What would you do if your boss walked into your office and said, “Hey, take a year off and we’ll pay you $80,000. And, your job is guaranteed when you return.”

According to Legal Blog Watch, that’s exactly what has happened to the 1,300 associates at Skadden.

While the paranoid cynic in me would be fearful of spending a year away from the office, the opportunity that a paid year’s vacation affords would be too strong of a lure.

If I were a twenty-something with no kids, mortgage or real responsibilities I would:

  • Go to culinary school
  • Get a job on a cruise ship traveling through the Mediterranean
  • Spend a year in India practicing yoga and meditation
  • Build houses for Habitat for Humanity
  • Teach English in China
  • Blog and read

Simply stated, if I were a Skadden associate, I would take this opportunity to explore my passions. Perhaps law is it … but maybe not. Why not take this time to figure it out while you are young and relatively unencumbered?

Oh, and if you are a Skadden associate taking the offer, might I be so bold to suggest that you start a blog and let us know what you and your colleagues are up to. It could be a real eye-opener for the rest of us.

Now, the bigger question: can they defer their law school loans?

For those of us who stopped drinking the mega-firm cool-aid, it’s sometime difficult to articulate why we believe that the mega-firm model just doesn’t work well.

I will concede to my esteemed colleagues that there are some mega-firms that are effective and operate well, but those firms hold few of the AmLaw 100 spots.

Rees W. Morrison in his article “Big and Bad? Making the case for steering clear of mega-sized law firms” (law.com registration required) sums up my sentiments. He argues that the strengths of the mega-firms are mitigated by their drawbacks.

  • Quality controls, training and systems, but higher effective billing rates.

Large law firms are in a position to review the work product of their lawyers several times. Heft allows law firms to invest in more sophisticated software and technology, such as document assembly, knowledge banks and guidelines. But all that fancy software can also distract from sound thinking, analysis and judgment.

  • Huge amounts of experience, but conflicts of interest.
  • Global coverage, but inconsistent quality and coordination.
  • Deep specialization, but narrower perspective.
  • An impressive head-count of legal professionals, but dissipation of a shared culture.

Spread out, with very different backgrounds and without many opportunities to work together, partners are often strangers to each other, foot soldiers in a corporate-style conglomerate. Within that environment, trust and connectedness can easily decline, and internal politics can begin consuming lots of energy among lawyers whom GCs would much rather have focused on their own matters.

  • Resources galore, but the leverage of law departments declines.
  • The best and the brightest might be hired, but high turnover rates persist.

Mr. Morrison rightly identifies many of the issues that my colleagues and I have personally experienced. One thing he did not mention is that the larger the firm, the larger the bureaucracy. Simple tasks, such as getting a check request approved, can take more hours in my time and partner time, than they are worth (not that I have EVER personally experienced that).

(to fully enjoy the passage, click on the title and launch in your Facebook)

The Passover Seder, the oldest continuously observed religious ceremony in the world, tells the story of the Jews’ Exodus from Egypt. Jewish tradition says that people of each generation must imagine that they personally had departed from Egypt, and the sages say that each generation must tell the story in its own terms.

The sages probably did not intend this.

Moses is Departing Egypt: A Facebook Haggadah

Joseph is going to Egypt.

Joseph and Pharaoh are now friends.

Elijah is a bit tipsy, but off to a good start. 30,000 households down, and it’s only 6:30!

Pharaoh is sad to report that my father has entered immortality. I have taken his place in government and will do my best to honor his name.

Joseph Congratulations to you, my master.
Pharaoh Who are you, and why are you writing on my wall?
Joseph I meant no disrespect, my master.
Advisor He is an Israelite. There are many of them. I do not know whether they are with us or against us.
Pharaoh Let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they join with our enemies in time of war.

Rabbi Eleazar ben Azaryah finally figured out why we’re supposed to tell the story of the exodus at night. It’s because it says “all the days of your life!”

