Public Relations...Or, Relating with the Public

My undergraduate education is in communication. Specifically, organizational communication. I studied communication at a mid-sized university, before heading off to law school.

The thing I particularly enjoyed about the communication studies discipline, was the range of classes available to students. My first thought when I embarked in the field was to become a reporter, or some other press-related individual. I liked the "gumshoe" work of a reporter, strung together with the fast-paced, changing world. Eventually, I decided that I wanted to work in the messed-up world of business, and evaluate the different sub-levels of businesses and other organizations - hence, organizational communication (I'm not sure why I didn't choose psychology, because a lot of O.C. is about analyzing people and their behaviors.)

During my education I had a variety of opportunities to examine media interactions, and learned to appreciate the power of the media. That's why this post by The Nutmeg Lawyer, Adrian Baron, really worked.

The post discusses the importance of working with the media, and how the media can really boost your law practice. Adrian Baron talks about his experience in the world of criminal law, and how using the media has increased his revenue and client base. Adrian give concise advice regarding some fundamental steps to help work with the media.

I learned early that too many people, and far too many lawyers, are afraid of the media, and using the media in their law practice. I see it as a natural tendency for us to shy away from anything we can't acutely manage or control. However, you must recognize that there are times and places when you want to use the media to your advantage, and certainly bad coverage (where you're involved with a "bad" client) is better for your firm than no coverage. Always recognize and appreciate opportunities to market your firm.

Part of growing and building your practice is becoming recognized as a legal "expert" on a particular topic. The more people can recognize you as the lawyer, hence Adrian's "heroin lawyer", the greater success you'll have in bringing in clients. I attest to the truthfulness of this mantra. Like Adrian, I've had several similar good and bad experiences with media relations.

When you're given an opportunity to become a legal "expert" by the media, seize it. You're never going to have an easier time striking publicity for yourself.

Google Apps

Google continues (in my opinion) to dominate the market with its extensive offering of products and services. Regardless of your feelings about operating systems (iOS v. MS), you must agree that Google has the best cloud services, hands down.

Six months ago I transferred all of my email/contacts/calendaring services to Google Apps, and I paid the premium price to upgrade my accounts to the business edition. I'm not looking back!

If you're not familiar with the Google Apps product, your law firm should be. The product provides a clean and simple cloud interface for handling a variety of daily things like calendaring, email, and contacts. More importantly, as long as you have internet access, you can connect to everything through the online resource.

For those of you who love the interface with Outlook (I am one), the paid version ($50/year per user) offers a simple sync to Outlook program that you can use to transfer your Outlook information between your computer and your Google account.

Here's some of the huge benefits I find with using my Apps account:

1. Easy integration/access to email, calendar, and contacts from my laptop, desktop, or smartphone;
2. Seamless sync between Outlook and Google on any computer (I currently sync my home, laptop, and office computers with my Google account);
3. Easily share calendar and contacts with employees;
4. High-quality technical support and hassle-free maintenance (I get the same quality as MS Exchange, without maintaining an Exchange server)

I would always recommend the paid version if you're intending to use Google Apps for business purposes. I believe, and would probably win any challenge, that paying for cloud services, as opposed to using freebies, entitles you to some privacy protections that might not be otherwise. Google Apps provides all users, especially small businesses, with the big business IT resources. 

Be Careful What You Write

It has been too long since I posted something on this site. I didn't forget about it, I just made a little more emphasis on my other site. I promise to make a more concerted effort at blogging here too.

The ABA Journal has an interesting story about the dangers of social media. The article appears hell-bent on making everyone fearful of using social media to tell a story or advertise one's business. In fact, I think there might be a strong goal by the big-law bandits of the ABA to minimize the use of social media among lawyers.

Basically, the Journal's article talks about the plight of one Sean Conway, a Florida lawyer, who happens to be involved in attorney disciplinary proceedings because of his blogging/use of social media. Mr. Conway's problems arise because he's a) in Florida, and b) he's advertising/using social media of some comments he made about a Florida circuit court judge on a blog discussing Broward County legal topics.

I think Conway's problem is the fact he used this public sphere to berate a political/judicial figure. Fortunately when blogging, there are some established (common sense) rules. Conway states his actions were deliberate and intentional.

If you're using your blog to convey information, then convey information. There are more judicious (and safer) ways for you to get your political message through.