What's your Niche?

Being an expert in your practice field is important because clients want an attorney who gives them the most reliable and accurate information and assistance as possible. A great way to establish yourself as an expert is to focus your marketing efforts on your practice niche.

Chuck Newton recently spoke to this when he said, "A niche is a terrible thing to waste, yet many lawyers do."

The problems with practicing law outside your niche:

1. You will dilute your message
2. You do not have that much time on your hands
3. You are competing in a broader legal market place

According to Mr. Newton: "The bottom line: do not abandon your niche. Instead, boost the time you spend marketing your niche."

Judge Writes About Email Etiquette For Lawyers

Judge Gerald Lebovits of the New York City Civil Court recently wrote an article on email etiquette for lawyers. The piece has seen widespread circulation and compliments by bloggers.

Lawyers are extremely busy, so email is an attractive form of communications since it's fast, easy and delivers immediate response. The risk of using email comes when attorneys hit send too quickly, without taking into consider who they are talking to and what they are talking about.

Judge Lebovits summarized his advice, "Think. Pause. Think again. Then send."

Other highlights of his article include:

• Tone: It is important to consider the recipient of the email to determine if a formal or informal tone is more appropriate.
• Confrontations: Do not participate in back-and-forth confrontations via email. Pick up the phone to hash out a misunderstanding or miscommunication.
• Threads: When an email thread (conversation) becomes too long, it's time to pick up the phone and have a conversation.
• Edit, edit, edit! It is important to re-read what you wrote before you hit send to avoid spelling errors, vague messages and inappropriate tone.
• Length: Condense your message so it's easy to read.
• Subject: "Use the subject line to its full potential"

Email makes communication fast, but business emails must be taken as seriously as formal letters and other important documents that reflect your professional capabilities.  

Multi-task in the Day, Not in the Moment

In a recent post on Lawyerist.com, Allison Shields cited a 2009 Stanford University study that showed multi-taskers have more difficulty filtering out useless information. Though it’s enticing to try to talk on the phone, answer an email, and monitor Twitter all at once, something is bound to fall through the cracks.

An example is when you're talking on the phone and have to repeat yourself because the person on the other end is clearly distracted, perhaps checking email, instant messaging or doing anything except focusing on our conversation. Though the other party may think it’s not noticeable by others, it usually is. It’s rude, as it not only wastes their time, but yours as well.

Multi-tasking used to be defined as switching to Project B while you wait for input from others on Project A. That makes sense and improves your productivity. When you try to do more than one thing at the exact same time, nothing gets done well. One advantage to being focused in the moment is how “special” your clients will feel when you don’t answer a ringing phone during meetings with them in your office.

Allison Shields put it well, “The next time you are tempted to check your email while you’re on the telephone or you catch yourself waving to a colleague while working on something else, ask yourself, “What will the switching cost of this interruption be?” Do yourself and your colleagues and clients a favor and stop multi-tasking.”

New Abacus Division Empowers Government Law Professionals

As you know, AbacusLaw has been serving the private and public legal sectors for 26 years.  Over 250 government agencies are already using AbacusLaw, seeing cost containment that benefits taxpayers in their jurisdictions and expediting work to deliver timely case handling to defendants and their attorneys.

We have just opened Abacus Government Systems, lead by division president Dennis Baldwin. Mr. Baldwin explained that “Abacus Government Systems exclusively serves public agencies in the U.S., providing case management software designed specifically for public sector agency needs of District Attorneys, Public Defenders, Solicitors General, Attorneys General and others.”

Help your local government get the benefits of AbacusLaw. Put the right people in touch with us and we'll send you a copy of Dangerous Law Practice Myths, Lies and Stupidity, personally inscribed by author Judd Kessler, Esq. to thank you for your service to the legal system.  For more information about products for government agencies in the U.S., call us 888-452-6301, or visit www.AbacusGov.com.