lawyers And Atorney



             


Thursday, April 10, 2008

Asbestos Lawyers

If you are one of the many victims of greedy asbestos manufacturers and now you or your relatives have developed mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases, a common course of action is to find an asbestos lawyer and start a lawsuit against the manufacturer.

While asbestos lawyers are not very common, there are hundreds of them in the United States and this is the most logical choice to make when you are on the verge of starting a lawsuit.

When you hire a lawyer to represent you in court, you need first to gather information about his or her experience with asbestos cases. Although asbestos litigation is not a separate branch of law, choosing a lawyer with experience in it is much better than trusting a divorce lawyer, for example.

Choosing a lawyer who has had experience with asbestos cases has one other benefit ? it is likely that he or she might have other clients who will file a similar lawsuit, and you can have a class action against the manufacturer.

Additionally, an experienced asbestos lawyer will be able to tell you how long the previous cases took to settle, what was the compensation, were there any intricacies, etc. Even if the experienced lawyer charges more than his or her less experienced colleagues, it is better to trust him than go and fight in court with somebody who is not so competent.

There are experienced asbestos lawyers in every state, so if you are searching hard enough, it will not take too long to find one. Having a local lawyer has the advantage that you can easily communicate with him or her when necessary. Since a typical lawsuit can take up to 3 years, be prepared for a long battle for your compensation!

Asbestos Mesothelioma Lawyers provides detailed information on Asbestos Lawyers, Asbestos Mesothelioma Lawyers, Asbestos Trial Lawyers, Asbestos Lawsuits and more. Asbestos Mesothelioma Lawyers is affiliated with Asbestos Litigation Attourneys.

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Monday, March 31, 2008

Louisiana Divorce Lawyers

A divorce suit is perhaps the commonest of court cases. Social service institutions offering good Samaritan advice and legal knowledge, as well as do-it-yourself legal resources have proliferated in unprecedented numbers all around the country. Still, disputes and situations leading to divorce are sometimes so unique that standard interpretations of law cannot explain them and therefore, new laws and new rulings are coming up. Since the ?do it yourself? plans cannot match the unique situations, hiring a divorce lawyer becomes unavoidable.

This becomes all the more inevitable in Louisiana where the laws are different from other states. Here the rulings of the judges in the similar cases cannot influence the rulings and judgments in other courts, as happens in other states of the US. In Louisiana, the legislature frames the laws and the judges have to study them and interpret them in every new and extraordinary divorce case. Your efforts to do it yourself may result in a frustrating loss of time and effort. A good way out, therefore, would be to engage a Louisiana Divorce Lawyer.

The best course in selecting your lawyer is to contact the friends and referrals of a few lawyers and interview them to select the best one. When interviewing a lawyer, you should ask him about the length of his experience, the number of cases of your type he has handled, his membership in a recognized lawyers? body, and of course his references. There should be absolutely no hesitation is asking such questions. After all, you are not only paying him your hard-earned money, but your case is at stake. Besides, you can also ask him about the procedure or the process of the lawsuit, and how long the case will take.

Louisiana Lawyers provides detailed information on Louisiana lawyers, Louisiana probate lawyers, Louisiana real estate lawyers, Louisiana divorce lawyers and more. Louisiana Lawyers is affliated with Massachusetts Divorce Lawyers

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Friday, March 28, 2008

Houston Criminal Lawyers

Being the second biggest city in the US, Houston is a place with a lot of criminal activity. Houston is attached with the quote saying, ?Everything is bigger in Houston?- regrettably, that goes for jail sentences, too. Houston is known for its toughness when it comes to crime. So if you?re caught committing a crime or accused of a heinous act then your future looks very bleak. During this frightening event you should contact one of Houston?s criminal lawyers.

It is said that the best criminal lawyer in Houston can set you free even if you have committed a murder, and the dumbest lawyer can award you lifetime imprisonment even if you have only killed a cat. Normally a criminal trial in Houston puts a great amount of pressure on the prosecutor, in order to make the charges stick. They require heavy proof to show your guilt. A criminal lawyer will look for weak points in the prosecution?s case.

