There are numerous factors that can lead to careless driving today. The most common ones include alcohol and substance use, sleep deprivation, destruction from other devices like phones, and lack of proper training. By getting the dvla contact number, you will get full information on vehicle, medical enquiries.  Some effects of careless driving are listed below.

Death
Many researchers have concluded that reckless driving is one of the major causes of road accidents that result to death. Did you know that about 70% of car accidents in the United States are in some way caused by reckless driving? Generally, many people have lost their lives on roads due to careless driving.

Damage /Injury
Drivers who drive carelessly stand a high chance of causing a permanent or temporary damage to him/herself or to other people. Try to imagine of a situation where a driver was using a phone while driving and by bad luck, he/she encounters a situation that cannot be prevented. What do you think could be next step? The first thing to think of is braking. Now assume the brake fails what next? Of course you know what will happen! He/she will possibly break his/her arm, leg, spinal cord, or even damage to the head.

Bad Driving Record
One of the worst effects of careless driving is to have a bad driving record. Reckless driving charge will have a strong effect on the insurance quotes of your car. Remember each insurance firm treats such charge in a different though your rates will still increase due the violation. You can be charged for this particular offence for close to 3 years.

Heavy Fines
Another bad thing about careless driving is the heavy fines given in courts. Many victims of careless driving have testified their experiences as far as court fine is concerned. Different states offer different rates in their fines. However, most of them are inducing heavy fines to the offenders so that they can serve as examples to those with the same intention. As a competent motorist, you can avoid such fines by ensuring safe drive all the time.

Suspension
Have you ever imagined of being suspended from driving your own car? Try to understand it from this perspective, you are busy driving your car and out of nowhere, you are stopped and told that you are not permitted to drive for a certain period of time. You can imagine how inferior you will be in your own car.

Imprisonment
Some courts don’t offer the fine option to careless drivers. That means you will have to go to jail for all the days that are passed by the judge. That is the worst experience you can ever wish to have in life. Going in for your own mistake! Say no to careless driving and enjoy your rights as a road user.

Author Bio:

Patricia is a Passionate blogger. She writes on behalf of DVLA. If you have any enquiries to make regarding driving license, vehicle registration, medical enquiries you can use Dvla contact number.

Effects of Being Careless While Driving is a post from: The Complete Lawyer

If you find yourself in a legal nightmare to do a DUI arrest the first remedy is to find and hire a qualified criminal attorney. Often, those charged with DUI believe that the case against them is cut and dry; however, a trained criminal attorney can examine your case and determine whether the arresting officer and the police department followed every law and statute. The only undisputed way to prevent a DUI arrest is to not drink and drive. When planning for a night out of drinking with friends plan to take a cab or find a designated driver. A DUI charge is a serious offense that can result in jail time, substantial fines, and license suspension. Therefore, the best way to have your DUI case won, dropped, or dismissed is to hire an attorney.

In California, 90% of DUI arrests resulted in a conviction. States across the nation have different DUI conviction rates ranging from as low as 63% to as high as 95%. Consequently, California has one of the highest DUI conviction rates in the country. Therefore, winning a DUI case or having one dismissed is difficult in California for a criminal attorney and next to impossible without a lawyer to represent you. The likelihood of having a DUI case dismissed varies depending on the state. In Connecticut between 2000 and 2011, 70% of DUI cases were dismissed; however, this was because the state allows first time offenders to take a course to have the charges dismissed. In comparison, DUI cases in Washington were only dismissed at an average rate of 32%. Most dismissals occur because the police lacked probable cause to stop the vehicle, tainted blood samples, a failure to read Miranda rights, or because the arresting officer does not show up for the court hearing.

The best California defense attorneys succeed most often at having a DUI charge reduced. In California the “wet reckless” allows a defendant to plea to a lesser charge of reckless driver that was alcohol related. In exchange for the plea, the defendant receives a lower fine, no jail time, and no record of a drunk driving conviction. The “wet reckless” law is limited to first time offenders only.

