several successful bloggers. This point cannot be emphasized enough:

“Content is king, but quality is queen.”

To ensure that you are publishing quality content, evaluate it, using these four criteria.

1. Is the law characterized correctly?

This may seem like an elementary point, but you need to have enough legal knowledge to write a blog post. If your law firm has hired a professional writer, does he or she understand the basic differences in the types of law and burdens of proof and how the justice system works?

This also applies to lawyers. As a lawyer, I follow the law closely for new developments and I know the lawyers to whom I can turn to make sure I got it right. If you’re writing a blog post that touches on a topic outside your regular practice area, don’t be afraid to run it by a colleague for feedback.

2. Can a lay audience understand the post?

Most first-year law students are told on arriving at school that learning the law is like learning a foreign language. Anyone who clutched a legal dictionary, as I did, for the first semester and constantly thumbed through it to find the meaning of various arcane terms understands what that entails.

The problem with learning the law as a language is that it can be difficult to drop the legalese once you’ve learned it. Terms such as “tort,” “estoppel,” and “res ipsa loquitur” may be bandied about by lawyers, but for those standing on the sidelines they’re nothing more than jargon.

But nonlawyers are genuinely interested in the law and new developments.  They're also potential clients. Have you written your post in a way that is accessible to a variety of audiences?

3. Is your post keyword optimized for search engines?

No matter how great it is, content must be found before it can be of use. That means using keywords — but not all keywords are equal. If your website is still new and small, achieving a good ranking through the use of the most popular keywords may not be the best strategy. Sometimes, at the outset, opportunities for good rankings can be found in less popular combinations. Then the strategy entails building up to the most crowded keyword combinations over time.

Keyword placement in the copy is important. The same goes for heading choices and the use of bold typeface and bullet points.

4. How does your blog entry fit into your law firm’s marketing and public relations goals?

How do you see your law firm’s website or blog fitting into your firm’s marketing and PR plan? Do you have concrete and specific goals for these tools? Are you measuring the performance through programs such as Analytics?

Reviewing your goals and comparing the information with your data can provide insight on how to make adjustments to the text or create new entries in the future.

Do you have any additional tips you'd like to share?

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A roundup of compelling and informative articles

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

Well-written, insightful and timely information is available on the Internet. The challenge is sifting through virtual mounds of material to find it.

I spend a lot of time – probably too much – online, reading the latest news articles, blog posts and magazine stories that touch on the law, writing, technology and business management. I often tweet links to my Twitter followers. (Visit @legalmediamtrs and check out our custom-designed Twitter background!) I also e-mail helpful or interesting nuggets to clients and friends.

I’ve decided to take that practice a step further and offer a link-roundup segment. Every Friday, I’ll highlight interesting and helpful items I’ve come across during the week.

The mix of links is eclectic.

Professionals of all types are increasingly being called upon to master, or at least appreciate, the art of communication. It is no longer enough for lawyers, mediators, accountants and doctors in private practice to simply be experts within their disciplines. Websites, public relations outreach and social media are all components of the modern communication toolbox. Using them effectively is an important part of building a practice.

Some of the items on the list will focus on writing. I’ll also highlight social media, PR, practice management and new legal decisions or trends. My client base includes firms in both the United States and abroad, so we’re interested in information from across the globe.

With that windy intro aside, here’s my recommended reading list for May 7:

A Career in Law: Defining Success on Your Own Terms

On Slaw, an award-winning Canadian blawg, Nicole Garton-Jones lists the reasons that she became a lawyer and recounts how she found herself practicing at a firm that was a mismatch. She offers five tips for creating a personally rewarding career path.

Best Practice: News Rooms on Websites — Generating Media Attention and Interviews

Law office management guru John W. Olmstead notes that many a law firm website falls short because it doesn’t offer a newsroom. At the Illinois State Bar Association’s Illinois L@wyer, Olmstead reminds attorneys that the website audience not only includes fellow lawyers and prospective clients but also members of the media.

Social Media Release Must Evolve to Replace Press Release

If your firm’s website already has a newsroom and the firm is familiar with press releases, this post at Mediashift by Ian Capstick will take you to the next level. Social media releases, which are really single pages of Web content, not only contain some of the traditional press release components but also often include embedded links to YouTube videos and SlideShare presentations.

Making a Place for Yourself in the Blogosphere

Writing for TechNewsWorld, Brian R. Hook interviews experts who offer advice on how to get started, how to develop a blogging strategy and the importance of identifying your target audience.

Learning About Everything Under the ‘Cloud’

Wall Street Journal columnist Walter S. Mossberg offers a clear, concise explanation of cloud computing and holds the jargon.

5 Simple Tools for a Paperless Office

An online contract-signing service, fax-to-e-mail services and online backup and recordkeeping are just a few of the tools highlighted in this article from Mashable and American Express OPEN Forum, written by Matt Silverman.

Why My Human Document Reviewer Is Better Than Your Algorithm

Looking for ways to control ballooning eDiscovery costs? In this Association for Corporate Counsel article, Richard Russeth and Susan Burns discuss how overreliance on document search technology may lead to higher costs and lower quality.

Apple and Adobe Infographics

Speculation continues to swirl that that the standoff between Adobe and Apple over Flash will result in litigation. Enrique Serrano, LMM’s designer and programmer, has put together an infographic for Treble Click that contains detailed information about the companies and the technical details of the conflict.