In order to win, you should hire a lawyer skilled enough to bring you victory. Houston criminal lawyers can not only reduce your punishment, but also secure your rights so that the laws don?t exploit you. It is wise to call your lawyer at the crime scene, so that he can collect possible evidence from the crime scene. This will help him defend you. Generally, Houston?s criminal lawyers are very expensive. Since they will cost you a lot of money, make sure that the criminal lawyer you are going to choose has a decent record in criminal cases, and plenty of wins under his belt.

You should not commit a crime, but if you do then make sure to hire Houston?s best criminal lawyer.


Houston Bankruptcy Lawyers provides detailed information on Houston Bankruptcy Lawyers, Houston Criminal Lawyers, Houston Divorce Lawyers, Houston DWI Lawyers and more. Houston Bankruptcy Lawyers is affiliated with Houston DWI Arrests

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Tuesday, March 25, 2008

A Quick Guide to Lawyers

Lawyers specialize in a wide number of fields from personal injury and criminal law to immigration, business and finances. But what do these lawyers actually do? There is a wealth of misinformation available to the average consumer, and you may be confused where to start looking.

Finding a good lawyer is essential, but if that lawyer doesn't specialize in the specific area in which you need them, it doesn't put you in the best situation. You don't want to hire a lawyer who specializes in divorce to help you with a personal injury suit, and vice versa. Thus it's imperative that you find not only a good lawyer, but one who really knows specific information about your problem. Here is a brief overview of some of the most popular types of lawyers and what they do:

Criminal Lawyer

A criminal lawyer is the highest profile lawyer for good reason. Criminal lawyers handle statutory and common law crimes and the punishment of criminal offences. They deal with every aspect of criminal law, with the state defender, or prosecutor, defending the state's interest and the defense attorney representing the defender. They defend against and prosecute crimes against the person (assault, murder, rape, etc.), crimes against property (arson, theft, larceny etc.), crimes against justice (bribery, perjury etc.) and other myriad lesser criminal offenses.

Divorce Lawyer

Divorce lawyers focus on any and all matters concerning divorce. This applies to any proceedings, including prenuptial agreements, division of property, alimony or spousal payments, child support, and more. Most individuals going through a divorce generally hire a divorce lawyer to take care of all legal matters. Much of the time a good divorce lawyer can make all the difference in how messy or clean your divorce becomes.

Accident Lawyers or Personal Injury Lawyers

Accident lawyers, also known as personal injury lawyers, specialize in legal claims relating to auto accidents and vehicle claims, dangerous or defective products, medical and health care malpractice, workplace injuries (worker's compensation), wrongful death, and a slew of other accidental incidents that warrant legal procedures.

Immigration Lawyers

Immigration lawyers handle any matters pertaining to immigration, including citizenship and naturalization proceedings, permanent residence, green cards, work visas, asylum, deportation hearings, family-based immigration waivers, and any other legal issues surrounding immigrants to the US.

Financial and Business Lawyers

Financial lawyers deal with a wide range of business and personal investments, savings products and services. These include mortgages, banking, brokerage services, commodities, claims, mutual funds, stocks and bonds, and other securities. They are in charge of taking care of all legal requirements and formalities surrounding any financial issue. They are also helpful for starting and operating businesses, including: LLC's, corporations, and partnerships.

myabogado.com

Marcela De Vivo writes on behalf of myabogado.com, a directory specializing in law related resources.

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Friday, March 21, 2008

Bogus Lawyers And Attorneys On The Loose

Beware: fake lawyers and attorneys are everywhere. People read about it on papers, watch it on late-night news, but still many fall into the trap set by these crooks. Well, it is interesting to note that these fakes are as good as they can get. Most of the time, they possess the power of the gab and exhibit linguistic knowledge in lawyer lingo and stuff but these don't mean they're authentic. These wannabes often win the trust of clients because they claim to be an alumni of such and such prestigious law universities. They also brag about their supposed excellent track record in winning the cases of their clients. Sometimes, they may also charge slightly cheaper legal fees to attract clients. Now, clients who are gullible enough would instantly entrust them their life and death cases with high hopes of winning. For ordinary folks, fake lawyers and attorneys can be extremely hard to tell, or sometimes, clients notice the signs only too late -- when the client gets to spend the rest of his waking hours in jail (even if he's innocent) and waste a fortune paying a bogus lawyers.