Guest Author: 

Clearly, by hiring an attorney your chances of avoiding a DUI conviction increase exponentially. If you are searching for a well-qualified experienced attorney in Orange County then give Christopher J. McCann a call & follow him on twitter @CJM_Law_Firm

Additional Information:

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/wet+reckless

http://thelawdictionary.org/article/what-percentage-of-dui-cases-get-dismissed-or-dropped/

What Percentage of DUI Cases are Won, Dismissed OR Reduced? is a post from: The Complete Lawyer

A Run Down of Famous Wills and Requests

Many celebrities live lives of excess and extravagance – so why should they change for death? Those who live by the sword, die by the sword. Here, in bullet points, are the most unusual we have heard of (feel free to let drop us a line if you know of any that can top these).

• Mark Gruenwald, 1953-1996. A famous writer/editor for Marvel Comics who made a rather macabre request of his friends and family; that his ashes be mixed in with ink and applied to the comic books he loved so much. And dutifully it was honoured – for a first edition print of ‘Squadron Supreme’.

• Gene Roddenberry, 1921-1991. Mr Star Trek went boldly where others had gone before, but not necessarily in death. The creator of the cult Sci-fi classic has had his ashes blown into space – twice (two separate portions) while the third and final installment of Roddenberry (along with the now-deceased Mrs Roddenberry) should be departing from Earth in 2014.

• Samuel Clemens – aka Mark Twain – 1835-1910. Mark Twain bequeathed his estate to his daughters – fair enough. But the writer was also noble and forward-thinking enough to impose a ban…that any future husbands of his daughters have absolutely no rights or influence over any fortune. Daddy’s girls indeed!

…And Just to Prove that Celebrities are not Alone

It is not just celebrities that make such strange requests – we non famous folk can also make questionable decisions of taste and judgement. We laugh, but it is not so funny for the poor family members who have had to deal with these way-out wills.

• A man left a fortune to his sons under one condition; that they never EVER grow mustaches. Rather an unusual request, and for the men concerned November could prove to be a particularly tricky month.

• We really like this one. Why cut someone who has shown you no love out of your will altogether…when you could have the last word and reveal them for who they really are. One lady did this by leaving a single solitary £1 to her daughter…while the rest of her estate was divided up between distant and obscure family members. The will read: “for the love you have shown me in life”. Ouch!

• An American man at the turn of the 20th century had a real penchant for cigars. His wife on the other hand detested them. She hated them so much, in fact, that she banished the chap from the house whenever he fancied lighting up. But he got his own back in an unusual, and rather wicked way. When he died he left everything to his beloved – but under one condition; that she must smoke a cigar or two every day in order to claim her inheritance.

Now these examples are pretty extreme, but people have a variety of poignant and profound reasons when making their last will and testament. It could be to preserve something, or to dish out some beyond the grave justice…or they might just want to have the last laugh or the final say. There are also those who endeavor to provide for their loved ones in their final days, or, in the case of one kindly lady, their favorite charity. The lady in question left a whopping £100,000 to her local animal shelter.

Guest Post Author:

Vicky works alongside http://www.d-w-s.co.uk/, a law firm in Leicester. She enjoys writing about law and finance, especially those stories with a humourous edge!

The Weird And Whacky World Of Wills And Final Requests is a post from: The Complete Lawyer

While keeping clients content should be performed on a client-by-client basis, there are a few general rules of thumb that can keep most, if not all of your clients happy with your services and your business. Performing professional and communicative services for your clients, relating to them in a way they that they’d prefer will make them loyal to you. Check out the following tips to help you understand how to provide the ultimate customer service for your legal clients.

Professional Internet Presence

Making your clients happy starts with how clients find you. With so many people on the Internet and so many attorneys and law firms to choose from, having a strong reputation and consistent brand imagine online is a must. Most notably, this should be done through a website, a blog, local places profiles, social media, and so on.

