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Effective, Ethical Marketing For Attorneys

Benjamin Glass - EzineArticles Expert

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Internet Marketing For Attorneys

Ethics

Opinion from South Carolina Supreme Court on Lawyer Advertising dismisses a complaint
South Carolina Bar Office of Disciplinary Counsel Wastes Time, Resources
total Bankruptcy Connecticut Grievance Committe
Virginia State Bar Withdraws Ethics Opinion on Third Party Websites
In this hypothetical, an attorney wishes to become a member of a lead-sharing organization, which can be either a for-profit or not-for-profit association, in which members pay a $500 membership fee, and meet once a week. The membership fee is not distributed, in whole or in part, back to any member, but rather pays administrative costs of the organization
Google Adwords Lawsuit
Is LexisNexis Just Trying to Be Like Great Legal Marketing?
Comment to Proposed Virginia Bar Third Party Internet Opinion
Attorney Junk Fax Decision - NY
Virginia State Bar Proposed LEO 1581-Third Party Websites

Legal Marketing Coaching and Mastermind Groups

Great Legal Marketing, From Idea to Business

Militant Time Managment for Lawyers

Print Ads Run By Great Legal Marketing

Lawyer Marketing Blog

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General

2/20/2010
Ben Glass
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Judge rejects Hospital Challenge to Prevent Attorney from Blogging About Case

Virginia judge says attorney can blog about whatever he wants. Hospital had filed motion for attorney to remove blog and withdraw from case.

Labels: blogging for lawyers

1/7/2010
Ben Glass
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It's Official - JumpStart 2010 is Sold Out!

I'm excited to share some big news with you today. With a final surge in registrations just after the holidays, JumpStart 2010 is now sold out. This marks the fifth consecutive GLM conference event to sell out (and the earliest).

Labels: advertising for attorneys attorney marketing

12/17/2009
Ben Glass
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Solo and Small Firm Lawyers...its not ALL about Tiger Woods

While the rest of the world is being misdirected as to where to spend their time...the smart lawyers are getting their marketing stuff together and planning a trip to Northern Virginia. (It won't be about Tiger--but check out why here.)

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12/10/2009
Ben Glass
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Michigan State Bar idea of "Good Lawyer Advertising"

It's no wonder lawyers all over struggle with advertising and marketing their practice. Here's an article from a law school professor, published in the Michigan State Bar Journal, telling lawyers that "telling the facts" is a great way to differentiate yourself.

You gotta read the article to see the examples...you'll laugh or cry!

Michigan State Bar article shows lawyers how to advertise effectively.

Labels: advertising for attorneys attorney marketing

12/4/2009
Ben Glass
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Ben Glass Highly Critical of South Carolina Bar Ethics Monitors

There's a very interesting new case out of the South Carolina Supreme Court about lawyer advertising that should really upset South Carolina lawyers (even though the end of the story is good) because of all the money wasted in a really stupid effor to shut down a TV ad.

Labels: advertising for attorneys ethics in lawyer advertising

12/2/2009
Ben Glass
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Legal Marketing Expert Ben Glass Featured in Newsweek Magazine

Attorney Marketing Guru Ben Glass was Featured in Newseek Magazine in November, 2009.

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12/1/2009
Ben Glass
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Ben Glass Great Legal Marketing Newsletter Service Launched

Besides my website, the marketing technique that I most heavily rely on is my client newsletter.

Labels: advertising for attorneys attorney marketing law newsletter for clients

11/10/2009
Ben Glass
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The E-Myth Attorney, Michael Gerber Book due out in 2010

We've just heard that estate planning marketing guru Robert Armstrong has teamed up with Michael Gerber (of E-Myth fame) to pen a new book for lawyers.

More information about The E-Myth Attorney is here and we'll keep you updated as we hear more.

Labels: e-myth attorney michael gerber robert armstrong

11/2/2009
Ben Glass
Comments (1)

Connecticut Grievance Committee Says "Felony" to Those Who Participate in Total Bankrupcty Program

Here is the the to the rather amazing complaint filed against lawyers who participate in the Total Bankruptcy program.

Virginia recently withdrew a proposed opinion regarding Total Bankruptcy while Connecticut seems to want to charge these lawyers for engaging in felonious conduct.

Here is the Complaint regarding Total Bankruptcy.

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11/2/2009
Ben Glass
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The Connecticut Complaint--Total Bankruptcy--Legal Ethics Enforcement Gone Wild

I've now had a chance to review to review the Connecticut attorney grievance committee's complaint agains the attorneys who participate in the Total Bankrupcty advertising system.

