Mirror of Justice » law office

Law Offices, Professional Image, And Marketing

Law Article — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:09:55 +0000

Face it. Financial bottom lines are affected by the fact we live in a world that judges a book by its cover. Pretty singers sell more records, court cases rank higher in the news if the person is attractive, and politicians are elected based on their image as much any other factor.
Looking at your own industry, don’t you have to fight the public’s perceptions? We see it on TV and in movies every day. More often than not, young lawyers, paralegals, and others just starting out in the profession are portrayed as cheap, petty, low-rent, and usually called “ambulance chasers.”
It’s not right, but this issue of image is one that you have to live with and learn to work with.
Let’s cut to the bottom line which is this: In today’s business climate, everyone should realize that a professional image is crucial to reputation and everyone could stand to improve theirs to some degree or other. It’s what you need to do to keep your individual firms alive. Therefore, let’s cover some opportunities for improvement using the acronym A.L.I.V.E.:
Appearance – Your physical persona and the way present yourself.
Letterhead – The level of professionalism demonstrated in your printed marketing materials.
Information – Accuracy and honesty; the keys to presenting the data gathered during a case.
Voice – How you communicate to everyone you’re associated with.
Education – The continual improvement to your professional knowledge base.
Appearance: People base a large percentage of their first impression on your appearance. When a client meets you for the first time, they’re sizing up your credibility, your ability as a legal professional, and deciding just how well you might conduct yourself in public. As the saying goes, you only get one chance to make a good first impression, so let’s look at a few pointers.
- Always dress in a professional manner. For men and women both, the attire should be “business professional,” which for men means suit and tie whenever possible, and for the ladies, business suits, nice skirt and blouse, or dresses. If you look unkempt or “second rate” the client will wonder how you’ll represent them while working their case.
- A close cousin to dress is personal grooming. Simply put, make sure your hair, facial hair, hands, nails, and teeth are all clean and well kept. By the way, how’s your breath? Always keep some mints handy.
- Keep jewelry at a minimum. Jewelry should follow the rule on colognes. It’s best to smell of nothing than to overpower with the wrong thing. A general jewelry guideline is no more than 2 rings per hand, no more than 2 thin necklaces, and either post or small-ring earrings. And… you guessed it, visible exotic piercings or tattoos are out if you’re going to be taken seriously by the legal community. The “Professional Image Dress” website at http://www.professionalimagedress.com has some good articles and checklists. Also, you’ll find some good books and magazines on business and professional image at your local library.
Letterhead: In some cases, the first contact someone may have with you might be one of your business cards. For our purposes though, “letterhead” refers to any printed material (paper or electronic) anyone outside your office might see.
- Business cards are a must. Make them distinctive, but with minimal content. Let your website or brochure carry the heavy content.
- On business cards, stationery, and your website stay away from trite, cliché, or negative icons such as someone running after an ambulance. In your web address, phone numbers, or email addresses, stay away from negative phrases like “makethempay@mylaw.com.” These might seem cute, but to many potential clients, they’re a turnoff.
- For stationery, choose quality paper and have your letterhead and envelopes, as well as your contracts, professionally produced by the same people who do your business cards. Make sure their color themes match. Your local print shop or office supply store should have everything you need. If there’s any one place you want to spend a little money, this is near the top of the list.
- If your stationery has a particular logo or color scheme, it should be reflected on your website, or vice versa. As with business cards, your website should be an exercise in minimalism after it’s done its job of relaying all the necessary information about your firm. Avoid animation, sound files, heavy graphics, flash, or anything else that makes your site slow to load. Slow loading or “busy looking” sites are more an annoyance than an attraction. Relatedly, though they might provide a tiny bit of pocket change per year, try to stay away from banner ads and other outside links on your home page. If you have outside links, put them all on your links page. You don’t want your client clicking off into cyberspace before they’ve read what a good job you can do for them.
- Stay away from blank notepads and manila folders. They’ll both get too messy too soon and not only will that make you look unprofessional and disorganized, but blank notepads make you look unprepared, and lost or disorganized notes lead to inaccurate reports and invoices. Invest a little time and/or money into buying or developing a comprehensive set of forms or an organizer system to use while assembling your case.
Information: In the legal business, the glass is neither half full nor half empty. It’s 50%. And, unless you know what’s in it, don’t speculate. “Just the facts Ma’am.” One of the biggest opportunities for a good impression, and naturally the most important, is the timely delivery of honest, accurate, information. Nothing will kill your image, reputation, and livelihood, like incomplete, inaccurate, biased, or late case work. Likewise, an inaccurate invoice can cost you by being either too low or too high.
- Rule one is, always has been, and always will be, “Use a good case management system.” Make sure everyone working for you uses the same system, and that your standards of accuracy start at the beginning, and continues through the whole case and through any follow-up you may ever have with that client. Then treat all of your other clients the same way.
- Use nice presentation folders for all your reports; even the “small dollar” ones. Each client is important to you from a marketing standpoint and therefore deserves to be treated with respect. Putting your work product on better stationery, in a well-organized format, and in an attractive presentation folder will provide a greater perceived value to your client. These people have probably paid a hefty sum for your service and a more professional report will help assure them that it was money well spent.
- With any kind of information transfer, the key word in today’s legal climate is “PRIVACY!” Reassure your clients in your contract, and in your final report that your relationship with them is as private as the law allows, and everything you do in connection with their case, before, during, or after the fact, will remain confidential. Loose lips not only sink ships, they destroy good client relationships.
Voice: Voice is a general term used to describe not only the actual verbal communication you have with your clients and others, but the “tone” your business has with those it deals with.
- When you answer the phone, do so cheerfully and actually smile. You can tell when someone’s not happy to be on the phone and so can others. This phone call might be your first contact with the next big client, so make it count.
- If you can’t personally answer every call, the next best thing is to have a receptionist or answering service. A person is always better than voice mail. Go with what you can afford, but since the phone call is one of your opportunities for a first impression, anyone answering the phone should be trained to be courteous, cheerful, informative, and as professional as possible.
- If voice mail is your only option, make the best of it. First, be smiling and cheerful when you record the message. Second, have the message convey your high standards. Say something like “As we’re extremely devoted to all our clients, we’re probably working a case on their behalf right now. However, YOU are just as important to us so please leave us your name and number and we’ll get back to you within the hour.” Then, if you say you’ll be back to them within the hour, actually do it. Prompt personal attention is a major plus in any business.
- Education and intelligence are just as necessary as a cheerful hello. You want people to know that you are every bit as qualified and capable as they could hope for. Therefore, when speaking with people, speak clearly, and choose your words carefully. They don’t have to be big words, but they do have to make sense, and grammar is important.
- The written word should follow the same rule. Make sure your business cards, letterhead, brochures, reports, invoices, and all other written documents use correct spelling and proper grammar. Though your client may be enamoured enough with your abilities as a legal professional to overlook a minor grammatical error, you never know who else of importance might see your report or correspondence.
Education: Here we continue where your writing skills leave off and cover the actual knowledge or skill base upon which your legal expertise is founded. Experience is the best teacher, but classroom education can certainly help keep you informed and up to date. Also, the fact that you are continually updating your expertise is impressive to most potential clients.
- Many states require continuing education. If your state does, you should publish this fact in your firm’s literature. If your state does not require CEU, you should still take it upon yourself to keep your own training updated and make that fact a prominent component of your marketing materials.
- Join professional organizations where possible. Many of them will offer various classes and training programs and the benefits of networking are considerable.
- Many online communication forums are professionally dedicated and will provide educational information and opportunities through either on-site or on-line courses, or through the hints, tips, and suggestions offered by members. One good online communication forum is found through “Yahoo Groups” at http://www.yahoogroups.com. The free registration is easy to complete, and all you’ll need to do is search through the groups using the phrase “private investigator” or other keywords associated with your specialty.
- Keep your library stocked. Many people learn as much from books and videos as they do in a classroom setting.
As you attend some of these educational functions, take the opportunity to look around you and either further your own education on this issue of appearance by studying your colleagues, or help improve the way they represent you by helping educate them as to the benefits of a more professional image.

Immigration Law Office – What Does It Do?

Law Article — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 20:38:27 +0000

If you have having legal problems and hope to attain immigrant status in the United States, you should seek the services of an immigration law office. The lawyers in these offices have the knowledge and skills to handle cases that deal specifically with immigration regulations.
People want to immigrate to other countries for a wide variety of reasons. The most common are to obtain legal permanent residency or to find work in that country. When you become a legal permanent resident, you are granted a license to stay in the U.S. on a permanent basis, free to live and work as you desire. Getting a license means doing a lot of legal work, however, and an immigration law office is just the place to turn to for help.
To obtain a permanent residency, you should consult with attorneys that specialize in immigration law. They have training in how to handle cases that involve the laws regulating immigration. The best source of information and guidance in getting permanent residency status is the immigration law office. You can ask for advice about eligibility requirements and other rules and regulations governing the application for permanent residence. After receiving advice from the law office, you will know what route to take to get where you want to go in terms of residency.
The immigration law office will inform you about four basic immigration options that are available to applicants for U.S. visas. These include immigration through employment, through a family member, permanent resident status as a refugee or someone seeking asylum, and immigration through a diversity lottery. Each method has benefits and disadvantages, depending on your unique circumstances. The lawyer you consult at the immigration law office will assess your qualification before offering any advice regarding your options.
You can get citizenship to the U.S. by either your birth or the naturalization process. The immigration law office will inform you of the benefits to be obtained by becoming a citizen. These include higher exemptions in estate taxes, federal job benefits, more freedom to travel to other countries, and the all-important right to vote. Your immigration lawyer will also inform you about the federal grants and scholarships that are available only to U.S. citizens.
The law office can help with the preparation and filing of your application for citizenship as well. You must comply with a number of regulations, and the law office attorney can also tell you if you have any particular issues that should be addressed. If there are problems that threaten your citizenship application, the attorney will discuss them with you and suggest ways to resolve them.

To find more information on legal issues andhttp://discover-law.com/services-provided-at-an-immigration-law-office.php” rel=”nofollow”>immigration law offices visit http://discover-law.com

Special Education in Connecticut

Law Article — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 20:09:50 +0000

TerminologyThe federal law governing special education is called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. It is codified in Title 20, United States Code, starting at section 1400. It was initially passed in 1975. A number of major reauthorizations have taken place. The two most recent were in 1997 and in December 2004. The December 2004 changes took effect, for the most part, on July 1, 2005. The changes made in the 2004 Act are numerous and varied, but perhaps not revolutionary.In early 2002, President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which is intended to ensure quality education and a high level of accountability. Many of the provisions of NCLB had an uncertain impact on IDEA 1997. Hence, IDEA 2004 attempts to clarify the impact of NCLB.The IDEA speaks in terms of a State Education Authority (SEA) and a Local Education Authority (LEA). In Connecticut, the SEA is the State Department of Education. The LEA is generally the local school district, which is referred to as the district or the Board. In this context, the Board refers to the district’s administration, not to the actual Board of Education and its elected members.State and Federal LawConnecticut passed its special education law in 1967. The federal Education of All Handicapped Children Act initially passed in 1975. Hence, the Connecticut act predates the federal. The federal law did not pre-empt the field. Rather, federal courts can enforce both federal and relevant state law. “Relevant state law” is law which is not inconsistent with federally mandated requirements, both substantive and procedural, of the Act, and includes, inter alia, procedural safeguards which are more stringent than required procedures set forth in the federal law. Burlington v. Department of Education, 736 F.2d 773 (1st Cir. 1984), aff’d 471 U.S. 359 (1985). For the most part, Connecticut and federal requirements have converged. Yet, most of the detailed procedures for eligibility and due process stem from Connecticut law, as does the nomenclature. In Connecticut, there is a Planning and Placement Team (PPT) meeting. In New York, it is called a Committee on Special Education (CSE) meeting. In the federal law, it is called an Individualized Education Plan Team (IEP Team) meeting. The Connecticut ApproachThe Connecticut State Department of Education (SDE) takes a hand-off approach to local school boards. This compares to New York, where the state department closely regulates most aspects of special education. The Connecticut SDE advises local school boards on questions, when raised. Indeed, SDE also provides advice to parents. The state approves private special education schools, but the approval is largely a matter of seeing if the right boxes are checked, rather than looking at the quality of the education provided. The state, pursuant to federal law, receives and processes complaints, but appears to be interested only in procedural requirements, avoiding making any comments on the substance of the claim. And, the state runs the due process and mediation systems. This is all done by a tiny group of people in Hartford. The SDE also runs the Special Education Resource Center (SERC), which serves as an information clearinghouse, library, and training center. As a general rule, the State Department of Education sees itself as a consultant, rather than as a regulator. The Special Education Universe in ConnecticutFor the 2007-2008 school year, there were 68,989 children in Connecticut who were designated as eligible for special education services. This number is a drop of 5,000 from five years earlier. Special education students represent about 12% of the total student population of 574,287. Districts vary widely in percentages designated as eligible for special education, with some districts near 5% and others over 18%. Among disabilities, the largest group, comprising 32% of the special education population, consists of students with learning disabilities (LD). Five years ago, learning disabled students represented 38% of the special education population. The next largest group, accounting for 21% of the special education population, contains students with speech or language impairments. Other health impairment (OHI) accounts for 17%, severe emotional disturbance (SED) is 8.5% and intellectual disabilities (ID) are 4%. Some 6.4% of special education students in Connecticut carry the Autism label. The racial differences are, however, significant. The following chart shows the 2007-2008 percentage of each racial/ethnic grouping that has a particular special education designation.

Read About ct special education attorney Also Read About special education attorney and ct special education lawyer

Changes in chapter 7 & 13 in the New Bankruptcy Law

Law Article — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:53:06 +0000

Bankruptcy is provided by Federal Law and all the cases related to bankruptcy are handled in Federal Court. Basically it is a legally declared by the court in which any individual or the organization is unable to pay their debts, expenses, bills to their creditors. Those who are bankrupt can file bankruptcy in a way to stop their creditor to collect debt from them. Chapter 7: Liquidation Bankruptcy & the changes under the new lawIt would be very harder for some people to file bankruptcy now. Especially with higher income level category they are now no longer allowed to use chapter 7. They need to pay partial amount of their debt under chapter 13. Before filing a bankruptcy case all the debtors have to undergo for the credit counseling, budgeting and the debt management. This law imposes on the lawyers too so it is very difficult to find an attorney to represent the bankruptcy case. Following are the changes in the Bankruptcy Law – • Under the old law many filers can choose the type of bankruptcy. Most of them were choosing Liquidation (Chapter 7 – Bankruptcy) over Repayment (Chapter 13 – Bankruptcy) because they proved beneficial for most of them. But under the new law, it would not be the case for the higher income group filers, the new law has prohibited from using chapter 7 bankruptcy for them. • Now the question arises about how you will define your income is high for filing under the bankruptcy. Under the new rules, the first step is to figure out your monthly income against the median income for a household for your size in your state to file in the chapter 7 bankruptcies. If it is less than that then you can file under chapter 7 and if it is not then you have to pass the means test. Another clause or the law in order to file for chapter 7. • The means test is to be done to calculate your disposable income and to see whether you have enough disposable income after deducting your expenses, debts, payments under chapter 13. If your income is high up to a certain limit after deducting your expenses, debts and all then you are not eligible for chapter 7 and if it is less than the certain amount then you can file under chapter 7 bankruptcy. • Now the next step is the counseling from the approved agencies by the United States Trustee’s Office about the credit & debt counseling. Purpose behind this counseling is to see and give an idea about your need to file for bankruptcy. Counseling is required even if it’s a repayment plan or for the debts that you are facing and you do not want to pay. If the agency come up with a repayment plan the agency proposes and you agree on that propose then you can submit it to the court along with the papers that you have completed the counseling process. Towards the end of your bankruptcy case, you will have to attend the last counseling session to learn about the personal financial management. After submitting the proof to the court you fulfilled this requirement. These are the new changes in the bankruptcy law. There are other changes that can affect bankruptcy filers negatively. In short, debtors are at more risk of having their property taken and sold by the trustee or the authenticated person.

Ganje Law Offices practices in the area of business turnarounds and workouts as an alternative to Bankruptcy in New York area. Initially we will analyze the financial situation of your business & offer innovative choices for business bankruptcy filing.