As far as your website goes, make sure it can be cross-promoted through avenues such as Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. Also, optimize for geographical location so nearby potential clients can find you quickly. Making it easy for a client to access your website and any information you may offer there ensure their relationship with your firm starts off on the right foot. Later on, these easy accessibility features will make it simple for clients to share your site with a friend.

Tailored Client Communication

Client communication is key to having a good working relationship with the client that lasts a long time. If your client is unable to communicate with you or feels as though you are unable to communicate with them, they probably won’t hesitate to seek counsel elsewhere. However, every client has different communication needs and it is your responsibility to tailor your communication efforts depending on the client and the relationship you wish to maintain with them.

Some clients need to be called every morning, others after working hours. You might find that many of your clients enjoy short, sweet emails on a frequent basis. You should take steps to address your client’s needs and determine how they prefer to be contacted and how they best communicate.

Frequent Updates

Not only is it important to communicate with your clients, but it is important to do it often. They’ve hired you for a service and they have the right to know what their investment has yielded. Even if there’s no progress to report, simply calling up a client to let them know you’re still working away on their case is enough to reassure them. Touching base at certain intervals can also help your client understand that you are concerned about their case, that you are fighting for their cause.

On that same note, if you won’t be able to update your clients as frequently as they’d like, say because you are leaving on vacation, letting them know when you will be out of the office for an extended period of time will also make them confident that you want them to know what’s going on.

Faster Response Time

It’s not an uncommon complaint to hear clients frustrated that their lawyers are unresponsive. There’s probably little else that can be worse than feeling like your lawyer is unavailable and uninterested in pursuing your case. By quickening your response time, you can build confidence with your clients quickly and effectively. Some clients have a question every week even when their case is not moving.

If you can’t respond to a client right away, send a quick text or email letting them know you’re tied up at the moment but that you’ve received their request and will take care of it shortly. Responding to the client’s questions in a prompt manner lets the client know that they are a priority to you and not just another case.

Various Payment Options

The more options you give your clients, the happier they’ll be. Payment is one area you can offer a variety of opportunities that can satisfy both you and your client. Look into establishing alternative payment methods, such as Paypal, Square, or other interactive applications for credit cards. Also, providing flexibility in how and when your client gets paid can be an added bonus to a happy client.

Making sure that your clients are taken care of and are satisfied is your top priority as an attorney. Without those happy clients, where would your practice be? Maintaining an Internet presence, communicating with your client in a timely manner in a way they prefer, and providing various payment options are all ways to provide better client satisfaction. Frequent communication with your client is the best way to solidify the relationship and build a loyal client base. A happy client is a client for life.

Guest Author: 

Written by Pete Wise for Hauptman, O’Brien, Wolf & Lathrop, whom are dedicated to serving Nebraska. Check out their site if you’re looking for Lawyers in Nebraska, and if you have the time, check out my facebook page.

Five Ways Lawyers Can Provide Better Client Satisfaction is a post from: The Complete Lawyer

Coming into contact with a harmful chemical may occur at any time and may result from a variety of sources. Because of the number of potentially toxic chemicals that an individual might experience each day, it’s often difficult to keep tabs on these potential exposures and what might be required if an injury was sustained.

Impact of Toxic and Recalled Drugs

Taking a drug that was recalled could result in some particularly unfortunate consequences if the drug was recalled for reasons of horrible side effects or the potential for life-threatening health issues. Although drug manufacturers spend years testing their drugs, there are still reports that come out almost every week about drugs that don’t work correctly and do more harm than good.

Many drugs already have potentially deadly side effects that are actually accepted as a potential consequence of taking the drug, and may include all sorts of horrible impacts such as organ failure, strokes, and heart attacks. Despite the severity of these accepted side-effects, sometimes a drug has toxic consequences for use and the results of taking a drug are even worse.

In addition, it’s vital to consider that the toxic impact of some drugs isn’t associated solely with prescription drugs that require a doctor’s prescription. Drugs available as over-the-counter (OTC) have also been known to cause horrible toxic side-effects and unfortunate damage to the body or mind. This means that each time any type of medication is taken it’s a good idea to remain vigilant regarding potential side effects.

