Why Lawyers Can't Blog

We live in a multi-media world, and so law firms need to work in a multi-media way. Yes thanks to the digital age there is a panoply of means of expression; digital avenues which can you can use to engage, interact and to market and monetise your legal expertise.

How has the Global Downturn Affected the Legal Industry?

Few have dodged the wrath of the global economic downturn. There have been many victims and in this post we ask a simple question: how has the economic crisis affected the legal industry?

Tweeter of the Week

We announce the fourth ever "Tweeter of the Week". Read on to see who it is.

This week's "Tweeter of the Week" Mr. Barra Best

We identified this week's “Tweeter of the Week” by scoring them on a number of criteria: level of interaction, frequency of Tweets, aesthetics of Twitter page, biography, humour, informativeness, consistency and overall Twitter experience they give you.

Guest Post: Should Law Students Sit on the Fence or Editorialise Their Tweets?

This is the second guest blog from Pat Ellis who asks: is it OK for law students to let their partisan political voice free on Twitter?

Pat Ellis of Michigan State School of Law

Well, another debate season has come and gone. For the next few hours, days, and weeks, the “Twitterverse” will be abuzz with quotes and opinions, accusations and commentary about the debates and the presidential candidates.  Some of these 140-character political manifestos will be thoughtful, but most will likely be dull reiterations of the same pundit-points made millions of times before.  Regardless, Twitter’s impact and importance will be on full display in the coming weeks, culminating in the presidential election and an inevitable, partisan Tweetsplosion.

So now, I have a question.  This is a question that comes from a lack of experience both on Twitter and in the legal profession. Should a law student and aspiring attorney participate in the political discussion on Twitter?

What Doe’s Twitter’s “Law Tribe” Mean for Law?

In this post we ask a difficult question: what does Twitter's "Law Tribe" mean for law?

The legal services industry is in the midst of a revolution. These are convulsions triggered by a range of factors including persistent economic headwinds, chronic business uncertainty and an increase in regulation. But at the heart of law’s metamorphosis has been the client. Under a gloomy economic backdrop the long and short is: clients want more for less.

Guest Blog: Re-Imagining Law (and Law School) Thanks To Twitter

Pat Ellis, a second year student at Michigan State's School of Law, talks about how Twitter has changed his experience of Law School and his career ambitions.

Pat Ellis who is in his second year of Law School 

For any of you who witnessed the recent Red Bull Stratos Space Jump, my entry into the “Twittersphere” was similar to the ascent of Felix Baumgartner’s balloon and capsule: painfully slow. In fact, I actually made an account, tried to work it for a week, and then deleted it. I was nervous and had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t even have a photo or a bio! Lost and disgruntled that my only followers seemed to be pornographic spammers, I denounced Twitter and quit. 

22% of US Consumers Use Social Media to Find Lawyer

We unveil some fascinating figures that will make you want to boost your firm's social media presence and online identity. Find out all about the statistics below!

In a recent article, available here, LexisNexis revealed that the latest research has shown that 22% of those who sought an attorney in the last year said they turned to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Youtube to find a practitioner who they felt could help them with their legal problem.

How to Get More out of 140 Characters

Twitter may prove troublesome to those who find condensing their thoughts into 140 words, but there's a load of Twitter-related tools out their that can really improve your Twitter experience.

In a recent article in the Economic Times, available here, they explained how some of the add-ons work and how they can be used to upgrade your Tweeting. Here's 35 of the add-ons on offer:

Tweeter of the Week

We announce the third ever "Tweeter of the Week". To find out who the Tweeter is, read on!

We identified this week's “Tweeter of the Week” by scoring them on a number of criteria which make up good Tweeting: level of interaction and engagement, frequency of Tweets, aesthetics and qualities of Twitter page, biography, humour, the informativeness of their content, their consistency and the overall experience they give you.

Twitter's Law Tribe

In this post we look at Twitter's legal tribe, look at some of its legal tribes-people and look at how tribes can dilute the integrity of the micro-blogging platform.

One thing that makes Twitter unique from all other social media is its unique qualities: instantaneity and flowing openness. A direct consequence of these attributes is that like minded people from all around the world can find and connect with each other exceptionally easy. As they say: at the click of a button.

This Twitter functionality allows, both consciously and unconsciously, for the formation of large Twitter tribes. Unseen and unheard by non-Tweeters and fresh faced Tweeps, Tribes are the collection and intermingling of people who share interests, have similar identities, perhaps share the same profession and regularly engage over one broad subject.

The Tweeter of the Week

The Tweeting Lawyer announces the winner of the second ever "Tweeter of the Week" award. To find out who the Northern Ireland Tweeter is, read on!

We identified this week's Top Tweeter by scoring them on a number of criteria which we feel make up for a strong Twitter experience: level of interaction and engagement, frequency of Tweets, aesthetics and qualities of Twitter page, biography, humour, the informativeness of their content, their consistency and the overall experience they give you.

