POSTED: Friday, May 13th, 2011 at 9:25 am

BY: Jane Pribek

It’s May, and for many aspiring lawyers, that means graduation time; what should be a time of celebration.

But this spring’s graduates, like many of late, face a hard reality once they’ve returned the caps and gowns: the persistently brutal job market.

POSTED: Thursday, April 28th, 2011 at 11:27 am

BY: Jane Pribek

Madison lawyer Steve Eisenberg was talking recently to a store clerk, when another shopper overheard him and asked, “Are you that lawyer on the radio?”

POSTED: Thursday, March 31st, 2011 at 9:29 am

BY: Jane Pribek

Attorney Diane Mader didn’t happen upon her successful practice, she planned it that way. Middleton-based Mader is a strong proponent of legal marketing because, as she puts it, “You need to plan your work and work your plan.”

POSTED: Thursday, March 17th, 2011 at 8:19 am

BY: Jane Pribek

After many years of interviewing attorneys and asking them what they do for fun, I can say with great confidence that just about all like to read and travel. Thus, this week’s article is about tools for legal professionals who enjoy … reading and travel! It is spring break season, after all.

POSTED: Thursday, March 3rd, 2011 at 8:46 am

BY: Jane Pribek

As a journalist, it warms my heart to report that the law firm newsletter is still alive and kicking.

POSTED: Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011 at 9:35 am

BY: Jane Pribek

Hey, did you catch the Superbowl? Of course you did. You know who won, too!

POSTED: Wednesday, February 9th, 2011 at 11:26 am

BY: Jane Pribek

The big holiday is next Monday.

Not Valentine’s Day. I’m talking about National Clean out Your Computer Day, which is probably of greater interest to you if you’re at all like Sheldon on “The Big Bang Theory.”

POSTED: Friday, January 28th, 2011 at 1:10 pm

BY: Jane Pribek

While you may have opted to create profiles on Facebook and LinkedIn, chances are your name, law firm or both are listed in one or more online directories where people can post reviews, and you had no say in the matter.

POSTED: Wednesday, January 12th, 2011 at 11:23 am

BY: Jane Pribek

I’ve got distractibility, which means that even small things can derail my thought process.

POSTED: Friday, December 24th, 2010 at 1:22 pm

BY: Jane Pribek

Patrick Scharmer remembers when he and his wife executed their first set of wills, when their children were very young.

POSTED: Wednesday, December 15th, 2010 at 12:10 pm

BY: Jane Pribek

One of my favorite “Sex and the City” episodes centers around Carrie’s computer woes.

POSTED: Thursday, December 2nd, 2010 at 11:35 am

BY: Jane Pribek

Sure, times are tough, and there might not be excess cash for a holiday party. But there’s no need to be a Scrooge.

POSTED: Wednesday, November 17th, 2010 at 11:58 am

BY: Jane Pribek

Attorney Tony O’Malley didn’t quite know what to think his wife, Sandie, gave him a gift certificate for massage therapy, meditation and yoga classes a couple of years ago. He put it away after the holidays and nearly forgot about it – he was way too busy practicing law to actually think about his own mental and physical health, after all.

POSTED: Thursday, November 4th, 2010 at 10:07 am

BY: Jane Pribek

First impressions count. These days, one of the first impressions you make is with your website.

POSTED: Wednesday, October 20th, 2010 at 10:03 am

BY: Jane Pribek

Brookfield attorney Martin L. Ditkof’s father died at age 54. It left a huge impression on Ditkof, 53, who wanted to be able to manage his practice in a way that would let him enjoy life as well.

POSTED: Wednesday, October 6th, 2010 at 10:07 am

BY: Jane Pribek

I never learned to type.

POSTED: Thursday, September 23rd, 2010 at 11:51 am

BY: Jane Pribek

While lawyers might be unpopular in some circles, bankers may be closing in on us.

POSTED: Thursday, September 9th, 2010 at 10:25 am

BY: Jane Pribek

I’ve written before about lawyers’ increasingly common use of Gmail. I’ve also written about the cost-effectiveness and ease-of-use of Skype, for lawyers and everybody else.

