Law Library

ABA book provides wakeup call that many say overdue for the legal sector

Some law firms might be only steps away from collapse and are totally unaware of their pending and dire situation.

A release from the American Bar Association, "Death of a Law Firm: Staying Strong in the Global Legal Market" raises that warning while challenging the prevailing business model for national law firms. The thought-provoking book by Jaap Bosman, a leading strategy consultant and investor, carefully explores the changes unfolding in the legal profession, and explains in detail how the increasing commoditization, partner mobility and the way partners interact and make decisions is creating a toxic if not lethal environment for the legal sector.

"'Death of a Law Firm' is full of important insights about major law firms today - their strengths, weaknesses and eccentricities," said James R. Silkenat, a New York lawyer and former ABA president.

Bosman has the reputation as one of the world's thought leaders on the business of law. Founder of TGO Consulting, which operates from New York, The Hague and Hong Kong, Bosman received in 2013 the inaugural Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Award for International Strategy and is a winner of the Thomson Reuters Excellence in Legal Marketing Award. Co-writer Lisa Hakanson is a well-known strategy consultant and business analyst.

Book shows how to promote yourself using LinkedIn

Hundreds of millions of businesspeople use LinkedIn daily, not only to forge connections and nurture relationships, but also to search, assess and choose reliable professionals. Understanding how best to use LinkedIn will give individuals an edge in tapping into LinkedIn's power to promote and connect expertise.

"LinkedIn Marketing Techniques for Law and Professional Practices," a reference guide from the American Bar Association, is based on actual experiences. It covers each section of the LinkedIn personal profile page, and is broken into short segments to maximize accessibility and learning. It offers clear guidance, based on proven methods, to make each section work to greatest effect, while also providing long-term marketing techniques and personal branding concepts. It teaches the skill of developing a distinctive brand within a LinkedIn profile, and adds a special chapter for attorneys on ethics guidelines. The material provided in the book is not being taught in law schools and is essential to thrive professionally. It is targeted simultaneously to lawyers, accountants, other professional practitioners and consultants with or without a law school background.

Author Marc W. Halpert has started three companies, all of which he continues to operate. His latest business, connect2collaborate, spreads his LinkedIn and networking evangelism worldwide, to train and coach others to better explain their branding and positioning through their LinkedIn profile pages.

Published: Mon, Jul 03, 2017