[Fredslist] Fw: Expert Newsletter

[Gerald Goldhaber]

Fellow Experts:  FYI.  I think he raises some interesting issues for us during this recession.  At our next meeting on March 30, let's discuss how the recession is affecting us and what steps we are taking to cope with this recession, especially with regards to our current and previous clients.  Recently, the NYTimes reported that many lawyers are changing their billing practices from hourly to flat rate estimates.  How might this affect our own billing practices.  Please RSVP for March 30, if you have not already done so.  Gerry Goldhaber

 Gerald M. Goldhaber, Ph.D.
President and CEO
GRA, LLC
800 6th Avenue, Suite 26G
New York, NY 10001
(212)379-6661 (O)
(917)279-2303 (Cell)
www.goldhaber.com



----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Michael Lantrip <michael at mylawnetwork.com>
To: geraldgoldhaber at yahoo.com
Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 10:19:13 AM
Subject: Expert Newsletter

Newsletter 

  
Information for Experts

Volume II 

March 18, 2009    

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THE FUTURE OF THE LEGAL AND EXPERT PROFESSION
Pt. II 


In the last newsletter we discussed the concerns facing attorneys in 2009 and how those might affect you. Those concerns have only grown more worrisome as every week the business and legal journals are filled with stories of more layoffs at the law firms.
 Sir Winston Churchill once said, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." 
 
How do you use these troubling times to not only preserve, but grow your practice as an expert witness?
 
By using the tools at your disposal to increase your exposure and to humanize yourself to your clients and potential clients.
 
Many lawyers are leaving large firms and either going solo or heading to much smaller, boutique style firms where the costs are monitored much more closely. This makes it more important than ever to keep your name in front of the attorneys and interact with them on a personal touch. In years past this has been done by attending the same events and pressing the flesh. Today, however, it is done digitally through social media such as LinkedIn, through listings and newsletters such as we offer as a part of your listing with us, and by offering information that increases your value, but at no cost to you or the attorney. 

 
The most important item an attorney can have is information, which, luckily enough, is the basis for your business. That is one reason why attorneys are using our website, we are the only place that provides information on specific judges and courts, such as this one.

 
You can informally provide information in a number of ways. The first is by being available for quick questions and chats, either by telephone or email, when a lawyer has a question about a topic. Look at this like a sample that is given away by a grocery store...it provides a taste, and lets someone know whether or not they will like the product without having to make a large investment up front. Due to the digital world we live in this can now be accomplished effectively through social media, like our group on LinkedIn or on our own professional network currently under development.

 
The second way to provide information is in a more generic package, for example an article on your topic of choice. By publishing this in a mass distribution system like MyLawNetwork.com, it spreads the word about you and your knowledge with little or no extra cost to you AND provides a valuable and much appreciated service to the attorney. If you are an expert in a very specialized or little known field, there is an even greater need for you to educate the attorneys on an area of practice which they may be missing out on due to a lack of knowledge. The article can contain links to your website and listing on MyLawNetwork.com, which increases your exposure dramatically
as well as making it very convenient for the lawyer to go straight from the article to you.
 
Coming next month: Marketing for Experts
        
 
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The #1 Testifying Tip for Experts (From a Lawyer's Point of View)
  
Keep It Simple! 
 
Even though communication is supposed to be our stock in trade, lawyers are the worst at speaking over jurors heads, often taking simple ideas and throwing arcane language and legal phrasing into the mix so that jurors are more confused than when they started. Don't let our bad habits affect you.
 
It is generally agreed that jurors communicate, on the average, at an 8th grade level. Anytime you start testifying at a level above that, chances are good that you are losing some jurors. So what is the solution?

Don't use "terms of art". If it can be said in a simpler way then that is the path to take. A good way to test yourself on this is to type out your testimony (or reenter it from a depostion) using a feature in Microsoft Word. The method varies from version to version but if you look for "readbility statistics" in the help menu it will give you instructions. Word uses this feature to assign a readbility index which roughly correlates to the grade level at which it is written (and thus spoken). By using this and tweaking the language you can reduce the complexity of your testimony without any loss in content. 

 
Finally, if it is at all possible, Show...Don't Tell. There are a variety of learning styles which jurors use to assimilate information. Using visual aids not only makes your presentation more interesting it also allows you to get through to another segment of jurors. More on this topic in a later newsletter.
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The introductory pricing at MyLawNetwork.com has ended and the second phase pricing is ending soon! You still have time to sign up at the $300 per year rate, which includes your listing and  all benefits as well as being able to participate on our LinkedIn group and an AdWords campaign at no additional charge.

 To sign up, click here. If you have any questions, send us an email and we'll respond as quickly as possible.
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NEW PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT
 
Just released on MyLawNetwork.com is PowerPoint for Court 2009. This eBook is an updated version of the definitive manual for preparing digital presentations for court.
 
Through a special marketing agreement with the author, Herb Rubinstein, MyLawNetwork.com we are able to offer this eBook, along with access to all of the downloads and plug ins, at the price of $79.00, which is $70.00 off the normal price. For more information on the contents of this book or to order click here. To order, click on the Buy Now button and then follow the directions in the Shopping Cart located on the upper right portion of the screen.

 
PowerPoint for Court 2009 is for use with PowerPoint 2003 or later. If you have an earlier version, the original PowerPoint for Court is still available for only $ 49.95. 

 
Copyright 2009     



This message was sent from Michael Lantrip to geraldgoldhaber at yahoo.com. It was sent from: Michael Lantrip, 14901 Quorum Drive, Dallas, Texas 75254. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below.   

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