Well, I don't know anyone who is willing to be tricked by these boguses so I guess everyone wants to stay away from fake lawyers and attorneys at all cost. I read about this fake female lawyer in Prattville who was actually just a mere sophomore student in a law school. She passed herself as a practicing lawyer and represented her sister in court. I don't know if she was just desperate to save her sister from criminal offenses for substance abuse or she wanted her sister to save money for legal fees. This bogus lawyer, Melissa Kent, was on a bad luck because the judge officiating the case turned out to be the very same judge who sentenced her guilty of dope charges a few years ago. Also, the lawyers from the other side of the fence noticed Kent's somewhat unprofessional demeanor. For sure, a lawyer sporting nail polish in wild color is one thing to arouse suspicion. But then, lawyers initially dismissed the notion thinking Kent is a practicing lawyer in other state. When confronted, Kent immediately confessed she was, indeed, a fake.

Fake lawyer Kent's offense only costed her a three-day jail term and a whopping $1,000 bond, maybe because she didn't attempt to further salvage her case by insisting she's a real lawyer. She was at least honest enough to admit her misdemeanor up front. However, the judge, lawyers and attorneys conducting the case were naturally appalled for the time dealing with a bogus lawyer. It was a good thing her client was a family member (but investigations showed her sister is oblivious with Kent's stunts). However, people should remember that based on this case, when it comes to legal services, it is best to research or ask friends for references. While there are several lawyers and attorneys who very well know how to defend a client for the win, there are also fakes who are just out to leave clients with regret and displeasure.

For more valuable information on Lawyers and Attorneys, please visit http://www.contactlawyers.com

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Monday, March 3, 2008

Chicago Personal Injury Lawyers

You should contact a lawyer if you've recently suffered an injury due to someone else?s negligence. Lawyers specializing in personal injury cases usually work only on a contingency basis, meaning that you only pay if you win the case. The costs of hiring a lawyer are not that high.

If you are contemplating hiring a lawyer for your case, it would be prudent to do some research on the facts of your claim. List the questions you what to ask a lawyer and what kind of services should you expect from him or her.

An experienced legal representative will be familiar with the specific facts that need to be taken into account for your specific argument. Your lawyer will guide you though the legal aspects of the case that you may not be able to comprehend. Similarly, he would provide aid when dealing with the insurance companies and health plans.

The main reason to hire a lawyer is that they are able to negotiate the case better than you could yourself. This is particularly true when you are involved in a case that involves multiple states, since the personal injury laws differ from state to state. Take into account that you should only hire a lawyer with an extensive practicing in your region. A variety of personal injury lawyers can be found but you should make certain that he or she has experience managing cases similar to your personal incident.

Finding a lawyer to argue your case who is experienced shouldn't be overwhelming. Bear in mind the specific statute of limitations set by your state and think about the fact that you need to get legal representation soon. Consider using the Internet to gather all the information you need about a lawyer.

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Saturday, February 9, 2008

Dallas Criminal Appeals Lawyers

Crimes can be of many kinds. Although petty crimes such as theft involve the criminal getting slapped with a hefty fine and imprisonment, more serious crimes can bring more serious consequences. Dallas, Texas, is known for crime and a lot more use of the death penalty than any other state or, for that matter, country. It is very important to get the case written off even before it goes to court as the chances of being let off easily reduce drastically once the accused appears in the court.

Even with the best defense lawyers, it is possible sometimes to lose the case to the prosecution?s arguments. The accused then gets slapped with either a fine or imprisonment or with even a death penalty in places like Dallas. In such instances, the losing or accused party can make an appeal to a higher court or authority after the judgment is passed in the superior courts or administrative agencies, if not satisfied with the judgment.

In most cases, the appeal is sent to superior courts only after the judge in the trial court rejects a request for a new trial or to tip over the decision made regarding the case. The losing party usually files an appeal in a Court of Appeals in such situations. Courts of Appeals legally track the decision made by the judge based on the laws under which the decision has been made. The decision is made by the Court of Appeals based only on the records of the trial and with the new evidence or issues that might have been produced in defense of the accused. Cases are not retried in the Court of Appeal and hence no hearings exist in these courts.