First let me say that I'm no great fan of these Internet mass advertising sites. I think attorneys can do better on their own with a little educational marketing. That being said, I understand that some attorney would rather pay another to help with marketing than to develop educational information/websites, etc. themselves. Also, note that I have no dog in this fight. I don't do bankruptcy cases and don't know anyone who is a participating member of Total Bankruptcy. I don't know Kevin Chern and have never spoken to him.

I did file a comment with the Virginia State Bar that opposed a recent proposed legal ethics opinion that was itself "opposed" to Total Bankruptcy. At the time, however, I was unaware of who the target company was.

That being said, this Connecticut complaint seems rife with unwarranted conclusory allegations all designed to label Total Bankrupcty.

The entire complaint is premised on the shaky foundation that Total Bankrupcty is a for profit (and thus illegal) lawyer referal system. My view is that no rational consumer (the ultimate judge) would look at the Total Bankruptcy site and come to the conclusion, as the chief ethics counsel for Connecticut does, that Total Bankrupcty present potential clients with bankrupcty information "in such a wasy that suggests it is an indepedent agency recomending an attorney's services."

It simply does not. Go and look at the site yourself. No rational, objective consumer, would think that the site is an independelnt agency.

Its an ad for legal services. Simple. Nothing more, nothing less.

At page 6 of the complaint, it gets really bizarre. It complains that the site "capitalizes on the financially insecure consumer's fear of debt, poor credit rating, shame and crditor harassment."

So what? That's marketing 101.

The Complaint agrees that the site contains a ton of useful information including information about whether bankruptcy is the right choice for you, a government "means" test and advice on life after bankruptcy.

That's marketing 101.

The Complaint then alleges that the site purports to be evaluating a potential clients needs because it has check off boxes asking questions like "how much debt do you have and where is the debt coming from."

The complaint says that these check off boxes "imply that Total Bankruptcy is considering these factors in determining which local attorney is right for the client."

No it doesn't.

Lawyer advertising ethics rules purportedly exist to protect consumers. There are almost no consumer complaints filed about lawyer advertising. Complaints come, by and large, from competitors.

At "worst" Total Bankrupcty could beef up its disclaimers and make it known that lawyers are buying an "area exclusive" marketing opportunity.

There.

Problem solved.

Instead, the Connecticut Bar wants to charge 5 lawyers with felonies.

Which path will protect consumers?

Better disclaimer or jail?

Labels: lawyer advertising ethics total bankruptcy

10/28/2009
Ben Glass
Comments (1)

Market for young attorneys continues to be quite difficult

Virginia Lawyers Weekly has an article in this weeks edition about the use of "contract attorneys" by large law firms. These are, by and large, highly qualified young attorneys for scanning and coding documents per $25 an hour. They spend hours and hours a day reviewing thousands of documents.

I wonder if the law firms feel any guilt whatsoever about completely ignoring the business side of the practice of law

? In failing to teach lawyers how to start and grow a business? How to market?

Labels: entrepreneurship

10/21/2009
Ben Glass
Comments (1)

Using a Blog as Your Firm’s Spokesperson

Gone are the days when blogs were only used as a personal commentary. According to a recent article posted by the Wall Street Journal titled, "Companies Increasingly Look to Blogs as Spokesmen," some of the major corporations are looking to blogs to fill the roles of spokesmen.

Nearly one-third of Fortune 100 companies are using blogs nowadays. Corporations that refuse to directly comment to reporters are fielding questions this way, because it provides an avenue to give points of view without having to have a full conversation.

Why not follow the example of Fortune 100 companies and use a blog to make comments on current issues in your specialized practice area or industry? Instead of hiring a spokesperson or PR rep, you can use a blog to get your name out there and to try to capture the attention of reporters. Blogs are attractive to reporters because they are able to get their information faster and easier.

The Wall Street Journal article mentioned a recent blog by Southwest Airlines Co., which is a great example of how you can effectively use this form of marketing. The blog was titled, "Why Do They Hate Your Bags?" Readers were reminded that Southwest Airlines does not charge extra fees for the first two bags. The blog read, "Did anyone else see the news today about a competitor who wants you to pay more than $249 a year for your bags to fly? Did anyone else think it was an Onion article headline?"

You may be wondering at this point, what should I write in my blog? The answer is simple. Comment on something your competitor is doing, give your opinion on an issue that is related to your field or discuss a current event in the news. The idea is to get your name and, your company's name, out there.

Labels: advertising for attorneys blogging for lawyers

10/18/2009
Ben Glass
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What was that Niche Market Spam Email?

Recently, our blog post on Niche Marketers Spam received some attention. Folks were asking questions about it through our live chat box. Some were suggesting that its "OK to send blanket emails to a known class of a class action."

