Call for comments about the ABA's legal processing outsourcing study

On May 7, 2010, NAFLP and Lisa Solomon of Legal Research and Writing Pro, responded to the ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20 Call for Comments regarding Legal Process Outsourcing (Domestic and International). The full response can be found here.

Of particular interest, however, is that the ABA's call for comments contains three pages of questions, none of which addresses freelance lawyers. Furthermore, there is not a single question directed to contract lawyers, those who work for legal employment agencies and legal process outsourcing companies.

I pulled up the ABA's mission statement again this morning which reads as follows:

To serve equally our members, our profession, and the public by defending liberty and delivering justice as the national representative of the legal profession.

Call my cynical if you like, but an investigation into legal outsourcing that does not even mention those lawyers who provide freelance legal services to law firms domestically, or the masses of contract lawyers that fuel fee generation for large law firms via massive document review projects, is without excuse.

Freelance lawyers, contract lawyers, stand up and tell your story. NAFLP and freelance lawyer Lisa Solomon have told them. Kimberly Alderman at "Lawyer On! The Freelance Attorney Blog" has told them ("The ABA (Unintentionally) Recognizes Freelance Lawyers as Freedom Fighters"). The Posse List, I understand, is preparing to address the issue. Now it is your turn. Tell the ABA who you are, what you do, and that if they want to act as the "national representative of the legal profession," they better take note of the entire legal profession.

Post your comments here and cc Senior Research Paralegal Natalia Vera at veran@staff.abanet.org. ABA, your comments and explanations are welcome also.

Upcoming TeleWebinar - "You Are Your Own Brand - Make the Most of It" - April 16, 2009

Join Lisa Solomon of Legal Research and Writing Pro, and presenter Carol Schiro Greenwald, for a marketing telewebinar -

You are Your Own Brand—Make the Most of It

Thursday, April 16, 2009 at 3 p.m. Eastern (noon Pacific)

Everyone talks about branding your firm, but few talk about the more important concept of branding yourself. You are your own brand: how you dress, move, and speak convey reams of information about you that is quickly absorbed by your audience.

You have only seven seconds to make a first impression. In this program, you’ll learn:

• what your clothes, the colors you wear, your bearing, your eye contact and your body language all say about you before you even open your mouth
• how to use all forms of communication to present a coherent set of messages to clients, contacts and prospects about how you approach your work and what services you sell
• how marketing terms such as “branding,” “positioning,” and “key messages” apply to your personal marketing activities

The major areas that transmit messages about you—from your workspace to your web site, from your writing to your networking spiel

Presenter Carol Schiro Greenwald works with law firms, practice groups and individual lawyers to help them quickly grow their client base. She uses a research-based approach to discover how her clients are perceived by their clients and prospects, and helps her clients create effective marketing strategies. Carol also works with individual lawyers to maximize their client relationships, cross-selling and referral opportunities, and to develop the personal marketing and sales skills that work for them.

This program will be presented as a “tele-webinar.” In a tele-webinar, you call in to a conference call line to receive the audio portion of the program. If you have access to your computer, you can follow along with a Power Point presentation as well. There is no need to install any software on your computer. If you will be calling in from outside the office, don’t worry: you can view or print the slides before the program, if you wish.

Registration for this program includes the live tele-webinar, plus access to downloadable audio and video recordings.

The cost for this program is $97. NAFLP members receive 25% off ALL Legal Research & Writing Pro programs and products using the members-only promotion code during checkout.

To register, visit Legal Research and Writing Pro and add a Silver Membership to your cart.

Upcoming NAFLP Sponsored Event - Jan 22, 2009

Join Lisa Solomon, Legal Research and Writing Pro, and presenter Cheryl Stephens, in an exciting teleseminar -

Plain Language Principles for Better Briefs

Thursday, January 22, 3:00 p.m. Eastern (12:00 noon Pacific)

In Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges, authors Bryan Garner and Justice Antonin Scalia advise lawyers to “[b]anish jargon, hackneyed expressions and needless Latin” from their briefs. You can accomplish this goal, and write more persuasive briefs, by applying the principles of plain language legal writing. Plain language legal writing refers to legal writing that is well thought out, well organized, and understandable to the reader without interpretation: the language is clear, the legal concepts are explained and the technical terms are defined.

In this program, you’ll learn:

• What it means to really know your audience
• What your intro should include
• When and how to use precedent
• Ways to reword legal terms so they’re understandable in plain English
• Methods for reducing wordiness
• When ambiguity is useful, and when it’s a hindrance
• Traps that make your writing cumbersome
• How to structure a sentence for clarity
• How to design paragraphs that work
• What passive voice is good for

. . . and more!

Presenter Cheryl Stephens is the author of several articles and books, including Plain Language Legal Writing. Her plain language blog, Rapport, is a popular resource online. For nearly twenty years, she has been writing, speaking, and teaching about plain language, helping legal professionals to become more successful communicators using plain language principles.

Registration for this program includes the live teleseminar, plus access to a downloadable recording (mp3).

The cost for this program is $97. NAFLP members receive 25% off ALL Legal Research & Writing Pro programs and products. NAFLP will receive the promotion code via separate email for use during checkout.

To register, visit http://legalresearchandwritingpro.com/products and add a Silver Membership to your cart.

Reserve your place early!

Upcoming NAFLP sponsored event

Join NAFLP affiliate, Lisa Solomon of Legal Research and Writing Pro, and Ed Poll, a nationally-recognized law firm strategist for this exciting tele-webinar -

Business Competency for Lawyers

Tuesday, October 21, 12:00 p.m. Eastern (9 a.m. Pacific)

• Are you interested in launching a solo practice or small firm, but don’t know where to start?
• Are you in the process of opening, or planning to open, a solo practice or small firm?
• Do you want to take your existing solo practice or small firm to new levels of profitability?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, don’t miss this information-packed program, in which you’ll learn about:

• metrics that measure your success
• the importance of a business plan
• the elements of a business plan
• where marketing fits into your business plan
• the different types of financial statements—and why they’re important for solos

All practicing lawyers need to have a firm grasp of the subjects covered in this “tele-webinar.” In a “tele-webinar,” you call in to a conference call line to receive the audio portion of the program. If you have access to your computer, you can follow along with a Power Point presentation as well. There is no need to install any software on your computer. If you’re calling in from outside the office, don’t worry: you’ll receive a link to the presentation slides the day before the program, so you can view them at your convenience.

Presenter Ed Poll is a nationally-recognized law firm strategist who coaches lawyers and consults with law firms for their greater profitability. Ed enables lawyers to be more effective with their clients, more efficient in their delivery of legal services and more profitable. The net result is more revenue for the family and less stress in the practice of law! The cost for this program is $97. Plus, when you register, you'll have an exclusive opportunity to purchase Ed's book, Business Competency for Lawyers: A Special Report for $18.50 (that's half off the $37 cover price).

NAFLP members receive 25% off ALL Legal Research & Writing Pro programs and products. (Members, the promotion code for use during checkout has been sent directly to you).

To register, visit http://legalresearchandwritingpro.com/products and add a Silver Membership to your cart.