Obama’s “Difficult Tasks” and Lawyers Who Need Web Sites

As President Obama has said, “… there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.” (Inaugural Address, 1/20/09) …

My view (below) is from the perspective of a law librarian and of someone who hires lawyers, so think of me as a Super (and maybe very annoying) Client, but who also talks to hundreds of people who are trying to find the right lawyer:

Two things lawyers who want to make a living (as lawyers) should never say, but that I hear said every day:

1) “I don’t have an email address.” (This is not much different from saying “I don’t have a telephone number.” But you also must know when to use and not use email!)

2) “I don’t have a law firm web page.” (That is no different from saying you can’t read instructions or don’t know how to set up an efficient law office. Why would I hire a lawyer who can’t read instructions or supervise support staff? Maybe that lawyer can’t read statutes either?)

One page, that’s all we’re asking for – one web page for your law firm. Surely your business is worth that. You can (and should) have a web site for your law firm. It doesn’t have to be daunting, expensive, or fancy (in fact, the less fancy, the better). And learning how to create one is not much more difficult than reading instructions and asking questions.

To get started, try this article:

Jim Calloway’s (Law Practice Tips blog) excellent and easy to follow: Web Site How-To Tips for the Small Firm Lawyer, from the Oklahoma Bar Association journal, includes the basics, but don’t blame me if you find yourself getting interested in doing much more after conquering this difficult task!