The Practice

More on Shameless Self Promotion

Ah, it is Christmas time and that means it is time to give awards to our fellow man. (Yes, I did it yesterday.) Bloggers are especially good at giving awards. Unfortunately, they like to give awards to their friends (which is almost okay) and to themselves (which is never okay). I wrote about this last year. You can read it here. It could be fun before you go on with this one.

This year, instead of ranting, which apparently doesn't get anyone to pay attention, I decided to take a different approach. Here are my 2006 Law Blog Awards:

• Best Blogger who writes a Blog: Jonathan Stein
• Best Blogger who writes more than one Blog: Jonathan Stein
• Best Blogger who writes a LPM Blog: Jonathan Stein
• Best Blogger who writes a practice area Blog: Jonathan Stein
• Best Blogger who writes a blog in English: Jonathan Stein
• Best Blogger who writes a blog in plain English: Jonathan Stein
• Best Blogger who writes an insurance related blog: Jonathan Stein
• Best Blogger who doesn't give a rats a** if anyone gives an award: Jonathan Stein

You get my point, I hope. It is easy to make up awards and then give them to yourself. It is also ridiculously lame. Think of Hollywood, only most people don't care that much about you. I don't mind if you give out awards, but don't give any to yourself and don't give them to your friends. Go out and find the best blogs and give them to those people.

So, in all seriousness, here are my favorite law blogs:

• 3L Epiphany. This might be the best new idea of blogging. I may even vote Ian Best for President!
• Home Office Lawyer. If Grant Griffiths writes any more blogs, I may petition the state of Kansas to change his name to "B log Griffiths." The man is a blogging machine and he puts out some of the best, most unique content.
• LegalEase Consulting. Despite a picture that I still wish she would change, Allison Shields has one of the most interesting blogs about practice management that you will find. Fresh ideas and a great lady.
• PISSD. You should read this for only two reasons: 1) Bob Kraft does not put out anything bad. 2) Can you get a better title? (That is funnier if you pretend Chandler Bing is reading it)
• I Heart Tech. A cool tech blog from a great lady.
• MyShingle. I guess this is like the Rose Bowl - it is the granddaddy of them all (or in Carolyn's case, the Grandmother of them all?). If you only have one blog to read, you should be reading Carolyn. She has been at this longer than anyone I know. She doesn't give herself awards, and while she and I differ on some things, I respect her work.

Heck, for that matter, I respect the work of all of these bloggers. Why? They don't shamelessly self promote. They try to come at you with fresh ideas. They don't constantly rehash the same things. And they are pretty good people.

Now, maybe some of the bloggers who give out awards can take a step back and rethink what you are doing. If you really think you are the best at what you do, fine. But, I bet there are others out there who do it better. And, that my friends, is what makes this, and anything, a challenge. Always knowing there is someone out there better for you to strive for.

And the winner is...........

Okay, hold your horses. I am announcing the winner of the first annual "The Practice" Lawyer of the Year. I announced this a few weeks ago and now it is time........... We had some great nominations (and thank you for those nominations), but only one person could win. And, I had the final, well, the only, decision.

The winner is .................... Lovely Dhillon, Executive Director of the Law School Consortium Project. From the LSCP website:

"the Executive Director of the Law School Consortium Project (LSCP), a national nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. The LSCP promotes access to justice by working with law schools and their graduates who open solo and small-firm practices that serve low and moderate-income individuals and communities.

Ms. Dhillon’s legal career includes serving as an Assistant District Attorney in the San Francisco District Attorneys Office, where she focused on Domestic Violence and Hate Crimes cases. Ms. Dhillon was also the Executive Director of the California Minority Counsel Program, a California-wide nonprofit working toward equal opportunity and access for attorneys of color in corporate legal practice. Ms. Dhillon has also worked as a securities litigation attorney with the international law firm of Bingham, McCutchen, where her pro bono work included Title VII and political asylum cases.