Job of the Week

Director of legal services, Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law

AP Stylebook Ask the Editor Question of the Week

When I’m not consulting LMM copy editor Kerry Bailey for answers to my AP style questions, I read the AP Stylebook’s Ask the Editor questions online.

This week the editor notes that the words “metropolitan” and “metro” should be lowercased when it’s used to describe a geographic region— for example, the St. Louis metro area. When either term is part of a proper name, as in the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District, capitalize it.

A Service of Note

When I prepare verdict and settlement reports for my law firm clients, I submit the write-ups to a number of publications, including The Civil Litigator. An online database serving the legal community in the Midwest, The Civil Litigator provides coverage of civil cases throughout Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. For more information about subscribing, email Editor@Civil-Litigator.com.

Beth Lewandowski, The Civil Litigator’s editor, is also a St. Louis family law attorney. Her firm, Law Office of Marta J. Papa, is a Legal Media Matters client.

Have any links to suggest? Feel free to give them a mention in our comments section. And if you have any recommendations for next week, feel free to e-mail them to me. geri@legalmediamatters.com

Have a great weekend!

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The path from obscurity to media spotlight requires an investment of time and effort

By Geri L. Dreiling, Esq.

Perhaps one of the most envied gigs among lawyers is that of legal commentator. It allows an attorney to get his or her name in the press as an independent observer while avoiding messy client confidentiality and pretrial publicity issues, and it also feels safe: The likelihood that the resulting press will be negative is generally low.

But moving from the wish to be viewed as a legal expert to actually getting quoted in the media is difficult. As in most situations in business and in life, you need to build a relationship first.

Drawing on my experience as a legal and investigative reporter for a variety of local and national trade and general circulation publications, I have assembled five tips for building and maintaining a relationship with members of the media.

1. Focus on local reporters.

All news is local, so the saying goes. Before trying to land an appearance on CNN or in The Wall Street Journal, start with your local newspaper and the legal trade publications that cover your geographic area.  Not only is it easier to build a relationship with local reporters, but the audience will also be more closely aligned with your prospective client base.

And remember, reporters move — a lot. Today’s local journalist could be tomorrow’s national correspondent. Even if a reporter remains with a local media outlet, he or she may still freelance for national publications. No matter where the story is appearing, a journalist, especially one working on deadline, is likely to turn to tried-and-true experts.

2. Get the reporter’s attention in a professional, respectful way.

Have you read an article lately that you liked, that was informative or that touched on your practice area? Most media outlets now include the reporter’s e-mail contact information, so send a quick note introducing yourself and letting the reporter know that you liked the piece and why.

Of course, you can also pick up the phone and call the journalist. It is a good way to quickly establish a rapport, but remember to spend at least 70 percent of the conversation focusing on the piece and the reporter rather than on you and your credentials. If you do choose to make a phone call, follow up with a short e-mail to ensure that the reporter has your contact information.

3.  Submit guest articles for publications.

Instead of waiting for a reporter to put you in print, be proactive and submit your own work for publication. Most trade newspapers and magazines are searching for guest articles, generally consisting of around 1,000 words written in approachable newspaper format rather than a footnote-laden law review opus.

Legal reporters, whether they work for mainstream media outlets or trade publications, spend a lot of time looking for story ideas. Guest articles often inspire an idea that a reporter will then pitch at his or her editorial meeting. If the story gets the green light, the reporter already has one quotable source identified: the author of the guest article.

For more information on how to get guest articles published, read our three-part series “Use Guest Articles to Promote Your Practice.”

3. Leverage the Internet to highlight your legal expertise.

Show me a reporter trying to find a qualified legal expert and I’ll show you reporter using Google or another search engine.

As a journalist, when I needed an expert — especially one in a highly specialized field — I researched the Internet. I was looking for guest articles, websites and blogs devoted to the niche topic in question. The lawyers who wrote those articles, hosted those websites and wrote for those blogs were the ones who were likely to receive calls from me looking for quotes.

4. Return a reporter’s phone call or e-mail immediately.

I cannot stress this enough. As someone who made the shift from courtroom to newsroom, I can assure you that time moves differently in the two professions.

Among lawyers, a policy of returning phone calls within 24 hours is considered highly responsive, with good reason. The practice of law is demanding indeed. A trial lawyer spends a lot of time away from his or her office and in courtrooms and conference rooms.

In the space of 24 hours, though, a daily reporter has likely researched, interviewed and written one story and is well on the way to finishing a second or even a third piece. By the time you get around to calling back, the piece the reporter called you for has already been published.

A lawyer who comes through in a pinch by calling back or returning an e-mail right away — and who employs staffers who go the extra mile to help reporter and lawyer connect — is a prized source. Even a response indicating that you aren’t available for an interview at that moment is appreciated.

5. Keep in touch.

Just as the legal practice involves constant movement to the next case, so, too, do reporters move on to the next story. But that doesn’t mean you should let your name be forgotten, especially if you’ve only worked with a reporter on one piece.

Once again, when you read an article the reporter has written that you like, send a note. If the reporter wins a journalism award, extend your congratulations. When you hear or read of something that might make for an interesting story — even if it doesn’t involve you — pass the nugget along.

If you’re a reporter, do you have any other suggestions to add? Perhaps you’re a lawyer who’s found success in becoming a notable quotable — how did you make the transition?

A quick side note for all those who use the AP Stylebook as the style guide for their press releases, websites and blogs: Henceforth, “Web site” will be “website.” For more updates and information, check out the AP Stylebook’s website.

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