Law And More

BigLaw - Of Course, You're Going to Recruit for Talent on TikTok (also beef up your social-justice cred)

"Some lawyers [such as Joanne Molinari] at Kirkland & Ellis, Morrison & Foerster and other huge firms explore their interests outside the legal profession, while others demystify the world of Big Law on the app. The support of their heavyweight firms may signal a cultural shift amid a scramble for talent in a traditionally straight-laced industry." - Tiana Headley, Bloomberg Law, July 12, 2021.

Obviously - to use that common expression in courtroom processes - this "opens the door" to BigLaw law firms embracing the promotional horsepower of TikTok. That applies to everything, from recruiting talent to differentiating themselves in the social-justice niche.

You bet, have a few summers chat up on TikTok what they are getting out of their Zoom experience. Highlight how partners loop in on a Zoom briefing. They share their unique experiences with antitrust. They even speculate with the summers: Could the Biden Administration be overreaching with how it is reconfiguring the role of the FTC?

Seasoned lawysers who had been laterals poached from another firm can also be loose and real on TikTok. They open up about how to go about career mobility in the legal sector. What are the pitfalls? And how they are damn sure they have bypassed so many of them by coming to Law Firm X. The leadership at X - for they are jolly good fellows, they really are. And take that from a lawyer who's been around the bend. 

Social justice branding, as Bloomberg Law pounds, currently is a prerequisite for many players in BigLaw. The challenge is developing unique positioning. What are your social justice activities saying about you and your law firm? In this, BigLaw can't be a monolith. A generic "we do good" - smirksmirk. 

An early adopter in social-justice initiatives with its Coronavirus Relief Center, Paul Weiss, headed by Brad Karp, might be thought of as "owning" that space. At least for now. But there is no dynastic right in any aspect of social justice.

Paul Weiss can reinforce its mission by staging on TikTok tutorials about the lessons it has learned about moving the dial on reducing suffering since it had invented the Center. That was seemingly light years ago when COVID first upended the world. Not all approaches to doing good are equally effective or efficient. 

Meanwhile marketers and public relations representatives in BigLaw should be designing public information campaigns on TikTok about how to think and talk like a lawyer. That's both the art of critical thinking and the in-the-trenches presentation of legal points. The latter is essential often even when trying to return an item at Best Buy. I recently arrived locked and loaded with legal language at the Sierra Vista, Arizona, Best Buy store. I contended it had sold the wrong printer cartridge. The "case" was "settled" with a store credit. 

Reflect on this: Part of the disruption in the legal sector involves empowering Everyman and Everywoman to have confidence about managing legalities w/o the traditional pricey delivery of legal services. Sure, Everyman/Everywoman, take a peek at those online services, before coming to us. Yeah, law firms, also tell TikTok viewers about your captive services. That will help them feel a part of what is going on in the legal sector. "Court TV" establishes that same kind of connection.

Law firms not on TikTok could come across as hiding behind a mystique about eliteness. Not at all good. 

Ever since the white-shoe firm Jones Day seemed to play it all wrong pitching that way to a blue-collar jury in the Rhode Island Lead Paint Class Action Public Nuisance trial (2005 - 2006) that kind of way to face a jury or the world has been suspect. Law firms can no longer remain an aloof subculture. They have to be a transparent institution. 

Sure, elite might sell to Wall Street clients and so many transactional accounts but in much of litigation and in the court of public opinion its shelf life has expired. 

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Not Just Diversity Fatigue - Plum Tired of Causes (need 2021 version of Beatles to croon about letting us just be)

Yes, Law.com reported on diversity fatigue.

That's confirmed in the traffic on my social media, including this and my two other syndicated blogs. Posts about diversity issues don't attract traffic. So, I decided to stop those kinds of postings. In addition, I had decided to part company (very professionally) with a client in the diversity loop. It had been increasingly difficult to conjure up fresh ideas. Like, the magic petered out. 

But - and this is based on anecdotal evidence - the fatigue goes beyond diversity.

It is seeping into the bones of so many causes. When I speak with those on my personal and professional networks, their hunger is for some kind of normalcy to center their lives on. After all the traumas of the 21st century, they - just as the Beatles' sang about letting it be - just want to be. Those national ordeals have included 9/11 and the recession it triggered, the global financial meltdown of 2008 and COVID. 

What I advise those whose job is communications is this: Steer clear of asking for anything. Instead provide the promise of letting things be. American Buddhist nun Pema Chodron put it this way: Start where you are. Then you will find that you will be on your way to the extraordinary.

Perhaps a music group can capture that ethos for 2021. Let it be. Don't foist on me that I should be concerned about X cause or Y cause.

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Yes, Legal Marketers, You Should Be Experimenting With TikTok

"TikTok is the place to go for new dances, viral taco recipes—and, now, financial advice. The big benefit of TikTok is that it allows users to dole out and obtain information in short, easily digestible video bites, also called TikToks. And that can make unfamiliar, complex topics more palatable to a younger audience ..." - Cheryl Winokur Munk, The Wall Street Journal, May 2, 2021.

