Recent Summaries

This Attorney at Work newsletter advocates for undated planners as a tool for lawyers to organize thoughts and creatively manage their time, especially those who don't think linearly or experience "time blindness." It emphasizes personalization and flexibility, contrasting it with the rigidity of digital calendars and structured daytimers, and offers tips for choosing the right undated planner.

• The Value of Analog Planning: Recommends a return to pen-and-paper methods for brainstorming and creative thinking, especially as a counterpoint to the structured digital calendars prevalent in legal work.

• Accommodating Different Thinking Styles: Acknowledges that not everyone processes time and tasks in the same way, advocating for planners that can be adapted to individual needs, even "meth-addled squirrel" minds.

• Personalization is Key: Emphasizes the importance of tailoring a planner to personal workflows and preferences, rather than forcing oneself to conform to a pre-set system.

• Undated planners are presented as a tool for 'thinking on paper' and managing the creative process, rather than simply scheduling appointments.

• The article offers practical tips for selecting an undated planner, including considering planning style, goals, paper quality, layout, and customization options.

This newsletter provides a step-by-step guide for lawyers to delegate their email management effectively, aiming to reclaim valuable time for higher-value tasks. It emphasizes a structured approach involving workflow assessment, assistant selection/training, playbook creation, and ongoing refinement.

• Delegation as a Time-Saver: Highlights the significant time savings achievable through effective email delegation.

• Structured Process is Key: Underscores the importance of a well-defined process (SOP) for successful delegation.

• Human vs. Tech Assistants: Acknowledges both human assistants (virtual or in-house) and AI-powered apps as viable solutions.

• Continuous Improvement: Emphasizes regular check-ins and process refinement for sustained success.

• Actionable SOP: The importance of a detailed SOP, including access instructions, categorization, response expectations, and escalation procedures.

• Training Investment: Proper training is essential for successful and sustainable delegation.

• Playbook & Templates: Providing assistants with email templates to streamline communication.

Here's a summary of the provided content:

1. High-Level Overview:

Custom Legal Marketing (CLM) has won a Telly Award for their "Schema for Lawyers" video series, which educates legal professionals on effectively using schema markups to improve their SEO performance. The series simplifies complex concepts and offers actionable strategies, highlighting CLM's commitment to providing valuable educational content for the legal sector.

2. Key Themes or Trends:

• Importance of Schema Markups: The content emphasizes the significant SEO benefits law firms can gain by implementing schema markups correctly.
• Educational Video Content: CLM is actively producing educational videos to help law firms understand and implement advanced digital marketing strategies.
• Industry Recognition: The Telly Award validates CLM's expertise and the quality of their video content.
• Ongoing Content Production: CLM plans to release more video content throughout the summer, indicating a continued focus on education.

3. Notable Insights or Takeaways:

• Schema markups are often overlooked by law firms: Despite their potential, many firms fail to leverage schema markups effectively.
• CLM is positioning itself as a leader in legal marketing education: Their studio and the production of educational content demonstrate a strong commitment to helping law firms improve their online presence.
• Accessibility is a key concern: The page includes accessibility features and keyboard navigation, which indicates that the website strives to serve a wide range of users.

Here's a summary of the provided content:

1. High-level overview: The blog post emphasizes the importance of building a quality, organically-grown email list for law firms rather than purchasing one, providing actionable strategies for list building, automation, and personalization to improve engagement and ultimately generate qualified leads. It also suggests popular email marketing platforms for law firms of different sizes.

2. Key themes or trends:

   • Building an email list organically is more effective than purchasing one.
   • Email marketing automation and personalization are crucial for engagement.
   • Leveraging multiple channels (website, social media, events, partnerships) for list growth.
   • Utilizing AI tools to optimize email marketing performance.

3. Notable insights or takeaways:

   • Gated content, like legal guides and webinars, are effective incentives for email sign-ups.
   • Segmentation based on practice area, engagement, and location allows for more personalized and effective email campaigns.
   • Cleaning email lists and re-engaging inactive subscribers is a vital step in list maintenance and email compliance.

Here's a summary of the provided content:

Overview: This article analyzes the 2025 ACC Chief Legal Officer Survey, highlighting how CLOs are increasingly business-focused and seeking strategic partners rather than just legal expertise from outside counsel. It provides actionable steps for lawyers and law firms to win more business by aligning with CLOs' evolving needs.

Key Themes/Trends:

• CLOs are evolving into strategic business leaders, directly reporting to CEOs and managing multiple business functions.
• CLOs are seeking outside counsel who demonstrate business acumen, understand industry-specific challenges, and contribute to operational efficiency.
• Embracing technology and aligning service delivery with clients' digital transformation are crucial for outside counsel.
• The rise of complex legal issues and internal investigations presents opportunities for firms that can offer integrated teams and predictable project management.

Notable Insights/Takeaways:

• Winning more work isn't just about legal expertise; it's about understanding and addressing the broader business challenges CLOs face.
• Outside counsel should frame their expertise in terms of business outcomes and connect legal advice to operational efficiency.
• Focusing on business impact, embracing technology, and effectively managing complexity are key to capturing a larger share of the growing opportunities with CLOs.