Ben Zoma Huh?
Rabbi Eleazar ben Azaryah You see “Days of your life” means days only, but “ALL the days of your life” means nights, too.
Ben Zoma Oh, I always thought that referred to after the coming of the Messiah.
Pharaoh sent The Israelites Bread of Affliction.

The Israelites This stuff tastes awful.
The Israelites This year are we slaves, next year may we be free!

25 things you didn’t know about me by God
1. Guilty pleasure: Smiting people.
2. I had another universe once, it was so much better than this one. But I got really wasted one night and lost it in a game of craps. 🙁 I’m never doing that again.
3. In my old universe, the really cool one, the dominant species was a race of hyper-intelligent beetles. It was so cool. Unfortunately, when I lost that universe I also lost the beetles-as-master-race patent, so now I have to settle for primates.
4. I picked up this universe at a 50%-off sale. I thought I was getting a bargain. But as soon as I took it out of the box at home, I figured out why: space and time are both a bit bent in places, and most of the mass is missing. I wish I had saved the receipt.
More
Pharaoh has taken the Which god are you? quiz. Pharaoh is Ra, the Sun god. Ra represents light, warmth and growth.

The Israelites has used Yes We Conserve to pledge to Seal and caulk air outlets.

The Israelites We might as well use extra straw to keep out the hot desert air.

Pharaoh has posted an Album: Construction of Pithom and Raamses.

The Israelites I’m the 432nd slave from the right!
Bernie Madoff The pyramid scheme is a good concept, but you need to think bigger.

Elijah is feeling very harried. 3 million houses left, and it’s already 7:30!

Hillel sent You sandwich.

Youngest son Why is this night different from all other nights?

Parent What do you mean?
Youngest son Well, there’s the drink-four-times thing, and the matzah thing, and the dip in salt-water thing. What’s up with that?

The Israelites has written a note on God’s Wall: We’re suffering! See See Wall to Wall

Rabbi Yehoshua Had a few too many at dinner and spent the whole night at Akiva’s arguing about the Exodus.

Rabbi Tarfon My head hurts.

God has written a note on The Israelites’ Wall: Yeah, I see. Listen, sit tight, and I’ll think of something. See See Wall to Wall

Moses has taken the Which god are you? quiz. Moses is Osiris, God of the Dead. Dressed in white flannel gown, Osiris ruled over the Egyptians and taught them farming.

God Note to self: This is getting really annoying. I have got to add a Commandment outlawing this stupid Which God Are You Quiz. I think I’ll word it broadly so that no one can possibly misunderstand my intentions, and I’ll put it right up front where they can’t possibly miss it.

God has written a note on Moses’ Wall: Moses, stop wasting time and do something about this whole slavery thing. See See Wall to Wall

Pharaoh has used Yes We Conserve to pledge to Use dryer less.

Pharaoh This is a no brainer, as I live in a desert. Also, dryers haven’t been invented yet.

Moses has written a note on God’s Wall: Er, me? See See Wall to Wall

God sent Moses burning bush.
God has written a note on Moses’ Wall: Yeah, you. See See Wall to Wall

Moses has written a note on Pharaoh’s Wall: Let my people go! See See Wall to Wall

Mark Zuckerberg You see? It’s all about the social graph. Israel talks to God talks to Moses talks to Pharaoh. There must be some way to make money off of this.

God Aren’t you the CEO of Facebook? Listen, the old version was so much better. Tell your engineers to bring it back.
Mark Zuckerberg Actually, I’d like to stick with the new one for now.
God I’m sick of seeing all these quizzes! I command you to bring back the old one!

Mark Zuckerberg is fleeing to Tarshish.

Pharaoh has written a note on Moses’ Wall: Up yours! See See Wall to Wall

Mark Zuckerberg and a whale are now friends.

Moses has used Yes We Conserve to pledge to Use trees to control sun and shade.

Moses Back in my day job as a shepherd (which I still hope to return to some day), a few strategically planted trees made all the difference in the world on a hot day.

Elijah is sloshed

God sent Pharaoh a plague: blood.

Advisor No big deal. Our magicians can do that, too.
Pharaoh OK. Whatever.

