Chuck Newton

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! Now Your Twitter Feed Can Be A Newspaper.

I am on such a tech kick of late in my blogging. That is so unlike me. I like tech, but I trend toward the more mundane practices of law.   

I was looking at Robert Ambrogi's new blog site, LawSitesBlog.Com, and found this interesting post on Paper.Ii creating the Daily On Twitter site in which you can turn your Twitter stream into an online newspaper.

Here are a few examples -

Robert Ambrogi

Mathew Ingram

Entertainment Law Update

Garry J. Wise

Breaking News

Matt Taibbi

The benefit of Twitter in my view is the immediacy of it. The downfall of it is the temporary nature of it, especially as the stream is embedded on websites. It seem to me that this sort of presentation can be much more pleasing and a lot lot fleeting. This has the ability to enhance the twitter experience in my view and to make it a more vital part of a content rich website or blog as well.

Appholes - Jon Stewart Goes Off On Apple's iThug Tactics

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Appholes
www.thedailyshow.com
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Android Surpasses iPhone In One Respect

I like Google. I like their open source cell phone software, Android. I carry a Droid with me. I am a connected, carpet commuting, third waving kind of lawyer, and I am serious about my phone.

I guess Apple should be given credit for increasing the smart phone market. It is a leader to be sure. But, the cost of its phones, its chosen service provider, and its closed architecture is reason for concern. We do not live in an Apple world. We live in a Google world, and design and momentum plays just will not hack it.

Now, according to Fast Company, although Android still lags behind the iPhone in market share (iPhone has been available much longer), Android has passed the iPhone in mobile web use recently. In the USA Android accounted for 46% of online mobile traffic, compared with Apple's 39%. And, this is despite the fact that iPhone has two and half as many users as the entire Android galaxy.

The Studio Shed

Need a separate home office or some extra room so you can establish an office at home.  It can be a problem, but if you have even a small yard, there are increasingly more options for building so-called "sheds".

A new start up company based out of Boulder named Studio Sheds has designed a flat pack that can be used as an office shed.  It has a modern, neutral look, it is green, and it starts at $4,900.  You purchase the shed, secure the permits, set the foundation, and Studio Shed installs the shed in about 6-8 hours.

Below are pictures of the product and a video, which demonstrates how the shed comes together.

Judicial Diversity

Scott Simon's essays on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday, took on judicial diversity in a way I thought to be rational. He is right that there is nothing wrong with Ivy League justices, if we're going to argue that the pursuit of education is a good thing. Nonetheless, there is also nothing wrong with the thousands of qualified individuals who graduate from not only non-Ivy League law schools, and even 4th tier law schools. The truth of the matter is we need more than racial and gender diversity on the Supreme Court. We need racial and gender diversity, which still does not much exist, but we need more.

As stated by Simon:

"Eight of the justices on the court today are from Ivy League law schools. Some people believe that nominating a justice who got a great legal education and trial experience in the west or south might enliven discussion on a court where Harvard and Yale predominate. Five of the justices are from the northeast, and only one is from the south, which hardly reflects where people live in America today. Placing an avowed atheist, an active evangelical, an open gay or a former public defender might be a bolder step to express America than the usual categories by which we have come to keep score of diversity. America has become so gloriously varied, the old categories may feel a little narrow now. And, they'll only change."

The Streak

Okay, I show my age when I tell you that when I hear the name of the Dell slates I think of the 1974 hit by Ray Stevens, The Streak. This was number one on Billboard's Hot 100 at the time. It is still one of the top novelty songs and it is popular as a ringtone these days. Regardless, the thought of a guy running naked across a football field is probably  not the image Dell wants for the slate. Luckily, most potential buyers will not be as old as I am.

I would normally say that Apple is generally the leader in expanding product choice. It is a trend setter. But, in this instance this honor probably goes to Amazon. However, the gang of computer makers soon follow with what are many times substantially cheaper, more versatile, and more complete products.

It do not think it is will be much different in terms of the slate products.

According to Engadget, Dell will be introducing its slate products, called the Streak. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it will likely be launched using AT&T support.

I am not an expert on these things, but I do see a lot of practicality in slates. I think they will eventually play a large part in the practice of law.

Let's Get Visible

I use to say that new lawyers do not succeed because they are lazy. Of course I have learned over the years that is not true, and that that comment is quite rude. They are simply apprehensive, self-conscious, reticent, shy really, possibly introverted, reluctant, modest, disconcerted, doubtful, tentative, unwilling, indecisive, hesitant, inexperienced, unenlightened, or any other of things that prevents them from getting themselves out and getting known.  

Either this or they try to hard or expect too much in a minimal number of contacts. Call it ambition if you will. It comes from a craving or a hunger to build a practice. A restlessness to get the job done. The point is that it leads those that are bold to become discouraged, depressed, dismayed or demoralized easily and quickly.

It all goes with getting paying clients or cases. This is the lifeblood really of any practice. Lawyers more than anything want to help. They need, more than anything, money or earnings. The problem is, for the reasons stated above, they do not work effectively at this.

It is all about getting and making yourself visible.