Digital Lawyer: How Can You be Influential on Twitter and Social Media?

The Tweeting lawyer takes a look at the BBC Radio 4 series "The Digital Human," a show that looks into, and pulls apart the digital world in order to better understand how ever-increasing digitalisation is changing the way we live and interact.

As I was driving to rugby training the other night I was captivated by "The Digital Human," a series produced by BBC Radio 4 that discusses how the digital world is changing our world. And thanks to the wonder of technology, you too can listen here.

But what was so great about the broadcast, what was it about and why do I feel the urge to share it with the legal community?

745,140,854 Registered Twitter Users and Counting

There's economic doom and gloom at seemingly every turn we take. However Twitter is one source of explosive growth; so, can you afford to miss out on it? We give you the numbers.

Check out the graph above which we got from wewillraakyou.com, here. Ostensibly the graphic speaks for itself, 745,140,854 registered Tweeters and counting!

It just leaves one simple question: can you afford to miss out on this?

Boost Your Firm by Advertising on Twitter

You can pay to advertise on Twitter, and thanks to Kevin O'Keefe of LexBlog we tell you how.

There's 3 ways that law firms can advertise on Twitter, and as Kevin O'Keefe noted here, here's how:

Firstly, law firms can pay for PROMOTED TWEETS. This increases the reach of your firm by allowing you to broadcast Tweeters to a far larger audience.

Secondly, law firms can pay for PROMOTED TRENDS. This gives you the chance to include a trending topic at the top of Twitter's trends list.

Thirdly, law firms can pay for a PROMOTED ACCOUNT. As law and social media guru Kevin O'Keefe noted: having a promoted account allows your to "turbocharge" your Twitter account.

Kevin O'Keefe rightly added that some people may be put off by this practice, but ultimately I think he's very much correct when he said that it's something that we're going to see more and more.

So there you go: if you don't mind pulling out the wallet and you really want to boost your Twitter presence give some thought to purchasing a promoted account, trend or Tweet!

Why Monitoring Your Twitter Performance is VITAL!

The Tweeting lawyer encourages you to 'ego track' your Twitter account and shows you how.

You may have developed, implemented and promoted an amazing Twitter strategy; you could be performing beautifully and even be a top Tweeter, however all that could be for nothing if you aren't tracking and monitoring your performance.

Monitoring your Twitter is vital: by following your Twitter growth and level of interaction you can reevaluate, spot and address weaknesses and alter your Twitter behaviour appropriately.

You could spend time everyday logging new followers, interactions and retweets into a spread sheet and work out weekly and monthly averages - OR - you could sign up to TwentyFeet and let it do all the difficult and time consuming arithmetic.

Click here, and you can download the fantastic application and really SUPERCHARGE your total Twitter performance. I'd be lost without it!

Law Society of Scotland: Social Media - Advice and Information for the Legal Profession

In June 2012 the Law Society of Scotland published a guide on how the legal profession can get the most out of social media.

The report took great time to look at how law firms can use Twitter but I don't want to say too much for now, so click here and check out what they had to say.

"Twitter for Small (Law Firms): A Guide to Get Started"

Twitter can do wonders for your small law practice. We're going to tell you how.

Legal practitioners often simply don't know what to do on Twitter. They get stage fright and go all stiff, rigid and tight; they behave like an awkward teenager on the dance floor. 

I'm always asked by lawyers looking to build a presence on Twitter: who should we follow? What do we say? Where are we going with Twitter? When should we Tweet? How often should we Tweet? These are the questions that confront small law firms time after time.

But worry not: Twitter itself has provided a guide on how small businesses can best use Twitter. Available here, the paper is called: "Twitter for Small Businesses: A Guide to Get Started." The recommendations and suggestions are simple and easily put into practice. Whilst the advice is targeted specifically towards small businesses, the suggestions are just as applicable to the small law firm getting started on Twitter.

So go on and take a look at it, and you'll soon see how simple Tweeting and Tweeting effectively can be.

12 Twitter Tips for Small Law Firms

Do you want to be HUGE on Twitter? Well follow these Twitter endorsed tips to find out how!

There's countless sources on the internet purporting to offer authoritative Tweeting guidance to the small business. Some of the sources are good, some are bad and others are just plain wrong. Obviously we're amazing at providing Twitter guidance to law firms!

However there is one source of information that offers Twitter tips better than all the rest: that's Twitter itself.

A paper produced by Twitter, available here, entitled, "Twitter for Small Business: A Guide to Get Started," provides the consummate guide on how small businesses can do Twitter well.

Tuesday Tweeter of the Week

The Tweeting Laywer announces its Tweeter of the Week and awards the 'Tuesday Tweeter' title to the week past's savviest Tweeter.

We looked at the following criteria: frequency of Tweets, quality of Tweets, informativeness, whether they were topical and the overall consistency and message of the Twitter feed.