This is a new weekly post where we will be reviewing some of our favorite User Feedback from attorneys who have completed Lawline.com CLE courses.  We decided to start this blog post because we thought it would be fun to share our favorites.

Faculty Member: Harvey Weitz

Lawline.com CLE Courses:
Cross Examination Strategies

Harvey Weitz joined the Lawline.com Faculty in 2008.  His first program, highlighted above, has received tremendous feedback by attorneys who have taken the course from all over the country.  Because of comments like the ones we have displayed below, we will be sure to ask Mr. Weitz back for future courses on Lawline.com.

Favorite Comments about Harvey Weitz
"As an aspiring trial lawyer, I found it especially helpful to learn basic cross-examination tips from a seasoned, well-respected attorney."   - Mandy (Houston, TX)

"Mr. Weitz is the man!"   - Roger (Richmond, VA)

"The speaker was very informative on a subject that I know little about."   - Mary (Winnetka, IL)

Favorite Comments on his CLE programs
"Thought he was a great speaker and really liked the written materials--easy to read and organized well"   - Colleen (Lake Forest, IL)

"Excellent presentation. Clear, but not dogmatic. Rules as guidelines was very helpful. As with all attorneys, they talk in generalities about their mistakes, but with specificity about their successes."   - Edward (Hanover, NH)

Another week has passed, and another group of people have started using new internet technology to connect with others and build business.  Hopefully, that group of people includes some lawyers.  Welcome to part 15 of our blog series on social media for attorneys.  This week we will focus on interactions that you will have on social networking platforms.

As a member of any social network, you’ll see that the interactions that you have with other people across that network are the most important part of creating and driving new business.  Clearly defined goals (ie. increased traffic or new clients) are helpful in determining how to conduct yourself on these networks.

For starters, with any social network account, it is very difficult to mix business with pleasure.  If you are using Facebook with any type of professional  focus, for example, do not also use that account for casual correspondence with family and friends.  Keep it professional.

Also, in conversations on various social networks, you never want to come off as doing too much self-promotion.  Many people that do this get “called out” for it by the community and lose their influence to connect and converse with people.  Be genuine, be interesting, help others, and help yourself a little bit in the meantime.

Here are some quick do’s and don’ts for Facebook and Twitter interactions that should help you…

Do: Reply to people on Twitter if they ask a question that you know the answer to.

Don’t: Reply to everyone saying “I agree”, no one cares.

Do: Send direct messages to Twitter followers after interacting with them to keep the conversation going.

Don’t: Automatically send direct messages to everyone who follows you saying “Thanks for the follow, check out my website”.

Do: Link your Facebook account to your blog and website.

Don’t: Send constant messages to people in your network with your most recent blog post.

Do: Reach out to people/companies in your network that you are interested in partnering or working with.

Don’t: Write on walls and comment on status updates with mindless dribble.

Facebook and Twitter, along with other social networks, are a great source of future business leads/partnerships.  Companies have found that using them to connect with customers and other businesses have lead to increase productivity, creativity, and customer satisfaction.  In law, it is clear that there is the potential to give your practice a boost using social media.  So use these tools to their greatest potential, and don’t exploit them with self-promotion.

Past Installments of this Series:
Part One – Intro to Social Media for Attorneys
Part Two – Signing up for the Networks
Part Three – Using Blogs as an Information Source
Part Four – Start Blogging Today
Part Five – Introduction to Twitter
Part Six – Introduction to LinkedIn
Part Seven – Networks as a Communication Tool
Part Eight – Submit Yourself to Blog Catalogs
Part Nine – Put Your PR Department to Work
Part Ten – Lend us your Comments
Part Eleven – Intro to Viral Marketing
Part Twelve – Answer Questions 2.0
Part Thirteen – The Big Picture
Part Fourteen – Interactions on Blogs

What first attracted me to the internship program here at Lawline.com was the grand exposure to all types of law.  You see, I am currently an undergraduate student at New York University, baffled at my direction in life and sure of only two things—that my life’s work be grounded in the public sector and to be concentrated with the work of children.  My interest in child advocacy and the legal aspects of the social welfare system have brought me to the realm of law—a practice that has been better enlightened in my time here at Lawline.  I am a strong believer in experience and in the perspectives that it may offer—whether the experience be based on a future career goal in Manhattan or in a third world country half way around the world.   Either way, I believe it is necessary that everyone place him/herself in a world outside their own and dare to experience a life that is just a little bit uncomfortable.