Pharaoh has written a note on God’s Wall: Nice try. I’m not impressed. The Israelites stay. See See Wall to Wall

God sent Pharaoh 9 more plagues.

Advisor Uh-oh. These are the fingers of God!
Pharaoh OK, I give. 10 plagues is enough.
Rabbi Jose The Galilean Which means that when God later smote them at the Red Sea with his hand, they got 50 plagues.
Rabbi Eliezer No, I think it means 200, since each plague was sent with fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble.
Rabbi Akiva Dude, you missed a comma. Fierceness was its own plague. So that’s five plagues per finger, or a total of 250 plagues.
Pharaoh Will you guys stop running up the score?! You already won! Just stop!

Pharaoh has written a note on The Israelites’ Wall: Get out of here! See See Wall to Wall

Moses has written a note on The Israelites’ Wall: Quickly, people! Just grab everything and go! See See Wall to Wall

The Israelites But what about the bread? We’re in the middle of this great recipe.
Moses Just grab what you can and go! Now!

The Israelites has posted an Album: Fleeing from the Egyptians.

Elijah 100 times as many houses to visit, and presents to lug around, too. How does Santa do it?

Santa Claus We young folks have all the energy! 🙂

Elijah has used Yes We Conserve to pledge to Power chariot by magic horses instead of internal combustion engine.

The Israelites has written a note on Moses’ Wall: Um, there’s a lot of water in front of us, and a bunch of angry Egyptians behind us. Any ideas? See See Wall to Wall

Moses has written a note on God’s Wall: Er, over to you. Any ideas? See See Wall to Wall

God has written a note on Moses’ Wall: Stretch out thy rod over the waters. See See Wall to Wall

Moses is crossing the Red Sea.

The Israelites has posted an Album: Fishes of the deep.

Pharaoh has written a note on The Israelites’ Wall: Now I’ve got you right where I want you!! See See Wall to Wall

Pharaoh is very wet

Elijah is just about ready to call it a night. This gets harder every year.

Pharaoh and Satan are now friends.

God has used Yes We Conserve to pledge to Run sun on nuclear fusion instead of natural gas.

God This way, I can save enough energy to prevent the Earth from.. oh wait, never mind.

God sent The Israelites a Torah.

God Just so you know, the one I wrote for the hyper-intelligent beetles was so much cooler. I miss them. Sigh.

Here endeth the Seder.

This year our ceremony still contains some time for reflection, and some ability to remain on the same topic for more than a minute or two. But next year, may our ceremony be faster, divided into bite-sized chunks, and with each utterance no more than 140 characters. And so we say together,

NEXT YEAR IN TWITTER

I left Big (trying to be Mega-) law several years ago for a much smaller (75 attorneys) boutique. I’ve never been happier.

Personally, I find the Big Law model to be broken. Year after year, I would see rates go up, and partners hit a wall with what their clients would pay. Good partners, with healthy practices, would leave in pursuit of a smaller platform where they could reduce not only their rates, but, more importantly, the rates of their associates.

The news this week remains the same from Big Law: more law firm layoffs, summer class reductions and fall class deferments.

At LMA’s annual conference last week one thing was obvious: Big Law wasn’t well represented. In today’s tightened market, is it wise to leave the business developers and marketing mavens home while your competitors are brainstorming with the likes of James Carville and Mary Matalin?

I just flipped through the Attendee Roster provided by LMA. Only 35 AmLaw 100 firms were represented. Unfortunately, an overwhelming majority (23) of the firms sent only 1-2 people. And, only eight sent five or more people. A total of 87 representatives from the AmLaw 100 attended the conference.

Yet time and again, I met senior marketers from smaller, non-AmLaw firms. We sat around discussing the opportunities the economy is affording our firms. I met marketers from around the country who were there to take in the rich and dynamic content LMA had to offer.

For instance, I attended the Senior Marketers program on Wednesday. In my break-out session there were 20 marketers. Only two people in the room came from a firm sized 100 attorneys or more. Yet, they were there learning strategic planning lessons from Mary K. Young at Zeughauser. What an incredible opportunity.

