Following my most recent post about the charitable and community efforts of one of our licensees, I learned of something rather remarkable undertaken by another, a
Kansas City car accident lawyer (who is also a
Kansas City bankruptcy lawyer) . Some 13 years ago, Darrell Castle and his wife Joan started an orphanage in Bucharest Romania for homeless Gypsy children. What began as a 2-person effort has now grown into a full non-profit organization known as
Mia’s Children (named after the woman who runs it). Thirty-five permanent children as well as others benefit from the mission.
While this may have nothing to do with running a law firm, it does say a lot about the people who are running it and is well worth acknowledging.
From time to time I hear about, and like to acknowledge, the charitable and community efforts of our licensees. This being “the season of giving”, I thought it to be a good opportunity to acknowledge another such endeavor.
Samantha’s House is a non-profit organization in Indiana that “partners with the community to improve the living conditions of those who suffer from a significant injury or disability that leaves them trapped both physically and financially”. Basically, it does what Extreme Makeover-Home Edition has been doing for many years now. One of its biggest supporters has been an Indiana car accident lawyer , Keller & Keller, who happens to be a long standing Market Masters-Legal licensee. Kudos to them for their participation in this noble venture.
If you would like to share anything you and/or your firm is doing along this line, please let me know.
Happy Holidays
Are mobile apps for law firms worthwhile? You know, ones that people have on their phones so that in case they are in an accident they can have some basic “do’s and don’ts” and can get to you right away. I have been asked that question several times recently. The notion that the general public will seek out and add an app that they do not currently need and may never need is counter to what the app market is all about. People love apps that they use all the time, not one that just sits there. So, from the standpoint of voluminous downloads leading to direct business, well, the word I have in mind rhymes with “app”.
BUT, that is not the end of the story. Thanks to a recent email communication I was Cc’d on, I can see how it can be of benefit. I changed the names (you will see that they are very creative), but the exchange went something like this:
Lawyer 1: Check out our latest innovation. An app for iPhones and Androids.
Lawyer 2: Yeah. Get back to me in a few months and let me know if anyone actually uses it.
Lawyer 1: You are missing the point. I don’t expect to get ANY business from App. The point is that it makes us look like leaders in law firm technology. And, it is a “factor” in further differentiating our law firm from almost any other business, let alone law firm, in our market. And, to the younger clients, it makes us look “cool and hip.” If we generate even only one case, I will have exceeded my expectations by infinity, but that is most definitely not the reason that we went ahead with this.
From his perspective, Lawyer 1 cannot lose. I think he has a point. Let me add one more. Offering a free app to your new and existing clients makes a lot of sense. They have a relationship with the firm and the value of having it on their phones for future use can be explained to them. I suspect most would get it.
If you have an app, let me know how it is going for you.
Click Here
It happens every year at this time like clockwork. Well, a couple of things do. There is the OMG feeling that it can’t be that Thanksgiving is actually upon us already, and there is the phone call from Max and Doug (names changed).
The reason for the call is always the same. “Rick, we have had another excellent year for case fees. That’s the good news. The bad news is that we are staring down the barrel at some serious taxes as a result. Is there anything we should consider adding to our marketing that will help us get even more cases next year (that we can order and be invoiced for before the end of the year)?. We would rather reinvest what we can instead of just giving it to Uncle Sam.”
You know what? That is a GREAT question. One that I put out there to you to ask yourself whether or not you want to ask it yourself. For Max and Doug, they don’t let a year end without exploring this question with me. I invite all or our licensees to do the same thing. Just let me know IF you would like to discuss and we can set up a time to do so, or send me an email if you prefer to handle the exchange that way.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, and thank you for everything in 2011.
Coming up with a Halloween-appropriate post for a legal advertising blog isn’t very easy. Actually, I wasn’t planning on writing one. But sometimes, things just fall into your lap.
