The Story Behind LawInsider.com

By Preston Clark

A few years ago I picked up the LawInsider.com domain through a GoDaddy auction, and at the time, I contemplated switching this blog, thelawinsider.com, over to the new URL. But I couldn’t pull the trigger.

As much as I love this blog and the community I’ve built around it, the entrepreneur in me knew that I needed to build a product to accompany the blog– and not just another blog. Blogging is an awesome past time, but I’ve never considered it a job or a revenue generator. Sure, it generates ad revenue, but the number of legal bloggers out there who drive meaningful revenue through blogging alone are few and far between.

I eventually arrived at the simple idea that I needed to create a complementary product out of the Law Insider brand.… Keep Reading…

Lawinsider.com Launches Largest Freely Searchable SEC Contract Database in the World

Free database aims to disrupt the contract and business document industry.

The Business of Cannabis: A New Frontier in the Legal Profession

By Preston Clark

In our ongoing interview series with innovative lawyers who find success off the beaten path, we dive into the uncharted waters of cannabis law. This week, The Law Insider connected with the leading Seattle-based (where else!) cannabis attorney, Hilary Bricken, of Canna Law Group, to explore this new niche in the legal industry.

What’s I-502 and why should lawyers pay attention?

I-502 decriminalizes certain amounts of cannabis for adults 21 and over under state law, and establishes a comprehensive regulatory licensing scheme, to be administered by the state’s Liquor Control Board, for producers, processors, and retailers of cannabis products. I-502 also amends state law to include a “green” per se DUI provision under which drivers can be arrested if caught driving with more than 5 nanograms of THC in their bloodstream.… Keep Reading…

8 Reasons Why You Need to Establish Yourself as an Authority on Google+

In the last few weeks I’ve been digging through articles and case studies on the topic of Google Authorship. Goal? To substantiate this (not so) crazy idea that Google Plus and Google Authorship can drive traffic to this blog. As of now, I have three blog posts that get considerable daily organic traffic in the range of 100-300 unique visitors a day per article. I’m now working to multiply this strategy and will be adding three new articles on topics relevant to legal services, legal documents, and the business of law.

For more information about Google Authorship, please take a few minutes to read this great case study by Jeff Sauer that I found over the weekend. 8 Reasons Why You Need to Establish Yourself as an Authority on Google+

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

1.… Keep Reading…

The Voters Rights Act & Amex’s Next Chapter

A Day At the U.S. Supreme Court—February 27, 2013

By  Christopher King

Out In The Cold

Here’s how things work at the U.S. Supreme Court. You get up pre-dawn, trudge past the ghostly Capitol in freezing weather (it’s February!), and notice in the distant mist an incredibly large crowd already lined up parallel and adjacent (L shaped) to the tall pillared building, and a second merely large crowd lined up (I shaped) on the landing at the top of the steps. It’s 7:15 A.M.

If you’re lucky, you’re a member of the Supreme Court bar and get to line up with the merely large crowd. Otherwise you join the herd at the bottom. If you’re really lucky you are arguing the case and get escorted into the warm Lawyer’s Lounge to ponder your fate.… Keep Reading…

Greatest Legal Underdogs of All Time

Source: Best Paralegal Schools Online… Keep Reading…

Do Teen Driving Restrictions Really Reduce Auto Accidents?

Most people remember the absolute freedom that they felt when they obtained their first driver’s license. This feeling is understandable since it provides teens with their first opportunity to enjoy

Reasons Teens are Seen as Unsafe Behind the Wheel

There are several reasons why so many vehicular crashes and fatalities are caused by teen drivers.… Keep Reading…

The Lawyer as Sports Writer

By Preston Clark

Over the past year, I’ve written a series of articles featuring lawyers who found success outside the legal profession– or at very least outside

the traditional norms of lawyering. There was an interview with Jay Bilas (Article), the sports analyst from ESPN and an interview with Josh Gerben (Article), a progressive trademark attorney from Washington, D.C.– among many others.

But in this installment, we’re featuring a practicing New York attorney, who moonlights (it’s okay, his firm knows!) as an award winning sports writer. Enter Jesse Siegel, an associate at McCabe, Collins, McGeough & Fowler, LLP by day– and a staff writer for RotoWire.com by night.

We recently sat down with Jesse to ask him about his double life.… Keep Reading…

Should a Lawyer Buy Leads?

By Preston Clark

A number of

companies out there will sell leads to lawyers. Total Attorneys and Nolo are two of the most well known.

What’s a lead, you ask? A lead is a potential client. Buying a lead means you’re buying information about a person who has requested to be contacted by an attorney in a particular geographic area for a particular type of legal matter (e.g. DUI, bankruptcy, etc.). The seller of the lead is in the business of generating leads through proprietary and partner websites (For example, I generate leads for lawyers on this page. Scroll down the page and you’ll see the offer.).

Unlike the typical referral model which is premised on the concept that IF a referral becomes a client there will be an opportunity for revenue sharing– the business of buying leads is a cash-up-front game.… Keep Reading…

The Networking Opportunity Most Lawyers Overlook

By Elise Holtzman

Whenever I talk to lawyers about networking, I notice that many of them are focused on “getting out there and meeting people,” handing out business cards and bringing in clients as quickly as possible.  When I ask them about their internal networking efforts, though, I tend to get blank stares.

One of the most critical networking opportunities most lawyers overlook is internal networking – – in other words,  developing meaningful business relationships with other attorneys in your firm.  When you’re very focused on bringing in new clients, it may seem that networking outside the firm is critical, and that spending time getting to know a bunch of lawyers with whom you already work with is counterproductive.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

… Keep Reading…