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TMarieHilton
Carolyn Elefant
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[embedded content] For today’s Make Money Monday, here’s a quick summary of Gyi Tsakalakis’ talk Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose  – discussing how lawyers can engage with consumers online, and offering some easy ways to implement. You can view the full video above. Gyi’s talk covers Mail Chimp (at 8:00) to send recurring communications, Birthday Buddy for automated birthday messages (9:13), Postable to automate sending actual physical cards by mail  (9:23), Lawmatics,…
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This past May, I had the honor of speaking at the highly-regarded  Future is Now Conference  which is sponsored by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism. The conference talks were recently posted – and while I commend you to watch all of them (as well as the ones from previous years which I binge-watched in preparation for my own talk), today, I’ll summarize the key points of my talk, entitled Killing Solo Softly:…
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I came across this article from Fast Company about the  50 Best Workplaces for Innovators.  Unfortunately, the article simply lists the companies rather than describing what characteristics make them innovative. And so I got to thinking: when it comes to law, can innovation truly come from within? Or do you have to own it to change it? I’ve written about innovation in the legal profession over the past decade. Predictably –  but earnestly –…
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Editor’s Note – Summer always has me reminiscing about vacations past – and one of my favorites was our family’s ten-day trip to London in the summer of 2008, where I returned with tons of marketing Lessons from London . But here’s the one that stands out most, and that’s worth thinking about whether you’ve just started a new firm or are embarking on something new. The advice – act as if you own the…
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As I reflect back on the four years since husband’s death, I realize that one of the toughest obstacles to moving forward was my belief that any new step – whether replacing the standard with a car that our younger daughter could actually drive, or refinancing the house for a lower rate though we’d been intent on paying off the mortgage as quickly as possible and of course, dating – represented an all-out repudiation…
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Recently in one of my online lawyers groups, an attorney lamented that her state bar association had made self-help forms available for family law litigants at no cost and in addition, had started conducting free trainings to help users complete the forms. The attorney reported that many family law attorneys are up in arms about this recent development because the forms and training are open not just to indigent clients but also to those who…
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Last week, the State Bar of California released for public comment several proposals for regulatory reforms developed by the California Task Force on Access Through Innovation of Legal Services. Designed to spur innovation and expand access to justice options, the task force proposed three key reforms Narrowing restrictions on the unauthorized practice of law (UPL) to allow persons or businesses other than a lawyer or law firm to render legal services, provided they meet…
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Last Monday and Tuesday, online behemoth Amazon held its fifth annual Prime Day, a shopping holiday  of a sort where Amazon offers exclusive bargains and deals to Amazon Prime customers. The benefits of Prime Day are self-evident: Amazon can show appreciation for existing customers by offering deep discounts while racking up sales – to the tune two billion dollars  at the same time. Plus, all of the buzz surrounding Prime Day undoubtedly persuades others…
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If the length of this post has shown anything, it’s that AI in legal research and law practice is an enormous and wide-reaching topic that is rapidly changing. Moreover, while large firms have the resources to understand and leverage AI tools, solo and small firms are at a disadvantage because that they lack the time to continuously investigate and evaluate new tools and lack the resources to retain the kind of expertise to help vet…
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Generally, today’s AI tools for solo and small law firms break down into three categories: (1) legal research and issue spotting; (2) law practice automation and marketing tools and (3) substantive legal issues arising out of the use of algorithmic, AI-driven platforms in legal matters ranging from criminal defense, employment, insurance, custody defense and others that solo and small firm lawyers tend to handle.  One caveat: many commercial tools bill themselves as using AI are…