The Digital Edge

How do people find lawyers these days? Although many attorneys believe they are discovered through a Google or Bing search, legal service consumers are actually still taking recommendations from people they know and trust. But technology has added a multitude of new ways that people perform research and journey to find lawyers. Potential clients will likely search for the lawyer or law firm’s website, Yelp or Avvo reviews, social media, and blogs before picking up the phone. So what should we, as lawyers, do to improve our online presence for more effective client development?

In this episode of The Digital Edge, Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway interview Gyi Tsakalakis, founder of the online legal marketing agency Attorney Sync, about the internet’s role in client development, the mistakes most lawyers make, and the “magic” of online legal marketing strategies.

Topics include:

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And we’re back with another year of gift ideas for the tech savvy lawyer. Whether you are looking for a Star Wars drone for… ahem… your children, a computer or printer that you can fit in your pocket, or a whiskey glass to bring to Mars, Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway have the inside tip. Tune in to this episode of The Digital Edge for another year of tech toys for your friends, your family, or yourself.

Special thanks to our sponsor, ServeNow.

Products Mentioned:

The New Apple TV: More memory, new interface, search with Siri, and since our fingers are tired of clicking, now with swipe!

The Surface Pro 4: Lighter than ever (1.69lbs) and 9 hours of battery

Intel Compute Stick: A fully functioning computer in a small stick

Microsoft Surface Book: High performance laptop

Polaroid Zip Mobile Printer: Instant photo printer that fits in your pocket

.law: A domain only available to qualified lawyers

FurniQi Wireless Charging Bamboo Side Table: Bamboo side table with two charging pucks in the bottom

Amazon Echo: Alexa is always listening and can play music, answer questions, and control smart devices. Next stop, smart houses?

Swarovski USB Stainless Steel Bracelet: For the lady lawyer in your life (depending on which lady lawyer is in your life)

Roku 4K Video Streamer: 2500+ channels on demand and, more importantly, a lost remote finder

Ring Zero: The world’s smallest input device

Bosch eBike: Electronic motor assisted biking

Panono: 360 degree panoramic photography ball (camera)

Mycestro wearable mouse: Ergonomic and controlled with natural gestures

AKGQ701 Headphones: “The Holy Grail of Headphones”

Zero Gravity Whiskey Glass: To avoid spilling your whiskey once space travel becomes a thing

Steakchamp Thermometer: Cook your steak the way you like it every time

Star Wars Speros BB8: The Star Wars drone with an adaptive personality

Pet Cube: Play with your pets at home while you are at work

Darth Vader and R2D2 Handheld Showerhead

Bonus: Which of these products isn’t available to the public yet?

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In this episode of The Digital Edge, Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway interview technologist and Microsoft expert Ben Schorr about the price, benefits, and downfalls of Windows 10 and what lawyers specifically need to know.

Topics Include:

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Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway interview John Iezzi, author of “Results-Oriented Financial Management: A Step-by-Step Guide to Law Firm Profitability,” which is a book about compensation issues in small and mid-sized firms, what successful financial management looks like, and changes small firm lawyers need to make.

Special thanks to our sponsors, ServeNow and CloudMask.

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Legal marketing has changed dramatically in the past 20 years as we have reached “the digital era.” Some lawyers have embraced this new world of social media marketing, engaging website content, and cloud-based computing. But those who have not, particularly solo and small firm lawyers, are missing out on an opportunity for increased client base, client satisfaction, and competition with big law firms.

Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway interview Sona Pancholy, a business development director, about the ways in which the digital age impacts law firm marketing, what mistakes lawyers should avoid making, where busy professionals should start, and some dos and don’ts of social media.

Special thanks to our sponsors, ServeNow and CloudMask.

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Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway interview Allison Shields, co-author of “How to Do More in Less Time: The Complete Guide to Improving Your Productivity and Increasing Your Bottom Line.” Allison discusses why she wrote the book, productivity mistakes lawyers often make, and specific suggestions she has for increasing time efficiency.

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In this episode of The Digital Edge, Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway interview Judy Perry Martinez, chair of the ABA Presidential Commission on the Future of Legal Services. Martinez discusses specific actions the commission is taking to find solutions, including grassroots meetings across the country, a national summit, public hearings, and lawyer education. She explains how discussions with lawyers, judges, technology innovators, law students, academics, and law librarians bring awareness to issues in the changing legal landscape and encourages solution ideas. These changes present challenges and opportunities for lawyers today, but those who do not jump on board will likely be left behind.

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In this episode of The Digital Edge, Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway interview attorney and marketing consultant Jennifer Ellis about what SEO is, why it is so complicated and expensive, and steps lawyers and law firms can take to start marketing online. Fundamentally, she explains, SEO means optimizing your law firm’s website so that people searching for your services in your area will find you on the results page. For example, if you own a family law firm in Phoenix, you want people who are searching in Google or Bing for “How do I find a divorce lawyer in Phoenix?” to find your law firm in the results. Due to complicated Google, Bing, and Yahoo algorithms and factors like mobile-friendliness, valuable content, and anti-spam rules, Ellis estimates that high-quality SEO should cost from $3,000 to $10,000 a month. If you are a solo or small firm with a limited marketing budget, she gives several other online marketing suggestions including running Pay Per Click campaigns or boosting social media posts. Ellis has suggestions for any lawyer or law firm on any budget and she strongly advises lawyers to spend some time on their online presence. Special thanks to our sponsor, ServeNow.

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In this episode of The Digital Edge, Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway interview The Kennedy-Mighell Report host Tom Mighell, lawyer and author of “iPad in One Hour for Litigators,” about why the iPad is the best tablet for litigators and how to best use the tools and applications available on the iPad. Mighell makes many suggestions about which apps are most useful for litigation, including apps for note taking, case intake, document transfer, discovery, legal research, and trial presentation. In addition, he recommends accessories for data input (handwriting or keyboard) and data output (evidence presentations or a printer). Most importantly, he emphasizes, lawyers should never assume they know how to use an app just because they downloaded it. Make sure you practice using every application before you enter the courtroom. Special thanks to our sponsor, ServeNow.

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In this episode of The Digital Edge, Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway interview law firm consultant Britt Lorish about today’s speech recognition and dictation solutions, added benefits of current dictation software, common misconceptions about Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and the best microphones and apps to consider. Lorish explains that most lawyers who use dictation have embraced digital recording and filing, but many lawyers are still wary of using speech recognition softwares due to previous bad experiences. She talks about using softwares from dictation vendors like Philips, BigHand, and Winscribe in the cloud, and how Dragon is lagging in cloud-based usability. Additionally, Lorish discusses custom commands, a system of automating commonly-used commands like adding a signature block, opening a document template, or inserting standard client/attorney language. These speech solutions, Lorish says, can greatly help lawyers with disabilities, those who type slowly, and can even help younger lawyers improve oral argument abilities.

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