Have you read these?

A smattering of interesting and valuable posts from the blawgosphere and beyond

• “Five Things Lawyers Should Know About Social Media” from Practicing Law in the 21^st Century. Lawyers: whether you’re just starting out in social media, a social media pro, or somewhere in-between, you need to read this post. I read a lot of posts about lawyers and social media, and this one sums up quite nicely the key themes that should guide you in your Web 2.0 activities. Don’t let the title fool you, though: you don’t have to be a lawyer to learn from it.
  
  
• “Overcoming Procrastination” from Jim Calloway’s Law Practice Tips Blog. Rather than crack “put off until tomorrow” jokes, I’ll go straight to the punchline. Everyone procrastinates. Some are better at it than others, and some of us have elevated it to an art form. But the cost of procrastination is high no matter how you slice it: added stress, missed deadlines, dissatisfied clients, etc. This post can help you, so read it. Today. Without delay.
  
  
• “Practice the 10/20/30 Rule for Presentations” from law.com. I’ve seen Guy Kawasaki make a presentation. I liked it. Whether you make presentations six times a day or six times a decade, yours will be significantly better if you follow his 10/20/30 rule. The bonus? Being able to quote a professional fisherman the next time you’re giving someone advice on their presentation.
  
  
• “Will alternative fee arrangements be profitable for lawyers?” from Legal Ease Blog. This post is a valuable addition to the ongoing “alternative fees v. hourly billing” debate, one of the key issues shaping the legal profession today. In it, Allison Shields takes a thoughtful look at some of the hurdles – perceived and real – that may be keeping lawyers from embracing alternative billing methods.
  
  
• “Dragons' Den” from The Adventure of Strategy. I really enjoy seeking out new blogs and posts that add to the legal business development and marketing conversation. Why? Because I find blogs like this one, and get to add them to my RSS feed. This post is about a possible future for selling in the legal profession. What if you had only three minutes to convince your clients to hire you? How would you articulate your difference? What would you have to do differently to show clients that you are indeed better than the competition? And what would the impact be on the way you run your firm?