I had a little trouble getting to sleep the other night and flicked on the radio thinking it might help. The station was broadcasting an enormously popular program called Coast to Coast AM. The host was introducing his next guest as The Psychic Lawyer. Needless to say, that caught my attention. The Psychic Lawyer is Mark Anthony, a licensed attorney, who also happens to be a medium specializing in communicating with the dearly departed. Imagine adding that to your TV commercials or website navigation bar. “Auto Accidents”. “Social Security”. “ Workers Compensation”. “Communications with Spirits”. And it sure would make for an interesting victimonial. Guess we would have to modify our slogan a bit too. “Tell Them They Meant Business”.
If you are a psychic lawyer, even you need great TV campaigns and websites like those from Market Masters-Legal. Of course, you already knew that.
Happy Halloween.
The paradigm has changed when it comes to how the public perceives insurance companies. Thanks to the excellent multi-media campaigns deployed by the major consumer insurers, they have actually become quite likable. Combine this with the now prevalent strategy of swooping in and offering quick cash (albeit low) settlements at a time when people need money and the recipe is right for it to have an impact on your practices.
What used to be a “Cold War” approach of delay and deny has taken on the illusion of “the Wall coming down”. In other words, the wolf that used to clearly wear wolf’s clothing is now the wolf wearing sheep’s clothing…..and the public is buying it.
Our job is to make the consumer aware of what is going on and encourage them more than ever to contact a (your) law firm before signing anything or taking a deal. That is certainly something that we at Market Masters-Legal understand and are focusing our TV and Web licensee’s campaigns on.
As just about everyone in the legal profession knows, the “poster child” case for tort reform is the one involving the infamous fast food hot coffee spill. It is unfortunate how little the general public actually knows about this case and others like it. It is for that reason that we can only hope that viewers will watch the HBO documentary examining the dangers of tort reform entitled Hot Coffee.
Here is the Trailer for the show. Even more compelling is the Synopsis.
Of course, it remains critical to keep empowering messages out there like those available through Market Masters-Legal, “The Most Powerful TV Ads in the Country”.
You know those toning shoes with the curved bottoms that are supposed to help your physique? Well, maybe that is not all they do. Skechers Shape-ups are the subject of a recent lawsuit according to ABC News. There are certainly quite a few people using these shoes. Heck, I have a pair. We will have to keep an eye on this to see if it becomes a mass tort opportunity that has any “legs” (sorry).
The QuickStrike™ program at Market Masters-Legal gives our licensees a real edge when it comes to advertising for mass tort cases on TV.
What do Harry Truman, the Korean War and $3000 Packards have to do with Auto cases today? They all have 1949 in common, the last year that deaths on US roads were as low as they were in 2010, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s report on traffic fatalities.
-
An interesting perspective on the value of Forensic Economists in evaluating case values is offered by Jason Abraham of Market Masters-Legal licensee Hupy & Abraham in a recent edition of the Wisconsin Law Journal.
-
Looking for a public service promotion that really works? Market Masters-Legal licensee Joe Bornstein recently launched another Arrive Alive campaign. This promotion has been embraced across the state and has proven to be of real value to the community and to the firm.
-
Overall, Direct Mail is on the rise in 2011 according to a recent report. The automotive, retail and financial services industries are leading the way. Hard to know what this means to direct mail efforts by law firms, but it would not be all that surprising to see this increase as well. Market Masters-Legal offers full graphic design services to our licensees, and can design direct mail pieces that stand out.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a Safety Communication regarding the risk of oral clefts in children born to mothers taking Topamax (topiramate) .
The Ft. Wayne, IN Journal Gazette reported on 2/18/11 that lawyers for Zimmer, Inc. have filed suit against some law firms who have advertised on TV and/or the web seeking clients related to the NexGen® knee replacement line and other products the company manufactures.
The FDA is warning against certain uses of Terbutaline (asthma drug) in pregnant women.
The prescription hair loss drug Propecia is the subject of a lawsuit filed against Merck & Co. According to a recent Hartford Courant report, the suit alleges that Merck & Co. has failed to fully disclose potential serious side effects.