A well-qualified and experienced criminal appeals lawyer is a necessity when appealing to a higher authority. It is not often that the accused gets of scott-free soon after appealing in the Court of Appeal. A good lawyer would be able to put out certain issues such as insufficient evidence provided by the prosecution during the trial, incorrect evidence, improper jury instructions, and insufficient defense evidence at the time of trial, etc. Based on such evidences and issues the defense lawyer can prepare an introductory brief after filing the case in the court and be prepared for an oral argument that is important to justify all the issues mentioned at the time of filing the case. A member of the court?s panel passes the final verdict.

A good appeals lawyer can get the court of appeals to even provide a writ to the lower court requesting the change of one or more of the orders passed or sometimes an expungement if the defendant is accused for the first time with no prior record of such, along with a dutiful completion of the probationary period.

A number of websites have an exhaustive list of all the criminal appeals lawyers in Dallas. Getting in touch with a lawyer who has good credentials and experience can be very helpful when filing an appeal with the Court of Appeals. Although a long shot, filing an appeal can sometimes turn out to be advantageous, particularly with a good appeals lawyer to fight the case with zeal.

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Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Criminal Defense Lawyers

Each year there are over 800,000 assaults reported to local law enforcement agencies. Assault is typically defined as trying to strike an individual when the individual is aware of the danger being presented. A 'felonious' assault is an attack, or attempt to attack, through force, in order to cause physical injury to an individual. Even if the individual doesn't get hurt, but a weapon is involved, then it still falls under the category of a felony.

Assault & Battery is an incident where actual contact was made and resulted in the need for medical treatment. This is also a felony. The consequences of an assault crime can be imprisonment, probation, fines, anger management classes and more. The punishment usually has to do with the circumstances of the situation and the background of the offender. If the offender has a prior history of assault these punishments will most likely be inflated.

Not every instance of an assault crime is straight forward and clear-cut. For instance, an assault may have been committed due to self-defense or defending another person or property. This is why it is so important to hire a professional assault attorney. A qualified attorney will be able to complete an extensive investigation and use their professional expertise to help dismiss or minimize the sentence.

White Collar Crimes are defined as non-violent acts committed by individuals or businesses in the course of daily working activity. Some of these crimes include embezzlement, bribery, tax evasion, false advertising and other types of fraud. They are generally used to obtain money, property or services to gain advantage in business or in ones personal life.

According to the FBI, white collar crimes cost the United States more than $300 billion annually. These crimes are considered to be federal offenses and even though state and local law enforcement may be involved in the cases, charges will most often be presented by federal agencies such as the FBI, IRS, US Customs, Secret Service, EPA or the SEC.

Penalties for white collar offenses generally include fines, house arrest, community confinement and sometimes imprisonment. Federal agencies will many times make mistakes when prosecuting these criminals. They routinely make mistakes that violate peoples constitutional and civil rights. That is why it's so important to hire a lawyer if you've been charged with any of these types of crimes. Just going to trial can be enough to humiliate, embarrass and often time destroy the future of a growing business. It's best to just settle these cases outside of the courtroom and protect the name of your business.

To learn more about San Diego Criminal Defense and San Diego DUI Lawyer, please visit our website at  http://www.sddefenselawyers.com This article may be freely reprinted as long as this resource box is included and all links stay intact.

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Friday, February 1, 2008

Lung Transplant Information & Defective Respirator Lawyers

Many United States workers have manual labor jobs that require them to work in coal mines and other areas that require the use of dust respirators or masks. These masks help protect their lungs from harmful particles of dust in the air. These devices are supposed to purify the air, as workers inhale creating clean air for breathing. Since the late 1930's respirators have been manufactured in the United States. Manufacturers of these divices include Mine Safety Appliances Company, 3M, Welsh-Norton, Moldex and a plethora of others.

Unfortunately, many types of respirators used by coal miners and asbestos workers are unsafe and have leaked harmful dust into the workers' lungs. As a result of these defective respirators, workers have contracted many major medical illnesses such as mesothelioma, silicosis and black lung disease. These illnesses force the workers to undergo very complicated medical procedures such as lunch transplants as well as other major surgeries.

Lung transplant surgery is required to replace one, or both of the diseased lungs with healthy lungs from an organ donor. Because these procedures are becoming more and more common, the success rate is going up substantially. In 2004, around 1,200 patients received lung transplants and the number is on the rise for 2006. However, due to the overwhelming demand, and lack of supply for this procedure, many Americans are unable to get their operations.