In today’s Above the Law post, When Clients Bite Back, I find the sentiment is shared. We, the smaller firms, are in the driver’s seat:

“DuPont and other clients, hit by the recession, are pressing firms for fixed fees or 10 to 25 percent discounts, industry consultants said. Lower overhead of smaller firms, such as 210-lawyer Hiscock & Barclay LLP, permit them to charge less than DLA Piper LLP or Latham & Watkins LLP, which have thousands of lawyers. Partners at smaller firms charge $500 to $600 an hour as top fees compared with as much as $1,000 at large New York firms.”

That’s all this industry needs, clients figuring out that they can get quality legal work for half the price.

What would a conference in DC be like without a political speaker or two? Now, imagine if those speakers did not share on politics, but on what we love … communications.

James Carville and Mary Matalin hit a home run with the Legal Marketing Association’s audience last Thursday with their keynote address: “Changing How You Brand.”



It appears that whether you are a Democrat or Republican, a “mega law” lawyer or solo practitioner, no matter what industry you are in, today is a unique time to communicate a message, and we have fewer resources to do it.

Ms. Matalin hit home with her observation that the old adage that perceptions are reality is no longer true … reality is reality.

We are faced with a tough economic reality in both politics and the legal/business community that we need to operate within. We no longer have the luxury of creating a perception … we live in the reality of a recession and tough economic times.

She emphasizes that we, the communicators, need to be brought into the strategy sessions at the beginning, not after the crisis hits. We need to be part of the team, crafting the messages.

Mr. Carville pointed out, to the pleasure of the crowd, that as communicators “we’re not paid by the word, but by the thought.”

Speak to Human Nature

As communicators, we need to speak to human nature, the human mind. We need to have a story to tell. We need to keep it simple. And repeat it often.

The message, no matter what it is, must lend itself to a narrative. A point driven home by Mr. Carville who pointed out that the principles of effective communication are universal.

Simplicity, relevance and repetition. Exclusivity.

  • Relevance of the message to the people you’re communicating to.
  • The less you say, the more you hear.
  • What can you say that the other guy can’t?

The simplicity of the message is the key to communicating it. The problem with the current administration and the economic crisis is that few people understand “derivatives” or “toxic assets.” However, it was easy to communicate and understand Bush’s “War on Terror” or Reagan’s “The Bomb.”

How would Carville brand today’s law firm??

An audience member asked how Mr. Carville would brand today’s law firm. Without skipping a beat he came up with the following:

Tomorrow is not going to look like yesterday. Everything is going to taste different when this is all over. We’re never going back. Law firm message should be that we’re innovators. We’re taking you to the world that is going to exist. We’re ready, we’re prepared. Our competition is suited to a 2006 world; we’re suited to a 2016 world.

Back in 1977, Bates v. Arizona paved the way for legal marketing as a concept, industry and career for many of us.

The concept of free speech, while a cornerstone of our society, seems to be lost on the law. It has been tossed aside again and again because, for some reason, lawyers and the law are “different” than plumbers, electricians, auto-mechanics and others who sell services that we “unsophisticated” consumers purchase.

And now the latest law suit in defense of free speech has been filed. AVVO, love them or hate them, might break down another wall. Their Web site allows for client testimonials, which are banned by the Florida Bar Association.

According to The National Law Journal, “Public Citizen’s suit argues that the Florida Bar Association’s rules violate attorneys’ free speech by holding them accountable for client posts on Web sites that the attorneys don’t control.”

It will be interesting to see where the law suit goes. I, for one, am rooting for free speech!

This year I had a choice: To LMA or not??

For the first time since 1998, I am not on an LMA Committee, local board, or the International Board of Directors. My program (which was AWESOME, by the way) was rejected by the conference committee, so I was flexible on whether to attend the LMA national conference or another program this year.

I chose to attend LMA’s annual conference because I found their program to be far superior than any other conference I had seen.

And I have not been disappointed.

