20 things « Lawyers USA Online

E-discovery challenges: The next generation

By: Justin Rebello
Published: January 19, 2009

Tags: 20 things, e-discovery

Not that long ago, lawyers could hope for some slack from judges in coping with e-discovery demands.

But those days are numbered. Courts are growing impatient and cracking down on parties and lawyers who are unprepared or uneducated about electronically stored information.

“Because of the greater education of lawyers about
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Work-family balance: Maybe it’s not a myth after all

By: Nora Tooher
Published: January 19, 2009

Tags: 20 things, work-life, Your Practice

Long known for its long hours and intense career demands, the legal profession is finally loosening up a bit. An increasing number of law firms are offering part-time hours, flexible work schedules and telecommuting options.

Not the retiring type: Lawyers fight back against mandatory retirement policies

By: Dick Dahl
Published: January 19, 2009

Tags: 20 things, employment, retirement

For a variety of reasons, law firms are changing their thinking about retirement policies.

Increasingly, partners are staying on after they turn 65, 70, and even older.

Some of them, however, are encountering problems with established law firm policies that specify an age by which they must retire.

Should trial lawyers use online focus groups?

By: Sylvia Hsieh
Published: January 19, 2009

Tags: 20 things, focus groups, mock jurors, Trial Strategy

Online focus groups are more popular than ever as the Internet has made it cheaper and faster to get mock jurors to log on and cast their “verdicts” on cases.

New frontier in legal research: The specialized legal blog

By: Justin Rebello
Published: January 19, 2009

Tags: 20 things, blogs, research

The Internet has made legal research simpler, faster and mobile, and lawyers are increasingly turning to a new resource for knowledge: Legal blogs.

Blogs (short for web logs) operate like a portal for easily obtaining information in a specific area that before was unavailable, says Paul Caron, a professor at
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Getting a handle on your malpractice insurance

By: Sylvia Hsieh
Published: January 19, 2009

Tags: 20 things, legal malpractice

The mere mention of malpractice can make even the most seasoned attorney shudder. Many lawyers don’t know everything they should about their malpractice insurance, and they are afraid to ask.

Below are questions to consider when buying, renewing or changing your policies.

Electronic networking can rapidly build your referral sources

By: Justin Rebello
Published: January 19, 2009

Tags: 20 things, referrals, social networking

Electronic networking is rapidly changing how lawyers build their referral sources.

“All of a sudden in the last few months, there has been a boom in LinkedIn activity,” says Jeff Scalzi, director of marketing at Foley Hoag in Boston.

LinkedIn is a professional networking website that allows people to exponentially
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Talent search in a social media age

By: Bill Ibelle
Published: January 19, 2009

Tags: 20 things, recruiting, social media, young lawyers

Innovation, most of it electronic, is the name of the game when it comes to recruiting young associates, lateral hires and summer interns.

For a generation brought up on YouTube, Facebook and reality TV, job research is done in front of a computer screen, and firms that want to attract the best and the brightest are realizing they have to reach out to them in their preferred medium.

That’s why Choate Hall & Stewart, a 200-lawyer firm based in Boston, launched a new recruitment page on its website that mimics the look and feel of a YouTube video.

Small firms find big payoff from PR

By: Nora Tooher
Published: January 19, 2009

Tags: 20 things, marketing, public relations, small firm

As the full-time communications director for a prominent south Florida law firm, Stacy Laffere organizes press conferences, issues media advisories and hosts community fundraisers.

She also coaches the firm’s attorneys – all five of them – on how to talk with reporters and generate positive press.