Legal marketers have to pay attention to this trend. And experiment with how to put content that fits the law firm brand and stays in the regulatory boxes on TikTok.

After all, young people are becoming the decision-makers in every kind of entity, ranging from the Fortune 100 to startups to nonprofits. More and more of my clients enjoy TikTok. Their edge is that they are totally at home with digital. Often, some form of digital is the competitive weapon.

In addition, by studying the communications dynamics of TikTok marketers can position and package their messaging to engage those under-40.

Social networks gain and lost engagment and influence power. TikTok is on an upward trajectory. So is LinkedIn. 

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The Boss Gets Off Hook with $500 Fine

Bruce Springsteen, who collaporates with Barck Obama on a podcast, won't be going to jail.

In court today, reports The Wall Street Journal, the two charges associated with alleged drunk driving were tossed. When measured, the level of alcohol in his blood was under the legal limit.

However, he did plead guilty to consumption of alcohol in a closed area. For that he will pay a $500 fine. 

This plays out as removing any threat to the Sprinsteen wholesome's brand. There is no need for reputation restoration.

Small changes can trigger big success in your career and your business communications. Swing by for a complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

The Beats, Then Hippies, Now The Wokes - Blame Ferlinghetti

"Poet, publisher and bookseller Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who helped launch and perpetuate the Beat movement, has died. He was 101. Mr. Ferlinghetti died at his San Francisco home Monday, his son Lorenzo Ferlinghetti told the Associated Press on Tuesday. The cause was lung disease." - The Wall Street Journal (originally published by AP), February 23, 2021.

Even many Baby Boomers don't remember the Beats.

But had not Ferlinghetti been a culture-changer, America wouldn't have been fully able to shake off the white-bread Eisenhower era.

That upheaval was the counterculture.

Deans in Ivy League universities shook in their boots. 

And later, the Wokes have made significant strides in cancelling Western Civilization. William Shakespeare might wind up not even a footnote in history. Hamlet who?

In the counterculture, as among the Wokes, higher education was questioned. Many ducked out of graduate school before finishing their dissertations. There was more important work to do. The only regret was not having gone to law school. Otherwise the best and brightest, as least labeled as such before they dropped out, could do more for consumer rights than just be a grassroots Nader Raider.

Then came the brutal economic downturn of the mid 1970s. That was that. The Eisenhower era circled back. Corporate America was organized on the military model.

And now here America is, fumbling for what to do about this Ferlinghetti guy. Should we come to praise him or bury him? After all, his medium was the book. Print. Current culture-shapers like Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen are podcasting. 

It's hard to resurrect the ethos of the Beat Age. Come to think of it, it's difficult to time travel to the counterculture. Were they really so free? Internally did they question their lack of proper attention to careers? After all, they missed out on years of earning and socking away funds in a retirement fund. 

And, will the Woke wake up to the brute necessity of being totally careerist in order to keep up with inflation? Most influence is unsustainable. Some could wind up marginal, just like members of the counterculture who couldn't or wouldn't grow up.

Small changes can trigger big success in your career and your business communications. Swing by for a complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Bruce Springsteen Appears Via Video Before Magistrate Judge Anthony Mautone February 24th

Mr. America Clean has run into some static on that brand. How it will play out long term is an unknown. Also unknown is how Bruce Springsteen will fare before Magistrate Judge Anthony Mautone via video on February 24th in New Jersey, reports USA Today.

Springsteen, represented by lawyer Mitchell Ansell, is charged with drunken driving, reckless driving and consuming alcohol in a closed area. They are Class B misdemeanors. If convicted, Springsteen could serve 30 days to 6 months behind bars and a fine up to $5,000. 

Sure, there are the legal challenges. But even more important are the possible reputational ones. 

The Future is already underway. Ghostwriting/Marketing Communications and coaching on those issues. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Prominent New Jersey Lawyer Mitchell Ansell Represents Bruce Springsteen

Predictably, Bruce Springsteen's November 2020 arrest for DWI and other related violations has gone high-profile.

After all, he is a giant presence in music and starred in the Super Bowl Jeep commercial. The latter blew up when information about the alleged DWI became public. The Wall Street Journal reports, "Just days after the commercial aired, the company removed it from YouTube and other platforms following reports that Mr. Springsteen had been charged with driving while intoxicated ..."

Also, predictably he is being represented by prominent New Jersey lawyer Mitchell Ansell, reports the New York Post. Among his clients had been Paul Canerio, arrested for multiple murders. Strange, though, his LinkedIn Profile is sparse and has only 3 followers.

Because the alleged DWI and other behavior occurred on federal land, Springsteen's case will be argued in federal court. 

The case is puzzling. Yes, Springsteen refused at the scene a breathalyzer test. Yes, he also failed the sobriety test. However, at the police station, his mandated alcohol test registered 0.02. That's below the legal limit. 

If Ansell knows how to manage the court of public opinion, an interesting narrative should emerge. Meanwhile, shade has been thrown on the Jeep brand.

The Future is already underway. Ghostwriting/Marketing Communications and coaching on those issues. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Phil Spector - Genius Didn't Get a Free Pass

Phil Spector, age 81, is dead. It is reported by AOL that he passed away in a hospital, away from the prison where he had been housed. The cause could have been COVID-19 complications. 

Spector is another of those examples of genius without apparent morality. He had been convicted of a murder for which he seemed to indicate no remorse. Many rejoiced that the legal system didn't let him off the hook because of his accomplishments in music.

Back in 1967, in a Master-degree program in literary criticism at the University of Michigan the professor introduced the question: Are geniuses in literature expected to be good human beings?

The sophisticated in the class smirked.

I, still Roman Catholic then believing in the potential salvation of every human being, answered "yes." If they hadn't been at the time of the creations, then they still had a good shot at evolving into moral creations.

Funny, when I presented an outstanding thesis at the end of the semester, many in the class were stunned. How intellectually dumb it had been to correlate genius with goodness.

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Law Firms with Tourist Practices - Probably 2 to 3 Years for Sector to Recover Fully

"With the virus still a significant risk, a feeling likely reinforced by President Trump’s diagnosis, it’s possible many tourist-dependent cities will see a second wave of economic damage this year, brought by the new rounds of job losses." Bloomberg BusinessWeek, October 7, 2020.

The tipping point in pessimism about the tourism sector has been Disney's 28,000 RIF. Along with that, of course, have been the massive layoffs conducted by tourism players ranging from casinos to transportation. 

There has been a confluence of 3 factors:

• Limits on the number of customers allowed into a tourist setting. Yes, social distancing.
• The public's fear of traveling by plane. There is a distrust of safety and health procedures for the close quarters of airplane interiors.
• Travel bans. They have halted the lucrative business of those from other nations touring the U.S.

At Moody's, economist Mark Zandi projects it will require 2 to 3 years for what is included under the umbrella of "tourism" to recover, fully. 

That means law firms with practices in that sector are being hit hard - with no light at the end of the tunnel. Optimism seems downright inappropriate.

Recently, a colleague in career coaching bluntly told students in hospitality degree programs to start redirecting their careers.

I call that "taking a skills/experience audit." Lawyers who depended on that sector might also have to engage in such a pivot.

The next step is this: After identifying what can be put out there to sell in the labor market, then do comprehensive research of what those specific jobs and gig assignments could be. An analysis of all the possible categories can be conducted on job-search platform Craigslist. Just key in "Craigslist - sites." See where there is a match. 

Then, create resumes and cover letters (yes, multiple) to apply for those opportunities. Custom-make each of those for each specific job or assignment. 

Role play the appropriate persona for the varieties of organizational cultures.

Soon, you will be doing your Next.

The work world has become unforgiving. You may be among those who have to reimagine your career. Affordable coaching.  Make an appointment for complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

 

Yes, Law Firms, You'll Be Hiring Chief Officer of Virtual Special Events (thanks to Democratic Convention)

Born: The Virtual Special Events Industry. 

The Democratic Convention is taking place virtually, without a hitch. At least so far. And to rave reviews, both from brandname media such as PBS and from newly uplifted folks on Main Street.

Yes, it's not only possible to stage a special event online. That might become the preferred mode. Created in that online space is the unique sense of me-to-you. Bernie Sanders got, held, and scaled my attention.

Obviously, law firms now have concrete evidence that this is the way they should go. To pitch to prospects, they can orchestrate a special event online. You bet, showcase the brilliance of experts in IP from across the U.S. And hire an engaging presenter to pull out that together. Back at the law firm, there will be the Chief Officer of Virtual Special Events.

Justice kinds of projects such as Fenwick's Voting Rights Initiative can kick off with the kind of cool virtual event that makes it a piece of pop culture. Do it exactly right and a new kind of award will be invented. Those awards can be given in a virtual special event. On that precious real estate of the BigLaw website will be posted "IP Practice head ________ Received 2022 Best Technology Time Travel Award for Virtual Special Event Beyond Antitrust."

Want to lobby legislators? You got it. A virtual special event with the magic pull of a celebrity music video. 

But virtual special events, like all kinds of presentations, are binary. Either they grab the mind and heart (as well as perhaps also the pocketbook). Or they fall flat. That's the extreme risk.

Even just one - yes, a single blooper - which lands the second category will position and package the firm as, well, a bore.

There is that line from the lyrics of "First We Take Manhattan" by late crooner Leonard Cohen: "They had sentenced me to 20 years of boredom ..."

Sure, there's the chance that's what they'll anoint the special events industry. That there had been 20 years of boredom.

Meanwhile, there are sizzling opportunities for legal marketers and public relations firms specializing in legal matters. 

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