While the economy has affected the attendance, and maybe they had to economize on the Gala tonight, the speakers and programming have remained intact, top notch, and relevant to today’s technology, economy and business trends.

Between the Scenario Planning session yesterday, and the Matalin/Carville keynote address today, I have received my firm’s money’s worth.

Like many LMA members, I am Tweeting live, you can follow me @heathermilligan, or to get a full conference report, #LMA.

I’ll get some posts up as soon as I can, but really, I have not wanted to miss a moment of the sessions, the networking, and the exhibit hall.

Kudos to our conference committee, especially John Hellerman, for whom I have a newfound affinity and Doug Hoover, who takes my feedback with the sincerity in which it is given, for pulling together what I believe to be our best conference to date (and I’m saying that privately as well).

Yes, I wanted to go to the Legal Marketing Conference. And, yes, I would have loved to go to the ABA Techshow, too. Instead, I’m at work at my computer alternating between two rooms (#LMA and #techshow) on Tweetchat and commenting where I can. It does makes me feel better in a virtual world to be participatory. Listening is good, too. But if you don’t use Twitter, you won’t have a clue.

Remember the Cluetrain Manifesto: Markets are conversations. Conversations on Twitter are soundbites – or rather, writebites at 140 characters or less.

This morning at the LMA conference, James Carville, the king of soundbites, was the keynote speaker. Here’s a taste of what my colleagues twittered:

LindsayGriffith Carville – simplicity, relevance & repetition #LMAabout 1 hour ago from TwitterFon

heathermilligan Relevance of the message to the people. Less you say, the more you hear. #lmaabout 1 hour ago from Twittelator

nancymyrland #LMA James Carville: Find out what you can say that others can’t. What can we market that our competitors can’t?

heathermilligan Carville can live life, raise kids, on a sound bite. “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” a whole religions was built on that. #LMA about 1 hour ago from Twittelator

LindsayGriffith Then, once you find that, keep driving that point home – Carville #LMA about 1 hour ago from TwitterFon

michaelzukewich RT @SonnyCohen: Carville is a natural born Tweeter. I’m counting 48 one liners all under 140 char. Consistent w/his message of simplify #LMA

What are we learning here? Tell a story, be clear, and repeat…Repetition, repetition, reputation. The medium is still the message.

Meanwhile, at the ABA Techshow on Tweetchat:

kevinokeefe Legal profession makes trending topics on Twitter with #techshow http://twitpic.com/2pwbg9 minutes ago from TweetDeck

matthomann RT @jordan_law21 “#techshow now at #4 on Trending Topics. Let’s get to #1 before this session ends!”11 minutes ago from Twittelator

jordan_law21 #techshow Someone asked a question by raising their hand and speaking. Old school.29 minutes ago from web

TomMighell I am tweeting directly from the podium at #TECHSHOW29 minutes ago from TweetDeck

What are we learning here? Constant innovation is the key to relevancy.

You can reach me @SusanLWard

I for one think there are WAY too many conferences out there this year. After reviewing all of the agendas, speakers and networking opportunities of each, I settled on The Legal Marketing Association’s annual conference.


If you haven’t checked out the agenda, you can view it here (pdf).


I will be Tweeting live from the sessions I am attending, as will others, and will post recaps here for the following programs:


Wednesday

  • Senior Marketers’ Program—LMA Masterminds: Leading Change
  • The Risks of Ignoring Future Uncertainty & How Scenario Planning Can Help
  • The Art of High Performance Leadership Under Pressure
  • Creating High Performance Cultures: Delivering Increased Employee and Customer Satisfaction and Financial Performance
  • Accelerating Coaching Success: A Master Class
  • Mastering the Strategic Planning Process



Thursday

  • Knowledge Is Power: Using Knowledge Management to Boost Business Development and Bring More to Clients
  • Thought Leadership: The New Frontier of Strategic Marketing



Friday

  • Fast Forward® 2: Taking Coaching to the Next Level



As always, you can follow me on Twitter @heathermilligan. To follow the live Twitter stream from the conference, follow the hashtag #LMA.