Tag: blogging for lawyers

  • The Undeniable Tour Day 9 – Blogging About Clients

    Awesome 3D Art in San Francisco
    Awesome 3D Art in San Francisco

    I had a wonderful time speaking at the Bar Association of San Francisco as part of The Undeniable Tour. They always have an engaged audience. They were particularly interested in learning how to select which social media platform to use and how blogging can attract potential clients.

    One person asked me a particularly interesting question. He wanted to know when his firm has a successful outcome for a client how can they blog about it – if the client approves. This isn’t a question I get very often so it caused me to pause and think for a moment. I had three thoughts for this fellow legal eagle.

    So great to see my friend and fellow legal eagle Eric Toscano at my talk. Photo by Bar Association of San Francisco
    So great to see my friend and fellow legal eagle Eric Toscano at my talk. Photo by Bar Association of San Francisco

    #1 – Check with you state bar’s ethical rules about writing about your cases.

    #2 – Be careful about sounding like you’re advertising your firm via you blog. Even though the purpose of having a website and a blog it to ultimately get clients and grow your business, the focus of your blog should be about providing useful information to your clients. Don’t treat it like an online billboard.

    #3 – Ask yourself why you want to write about a client’s case. Is it simply to give yourself a gold star? Or is there a way to use the case to help others? Use common client issues as a way to explain how the law works to resolve a specific type of problem or as a way to explain the legal process. There may be a new precedent that was created in your client’s case that was worth sharing with others. There may be several blog posts that you could write about a particular situation so don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to one.

    As always, when you have a legal blog put a disclaimer on your website that informs readers that your blog provides legal information but it is not a substitute for legal advice. Your state bar may also require all law firms to have an advertising disclaimer on their sites.

    If you are interested in connecting with me while I am traveling please follow me on Twitter. If you have any questions or comments about The Undeniable Tour, please shoot me an email.

    The Undeniable Tour would not be possible without my awesome sponsors: Web3Mavens, Enchanting Lawyer, Total Networks, and Attorney at Work.

    All Tour Sponsors

  • The Undeniable Tour Day 8 – Sharing Your Personality Online

    Santa Clara University
    Santa Clara University

    I had a blast driving the Maven Mobile (courtesy of my Concierge Sponsor, Web3Mavens) to the South Bay and speaking with the students at Santa Clara University School of Law yesterday as part of The Undeniable Tour. I often talk with lawyers and law students about the importance of putting yourself out there on social media to facilitate connections and building relationships with people.

    Speaking at Santa Clara University School of Law
    Speaking at Santa Clara University School of Law

    One student said he was concerned about posting things that are controversial which could be a turn off to potential employers or clients. He brought up a good question – how do you know how much you should put online?

    That’s a question that each person needs to answer for themselves. You have to decide what topics you’ll discuss and what topics are off limits. Some people have a firm personal policy about not talking about their kids online. Others avoid discussions about religion or politics. Some people choose not to use profanity.

    My general rule is as long as you’re not saying something that is hellaciously offensive or promoting the kicking of puppies, you’re probably ok. If an employer or client doesn’t want to hire you because of your feelings about baseball or your political affiliation, the sooner you weed those people out the better. I fully embrace the fact that I’m not the lawyer for everyone. If you want a lawyer who is stiff, wears a suit, and only speaks in legalese, I know people to refer you to. If you want a down-to-earth approachable lawyer who explains things in English, wears t-shirts, and brings her basset hound to work, let me give you my card.

    One thing I’ve learned as an entrepreneur is that people hire people. Your clients want to like you as a person, not just as a lawyer. It’s good to let people know who you are. I applied for an interview with a semiconductor company for my 2L summer. Initially I was #9 on their list and got an interview as an alternate. My interviewer and I connected over a blog post I wrote about childhood obesity. It had nothing to do with the law, but that conversation helped me move from #9 to #3 on their list. Unfortunately they were only taking two interns that year.

    Be thoughtful about what you post, but don’t be afraid to share your personality online. That’s what leads to real connections and relationships.

    If you are interested in connecting with me while I am traveling please follow me on Twitter. If you have any questions or comments about The Undeniable Tour, please shoot me an email.

    The Undeniable Tour would not be possible without my awesome sponsors: Web3Mavens, Enchanting Lawyer, Total Networks, and Attorney at Work.

    All Tour Sponsors