The lung transplant procedure is generally the last resort for patients with chronic lung disease. Many times the reason that patients need these operations is because they have been using a defective respirator for far too long. These problems are categorized as 'obstructive' or 'restrictive' which relates to the volume of air the lungs can hold. Obstructive is when there's a decrease in exhaled air flow, while Restrictive means a decrease in the total volume of air that the lungs can hold. Complications may also arise from these conditions which often times result in a lung transplant.

Victims of ailments such as silicosis, asbestosis and black lung often find it difficult to understand who's at fault. Occupational injuries such as broken bones, burns, and cuts are easily recognized, but long term injuries such as lung disease are harder to pinpoint. The real tragedy is that many times these diseases were contracted after long hours of work with defective respirators. In many cases manufacturers of these respirators should be held liable for their negligence.

If you or someone you love has been affected by a respirator device that has leaked toxins then you need to seek a lawyer right away. A qualified lawyer can help you understand your legal rights and receive compensation for your injuries.

To learn more about lung transplant information and defective respirator lawyers, please visit our websites at http://www.respiratorinjury.com and http://www.lungtransplantinfo.com This article may be freely reprinted as long as this resource box is included and all links stay intact as hyperlinks.

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Wednesday, December 26, 2007

17 Fatal Marketing Mistakes Lawyers Make

Lawyers who rely on traditional marketing methods are fast discovering that many "time-proven methods" no longer work. Lawyers could dramatically improve their marketing results by avoiding the following mistakes and heeding this up-dated advice. Lawyers who rely on traditional marketing methods are fast discovering that many time-proven methods no longer work.

MISTAKE #1: Relying on referrals. When you depend on referrals as your sole source of new business, you allow middlemen to control your flow of new clients. You may discover that whether you receive referrals has nothing to do with your knowledge, skill or experience. Instead, it may be based on your ability to return the referrals. ADVICE: In addition to referrals, make sure your marketing program attracts inquiries directly from prospects. This allows you to manage your marketing program, rather than relying on third parties over which you have little or no control.

MISTAKE #2: Depending on media exposure. Without question, articles in the print media and interviews on radio and television can help you attract new clients. But many lawyers rely on publicity as their entire marketing program. True, exposure can increase your credibility. But often exposure by itself isn't enough. Lawyers routinely report, "We were very happy with the number of articles about our firm, but we didn't get a single new client!" In addition to exposure, you need something that causes you to interact with prospects.

ADVICE: Make sure your marketing program brings about interactions between you and your prospects, such as over the telephone or in person. Interaction is a critical step in the marketing process -- and the step most attorney marketing programs overlook.

MISTAKE #3: Relying on networking groups as a primary source of new business. Networking is a time-consuming exercise in meeting prospects and cultivating referrals. And while networking may bear fruit, lawyers often underestimate the time required.

ADVICE: Pursue opportunities to meet and talk with genuine prospects, but don't put networking above other marketing strategies.

MISTAKE #4: Competing on low price. When you lower your fee to attract new clients, (1) you undermine your credibility because clients conclude your services were not worth what they previously paid, (2) you attract clients who will leave you when competing lawyers offer fees lower than yours, (Note: Clients who are loyal to the dollar are never loyal to you.) and (3) you'll probably lose money because the cost of attracting a volume of new clients is often greater than the profit you can earn from those clients.

ADVICE: Instead of competing on price, compete on value. You're better off being the most expensive lawyer in town and having prospects appreciate your knowledge than being the cheapest lawyer and having prospects question your skill.

MISTAKE #5: Delivering an incomplete marketing message. Many lawyers believe common marketing methods don't work because those lawyers didn't get the results they wanted. But usually the problem isn't the marketing method, it's the message. If your message lacks even one essential element, your efforts will fail.

An estate planning lawyer delivered a seminar to 84 prospective clients, yet almost no one came into his office for a free consultation. After I reviewed his presentation, we added less than five minutes of information to his program. At his next seminar, 10 of the 11 couples in attendance requested appointments.

ADVICE: Before you implement your marketing program, make sure you create a competent marketing message. Without a powerful message, your marketing program is doomed.