Finding Recalled Drugs

Most people take a variety of over-the-counter drugs and also come into contact with many prescription drugs, and it can be a hassle to keep up with all the different recalls. The best way to figure out whether there’s been a recall regarding a particular toxic drug is to visit the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) official website. Upon removal of a drug from the market, the FDA will issue an official recall and release a public service announcement about the action.

Pharmaceutical Companies Expect Failure

One of the most shocking elements of the pharmaceutical industry is that giant pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and AstraZeneca actually expect to be sued. Due to this expectation, they keep a giant reserve of funds meant solely for satisfying lawsuits and insurance issues with faulty drugs. The profits for these companies are so significant that fines like the recent $2.3 billion dollar fine from the Justice Department levied upon AstraZeneca and Pfizer didn’t faze the companys’ potential for profits.

Taking Action with a Lawsuit

As most people are aware, there are legal options for restitution when a person has been the victim of a toxic drug experience. Deciding to engage in a lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company or making of a toxic drug does require some specific steps to ensure success with any litigation.

A lawsuit brought against a pharmaceutical company will very often be a type called a “class action lawsuit,” and this type of legal proceeding is where many people join a group to issue an official legal complaint. The group of people will have experienced the same issue, and the legal team for the plaintiffs has the responsibility of showing that the defendant (such as a pharmaceutical company) caused the harm experienced by the class members.

Alternatively, there is a type of lawsuit called a “medical monitoring lawsuit” that might have some participants who do not yet exhibit signs of impact from a drug and seek to recoup expected costs of medical and diagnostic testing due to use of a toxic drug. The threat of future harm is enough to put these lawsuits into action with the courts.

Expected Lawsuit Progression

A lawsuit isn’t ever going to be a pleasant experience, but preparing for it should make it less stressful. A lawsuit will always begin with a complaint filed with the court that alleges certain issues that warrant legal action. The entity being sued will then send an official answer to the court after which the two parties will engage in “discovery.”

The discovery process allows the plaintiff and defendant to trade information that helps each side to mount a case against the other. During this time, certain motions will be made with the court and various meetings with the judge will occur to prepare the parties for trial. If a settlement is not reached between the parties before the date of the trial arrives, the trial will proceed, and a verdict will eventually be rendered by a jury or judge.

Ensuring safety when taking prescription and over-the-counter drugs requires vigilance and constant consideration of what the FDA says about various drugs. The most important facet of entering into a successful lawsuit is through swift and early action the moment any problems are detected or recalls are announced.

Guest Author

Jordan Elmquist is a freelance writer (for golombhonik.com) who is determined in spreading large corporation malpractice awareness. He enjoys hiking with his three dogs and blogging.

Exposure To Recalled And Toxic Drugs And Considering Lawsuits is a post from: The Complete Lawyer

result of your actions behind the wheel. If police charge you with a negligent driving

offence, you face number of different penalties, including fines, disqualification from

driving, and even a prison sentence in some cases, particularly if you are a repeat

offender.

According to the police, negligent driving can take many forms, including texting

while driving, talking on your mobile phone while driving, speeding, and other

dangerous driving behaviours. Being disqualified from driving for any period of time

can have a substantial impact on your lifestyle and ability to find employment. If

you want to avoid being charged with negligent driving, it is important to drive as

safely and carefully on the road as possible, and make sure that you avoid certain

behaviors that can increase your chances of being involved in an accident.

Avoid using mobile phones while driving

Texting and driving has recently been highlighted in the media as being a significant

cause of accidents, as it takes your attention off the road. If you are behind the wheel

it is best not to use your mobile phone at all. Speaking on your phone, even with a

hands free set, can be a distraction while you are driving and can potentially lead to

an accident.

Minimise distractions

Distracted driving can be dangerous. Distractions can come from a number of

causes, including loud music, pets in the car and children clamouring for attention.

Make sure pets are adequately restrained, so they won’t be a distraction, and make

sure you teach children that they are not to interrupt you while you are driving. If you

need to attend to their needs, pull over to the side of the road and stop first.