Ms. Dhillon has been recognized by the California Law Business as one of the “Top 20 Lawyers Under 40.” She has also received an Exemplar of the American Dream Award by the Bar Association of San Francisco.

Ms. Dhillon serves on the Boards of the Bar Association of San Francisco Endowment; the Asian/Pacific Islander Youth Violence Prevention Center; the Indian American Leadership Initiative; Chinese for Affirmative Action; the National Council on Crime and Delinquency; and the California Lawyer magazine. She is a founding member of The Indus Women Leaders.

Ms. Dhillon has written and presented on topics including: “Expanding Justice Through Public/Private Initiatives,” “Pro Bono Work as a Form of Professionalism,” “Discrimination and Hate Crimes After 9/11,” “Hate Crimes Legislation and Prosecution,” “Empowering Women,” “Increasing the Success of Indian Professionals through Unity,” “Eliminating Racial and Gender Bias in Corporate Legal Departments,” “Affirmative Action and the Indian-American Community,” and “Beyond Prestige: Law Empowers Minorities.”

Ms. Dhillon is a 1990 graduate of the Yale Law School and a 1985 graduate of Florida State University."

Lovely won for a few reasons. First, the impact she has had on attorneys who provide "social justice" law has been immense. Several people emailed me and told me how the LSCP has helped them help their clients. I can't think of a way to have a greater impact. Second, Lovely clearly cares not just about the attorneys she is helping, but about the attorneys' clients. Third, I can't think of anyone more qualified and more deserving of the award.

A donation will be made to the charity of Lovely's choice. I have a feeling I know what it is, but I will wait for word from Lovely. CONGRATULATIONS!

Thinking outside the box and marketing

There is a reason I think Ben Glass is one of the best legal marketing minds around. Just as you read about things outside of the law on this blog, Ben is the only one I know who is blogging about marketing and college hoops.

You know how you can tell this is a great post? When is the last time I linked to another blogger's blog and told you to go read the article? Last year sometime? It feels like it. This is a must read if you are serious about marketing your practice.

A challenge for 2007

I received a comment on thisblog. I have redacted some of the identifying information, but this is why I blog.

Just wanted to let you know that you have inspired me. I am a recent law school graduate but am XX. I left a firm job to associate with a solo practitioner. No salary given but support and resources are plentiful. It is both exciting and terrifying and is going well so far. I read your blog daily while trying to decide which way to go and I found courage to follow my heart. Thanks.

It’s a great feeling in the world when someone is encouraged to pursue his/her dreams through something you have done. I would challenge everyone on this list to do something in 2007 to encourage/inspire another.

Happy AnniBirthday

Today (the 19th) is an anniversary of sorts. Well, it is also a birthday. My baby, who is no longer a baby, turned 3. It also marks the 3 year anniversary of my firm. That's right, three years ago I decided to start this little venture. And I have made it so far. That is by no means a guarantee that I will make it another three years, but it is a good start.

But, it also is a testament to what can be done. I started my firm in my house with two little children and number 3 coming - quickly! I had a very tight budget, a lot of responsibilities, and not a clue about what I was doing. However, somehow, I survived.

And, this should be a good thing for you. It shows that you too can survive. If I made it with all of this, you can go out there and succeed as well.

Logo-Imprinted Gear

Something non-insurance related for a minute primarily because I am in the middle of a move but wanted to pass this on.

If you need logo-imprinted items, I highly recommend LogoWorld. Call and ask for Deena. Her contact information:

Deena Fantuzzi
Customer Care/Sales
775-425-6548
800-848-5646 x10
916-244-0810 fax

www.logoworld.com

I just used them for some denim shirts and they were great! Tell them Jonathan sent you!

Great Customer Service Works

I had an interesting experience this week with customer service. I cancelled my satellite service. (It was DISH Network, whose slogan is "Better TV for all.") The short version:

I called customer service. I spent time talking to a guy who kept trying to get me to not cancel. He then told me he couldn't take my cancellation request. I then was transferred to a woman who told me her ID was, and I swear I am not making this up, "SUX." When she asked why I was cancelling, I explained it was poor customer service. She tried to get me to stay, but I kept insisting it was poor customer service. She then asked, ready for this?, if I had anyone I would like to refer to DISH. I explained to her I don't refer friends or family to a place where I receive poor service.