These were just a few of the goals founded in my spring break trip last week to Morocco.   Accompanied by twenty other individuals, I worked for ten days in a Children’s Home about two hours outside of Fez.  I experienced a world completely counteractive to my own, situations and reliance beyond my comprehension and a love, undeniable.   Before I left for Morocco I was quick to say I was headed to an orphanage, willing to offer anything they needed—I learned that this was far from what was to be expected.  The Village of Hope refers to itself, very specifically, as a Children’s Home.  Every child has a family—a mother, a father and siblings.  There are seven pairs of parents all caring for anywhere from 5 to 10 children.  They are referred to and thought of as “Momma” and “Poppa” and everyone else on the grounds as “aunts” or “uncles.”  This innovative structure includes a school system of its own, a communal kitchen and a laundering facility, group trips and various play facilities.  Such a system provides a more stable, welcomed community of children and individually nurtures the pains so felt by the neglected children of Morocco.  It is a political infrastructure that I believe has far surpassed any cohesive model of an “orphanage” or even that of individual foster families.  This has allowed for a supportive community of children, foster families and all of the individuals with whom these children may come into contact.

Another aspect for which I must commend the Village of Hope is the undeniable immersion in the context of the community of Morocco.  As an individual willing to help, I often find philanthropists and social entrepreneurs eager to throw money at various situations or even to impose a system of their own on a foreign society.  What the Village of Hope has recognized, that I believe to be a vital aspect to any sort of program in the public sector, is that of immersion in the local community.  While the Village has individuals on staff from all over the world (South Africa, New Zealand, Spain, Los Angeles, etc), they are very aware of the origins of the children in their community.   They have recognized that the children they are fostering are full-blooded Moroccans and have committed to nurturing this society in them.  The children are taught by local teachers to speak and read traditional Arabic and also, the everyday mannerisms and respect of the Islamic political infrastructure.  The ultimate hope of the Village is that every child will grow up capable of evoking change within their own society—to revolutionize the third world country of Morocco.  

Being that this home was different, on a whole from that of an orphanage, the premise of the situations we handled, encountered and completed were vastly different from our expectations.  While we may have initially thought the week to be full of holding and hugging children, of taking their pictures and offering them equipment and supplies they were vastly in need of, none of this proved to be true.  We were amidst a community of families that regularly held and hugged their children, who were uncomfortable with us taking numerous pictures and who were “making it” in every sense of the phrase.  Undoubtedly, they were thankful for our presence, of our help and for the vast materials we brought, but their needs were not desperate, their children not in dire need.  And what a relief!  That these abandoned, neglected children were receiving the care they deserved outside of a ten day short mission, that these children were being cared for daily!  So we built fences and planted peas and moved equipment and roofed houses and held sports clinics and offered art classes.  We added a dimension to the camp instead of answering a call of desperation.

Individuals keep asking me about my trip, how it was, what I’ve learned, how it’s changed me and honestly, it’s almost too close to tell.  I believe that my reflection on this experience will continue to throughout today, throughout this week, this year and its effects rippled throughout the rest of my life.  The Village of Hope has opened my eyes to the desperation of the third world, to the desperation of the children caught in its grasp and to the crucial role of serving the poor, that we, the very materially blessed, need to take on.  I have been exposed to a system of caring for the poor, the neglected, the abused that is revolutionary and profound, a system that I can only hope will one day be implemented here in America and across the world.  I think it is important for us to remember to keep our minds open and willing to learn from other individuals or countries that think from their heart just as much as their head.  I encourage you to look at the website of the Village of Hope [http://www.voh-ainleuh.org/], to consider a donation, offering your specialized service or even just your thoughts and prayers.  And regardless of your thoughts or opinions of the Village of Hope, of Morocco and even of the entire system of public service, I encourage you to reach out to the world's poor in other new and significant ways in 2009.  Beautiful little lives around the world, are literally, depending on it!

Welcome to part eight of our blog series on Going Green, dedicated to helping attorneys practice law in a more environmentally friendly way.  Last week we discussed the positive effects that recycling can have on your business and on the environment.  This week we will focus on setting goals.