Observe the speed limits

Driving too fast can be a cause of accidents and negligent driving charges. Make

sure you are aware of the speed limit, particularly in highly populated areas, or

heavy traffic, and stick within them at all times. It can be frustrating if you are in a

rush but being in an accident can have far more serious implications than being

late. Observing the speed limits can also help you avoid a speeding ticket, and the

possibility of losing your licence.

Take steps to avoid driver fatigue

Fatigue can be a major cause of accidents, so if you are driving long distances or

at night, make sure you take regular rest stops and pull over if you feel like you are

too tired to drive. Signs that you are fatigued include yawning, wandering out of your

lane, tired eyes and restlessness.

Don’t drink and drive

Even one alcoholic drink can potentially slow your reaction times and affect your

driving ability. It is important to be aware of the risks of drinking and driving and

make sure that if you are planning to drink, you have a way of getting home, such as

a designated driver.

If you want to be a safer driver, and hopefully avoid getting in to trouble with the

police, negligent driving is something that you should take steps to avoid. By keeping

distractions to a minimum, and avoiding driving if you are fatigued or have been

drinking, you more likely to be able to avoid an accident, and a negligent driving

charge.

Guest Author: 

What is Negligent Driving, and how can I Stay Safe on the Road? is a post from: The Complete Lawyer

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Section 5

What duty does a user generated content website operator have to ascertain and verify the identity of people posting to its site? [For purposes of this article, a user generated content website is one where users can upload comments, text, photos, and videos. Examples of such sites include Facebook, Twitter, and forums.] Traditionally, this rather simple question has met with a simple response – none. The Defamation Act 2013 appears to create just such a duty.

Section 5 of the Act is the key provision. It contains language providing website operators with immunity from defamation claims made by users of their sites. To obtain this immunity, however, the sites must participate in a takedown notice process that appears to be loosely modeled on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 ["DMCA"] in the United States.

DMCA Duty

The DMCA is a complex piece of legislation. One area where the Act is clear, however, is on the issue of required disclosures a website operator must make upon receipt of a copyright infringement claim. As part of the takedown process detailed in the DMCA, a website operator can be forced to disclose the identity of any user alleged to have infringed on the copyright of the complaining party. The website operator merely turns over the IP address of the user and whatever information the user voluntarily provided when signing up for the site. The operator has no duty to verify if this information is correct.

A New Duty

The Defamation Act 2013 uses a similar takedown notice to that found in the DMCA, but with a twist. The twist is found in Subsection 4 of Section 5 of the Act, which reads:

“(4) For the purposes of subsection (3)(a), it is possible for a claimant to “identify” a person only if the claimant has sufficient information to bring proceedings against the person.”

This language is simple, but startling. It suggests the website operator must turn over information sufficiently accurate for the complaining party to file a lawsuit against the person alleged to have made defamatory statements. If the website operator fails in this regard, it loses the immunity provided in the Defamation Act and may be added as a defendant in any defamation litigation.

The practical impact of this new duty will be far reaching. User generated content sites, including small sites, will be burdened with the cost of putting in place and maintaining an authentication process. In addition, users of sites will be stripped of any anonymity as sites turn over user information left and right to maintain immunity under the act regardless of whether the defamation claims have any validity.

While the enforcement of claims under the Defamation Act 2013 beyond the borders of the United Kingdom is questionable at this time, the law puts forth a new duty other countries such as the United States may find appealing and seek to adopt. If so, the age of anonymity on the Internet may be coming to a close.

Guest Author: 

Richard A. Chapo, Esq., provides legal advice to Internet businesses through SoCalInternetLawyer.com and practices law in San Diego, California.

Will The New UK Defamation Law End Anonymity Online? is a post from: The Complete Lawyer

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Personal injury lawyers have a terrible stigma. Whether they’re chasing ambulances or running sleazy television advertisements, this particular brand of litigator has long suffered derision in the public eye and among members of the bar. True, it’s certainly more exciting than being a patent attorney, but patent attorney’s never wake up to a flaming bags of dog poop on their front porches.