Last night, I got a phone call from DISH. Some guy in Texas wanted to know why I cancelled. I explained it to him and he said "Well, you shouldn't let two bad service experiences effect your decision." Needless to say, I now consider it three.

Some of you are thinking: "Has Jonathan lost it (more so than before)?" No. I had three bad experiences that stick out in my mind. That is about two too many.

How does this affect you? Your client's don't deserve any bad service. Sure, things happen. And when something goes poorly, you better get on the phone with the client and make it up to them ASAP. If a second thing goes bad, then you will probably lose the client.

Look, no one who is reading this offers some service or product so unique that you can't be replaced. As much as we want to differentiate ourselves from our competitors, there are 1,000 attorneys who can handle PI cases. There are 100 other insurance claims experts in California. There are tons of people who can set up a small business. You can be replaced.

You want to differentiate yourself? Providing excellent customer service to your clients will do that. Not everyone can provide excellent customer service. And the happy client will refer their friends and family. You can't make everyone happy in every situation, but provide your best customer service to all of your clients and good things will happen. (And happy clients don't file bar complaints!)

As for DISH, I think they should change their slogan: "DISH Network. Better TV for all, as long as you don't mind bad customer service."

Billing Time

Okay, I admit it. I lost some time over the last week. I have been retained on an hourly matter and it is taken up much more time than you would expect. It hasn't been grueling legal work or work that requires much thinking. Just a lot of phone calls.

Anyway, while making all of these phone calls, I have not always been in my office. And, with a few other things going on, I have not been able to document all of my time as it is occuring. So, today, I tried to catch up and guess what? I lost hours.

Yes, I actually lost hours. Maybe it is like an episode of The Twillight Zone. Time has just disappeared.

Actually, I know I spent a lot of time on this file, but I just couldn't capture my time. I am an experienced time biller having been an insurance adjuster for years before I became an attorney. And all insurance adjusters know how to bill their time.

But, in this case, there have been so many ticky-tack phone calls (from people other than the client) that I just couldn't capture all of the time. It happens and we just have to accept that. So, a few ideas to capture as much time as possible:

1. Capture your time as you spend it;
2. Keep paper with you to capture time when you are not in the office;
3. When you get back to the office, put your time in immediately;
4. Use a code system as shorthand so you do not have to write out full details but you can still put details in your computer;
5. Make sure you spend a few minutes at the end of every day capturing your time.

There you have it. A few tips to help you make sure you bill all of your time!

New Marketing Blog

Ben Glass of Great Legal Markting fame has come out with a lawyer marketing blog. This is, of course, a must read.

If you are a subscribed to GLM, you know the value of Ben's advice. If you are a subscriber to solomarketing, a Yahoo! marketing group for attorneys, you know the value of Ben's advice. If you have no idea who Ben is or why I think he is one of the best legal marketing minds, then you need to read the blog now. You should also go read the website and look at his products.

Ben is clearly ahead of the curve on this and you can only learn from him. Reading his blog is a great start if you are serious about marketing your practice.

Two Tech Tips

While working this weekend, I came across to tech tips that are great. I admit that I did not come up with either of these myself. They were shared with me. And, while neither one is going to be a world-changing tip, I have used them both.

1. The Wayback Machine - it is a great tool so you can find old websites. It can be handy in finding pages that may have information you can use against a defendant. Very nifty little tool.
2. PrimoPDF - a great way to print things to PDF format. You can print from Word, Wordperfect, or print a website.

I used these two together. I found an old webpage that provided information I needed. I used PrimoPDF to print it to a PDF file. I then printed the PDF file and attached it as an exhibit to a request for admissions. Ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom, done.

These are great tools that you can and should be using!