Larry Bodine reports from the Illinois State Journal-Register:
"Who’s licensed to practice law in Illinois? None of your business.
That’s what the state Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission has told a Seattle company that wants to post the names of lawyers on the Internet and assign grades based on performance, awards, experience and disciplinary records.
Avvo (listen to our podcast interview with Mark Britton, CEO and Founder of Avvo, Inc.) has posted information online about lawyers in more than a dozen states. The company, which started its Web site a year ago, says it has received lists of lawyers from 30 states. Illinois, however, has balked.
It’s clear that the taxing authorities are hurting for money. New York adopted a provision that requires that sellers to New York residents collect and pay to New York their sales tax even if the seller has no physical presence there. Thus, at least one internet seller has now withdrawn. How will this provision interfere with electronic commerce? What makes this seller unique? Why should physical presence make a difference concerning collection of tax on sales to in-state residents?
And California is seriously considering imposing a tax on professional services, even on lawyers! Would this violate the rules of confidentiality by requiring the disclosure of the client’s name when creating a report to the State? What other rules of professional conduct might be violated by such a provision? Stay tuned as the legislature continues its deliberations — and then almost certainly litigation to prevent its implementation.
Mark Britton is the founder and CEO of Avvo, Inc. He was interviewed by Ed concerning the novel approach to rating lawyers. Mark talks about the objectives of Avvo: to help consumers enter the legal community with confidence, to help lawyers differentiate themselves and increase their revenues. They do this, in part, by rating lawyers by three separate modalities: Peer review; Client review; and Avvo review. Avvo is now moving beyond just rating lawyers into providing information to consumers. Listen to this interview and learn about the new rating methodology that will envelope most lawyers in the near future.
In a recent interview, authors of Kickstart – How Successful Candians Got Started talk about how they got the idea for their new book. They also share the traits that all the successful interviewees seemed to share:
1. They love what they do
This means that they aren’t "working," they’re "playing" — Long hours do not become burdensome, but and extension of the joy they take in what they do. If you’re going to put in long hours, you ought to be enjoying the time.
2. They’re persistent and focused on what they do
This means that they don’t allow distractions to take them away from their vision.
3. They’re "pushy" about getting to the top of their respective endeavors.
This means they are assertive and directive when needed.
Good traits to have in any field to be successful. A new associate in a law firm would do well to learn these lessons, and more that you can glean from the 70 interviews (including a Canadian Supreme Court Justice) in the book.
TechnoLawyer has created a new video with their 30,000th eBook download. A fun job … Can you see our LawBiz Blog in the list of blogs? You have to look fast as the video speeds up at the end! <g> But, we’re there.
We’re taught that "respect for the law" is an underlying foundation for our society.
In a recent case, the courts have denied a law license to a Michigan applicant because he said he has no respect for the Michigan court that fails to protect the civil liberties of plaintiffs.
"Lawrence says he holds the Michigan court system in low regard because a majority of Michigan Supreme Court justices have been hostile to civil rights plaintiffs. He says he doesn’t regret answering truthfully when the character and fitness committee asked about his political beliefs, and he would do it again." (ABA Journal)
Shouldn’t the justices have recused themselves in this matter, since their reputation was what they were deciding? Obviously, they didn’t think so. The question being asked now is what Mr. Lawrence thinks of the judicial system? Shouldn’t the question be: What happened to the First Amendment and the right to hold an unpopular opinion? Was this really moral turpitude?
How can others respect the law with decisions such as this?
Many lawyers are finding easy ways to communicate with clients … by sending status reports. If anyone wants a copy of one, send me an email to edpoll@lawbiz.com and ask. These are simple forms, originally developed by Michigan attorney, Wes Hackett, a good friend.
Many lawyers, unfortunately, never figure out that their client is unhappy. They just think that the client has no additional legal work. They don’t realize that the client was so unhappy that, though they didn’t complain, they just didn’t return! What a shame not to have the sensibility to even know this.
"Law is subject to the same laws of economics as every other business." Thus spoke Tower Snow, former chair of Brobeck, the then large San Francisco law firm. (more…)
Anthony E. Davis is a partner of Hinshaw & Culbertson and co-author of Risk Management: Survival Tools for Law Firms, Second Edition. He focuses his practice on risk management and professional responsibility. Anthony talked recently with the American Bar Association’s Law Practice Management’s Finance Core Group. His comments highlight the importance of the intake process to create the right dialogue with clients and a collaborative relationship, the most effective modality to serve clients best. Ed moderated the presentation.
Carolyn Elefant at My Shingle suggests that airlines new fees for passengers who check baggage may be seen as "nickel and dime" fee increases. And, she wonders out loud whether lawyers are doing the same thing to clients when they charge for photocopying, etc. (more…)