Personal injury litigation has an element of chicken-or-the-egg to it. Should the majority of the perceived sleaze be attributed to the lawyer or the lawyer’s client? Who’s zoomin’ whom here? Take the famous case of the woman who bought a McDonald’s coffee from the drive-thru. The woman put the coffee in her lap, and took off the lid. Utterly careless, yes? She sues, and wins a $600,000 settlement.

Image credit: kundalini

Then there was the lady in New York City who tried to commit suicide by train. She was only mangled instead of killed, so of course she sued the city for $14 million – you know, medical bills, new Ferrari, and anything else she may need while she’s hiding in the house from embarrassment. The state Supreme Court of New York granted her petition.

Image credit: Mark LLanuza

These shenanigans are not restricted to the American judiciary. In Israel, a woman sued a television station for predicted good weather on a day that it rained. Since she was drenched, the woman caught a cold, which turned into the flu, which kept her out of work and caused her to visit both doctor and the pharmacy. The inconvenience, stress, and worry was apparently worth $1,000.

Image credit: Spencer9

Thus far, we’ve seen women prevailing in ridiculous personal injury claims. The menfolk are no better. Take for example the New York man at a dinner theater show. He was brought up on stage to dance with a female performer. During the dance, she lost control of him and he fell. His claim was that this caused a fracture to his ankle, and so he sued the show’s producer for $5.5 million!

Image credit: Jessica Dowse

Sometimes, on the other hand, personal injury lawyers stand up for what’s right. Some of these suits have helped not only the petitioners but also the future victims and their recoveries because of the precedents they have set. For example, a Texas court awarded $150 billion (yes, billion) in damages to the family of a burned assault victim who died of his injuries. In the largest personal injury award in history, the family was relieved that the court was willing to award this much even though the defendant has no way to ever pay it off. The precedent will serve to open doors for juries to award high settlements in future cases. 

Image credit: USAG- Humphreys

Another great example of personal injury lawyers helping the victims of extreme crimes was the $16.5 million verdict returned in the water-intoxication death of a radio show contest participant. The jury awarded $1.5 million each to the victim’s husband and each of their four children for pain and suffering as well as additional money for the future loss of love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, protection, affection, society, moral support, training and guidance. 

Image credit: Faye Hooper

Guest Author:

Elizabeth Mercer Matlock writes for Singleton Law, an Atlanta injury attorney firm, and has long enjoyed seeing the fruit of a well-written legal article. She’s well-rounded in her interests and never above making a good lawyer joke.

Unbelievable Personal Injury Claims is a post from: The Complete Lawyer

The most common lawsuits lawyers face arise from the following:

• Fee disputes
• Ethics violations
• Legal malpractice

Fee disputes often occur over the hours a client was billed. However, they can also occur if a lawyer misappropriated client funds. This may overlap with ethics violations. In addition, many ethic violations overlap with legal malpractice, which has three subcategories: negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract.

Negligence, the first subcategory of legal malpractice, is often evidenced by the following:

• Failing to file a lawsuit within the Statute of Limitations
• Missing important deadlines on more than one occasion
• Poor preparation for negotiation, mediation, or trial
• A failure to follow local rules and court orders

Breach of fiduciary duty, the second subcategory of legal malpractice, is often evidenced by the following:

• Dishonesty
• Unfair representation
• Improper or inappropriate behavior
• Errors in reaching a settlement

Breach of contract, the third and final subcategory of legal malpractice, is often evidenced by the following:

• Failure to do something after agreeing to do it

With all of the ways in which a lawyer can make a mistake, why does it seem as if many lawyers do not get sued by their clients? Here are four steps lawyers should take to protect themselves from lawsuits.

Step One: Handle Cases with Care

Lawyers should handle their cases with care. Part of this is paying attention to the details, issues, and strengths and weaknesses of each case. They should also know the larger implications of each case, such as how the people involved will be affected by the outcome of the case.

