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In October 2011 the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting launched the new ICLR Online service, for the first time publishing their own reports digitally: previously they had been available on CD and online only through third party publishers: Justis, LexisNexis and Westlaw.
In this issue, the increasing importance of video on law firm websites and the biggest digital marketing mistake most law firms still make.
A meeting held by video conference uses dedicated video conference equipment. Typically this is a “room based” system which is designed to accommodate up to 6–10 people. The equipment allows for “real time” or live audio and visual communication.
In the last issue, Shireen Smith explained why she thinks that giving free legal advice to attract clients is a bad idea. I emailed around 30 of the firms who have at one time or another told me that they are willing to give free initial legal advice by email or phone. I would not claim that this was a scientific survey, and I have to say that most people did not respond at all, but the answers I did receive are very interesting.
One of the most active law topics on the internet is, of course, technology law. Techies invented and developed the internet and have always been at the forefront of web publishing via forums, blogs, wikis and other social media; and tech lawyers have not been far behind as internet developments have thrown up many new legal issues.
In one of our CPD courses this year, in a chapter on the issues raised in the “The end of print?” series, Nick Holmes and I asked the question “Tell us frankly what you think (good or bad) about looseleaf services” and added “This is a genuine question. We’d really like to know!” Here are the first 30 answers we received to this question, with no selection and little editing, reprinted with the participants’ permission. Whilst there are widely differing opinions, it would appear that looseleaf services still have their fans.
Delia Venables asks Craig Holt about how the QualitySolicitors brand is getting on.
Microsoft Office 365 is a suite of securely hosted (“Cloud”) online applications available now direct from Microsoft that has potential to radically improve use of IT for a wide variety of law firms, not just small firms. However, it may have an Achilles heel for users in the UK; nothing to do with the technology but down to US legislation designed to give their government powers to combat terrorism.
Access the January 2012 issue PDF (subscribers only).
It is ironic that BAILII, which came into being to free the law, has been called out recently for restricting access to the law.
How can the sole practitioner (or small firm lawyer) take advantage of the opportunities presented by the internet?
In the May/June issue, Nick Holmes suggested that particular types of print are under threat and he questioned whether ebooks were the future. In the last issue we published replies from three key law publishers. This time we provide a law librarian’s view.
This issue: the personal injury referral fee ban and attracting online enquiries
Leaving the production of profiles to the barristers themselves is a formula for slow progress at best and will probably produce a set of CVs with no overall style or direction.
Are lawyers getting it right giving free advice to prospective clients to impress them with their lawyering skills?