April 1st, 2011 by Gwynne Monahan
Friday Facebook Roundup 4/1/2011
Yes. It is Friday. It is April 1. It is April Fool’s Day. And what is April Fool’s Day without a post from Eric Turkewitz, a New York personal injury lawyer?
OK. Moving on. Here are some items worth checking out from our Facebook page:
- Virginia State Bar News – Internet Scams Target Lawyers. James M. McCauley, Ethics Council for the Virginia State Bar, outlines various scams targeting lawyers that have been reported. Scammers may identify themselves as a corporate officer of a legitimate overseas company asking for help in collected a debt, or they may identify themselves as seeking legal “representation” in order to collect divorce settlement monies from an ex “on assignment” in an Asian country. McCauley suggests lawyers file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center if you suspect you’ve been scammed, or call the Virginia State Bar’s Legal Ethics Hotline: (804)775-0564. We’d also suggest reading Avoid a Claim Blog’s Collaborative Law Agreement Fraud Scam post, as provides the text of some of the email scams.
- MyShingle.com – Blame it on Solo. There was much back-and-forth between Kevin O’Keefe of LexBlog and Will Hornsby of the ABA, over a recent ABA Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services survey about how people find lawyers, and a subsequent ABA Journal headline (see RLHB comments). Carolyn Elefant points out that the survey “was about how consumers find lawyers, not how lawyers attract clients,” and does a nice job of reframing the “to blog or not to blog” debate around solo and small firm lawyers.
- TechCrunch – Why Statrups Need to Blog (and what to talk about…). A guest post from Mark Suster, who is a venture capitalist with GRP Partners, talks about why to blog, and what to blog about. He walks through the 3 W’s and an H, using his own experience, and offer tips on specific things you can do to get started, and keep going.
- Lawyerist – Hosting a WordPress Website for Your Law Firm. While there are other blogging platforms, like Blogger, WordPress is arguably the defacto favorite for law firms. Sam Glover walks you through the three options for setting up a WordPress blog for your law firm. So if you’ve been thinking about blogging, or don’t like your current blogging platform, give it a read and then give WordPress a try.
- NYT You’re the Boss Blog – A Start-Up’s Financial Reckoning. Good read that chronicles SolTec Electronics and how its founder, Dawn Gluskin, was so focused on “sales, marketing, and business development — her areas of expertise — while simultaneously running her 11-employee company” that she lost sight of the company’s financials. Serves as a good reminder of why it is important to keep an eye on your whole practice, not just your lawyering expertise.
- Jim Calloway’s Law Practice Tips Blog – Deep Thoughts on the Future of Law Practice. A comment on Jordan Furlong’s post, “The Stratified Legal Market and its Implications,” it also points to some other resources on the topic, namely a podcast and an Oklahoma Bar CLE course he has put together. The CLE course will also be a live webcast, set for May 18.
- ABA Journal – Web Attacks can Diminish your Good Name, but Something can be Done. Good read about the “Internet’s potential in a networked world to shape and alter reputations,” and not necessarily for the better. It walks through some real world examples, applicable laws, free speech debates and some steps you can take if you find yourself in the crosshairs.
- Attorney at Work – Wireless: Be Safe at Home. Much credence is given to protecting yourself while using a public Wi-Fi hotspot, whether at the local coffee shop or at the airport or some other public space. Little, if any, credence is given to protecting yourself while at home since, well, who really thinks about the security of their home Wi-Fi? It’s home, it’s secure! Not so fast, especially if you live in an urban area, so be sure to read this piece on how to protect your home Wi-Fi, too.
Until next week…