However, the other part of handling cases with care is making sure that their caseload is not too high. With time and experience, each lawyer will find the caseload that is right for them. Once they do, they should stick to it.

Step Two: Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

Communicate with the client. Communicate with the other side. Communicate with the judge. Just communicate. Many mistakes can be avoided through effective, efficient, and constant communication.

Lawyers should also keep in mind that while the other side and the judge are familiar with the legal system and its terms or jargon, their client is probably not. Lawyers should talk to their client often and in a way that they will understand, and they should offer explanations and clear up any confusion with everyone involved all throughout the case.

Step Three: Know the Rules and Follow the Rules

The law can be a labyrinth too difficult for even an experienced lawyer to navigate successfully.

However, if that ethics class a lawyer took in high school has long since been forgotten, then they can brush up on ethics or any other subject in between or during cases, because they have to know the rules before they can follow them.

Step Four: Reach a Settlement Outside of Litigation

If lawyers do encounter a problem with their client, then litigation is not the only answer. When a dispute arises, lawyers should suggest solving the dispute through alternative dispute resolution, which includes negotiation, mediation, and arbitration.

These are often faster, friendlier processes than litigation.

Guest Post Author: 

Jason McMinn is a personal injury lawyer who practices at the McMinn Law Firm in Austin, Texas. McMinn also practices criminal defense law.

Four Steps Lawyers Should Take To Protect Themselves From Lawsuits is a post from: The Complete Lawyer

Life for lawyers is pretty tough these days. Between a record number of law students rolling out into the job market every few months and an economy that’s not ready to take them all in, getting started can be extremely tough. That’s why young lawyers who really want to get ahead of the game are taking advantage of every tool they can in order to build a name, and a solid client base, for themselves.

One tool that’s especially appealing to this generation of young Turks is social media. Social media is not only an incredibly affordable marketing tool; it’s an incredibly effective one, too. Social networks like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn give lawyers access to massive audiences that television and print advertising just can’t compete with.

If you’re a lawyer on the rise, here are a few aspects of social media you should be considering.

A Word of Warning

Before we get too far down the social media road it’s important to take a step back and look at the ground rules. Fortunately all lawyers are, or should be, pretty familiar with the law, so understanding the rules of social media shouldn’t be too tough.

The first rule is that anything you say on sites like Twitter and Facebook can and will be used against you. That doesn’t mean that the police will be monitoring your social activities, but everyone else will.

It’s incredibly important that lawyers treat what they say online with the same reverence as they treat what they say in the courtroom. Just like the transcript of a trial, online chatter has a life that goes far beyond the day that it’s written.

Control yourself on social media and don’t stoop to the level of online “trolls” and “haters.”

Blogging and Beyond

One of the best ways of building up a reputation as attorneys using online tools is by writing your blog. You can write about almost anything that you want, but if you’re looking to specialize this is where you can get a good start.

Blog posting don’t have to be particularly long or complicated. In fact, the more to-the-point you can be in your writing, the better off you’ll be. The good news here is that your blog can reach out to potential clients you would never otherwise have access to.

Once you’ve been blogging for a period of time, you’ll be ready to take the next step and start promoting it on social media.

LinkedIn: the Professional Network

LinkedIn is, by far, the most professional social network and developing a good LinkedIn strategy is something that every social media lawyer should be doing. This can be as simple as pushing your blog posts to your LinkedIn network, or answering questions in the forums.

This is an incredibly easy and affordable way to build your status in the legal community without spending a fortune.

Life can be tough for attorneys today but it won’t be that way forever. Hang in there and promote the heck out of yourself on social media and you’ll be just fine.

Featured images:

•  Photo credit: smartphotostock.com

(Guest post written on behalf of krattorneys.com)

Author:

Daniel Corretti is a social media strategist. he writes about how B2B companies could effectively utilize social media platform to grow their business.

Building Your Reputation As A Lawyer On Social Media is a post from: The Complete Lawyer

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