It means to get out there and stay out there with no immediate expectation of getting a client, a referral, work or a case out of it. Making yourself both known and viewed as a reliable contact. Reliable because you are visible and always out where you need to be meeting and greeting people. Reminding people that you can help.

It goes without saying that familiarity breeds respect.

I am not talking about hard selling, as the more ambitious among us might decide to approach this task. That just turns people off. You want people to believe you are approachable. You do not want to be Billy Maze. Subtle may be the password but just being there, being everywhere you need to be, and making yourself visible is the key.

Have You Considered An Office, Work Space Or Meeting Space Made From Plastic Bottles

It is obviously not an impossible task thanks to the Polli-Brick. It is a recycled polymer architecture brick that offers a minimal carbon footprint through the use of a mature PET bottle recycling and manufacturing process.

A Taiwan company has built a three-level exhibition hall called the " EcoARK" using about 1.5 million of these Polli-Brick plastic bottles.  The building was commissioned by Far Eastern Group and will be donated to city government in Taipei.

Polli-Bricks are translucent and allow natural light to filter through the material.  As used in the new EcoARK, the curtain wall is said to be able to withstand typhoons and earthquakes and it is said to be "the world's lightest, movable, breathable environmental miracle, that can be taken apart and reassembled at another site after the exposition.

     

Mississippi College School Of Law

Mississippi College School of Law claims to be a law school rich in technology. I only wish they would better demonstrate that ability online. The library has the obligatory Facebook page, the school has a cheap blog and a stale, if information rich, website. But, then again, the web presence of MCSL is a lot better than many other law schools.

I do not really mean to pick too much because what MCSL has is a modern campus, it is located in a state capital, it has a reasonable acceptance rate, and a very good bar passage rate. And, to top it off, it is one of the best values in law school education around. What is not to recommend it?

I guess for once I would like a law school to WOW me to overcome its rankings. Instead many, including this one, rely on its history and staid statistics. Law schools all start blending together. They all say the same things, look the same, sound the same, and their web presence is basically the same. I guess what I am saying is that they lack originality. Tell me how the law school is really different, why rankings do not matter, what unusual vision there is for the law school, its students and its graduates.

This said, there are worse things in the world other than being focused on providing a legal education to students at a good value and with a good return, and for that MCSL can only be complimented.

MCSL is located in downtown Jackson, Mississippi.  The school has a rich history having started out in 1930 as Jackson School of Law. It was acquired by Mississippi College in 1975, whose main campus is in Clinton, Mississippi. In December, 2005 the law school completed the renovation and addition to its building. It has wonderful facilities. It is part of a Christian college.

The admission process at MCSL is not overly competitive. Each year it accepts a little over 50% of the applicants that apply. But, the law school is ABA approved, which means it provides a greater number of people an opportunity to study law anywhere in the country they would like.

It is a small law school with only about 90 entering students a year. However, this gives a better opportunity for personal attention.

Tuition is reasonable for a private law school at approximately $25,000.00 per year. And, the law school also provides scholarships.

Further, almost 90% of graduating students are employed within nine months of graduation at reasonable salaries.

MCSL's first time bar passage rate is often over 90%, and bar passage rates in general rarely get better than that.

It should also be pointed out that Jackson, Mississippi is both a warmer climate and the cost of living in Jackson is much less than in and around law schools in other parts of the country.

If you want to go to law school, need to find a good value where the opportunity of success is good, and maybe your LSAT is a little lower than what you might have liked, then serious consider MCSL. It is worth it.

NTR

Maybe we call it collaboration in the law biz, but in the real world they call it "nontraditional revenue" or "NTR".  It is the process of adding bottom-line income to your existing law revenue stream either directly or indirectly such as supplementing promotion costs.  

Radio stations do it, for example, by adding off station events or concerts, which the radio station helps promote.

Lawyers are a little different in that often they cannot share legal revenues with other non-lawyers, but nobody is asking you to do that.

Many lawyers do this with other lawyers involving office space. For example, they might practice personal injury but agree to lease space and refer clients to other attorneys who might possibly practice family law, estate planning or bankruptcy. But, it can go beyond working just with other lawyers.

A lawyer can establish executive space or co-working space to rent to professionals that compliment the lawyer's practice area. If you are a probate attorney you could share space with grief counselors. Consumer bankruptcy attorneys must advise their clients in obtaining insurance coverage, so why not bring in an insurance agent. Real estate attorneys can use abstractors, accountants, title insurance agents, other insurance agents, real estate agents, property managers, surveyors, and the like. It not only supplements the law firm's overhead such as rent, utilities and staff, but it promotes a referral ecosystem of sorts that benefits everyone.

A lawyer could also consider putting on a trade show in his or her area of expertise. A hotel space is rented and sold to both consumers and related trades bringing in income beyond legal services rendered. But, again it leaves only the one attorney to display his or her work.

The same can be said for putting on traveling workshops dealing with some industry in which an attorney specializes. The other trades are charged to display and speak at the event and, of course, promote your own services.

Lastly, if you insist on maintaining your own offices, and you have a nice conference room, consider what it might take to rent it out for private meetings of other groups, especially groups that might be able to use your services.