Recently in Law Firm Rainmaking Category

The Wall Street Journal Law Blog has alerted me to a new practice area that is heating up thanks to the continually deteriorating economy: WARN Act cases are apparently poised to become a hot topic of litigation over the coming months.

The WARN Act (or Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act) is designed to give workers who work in certain locations for companies covered by the act a 60 day cushion before a round of mass layoffs.  The problem is that many companies are now claiming that the nature of the current downturn has prevented them from providing the requisite notice because events transpired too quickly to allow the business to wait before performing layoffs.

The folks at FindLaw's Lawyer Marketing Blog have posted an excellent rundown of how to get started on Twitter and incorporate the service into your legal marketing arsenal.  Not only does the post introduce you to Twitter (just in case you've been living in a cave for the past year), it also has a list of Twitter best practices that will help you reach out to potential clients and expand your business.  

Twitter can definitely be a great way to spread the work about you and what you do, but we wouldn't be lawyers if we didn't think about liability, right?  Well, it just so happens that Twitter is starting to generate some interesting legal questions, and a host of practical questions as well.

In this new post-downturn reality of a highly competitive, shrinking legal market, many lawyers have begun to branch out from the traditional methods of running a firm and are exploring strategies widely utilized in the business world to attract new clients, keep the ones they have, and manage their firms more efficiently.

The Wall Street Journal details the steps some firms and attorneys are taking to learn more about business methods and development in a pair of articles today.

Chrysler filed a motion today with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York asking the court to approve the elimination of 789 of its U.S. dealerships.  With roughly 3200 dealerships across the country, the number slated to have their franchise agreements rejected constitutes about one quarter of Chrysler's total U.S. dealerships.

Analysts say that the auto maker, which entered bankruptcy protection on April 30, had too many dealerships located too close to each other, especially in the larger metropolitan areas.  Chrysler has also been trying to consolidate its brands, so one factor in the decision is whether a dealer sells all three Chrysler brands, or just one or two.

After the dismal AmLaw 100 results that came out last month, it's no surprise that things aren't magically looking better for the legal industry.  After being doused with that bucket of iced sewer water, pretty much everyone was expecting 2009 to be a little slow out of the gates.

Still, it's always a little intimidating when numbers come out that confirm dire predictions so resoundingly.

May 20 to 21, 2009 • Harvard Club of New York City - New York, NY

Law Firm Business Development Forum is a new conference designed to address how law firms can gain new business from new and existing clients. This conference is designed for business development professionals and partners with marketing, business development and client service responsibility. This conference is for law firms of any size and will examine the unique aspects of law firm business development informed by client perspectives.

More Information >

As China grows as a world economic leader, it will be essential for attorneys whose clients do business with Chinese companies to have a strong grasp of the legal structure that governs business in China.  Two new offerings from West, a Thomson Reuters business, give attorneys the insight necessary to help their clients succeed with their endeavors in China.

EAGAN, Minn., 4/22/2009 - The People's Republic of China is now the world's third-largest economy and the recipient of more foreign investment each year than any other country, yet its business laws and the practice of deal-making have long been a source of confusion or mystery.

West, part of Thomson Reuters, is releasing two books that provide relevant information for doing business in China: Mergers and Acquisitions in China and Shareholder Agreements and Joint Ventures in China.

Ah, the Internet - what can't it do these days?

The National Law Journal is reporting that many firms are expecting the Internet to lead to more work as companies clamor and grab for a share of the $7.2 billion set aside for broadband infrastructure development in the economic stimulus package passed last February.

This post contains links to some blog posts out there with some great information about running your firm.  Whether you're looking for ways to partner with bigger firms, trying to ward off competition or get ahead of the pack with an effective marketing campaing, or trying to determine the substantive direction of your practice, these articles will tell you what you need to know.

Here are the top 5 links this week:

San Diego, CA -- April 14, 2009 --With the release of Abacus Rainmaker, attorneys have the ability to capture and understand critical data about their clients and prospects, the firm's marketing efforts and its client service. Adding Abacus Rainmaker to AbacusLaw v18 provides the following benefits:

• A better return on your marketing dollars

• More effective prospecting

• Better client service

• More repeat business

• More referrals

• Improved brand image