Author: H312ud1

‘Come on, Judge, it’s nap time over here!’

The holiday season is by now completely upon us as everyone is preparing to attend celebrations and winding down their operations before the new year. For some lawyers, the holidays can be a busy time, as many law firms try to get invoices paid before the end of the year and finish other tasks that might need to be completed in 2022. In addition, associates who need to bill a certain number of hours in a calendar year may also be busy fulfilling expectations firms may have of them. However, attorneys should not feel obligated to complete tasks around the holidays if they can avoid it, and lawyers should not feel guilty if they take at least some time off next week to relax and recharge before the new year.

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons not to feel guilty about taking

Wells Fargo is not done paying through the nose for being Wells Fargo. This is obvious to everyone. As long as it continues to exist, it will continue to do things wrong, get caught and get sued/fined for it, because that’s just how things work, Sherrod Brown’s threats notwithstanding.

Surely, though, after the six years that Wells Fargo has had, it has already cut the largest check for those things? I mean, it’s paid out like $7 billion or something. Surely, that $3 billion deal with the Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission for its O.G. scandal—the fake accounts one—must remain the record-holder. To which Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra replies, “I guess you haven’t met me.”

Wells Fargo & Co. reached a $3.7 billion settlement with federal regulators, including a record $1.7 billion fine, to cover allegations that for years it mistreated millions of customers,

Most people search for services and information online, and that will absolutely not change in 2023! A professional, reputable online digital presence is a key component of an effective marketing approach for all businesses, including law firms. Traditional sales and marketing methods such as word of mouth, billboards, and radio or television advertisements are not enough in today’s digital world. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) marketing is an integral component of a law firm’s successful marketing strategy in 2023 and beyond.

What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is used in many businesses, like healthcare, real estate, and the hospitality industry. It is a marketing strategy designed to improve and increase traffic to a business’s website. It is a valuable way for law firms to recruit new clients and, in turn, increase revenue. SEO starts with an established, professional website.

A website is necessary for a law firm in

Olga V. Mack is the VP at LexisNexis and CEO of Parley Pro, a next-generation contract management company that has pioneered online negotiation technology. Olga embraces legal innovation and had dedicated her career to improving and shaping the future of law. She is convinced that the legal profession will emerge even stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive than before by embracing technology. Olga is also an award-winning general counsel, operations professional, startup advisor, public speaker, adjunct professor, and entrepreneur. She founded the Women Serve on Boards movement that advocates for women to participate on corporate boards of Fortune 500 companies. She authored Get on Board: Earning Your Ticket to a Corporate Board Seat, Fundamentals of Smart Contract Security, and  Blockchain Value: Transforming Business Models, Society, and Communities. She is working on Visual IQ for Lawyers, her next book (ABA 2023). You can follow Olga on Twitter

(Image via Getty)

I had resolved for 2023 that I would spend less time nattering about the various trials and tribulations of the State Bar of California. A good resolution in theory, but it’s just not going to work, especially after the latest headline story in the Los Angeles Times about how the discipline system in this state is a joke. And it is.

The headline makes it clear that the discipline system goes after minority attorneys, especially Black lawyers. That’s not news for us lawyers, but it is for the public. And some of the charges are technicalities, not major violations such as stealing client funds. In the almost 30 years between 1990 and 2018, a study released by the bar three years ago showed that Black male lawyers were nearly four times likelier to be either disbarred or resign with charges pending. Black male lawyers were placed on