The Greatest American Lawyer

Thomson Reuters to Hire Attorneys for Legal Process Outsourcing Facility in Michigan

As reported in the January 27, 2011 article by Rachel M. Zahorsky of the ABAJournal, Thomson and Pangea3 has posted this job listing on Monster.com.  Thomson is looking for full-time experienced contract attorneys for new facility opening in Ann Arbor, Michigan on March 1, 2011.   The company requires lawyers to have at least 2 years experience in document review and be licensed to practice in any US jurisdiction. 

Related Story: Vendor or Competitor?  Pangea3 Purchase Pleases Some, Worries Others, Rachel M. Zahorsky, ABAJournal

The Best Law School Home Pages of 2010

According to this report by Debra Cassens Weiss in the American Bar Association Journal, The University of Illinois was voted for having the best law school home page.  Yale Technologies Librarian Jason Elseman along with Georgetown’s Electronic Resources Librarian Roger Skalbeck ranked over 200 ABA-accredited law schools based on 20 separate elements.  Here is sample of the Metrics used for awarding points: 

• Recognizable RSS feeds,
• Links to social media sites,
• Display of an address and phone number, and
• Clickable news headlines about the school. 

Schools that had photos of students posing under trees lost points.

How Google Custom Search Can Help Your Online Marketing

We run a variety of different blogs, web sites and other content rich platforms.  As you know, we are big on A+ content within our niche practice areas.  As a result of the thousands of blog posts across various blogs, we have a tremendous database of information for a variety of topics from internet defamation to trademark registration.

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Adopts New Local Rules Addressing Jury Use of Social Media

It is good to see that our local Federal Michigan Judiciary is trying to keep up with technology.  Please see new local rules 47.1 and 72.2.  Note, see new local rule 47.1 which precludes jurors from using cell phones, email, text messages, chat, blogs or social networking websites during the course of the trial, during the time they are in the courtroom:

LR 47.1 Juror Communication

(a) During the course of a trial, parties and attorneys must refrain from having contact with jurors before a verdict is returned.
(b) Once summoned to a courtroom for selection and until discharged, jurors must refrain from any outside contact or communication that relates to the case, which includes the use of cell phones, BlackBerries, iPhones, and other smartphone devices, the Internet, e-mail, text messaging, instant messaging, chat rooms, blogs, or the use of social networking websites such as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, YouTube, or Twitter.
(c) Parties, attorneys, and jurors learning of a violation of this rule must immediately notify the judicial officer presiding over the trial.
(d) Any person wilfully violating this rule is subject to sanctions.

TrialPad: Exciting New iPad App for Lawyers

TrialPad for iPad is basically presentation software for your iPad which allows lawyers to annotate, organize, and display digital files in court in order to improve their persuasiveness, get better trial results and reduce costs associated with professional trial presentation consultants. Here's a short introduction:

Although we have not yet tried this app, we find the concept interesting and worth exploring.

Why January is the Most Important Marketing Month for Laywers

There is something about January 1 which creates tremendous opportunities for lawyers to drive new business.  Old clients and new clients alike feel that all the problems of 2010 are behind them.  They have a sense that anything is possible in 2011.  On January 1, they start executing on their plans for an amazing year.  And of course, they need legal services as a result. 

We always see an influx of business in January.  But we don't stand on the sidelines waiting for it to happen.  We actively remind our clients that we're there to help them with their most ambitious plans.  This means increasing the number of blog posts, becoming more active on Facebook and Twitter, sending newsletters and making phone calls. 

What are you doing to help your clients have a great 2011? 

How to Turn Your Blog into a Marketing Tool for Your Business

We want to send out our gratitude to Kevin O’Keefe at Lexblog for posting the article entitled, “How and Why I still Devour Blogs."  In the article, John Jantsch provides several tips on how to become a better blogger.  Here is a summary of each of John's tips: