Maine Law Practice Management

For a while now, alternate domain extensions have been available, beyond the traditional . com.  Of particular interest to attorneys is that .law and .lawyer have been available for a little while now ; .esq is also available .  That’s more inline with the .attorney extension – also available .  One of the advantages of buying new domain extensions is getting access to basic domain names that have long been unavailable under the traditional .com formation .  Like, you could have bought personalinjury.esq , if you were quick on the trigger .  (Yeah, it’s already taken.)  But, now that the most desirable domains are already gone, is it still wor th buying a .esq domain?   There are, of course, pros and cons .  In the positive column, having a .esq domain positively identifies you/your business, as a law firm .  (Assuming consumers understand what an ‘esq’ even is – most of your referral sources (at least those who are attorneys) will...

‘ The Simpsons ’ has a long-running ‘ couch gag ’ at the end of its opening credits, in which the Simpsons family attempts to squeeze onto their small couch together .   They never quite get it right – and, hilarity ensues .  But, it’s certainly a difficult thing to pull off = to set up the same joke each week, and to try to create a new and different punchline .  Especially considering that ‘The Simpsons’ have been doing it for 34 seasons of television .  Of course, viewed another way, it’s an interesting challenge, to attempt to conquer.   This is not dissimilar to what lawyers need to do to establish an effective content marketing program .  Lawyers need to present as experts to potential clients and referral sources; and, there are a number of things you can talk about, in terms of your expertise – but, not an infinite number of things.  So, it becomes pretty similar to The Simpsons’ couch gag, in the sense that you have to find new and...

A lot of lawyers eventually become commercial real estate owners .  And, while that’s always a big decision to make, given the buy-in cost – it’s almost always the right move.     There are a number of things that recommend the maneuver.   For one, especially if you can buy a property with existing tenants, and assuming you can scrape up a down payment, your mortgage will likely be covered substantially, or in full – as will, perhaps your maintenance and property tax (if applicable) costs .  But, perhaps the best thing about the arrangement is that, as a landlord, you can select your tenants, which means that you can align your business interests with your real estate interests .  Find people and businesses who are excellent referral sources for you, and bring them in close.  You’re more likely to get those referrals, if you’re all in closer proximity.   Plus, there’s lots of unique ways that you can build out your space .  A frien...