MISTAKE #6: Not effectively reaching your target audience. A tax attorney who represents doctors before the IRS advertised his services in a weekly "shopper" newspaper distributed free to homes. Not surprisingly, he was disappointed with the response. Before running the ad, the lawyer could have saved his $2000 investment had he asked himself, "Will doctors look for a tax attorney in a free weekly newspaper?" I don't know about doctors, but that's certainly not the first place I would look.

ADVICE: Choose different methods that you believe will reach your prospects. Then test each method on a small scale before you invest serious dollars. This way you'll know which method is most effective at reaching your target audience and how well it attracts the clients you want.

MISTAKE #7: Making decisions by committee. The quality of a marketing decision is based on how long it takes to make the decision and how much the decision has been watered down by compromise. One person working alone has the potential to make good decisions. When two people work together things begin to bog down. And if you're waiting for three people to agree -- well, don't hold your breath. Marketing is like football. Can you imagine how long it would take if the entire team offered their ideas and everyone had to agree before they could make the next play?

ADVICE: Choose one quarterback to direct your program. If you don't get the results you want, change strategies or change quarterbacks. But don't compound your quarterback's problems by bringing in more people to help make decisions.

MISTAKE #8: Not taking the leadership position in your market. When prospects perceive you as the leader in your field, you have a substantial advantage over other lawyers. Yet, many marketing programs aren't designed to attain this powerful, profitable position.

ADVICE: Look at your position in the marketplace. From your prospects' point of view, is any lawyer clearly the leader in that category? If not, design your marketing program so you take control of your niche. If that niche is already dominated by other lawyers, create a new category for yourself. Then promote the category so prospects see you as first in that new area. One of my clients created a new category and successfully dominated his niche for five and one-half years. You gain an extraordinary advantage when prospects perceive you as the leader.

MISTAKE #9: Not delivering your marketing message until prospects come into your office. Attorneys usually have no problem persuading a prospect to hire their services once the prospect is in their office. But getting prospects through the door is another matter.

ADVICE: Develop materials you can send to prospective clients. Then create a marketing program that uses the print and broadcast media to attract inquiries from prospects who ask to receive your information. When prospects call your office, you respond by mailing your packet and adding their names to your mailing list. This allows you to put your marketing message into their hands regardless of their location, rather than waiting for them to come to your office. If your materials are powerful and persuasive, you'll find that prospects call you and request appointments.

One of my lawyer clients received 426 calls from prospects after offering his materials on a radio talk show, over 500 calls after a television news interview, and another 400 calls after an article in a local newspaper.

MISTAKE #10: Not marketing to your practice mailing list. Your mailing list is your own personal area of influence. It should contain the names of all your past clients, current clients, prospective clients and referral sources.

ADVICE: Make sure you mail your newsletter at least quarterly. And don't think that you must make your newsletter an 8- or 16-page treatise. A simple educational letter of even one or two pages works just fine. Your newsletter's size is not nearly as important as how often you mail it and the value of the information you present.

MISTAKE #11: Taking marketing shortcuts. Lawyers who achieve success often trim back their marketing programs hoping to save money by eliminating the bells and whistles. What they often don't realize is that many of the so-called "bells and whistles" are not bells and whistles at all. They are the essential components that make their programs work.

An attorney hired me to refresh his seminars. When we kicked off his program, he attracted 247 prospects to five seminars, an average of 49 people at each program. His calendar filled up almost overnight. After six months, he took his marketing in house and began cutting corners. Within 90 days, his results were as dismal as they had been before he called me.

ADVICE: When you shortcut your marketing on the front end, you shortcut the number of new clients on the back end. If you want to streamline your marketing and determine if any steps might not be needed, start slowly and track your results. Be careful not to cut away the steps that are responsible for your success.

MISTAKE #12: Not making marketing a priority. For most lawyers, practicing law is their highest priority. When they get busy, they often reduce their marketing efforts because they need that time to work on their clients' behalf. They operate under the false hope that their momentum will attract new business long into the future. But when they cut their marketing efforts, they actually shift their marketing into neutral. As a result, inertia takes over and things slowly coast to a standstill.

