Google launched Local Services Ads (LSA) in 2015, starting with home services-type businesses. Google made LSAs available to attorneys in 2021. Jim Christy, President of Postali, spoke with Zack Glaser, Legal Tech Advisor, about how law firms can use LSAs and their potential rewards and risks.  LSA Primer  LSAs differ from Google’s primary advertising tool, pay-per-click (PPC), in two ways. First, instead of displaying in line with organic search results, LSAs display above the traditional results list. LSAs are prominently set apart. Second, Google prices LSAs on a “pay-per-lead ..read more

While ChatGPT and other “consumer grade” generative AI tools fail to meet the needs of legal users, AI still plays a powerful time-saving role in law firm workflows. AI represents a tremendous opportunity for legal professionals to scale up their work.  Scott Kelly, senior manager at NetDocuments, spoke with Zack about PatternBuilder MAX, NetDocuments’ first product in its ndMAX suite of generative AI tools. According to Scott, the purpose of PatternBuilder MAX is to take generative AI and build a “fit to purpose tool for legal.”  Secure AI for Law Firms  Hosted on Microsoft’s ..read more

Legal websites run the gamut from simple “electronic business cards” to richly interactive sites. However, building the site is not enough. A website is not a Field of Dreams; it’s not enough to build it and they will come. Success means site visitors ultimately become clients. A Website to Meet Your Goals Building and promoting a website often seems complex, expensive, and unnecessary to firms that earn most of their business from referrals. Understandably, if the firm derives over 90% of its business from referrals, leadership hesitates to spend $1,500 per month, or more, on a website, dig ..read more

You aced your law exams, mastered the intricacies of legal practice, and can argue a case with finesse. But nobody told you that running a law firm would feel like navigating a maze without a map. You didn’t go to business school, and now, the complexities of managing a firm, from financial planning to marketing, leave you feeling overwhelmed and lost along the way.   While your legal prowess is undeniable, the business side of law is a different beast altogether. This is where the transformative power of business coaching steps in, and Lawyerist has an exclusive opportunity for Cli ..read more

Clients have many options for contacting their attorney: phone, email, text, client portal, and more. This situation creates more places to check, eating time and delaying responses for the firm.  Case Status solves this problem with tools to channel client communication through a focused mobile app. How does this differ from a practice management client portal? Immensely successful client adoption. While most portals go unvisited by clients (30% usage), Cases Status firms see 80% adoption of their mobile app.  Six Benefits of an App-Based Client Communication Tool  Paul Bamer ..read more

Scott Kelly, product manager at NetDocuments, sat down with Zack to discuss how PatternBuilder integrates with NetDocuments and to demonstrate a new customizable database feature called data tables.  Scott emphasized that PatternBuilder is a toolkit for building and automating your firm’s needs. Traditionally, automation meant creating documents. Of course, PatternBuilder can do that. But it can do much more, such as collecting, storing, and manipulating data via data tables. It’s a toolkit your firm can leverage to create solutions that might otherwise require a separate product and fee ..read more

Every business needs a website. Unfortunately, many law firms lack one, or if they have one, it serves no purpose beyond being a digital business card. Most firms want more, but time and other commitments preclude it. Fortunately, CosmoLex Websites makes creating and updating a powerful business website simple.  It’s “Done for You”  CosmoLex Websites operates on the “done for you” model. Your firm works with experts at CosmoLex to design and implement a modern, feature-rich website. There’s no need to hire or be a web developer, marketing strategist, or WordPress administrator.  ..read more

The phrase “digital marketing” encompasses many things and has changed over the last decade.  Digital Marketing for Attorneys Evolves  Marketing for legal services has a short history compared to other products and services. Before the 1970s, rules prohibited attorney advertising. And once permitted, many people saw things like TV ads and billboards as crass, even desperate. But public opinion changes, as do the methods for attracting its attention. While an ever-diminishing number of attorneys buy ads in the Yellow Pages, digital marketing spending grows by leaps and bounds. Every n ..read more

PracticePanther, the comprehensive law practice management solution focused on small to medium-sized law firms, spends a lot of time listening to its users. This ongoing conversation helps it refine and expand its features to serve its growing customer base better. Recently, Jonathan Prosperi, product manager at PracticePanther, sat down with Lawyerist’s Zack Glaser to talk about their approach to product development and some of the changes rolling out to customers in the latest updates. PracticePanther’s Approach  PracticePanther works with clients and partners to ensure it’s building ..read more

CloudLex targets personal injury firms with handy features necessary for that practice area. Its focused tools set it apart in a generalist practice management market.  Unique Tools for Unique Attorneys  Specialty tools attract people who appreciate their focused nature, solving a finite set of problems exquisitely well. CloudLex’s distinctive approach shows in a testimonial highlighting one of its client firms. Rather than a traditional case study, Chad Sands, vice president of marketing, worked with customer Dan Schneiderman on something different. They prepared a video highlighti ..read more