Though it may seem as if everything about the way lawyers market themselves today is changing, one thing remains constant - work is still gotten based on authority.

An authority is someone others look to as experts when they need help. In past days young lawyers just starting out were largely removed from the arena of attracting new business because it may have appeared as if they just weren’t ready to be authorities. An authority was the older, more established partner. They had paid their dues - both at the workplace and the country club - and knew how to demonstrate their knowledge in order to have earned that trust. Eventually, the word spread and the business followed.

Back then, and it wasn’t much more than a mere two years ago, younger lawyers may have been just as authoritative; they just didn’t have the ready means to demonstrate their passion and expertise.

Web 2.0 changes the equation.  Anyone today, even young lawyers fresh out of law school, can quickly become trusted authorities. They can do it by contributing answers to questions on LinkedIn, by adding their profile on TweetLaw.com, by keeping a blog, by posting on Twitter, and by joining conversations and communities for lawyers and legal issues that have sprouted on the web.  They’ll be demonstrating just how knowledgeable they actually are.

The lawyers participating in the web conversations are not only making solid contributions to the general knowledge base and becoming authorities, they’re also establishing a lot of connections and they’re making them quickly. Their referral networks are growing at a much faster rate than they would be if they simply took people to lunch, joined a committee at church, or stayed active in their local bar association.

The challenge, of course, remains, getting to yes. Will ageism come into play once the legal services buyer realizes that the authority is not as, ahem, “established,” as his or her contributions to the conversation suggest?  After all, the buyers of legal services are typically more senior and used to purchasing legal services from their more senior peers.

I don’t think, in the long run, that age will play a factor. The web is tearing down many things, including boundaries to authority and the route through which it is established.  Right now, every young lawyer fresh out of law school is leaving with a plump list of friends and contacts on their Facebook pages, and migrating them over to their LinkedIn profiles.  They’ve already begun cultivating their network, and are establishing the means to bring in business now and down the road as their careers progress. By casting a wide net and participating in the online conversation, they’ve skirted gaining entry to the club via the approval of the old man on the membership committee.  They don’t need his approval, because they’re already on the inside.

An incredible day.

Anyone in the United States or anywhere else in the world who was alive on Thursday June 25, 2009 and old enough to understand, had to be drawn into the dramatic news events of the day as two pop icons died within hours of each other.  The flurry of media activity was almost numbing as they hustled to deliver and interpret every last morsel of news about the passings of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson.  Snippets of a young Michael singing and dancing and a  young Farrah posing in that famous red bathing suit were flashing wildly over both the television screen and the Internet.

And while I watched it all play out, I thought that Governor Mark Sanford was lucky to have really dodged a bullet.  I mean his horrible story was still flying fairly high when these two deaths occurred. Within seconds  news about his sordid affair and stupid lies was whisked off of the front page and relegated to page 6 or 7 and then to the “who cares?” category.

Thursday, June 25th, was just another example of the fragility of the news today and how someone’s humiliating story can be overshadowed by some other human tragedy or natural disaster.  In the PR business, there is no way to plan on using this media phenomenon as a communications tactic when something really bad happens to your client and you just want the story to fade away.  But, it sure is lucky when it does happen.  Just ask Governor Sanford…if he’s in town this week.

I just purchased a new Amazon-created Kindle electronic reader. I’m optimistic about the possibility of the device - and the e-readers that are expected to follow — to help keep people reading the news, but will they be able to save the much-beleaguered newspaper?

Newspapers and magazines are trying to figure out how to sell subscriptions to their digital content.  I am aware of all the roadblocks to success.  We’re now so used to reading news online for free, why would anyone agree to pay for news anymore? I remember when cable TV was introduced.  The nay-sayers all said that no one would actually pay for television programming when the three networks were giving it away for free.  Now look at your monthly cable bill.  Even though cable is now a commodity, I willingly fork over extra fees for premium cable services each month.  Why?  There’s content there that I can’t get anywhere else.

I may be more generous than some about the promise of subscriptions for digital content to keep newspapers afloat. Publishers believe that with a better delivery system, and with better, easier-to-use devices, people will pay. USA Today recently said it was preparing a subscription-only e-edition http://www.mediapost.com/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=106932 that will be released in late summer because the company sees real promise in mobile readers.

Since Amazon has not released sales numbers for the Kindle, it’s hard to know whether or not there’s a big enough customer base right now to make the subscription model viable. The iPhone has proven to be a powerful business platform for all sorts of content, including free newspaper content.  The free The New York Times iPhone app is said to have been downloaded 2 million times.  Reading The Times on the iPhone isn’t easy.  A bigger, better screen is certainly preferable and I, for one, am willing to pay for it.

So, I’m excited to receive my Kindle. Sure, it won’t be backlit or have flashy color photos or video, or, like newspaper websites, those annoying pop-up windows where bees in an animated advertisement fly across my screen before I can read a headline.  The E-Ink display technology used in the Kindle can’t handle color or show video.  It’s unlikely whether E-Ink will have that technology ready to go before the next two years, reported Time http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1895737,00.html magazine.  During that time every newspaper in the country could fold.

For now, my New York Times and my Wall Street Journal on my brand new Kindle, will connect me back to newspapers in the pre-USA Today days.  Black and white, to be read all over, with one plus one bonus: I won’t have to wash smeared ink off my hands after flipping through it and I won’t have to throw away small trees worth of advertising before I get serious about sitting down and reading.  I, for one, can’t wait.

