From My Law License: "The Cause Of The Defenseless Or Oppressed - 15 Years Later"

"The Cause Of The Defenseless Or Oppressed - 15 Years Later" from My Law License. Brian Tannebaum's 15th-anniversary-as-a-lawyer post is full of his passion and satisfaction and pride as a lawyer. It's also full of valuable, first-hand advice that comes in the form of 60 lessons that Brian has learned in 15 years of criminal law, like:

[17] Some people don't matter. Never treat them like they don't matter.

[20] People hate lawyers, think they are greedy, and don't respect them. That will never change. Don't waste your time trying to convince society otherwise. Spend your time convincing your client through your work that they shouldn't hate lawyers, lawyers aren't greedy, and lawyers deserve respect.

[26] Take every opportunity you can to teach a young lawyer something, regardless of their response.

[35] The people you walk by and ignore, notice.

[50] Speaking and writing is a better advertisement than your angry photo next to the words "aggressive," and "Available 24/7."

But that's not the half of it. Read it and see for yourself.

From Women Legal: "Loud and Clear"

"Loud and Clear" from Women Legal. I'm struggling to articulate why you should read this blog. Not because I can't think of a good reason: it's one of the most comprehensive and practical career guidance posts I've read all year. Not because I can't say who should read it: with a tag line of "Advancing women in the legal profession" the audience is clearly defined (though I strongly recommend men read it because they too need to know this stuff, as much as and perhaps even more than women do). I guess it's because I can't decide if it is a manifesto, or a self-help piece, or lesson plan for an "owning your career" class. But ultimately, that's not important because it's one of those posts that grabs you by the shoulders, looks you straight in the eye and says

"Stepping up, making a difference and taking charge of your career are all things you have control over. Don’t wait for the dark clouds to pass or to be invited. Do it now."

Read it. You'll be glad you did.

From Law 360: "GCs Detail Do's and Don'ts Of Keeping Business"

"GCs Detail Do's and Don'ts of Keeping Business" from Law 360. We all know the Golden Rule: "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Turns out that general counsel feel the same way about their law firms. Law 360 talked to some, who shared their perspective on what NOT to do to maintain a relationship. Think you already know this stuff? So did the firms that committed these mistakes. You know, the ones that used to work for the GCs interviewed for the article. Read it. You'll learn something.

From Convince and Convert: "Is social media too big for its britches?"

“Is social media too big for its britches?” from Jay Baer's Convince and Convert. Social media and social networking for lawyers is something I read about, write about and actively enable. But truth be told, sometimes the discussions bore me. You know the ones. The blog posts and twitter feeds and videos extolling the virtues of participation, decrying the social media faux pas committed by luddites, praising the power and the glory and the revolution of social media. We need to move to the next step, to stop talking about social media like it is new and amazing and the new black, and to start talking about how it fits into your broad communications strategy, about the specific benefits social media can bring, about the concrete actions you should be taking to drive the results you seek. This post from Jay Baer does just that. It’s a big step in the right direction.

From The Conglomerate: "The death of big law and the future of legal education"

“The death of big law and the future of legal education” from The Conglomerate. This piece from Professor Larry Ribstein reflects on the impact to legal education of the death of big law. And Ribstein should know. He is, after all, the author of “The Death of Big Law.” Read it and you'll see why you need to read everything Ribstein writes. The bonus? Ribstein’s post is just the first in an ongoing dialogue amongst the Conglomerate blawgers around the theme of "Minding our own business: How changes in the business of law might affect law schools and what law professors should be doing about it."

From The AmLaw Daily: "Welcome to the Future: Are Law Schools 'Beached'?"

"Welcome to the Future: Are Law Schools 'Beached'?" from Paul Lippe writing for The AmLaw Daily. If you're in the legal profession, you need to read this article. Not just because it further drives home the message that the current model is not working for clients, precisely those the system should be designed to benefit (United Technologies refuses to pay for first- and second-year associate time). Not just because it links the shortcomings of the current legal education system with other significant changes going on in the profession (free legal research, anyone?). Not just because it provides a useful perspective on the problems, but because it begins to look at solutions, at next steps, at effecting change, instead of merely lamenting the broken system.

From Corcoran's Business of Law Blog: "Does a CMO need an MBA?"

"Does a CMO need an MBA?" from Altman Weil consultant Tim Corcoran in his Corcoran's Business of Law Blog. What makes a good law firm Chief Marketing Officer? How is that changing? Will an MBA better prepare the next generation of CMOs for the challenges they're going to face, to their jobs, to marketing the law firm, to the legal profession itself? Corcoran thinks so, and I'd have to agree. Read what he has to say, then add your comments to the discussion.

From Law Firm Web Strategy: "Twitter for Law Firms"

"Twitter for Law Firms" from Jordan Furlong in Law Firm Web Strategy. I've written a lot about lawyers and Twitter at my other blog, but never this well. Furlong nails it again in what should be required reading for law firms on Twitter, firms that are considering it and, for that matter, firms that have written it off because they've decided that Twitter isn't a serious communications channel.

From a public defender: The presumption of guilt

"The presumption of guilt" from a public defender. I could recommend this post because my Blawg Review #257 question led to it. But that's not why you should read it. You should read it because it's full of passion, full of truth, full of candor. Because it makes you think. Because it articulates, in one of the best posts I've read all year, the most difficult aspect of being a public defender. Read it and you'll surely agree.

From My Shingle: Sorry, But I'm Not Contrite About Ignite Law (Just a Little Late to Respond)

"Sorry, But I'm Not Contrite About Ignite Law (Just a Little Late to Respond)" from Carolyn Elefant's My Shingle.com. It's been less than a week, but there has already been a slew of debate around Matt Homann's Ignite Law session that took place on the eve of the ABA TechShow, and it's all good. Why? Because even if they disagree on the methods, the debaters are all motivated by a desire to make the legal profession better. For Elefant, it's a place where people passionate about the law can follow that passion and find success, not the "rich beyond your wildest dreams" kind of success but rather the "don't stop being a lawyer just because you don't know how to start and run a solo practice" kind. Read the post. And while you're at it, read Scott Greenfield's "Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud," Antonin Pribetic's "Star Trek, Social Media and Legal Ethics," Brian Tannebaum's "Watching Law Ignite into Flames," and Venkat Balasubramani's "Emphasizing Tech and Social Media at the Expense of the Fundamentals?" You'll be glad you did.