Well, here was the email that was sent, bulk and unsolicited.

And I ask, which class action would this be?

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10/17/2009
Ben Glass
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What is a Ben Glass Legal Marketing Seminar Like?

When you come to a Great Legal Marketing Conference one of the things we do is show you at least a hundred examples of what I call the "good, the bad and the ugly" with lawyer marketing. I'm not making judgments here about whether it's a good thing or a bad thing to use the sound of a bird in your ads. (That's for the state bar ethical theorists to pontificate about.) What I teach is the most effective use of your next dollar and you next hour in terms of the marketing side of running a law business. How much sense does it make to keep handing over your hard earned and well-deserved dollars to the marketing reps selling you the crap that I see on TV, in the Yellow Pages and on the Internet, without ever knowing whether you are getting the best return for your money? I can show you how to improve it, track it, measure it and most important, grow your profit from your advertising.

Labels: advertising for attorneys Ben Glass Lawyer Marketing Great Legal Marketing Super Conference

9/29/2009
Ben Glass
Comments (1)

Virginia State Bar Withdraws Website Third Party Website Proposed Opinion

The Virginia State Bar has announced that is has withdrawn proposed legal ethics opinion 1851, Participation in a Third-Party Internet Website for future consideration.

I had written in opposition to this opinion, as did others.

Here is there letter announcing the withdrawal.

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9/26/2009
Ben Glass
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AVVO allowing anonymous, defamatory statements

Twice this week I've been contacted by attorneys who have had nutballs post anonymous, defamatory statements, on the "attorney rating" page.

Attorneys find it very difficult to respond to this sort of garbage without violating the attorney client privilege.

One attorney even claims that one person is creating numerous fictitious accounts in order to post numberous defamatory statements on the AVVO site.

What is AVVO's response to this?

Labels: advertising for attorneys AVVO

9/22/2009
Ben Glass
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WebWeavers Event Hosted By VA Women's Attorneys Association

I'll be speaking this Friday, September 25, at the Virginia Women Attorneys Association's Fall 2009 two-day Webweavers event. The VWAA has put together a group of ten speakers versed in various aspects of online marketing and developing a unique web presence.

My presentation will be titled "Marketing In Good Times and Bad" and, you guessed it, I'll be talking about how to continue to defy the recession and how to make yourself immune to the woes of the economy. I'm not sure if you can still register but it's worth a shot. Check out the VWAA Webweavers Brochure and Registration Form for more information. It's located at the Lansdowne Resort out in Leesburg and they even have a golf tournament set up so come enjoy the resort and learn how to improve your practice!

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9/21/2009
Ben Glass
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Most bar ethics rules presume that consumers are idiots

Most other small business owners laugh when I show them how ridiculous most lawyer advertising ethics rules are. Imagine not being able to give out 2 business cards to someone (North Caolina) or having to seek pre-approval of every newsletter you send (Kentucky).

Now the chair of the American Bar Association's Section of Law Practice Management says he agrees.

Here is an interesting editorial on lawyer advertising ethics

Labels: advertising for attorneys ethics in lawyer advertising

9/1/2009
Ben Glass
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Two Laywers, Same Name, Virtually Same Websit URL's and no common sense

Here's an interesting story of two lawyers who have the same name and then duked it out in federal court over who could own the URL for the name.

In my opinion, these folks were knuckleads--not able to figure out a way to differentiate themselves in the marketplace and then wasting the federal court's time.

Here's the tale of two knucklehead lawyer marketers.

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9/1/2009
Ben Glass
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Ben in California outlining the Mission of Great Legal Marketing

At a recent Great Legal Marketing Seminar in Hollywood, California, Great Legal Marketing founder Ben Glass outlines the mission to the roomful of attorneys.

Attorney Ben Glass Outlines the mission of Great Legal Marketing to a roomful of California attorneys

Attorney Ben Glass Outlines the mission of Great Legal Marketing to a roomful of California attorneys

Labels: attorney marketing

8/29/2009
Ben Glass
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New Website Videos From Ben Glass

We've recently shot some new videos at the Fairfax Video Studio for use on the BenGlassLaw website. This was all done through my FosterWebMarketing web "machine" (aka DSS.) The new videos are all over YouTube as well.

Labels: Ben Glass Lawyer Marketing foster web marketing

8/29/2009
Ben Glass
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Your Great Legal Marketing Ideas are Great (and its not all about advertising!)

Ben,

I am writing to thank you for some of the great ideas you have shared in your Great Legal Marketing materials.