ADVICE: Make marketing a priority for you or someone in your office. Or hire an outside consultant so you make sure the work gets done. Don't turn your marketing on and off like a light switch. Keep your program in gear so you always attract an ongoing flow of new clients.

MISTAKE #13: Writing an intricate marketing plan that becomes impossible to carry out. Many marketing plans look like jigsaw puzzles with dozens -- even hundreds -- of pieces. And while the plans might work, most lawyers and their staffs don't have the hours needed to administer the plans.

ADVICE: Make sure your marketing plan is built on simple steps that have proved to be effective and efficient. In my 30 years in marketing, the most profitable, efficient and effective method I've found is education-based marketing.

MISTAKE #14: Never completing -- and therefore never implementing -- your marketing plan. Many lawyers get so caught up in gathering facts that they never stop designing their plan. They collect data, add more steps, collect more data, revise their plan, collect more data....

ADVICE: Implement your plan at the earliest possible moment. A poor marketing plan that is up and running is infinitely more profitable than the "perfect plan" that never gets off your hard drive.

MISTAKE #15: Delaying your marketing program until your cash flow improves. More often than not, lawyers who use this reason never start marketing because they aren't aware that their logic is backwards: Their cash flow won't improve until they start their marketing program.

ADVICE: Maintaining an effective marketing program is the most important investment you can make. Why pay for an office and staff if you don't have enough business to justify the overhead? Start your marketing program now so you have an ongoing flow of new clients.

MISTAKE #16: Carrying out a marketing program that does not achieve the four essential steps for success. Your marketing program must (1) establish your credibility, (2) generate interactions between you and your prospects, (3) gain your prospect's commitment, and (4) maintain your client's loyalty. Programs that don't achieve all four steps will fail.

ADVICE: Any time you evaluate a marketing opportunity, consider how well that method will accomplish these steps.

MISTAKE #17: Promoting your services. When you promote your services, you take on the role of a salesperson hawking his wares. This method, called selling-based marketing, undermines your credibility and causes prospects to question whether they can trust you.

ADVICE: Instead of promoting your services, promote your knowledge by educating prospects. Education-based marketing gives prospects what they want, information and advice, and removes what they don't want, a sales pitch. It attracts prospects who come to you because of your knowledge, skill, judgment and experience.

To win at marketing, you don't have to be the biggest player or have the biggest budget. All you need is a simple, proven marketing method that gives prospective clients what they want, information and advice -- and removes what they don't want, a sales pitch. That's precisely what my method of Education-Based Marketing does because I designed it that way. That's why the American Marketing Association featured my method on the front page of its national publication, MARKETING NEWS. TREY RYDER LLC Education-Based Marketing for Lawyers. Lawyer Marketing Advisor http://www.TreyRyder.com Trey Ryder is the Lawyer Marketing Department Sponsor For Jersey Justice. http://www.JerseyJustice.com

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Sunday, December 23, 2007

TIPS FOR LAWYERS: Creating Effective Habits in the New Year.

It's that time of year where we all feel enormous pressure to make resolutions for personal and professional improvement. Lawyers are no exception! The problem is too often we set the new goals without a real plan of how we're going to avoid reverting to our old habits!

Habits can be a friend or foe. Think of a habit as a pattern of behavior. Successful habits can help us to achieve success, while other habits undermine our efforts to achieve.

Here is a great exercise for getting rid of old habits and replacing them with habits designed to help you to more effectively achieve your objectives.

STEP ONE:
List 3 or more habits that are currently holding you back from achieving your goals and describe how these habits negatively impact your life.
EXAMPLE:

Habit: Spend too much time on socializing during the work day.

Impact: Always playing catch up in order to meet deadlines causing everyone to stress out. Makes me seem unprofessional and unfocused.

STEP TWO
List successful habits you will choose to adopt in place of the "bad" habits and the benefits of adopting the new habit

EXAMPLE:

Successful New Habit: Develop effective time management strategy that includes limit socializing with other lawyers in the office.

Benefits: Increase productivity, meet or exceed billables, decrease stress.

STEP THREE

Create a 3 step action plan to jumpstart each new habit. Be specific, pick a start date, a completion date and begin.

EXAMPLE:

Action Plan

1) Develop Time Management System that fits my work-style.
2) Create blocks in the day where I close my door and work for 2 hours without interruption.
3) To satisfy my desire to socialize, schedule lunches and after-hour meetings with colleagues so I stay connected.
4) Keep conversations to 3 minutes or less.

Start Date: January 7
Completion date: January 17th

Implementing new habits, new patterns of behavior, will take time. Stay committed to the process and youll soon achieve your desired results.
It's that time of year where we all feel enormous pressure to make resolutions for personal and professional improvement. Lawyers are no exception! The problem is too often we set the new goals without a real plan of how we're going to avoid reverting to our old habits!

Habits can be a friend or foe. Think of a habit as a pattern of behavior. Successful habits can help us to achieve success, while other habits undermine our efforts to achieve.

Here is a great exercise for getting rid of old habits and replacing them with habits designed to help you to more effectively achieve your objectives.

STEP ONE:
List 3 or more habits that are currently holding you back from achieving your goals and describe how these habits negatively impact your life.
EXAMPLE:

Habit: Spend too much time on socializing during the work day.

Impact: Always playing catch up in order to meet deadlines causing everyone to stress out. Makes me seem unprofessional and unfocused.

STEP TWO
List successful habits you will choose to adopt in place of the "bad" habits and the benefits of adopting the new habit

EXAMPLE:

Successful New Habit: Develop effective time management strategy that includes limit socializing with other lawyers in the office.

Benefits: Increase productivity, meet or exceed billables, decrease stress.

STEP THREE

Create a 3 step action plan to jumpstart each new habit. Be specific, pick a start date, a completion date and begin.

EXAMPLE:

Action Plan

1) Develop Time Management System that fits my work-style.
2) Create blocks in the day where I close my door and work for 2 hours without interruption.
3) To satisfy my desire to socialize, schedule lunches and after-hour meetings with colleagues so I stay connected.
4) Keep conversations to 3 minutes or less.

Start Date: January 7
Completion date: January 17th

Implementing new habits, new patterns of behavior, will take time. Stay committed to the process and youll soon achieve your desired results.


Jatrine Bentsi-Enchill, an attorney and Certified Coach, is the founder of the Esq. Development Institute (EDI), an organization committed to helping lawyers excel personally and professionally. EDI specializes in Professional Coaching for lawyers and training processes for law firms in the areas of leadership, communication, diversity/cultural competence and work-life balance. JBE@esqdevelopmentInstitute.com, www.EsqDevelopmentInstitute.com.

 

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Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Electricution accident lawyers in Los Angeles

After an electricution accident, contact your insurance company and your lawyer as soon as possible. There are situations when no one is responsible of an accident, but that's definitely the case with any electricution accident. All lawyers in Los Angeles will be delighted to take your case to the court. Why? Because (1) someone HAS to be guilty in this kind of accident and (2) it's probably not your fault.

The only possible reason for an electricution accident

No one deliberately risk one's life playing with electricity, so generally speaking the only possible way to get a "natural" electricution is to be struck by lightning. In all other cases it is someone's fault. Most electricution accidents are caused by ungrounded electric-powered appliances or other machines, so it is usually clear that someone who is responsible for maintaining them made a mistake and thus gave some work for electricution accident lawyers. Los Angeles ones are no exception here and they really look forward to getting their part of the cake.

Coping with the results of an electricution. Accident lawyers from Los Angeles might really help!

Of course the first and the most serious effects of electricution are the health hazards or even death. But in this article we deal mostly with things that happen afterwards. The moment you get to hospital the battle begins - the institution that is potentially responsible of the accident starts marshalling its arguments. They look for any possibility that the electricution accident was only your fault and sometimes even your deliberate action. The latter is potentially disastrous, because your insurance company will do everything to cancel your insurance and any argumentation that shows the possibility of your deliberate action will be quickly adopted by your insurance company. So better don't hesitate and hire some electricution accident lawyers. Los Angeles is full of them, so you shouldn't have any problem with finding the proper lawyers. I know they may be expensive, but you simply need someone who will defend you, especially if you're still in hospital.

Possible problems

If your health hasn't suffered much, the rest will be fairly easy. It is much simpler to prove that the accident was caused by somebody's mistake than that it was only your fault.

Dave Hoffman is the founder of Personal Injury Atorneys a website providing information on personal injury law

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