POSTED: Monday, July 12th, 2010 at 1:00 am

BY: Jane Pribek

A couple of weeks ago, my daughters, my dog and myself were all instructed that, no matter how grave the emergency might be, we were not to interrupt Daddy working in his home office for the next hour or so, because he’d be giving a webinar — and we were not on the agenda. He [...]

POSTED: Monday, April 19th, 2010 at 1:00 am

BY: Jane Pribek

When I learned our new managing editor’s name is Casey Laughman, I asked, only half-kidding, if he has a sense of humor. Grasping that baton of a bad joke, a couple of people on the Law Journal staff responded that he’d been administered a battery of tests of his trivia knowledge of Monty Python movies [...]

POSTED: Monday, April 5th, 2010 at 1:00 am

BY: Jane Pribek

LinkedIn occasionally e-mails me updates about what the members of my professional network are up to, and I noticed the last time around that the e-mail always informs me about a few of the groups people have joined. This got me thinking about groups as a free marketing tool for lawyers. After spending a little [...]

POSTED: Monday, March 22nd, 2010 at 1:00 am

BY: Jane Pribek

It’s not often I’m given a soapbox. But since David Ziemer suggested swapping columns – he’d write about ways to save money in the law office, and I’d write something voicing a strong opinion, here goes. What David learned from our little experiment was that, try as he might to avoid his dark side, it [...]

POSTED: Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 1:00 am

BY: Jane Pribek

As attorneys and counselors-at-law, you answer questions all day long for paying clients. But have you ever considered answering questions on the Web as a means of obtaining more paying clients? Some attorneys have had success using Avvo Answers, a free legal advice forum for consumers. Avvo says it’s “the world’s largest legal directory.” You [...]

POSTED: Monday, February 22nd, 2010 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

The stereotypical of counsel attorney is the former partner who comes into the office to share his wisdom when he’s bored with retirement. Milwaukee attorney Jonathan P. Groth, in his 30s and the prime of his career, is proof that lawyers need not be AARP members to leverage successfully the of counsel relationship to maximize [...]

POSTED: Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

Lawyers are working harder these days. In 1965, associates typically billed 1,400 to 1,600 hours annually, while partners billed 1,200 to 1,400. Forty years later, associates’ hours were up to 2,000 annually, according to an ABA Law Practice Management Section magazine article from 2006. But everyone knows the old adage about all work and no [...]

POSTED: Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

I can’t tune into HGTV for any length of time because I get too bored, nor can I watch “Extreme Home Makeover” because it makes me cry. I just didn’t get the decorating gene. But I can and do appreciate appealing surroundings. At the recent Solo & Small Firm Conference, more than one speaker emphasized [...]

POSTED: Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

I was shocked when I learned from attorney Bradden C. Backer that office space in downtown Milwaukee has a vacancy rate of about 20 percent. Yes, the economy’s that bad. The good news is that it’s a renter’s market when it comes to finding affordable, appealing office space. Milwaukee attorney Joseph Seifert recently took advantage [...]

POSTED: Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

In my last column, I reviewed ten top practice management blogs. In this installment, I’m going to take a look at some low cost law practice management ideas I picked up from these blogs. Firefox ‘add-ons’ for attorneys The 2009 American Bar Association’s Legal Technology Survey found that about one-quarter of attorneys use Firefox for [...]

POSTED: Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

I’ve been talking to lawyers and searching the Web in my quest for the best free Twitter applications for attorneys. Here’s what I learned. The first application you should check out is HootSuite, www.hootsuite.com. Jeffrey C. O’Brien, of Mansfield, Tanick & Cohen P.A. in Minneapolis can directly trace a few new clients for his firm [...]

POSTED: Monday, September 14th, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

Are you a candidate for Linux? Take this simple test. When you have computer issues, do you prefer to seek help from the person in the neighboring office rather than an online forum? Do you like your technology as “out of the box” as possible – meaning that you like to do as little as [...]