I needed to find another associate after one of my existing lawyers had an "entrepreneurial seizure" and decided to form his own form. I created a long advertisement based on the letters in your GLM marketing materials. I was astounded on the number of people who applied who had exactly what I was looking for! In the past, I did generic ads, and got both a fairly low response rate and an even lower number of respondents who were the right fit for the position. This experience alone is worth what I have paid to GLM thus far.

I am hoping to have similar success stories to report in the future on my marketing efforts. I published my first book, The Insider's Guide to Texas Car Accident Cases, and have started running television commercials pushing the book. I hired Foster to redo my website. And I just sent out my first newsletter to 1,600 current and former clients.

Thanks for everything.

Sincerely,

Michael Cowen

Labels: advertising for attorneys attorney marketing Ben Glass Lawyer Marketing

8/29/2009
Ben Glass
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"Hidden Video" from attorney marketing expert who drives the marketing vultures crazy

Here's a "sneak video" from today's shooting of the TV show in Hollywood. There will be more later but it may take some time to put it all together. ...

Labels: advertising for attorneys Ben Glass Lawyer Marketing

8/13/2009
Ben Glass
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A Major Misconception About Attorney Marketing (and why you are missing it)

Let me ask you this question:

Once a prospect makes contact with you, how long do you think it takes them to make a decision about who to hire as their attorney?

Most lawyers think that the hiring decision is made quickly and if they don't respond right now, they won't get the case.

From our own data and from the conversations we are having with Great Legal Marketing members, this is not true.

The best personal injury cases are signing fee agreements anywhere from 31 to 365 days after starting down our marketing system.

This means that if you are not marketing to them with a consistent, automotic, useful and interesting follow up marketing campaign, you are missing a huge opportunity.

So let me ask you: what does your marketing to a prospective client look like after day 31?

Those of us who have a well thought, ethical and effective marketing campaign are marketing to these prospects in a vacuum. You are quitting way too early.

Labels: advertising for attorneys

7/27/2009
Ben Glass
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Now I see what's driving the Virginia State Bar's LEO on 3rd party web sites

Labels:

Effective, Ethical Marketing For Attorneys

Accomplishing Your Goals Begins With a Sheet of Paper

Date: 03/10/2010

Most of us have goals for our business and personal lives, but we often procrastinate and don't get to all the things we wanted to. Think about your goals. Chances are you probably have to contemplate them for a while and may even have conflicting thoughts going through your mind. That is why you need to put your goals in writing.

According to statistics, goals are 85 percent more likely to be achieved if they are written down. This statistic may be surprising until you really consider the reason behind this phenomenon. When you set aside time to focus on your goals and write each one down on paper, you no longer have to put the mental energy into thinking of goals on the fly. Instead, you can see your goals on paper and take the necessary steps towards accomplishing them. As you write your goals in ink, consider it a contract with yourself.

The Sole Purpose of Your Lawyer Ad Should Be...

Date: 03/08/2010

The sole purpose of your initial lawyer advertisement should not be to get someone to hire you then and there. Instead, it should be to build your "herd."

Your herd is your list of people with whom you have come in contact with - your past clients, current clients, friends, relatives, leads and acquaintances. These are people who know you have something interesting and valuable to give them. Your herd will eventually become immune to other attorneys' advertising and will think of you first when in need of legal services.

Is this any way to run a business?

Date: 03/03/2010

You have probably followed our angst with Dell. Thought I'd stimulate the economy and buy two computers from them since we needed two new workstations. I even paid for their super primo "we'll come to you and fix it real fast" if it breaks service coverage.

One of the two works great...One was dead on arrival and for a week and half Dell has mystifyingly been unable to tell us how they were going to get it operational or replace it.

So we told them to take it back... here's the exact email I just got from my tech guy on our request to Dell to take back the computer that was dead on arrival.

Here is the updated information as of now. I just got off the phone with a Dell supervisor, they cannot refund one of the computers without both being returned. I have initiated them to refund your money in full. They tried saying that since it has been over 21 days they cannot give a full refund. I then asked to speak with their supervisor and explained the broken computer upon arrival and Dell is the reason we went beyond 21 days not my client.
So we need to format and re-set Terry's workstation to Dell factory and box them both up. Dell will be sending me information on the return pre-paid sticker to place on the boxes. So we will need to then reconnect Terry's old computer until new one arrive.

And they will continue to blame the recession as sales go down.

Update: Dell must read my blog.. they called back and said, yes indeed, they would be happy to take back only one of their computers...

They said, "if you want a replacement that will take 3-4 weeks." We said, you are morons...if we just order on the Internet it will take less time than that...but who in the world would ever order from Dell again?