And … in case you haven’t seen it, Jon Stewart sent a reporter to The New York Times to report on the future of the newspaper. Let me know what you think?
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=230076&title=end-times

I recently returned from a vacation in a woodsy, rural area, where there was no wifi, no cell phone, and no computer. Over 4 days, I never even put on my reading glasses, as I just wasn’t reading anything online. Taking a break from the Web is undoubtedly a  necessity — and a nice respite from eye strain - in these fast days  where information hits you from every direction.  Stepping away from the Web for a few days, however, can be a bit nerve-wracking…we view so much on a daily basis — email, RSS feeds, industry news, updates  from social networking sites, blog comments.  The truth is, it’s not  humanly possible to read everything on the Web related to your  business, and so it’s all the more important to know how to select the  items you do need to follow, in a strategic way.   Similarly, it doesn’t make sense to use every Web 2.0 marketing tool in a haphazard manner, you need to select the tools that are most effective, and use  them strategically and consistently to deliver your firm’s messages  through public relations and marketing.  If Twitter is baffling to  you, keep watching it and see how others are using it.  But don’t sit idly by.  Get involved in another PR 2.0 tool that you are comfortable with, whether that’s LinkedIn or creating podcasts of your attorneys talking about critical legal issues.  Your marketing arsenal has got to include a mix of tools.  Don’t get overwhelmed, but do stay curious  so that you can learn more and decide which tools are best for you.

So what’s the big deal with Twitter? For the past month or so, numerous articles have been written in the legal business and marketing media about how Twitter is only a passing fad, how Twitter is losing users on a daily basis, how Twitter doesn’t work for lawyers, can cause swine flu, be dangerous for your Internet health, and on and on. I find it all so very silly. Let’s just grow up out there and stop asking the same foolish questions that have been asked for the past three decades that law firm marketing has been out of the legal closet.

Asking if Twitter works for lawyer marketing is about as inane as asking if PR is better than advertising or if brochures are more important than giving speeches. I’ll say it again … IT ALL WORKS if it is precise, well targeted, and communicated in a quality manner. If it is poorly targeted, poorly written, and poorly communicated, NONE OF IT WORKS.

I’m sorry to report that there is still no silver bullet available when it comes to any kind of marketing, public relations, or branding communications. Twitter, along with every other new, or old, communications media, will be effective if the strategy is right, the plan is well thought out, and the execution is flawless. So please quit fretting about Twitter, LinkedIn, and every other social network or new technology that has come down the pike in recent times. Just recognize that there will be more “Twitters” for sure and that the critics will be saying the same negative things about them as we continue moving forward in the 2.0 world.  The media that survives the ongoing and accelerating technology shakeout will be the media that best delivers the messages … and the marketplace will figure it all out and will take care of the rest.
(If you want to learn more about Twitter read the new Jaffe White Paper, Twittering For Lawyers Part 1, at http://www.jaffeassociates.com/pages/twittering_for_lawyers.)

Jaffe’s Liz Lindley and Susan Remley offer operational and marketing tips for “going virtual” — an idea that law firms may start taking more seriously, particularly during a down economy.

Click here for the article: http://www.jaffeassociates.com/pages/?p=242

It’s Earth Day, and a perfect time to talk about how law firms can be more green. Here’s the trend we forecast: law firms going virtual. This is not a new concept for other sectors, particularly those involved in technology, and we predict more and more law firms will use this business model as a way to be more environmentally sound and economically viable.
Jaffe itself is a virtual organization; all of our staff work from home offices throughout the US and Canada.  We have run the firm this way for nearly 15 years.
Why do we see this trend becoming more popular?  It’s a perfect storm for law firms.  On one hand, firms face increased pressure to cut costs so they may cut their rates and keep clients.   On the other, clients are becoming increasingly interested in the green initiatives of the firms they hire.  As with diversity, being green has become crucial to getting business.  Going virtual allows firms to give up expensive leases, which provides an instant economic savings, and allows lawyers and staff to work from home, which eliminates the need for heating, lighting, cleaning and maintaining office space.  Staff and lawyers don’t have to spend hourscommuting, which results in increased productivity and a lower carbon footprint.  In short, the virtual business model saves firms money, while also greatly reducing their impact on the environment.

I recently helped a client launch a blog, and it is already becoming a destination site within their industry. While the initial success has been exciting, it is critical that we continue to search for ways to promote the blog. Sites like Technorati and Alltop are part of our promotion plan, as are various 2.0 search engine optimization techniques. And we’ll keep monitoring the blog and the Web for ways to promote the blog as its readership grows.  Be sure you do the same; don’t forget about a blog once it launches. Even if you are lucky enough to work with (or be) dedicated authors, there is much you can, and should, do to promote your blog online.

With the pending stimulus package dominating the daily news, it’s important to promote any connection between your client’s services and the massive legislation. Numerous practice areas - such as business law, employment, healthcare, bankruptcy, construction and energy – are impacted by the proposed bill. Knowing that coverage of the stimulus package won’t soon let up, create a series of pitches to position your attorneys as experts on their particular area of focus. Once you create the pitch, distribute it to a customized media list, including niche trade publications that may have overlooked their connection to this mainstream news. In addition, monitor coverage of the stimulus bill and contact reporters who could potentially write follow up stories in which your client could be a valuable source. Has anyone found success on this front?

Whether it’s the announcement of a salary freeze, a hold on bonuses, or worse of all, the revelation of layoffs, 2009 will likely present PR professionals with too many opportunities to break unfortunate news. Each time, it’s important to take basic steps to do your job professionally, no matter how difficult. First, gain consensus from your management team well ahead of your announcement concerning who will be informed, how and what the message will be. Next, make sure the news has been fully communicated throughout your firm; few things will spark bad press more quickly that an employee who has heard a company announcement through the media. Lastly, keep your statement to the press simple, straightforward, and prepare yourself (and other spokespersons) for how you will respond to the inevitable follow-ups. Have any PR pros been through this experience recently?