We can talk about tips and tricks to go green all day long.  But at the end of the day, if you don’t set any concrete goals, you’ll never get anything done.  It’s just like anything else, talking does nothing without a real way to measure the outcome.  So let’s start setting some goals around your home or office that you can measure.

You can begin by taking a look at your utility bills.  The month before you start to institute any new green policy, look at how much gas, electricity, water, etc. that you consume.  If one thing you are trying to change is your electricity consumption, measure it in the money that you save from month to month.  Set a goal to lower your monthly electric bill by 10%.  That way you can go back and measure how effective your new policies really were.

Next, take a look at some other items that your practice “consumes”.  Reimburse employees for gas or transit, but cap it at a certain level so you can see how many people use less.  Reimburse employees only for public transportation and see how many switch from driving to taking the train or bus.

Also, if you follow our advice and try to use less paper, set a limit on the number of boxes of paper you purchase a month.  Or measure the frequency which you have to change the ink cartridges in the printers to see if you can go longer periods of time in between each change.

All of these are ways that you can measure the effectiveness of green initiatives.  And with measurement, come rewards and/or punishments.  Give people a reason to reach these goals, either financial or otherwise.  Over the long run, these new policies will have a better chance of sticking and you will be doing more to help the environment.

Past Installments in this Series
Part One – An Introduction to Going Green
Part Two – Cut Electricity Costs, Just Flip the Switch
Part Three – Forget Paper, Go Digital
Part Four – Travel Together, Travel Less
Part Five – We Recycle
Part Six – Natural Lighting
Part Seven – Know Your Gadgets

Another week has passed, and another group of people have started using new internet technology to connect with others and build business.  Hopefully, that group of people includes some lawyers.  Welcome to part 14 of our blog series on social media for attorneys.  This week we will focus on blog interaction techniques.

If you are a blogger, you probably have some interest in what other bloggers in your area are talking about.  This is the reason that most bloggers are also blog readers, hence the “community” of people and blogs we call the blogosphere.  The blogosphere has become a great place for casual interaction between people of varying opinions, goals and ideas.  And just like in any social interaction, there are a set of standard practices that have developed.

1. Comments – commenting on a blog should be used to add value to that post.  If you have an opinion that differs from that of the blogger, use the comments area to explain your view instead of trash the post.  This will start a good dialogue.  If you can expand on the bloggers points, do so in the comments so that other readers can learn more.  Using comments to say negative things about the blogger or to add meaningless information to link back to yourself are ways to get yourself ostracized in the blogosphere.

2. Reposting – a practice that is particularly controversial among blogs is the idea of reposting material.  Some blogs take their content of other blogs and news sources, reposting part of a post and linking it to the original.  In fact, I have a strong feeling that this post will eventually be reposted somewhere.  Though this is not necessarily unacceptable, it is bad practice.  You are much better off taking part of a post that you like, and writing something unique to go along with it.  But always give the original blogger credit and a link to that post.

3. Responding to comments – when people leave comments on your blog, take this as a compliment.  Whether the comment is good or bad, someone took time to read your full opinion and add their own.  Whenever possible, reply to their comment right below.  And, if they give their email address along with the comment, I would recommend writing them a quick email that thanks them for reading and adding their thoughts.  This shows that you genuinely value readers, and will make it much more likely that they will turn into a full time subscriber.

4. Blogrolls and Links – Use a blogroll, or links on your blog, to link your readers to other blogs that may interest them.  Many people abuse links, trying to help out friends who blog and get links back in return.  Although this may be a good search engine strategy, it may not be of much use to your readers.  Always remember, when adding a link, the best thing to do is think “If my reader clicks this, will they like it?”

Those are a few examples of how we can use blogs to interact with other people around the web.  Though there are many ways to use blog to our advantage, there are things that you should remember along the way.  Bloggers are people, and people are entitled to their opinions.  The social web is useful for debating and expanding upon ideas in a positive way.  It is our job to keep it that way.

Next week we will focus on interactions across other networks, including Facebook and Twitter.

Past Installments of this Series:
Part One – Intro to Social Media for Attorneys
Part Two – Signing up for the Networks
Part Three – Using Blogs as an Information Source
Part Four – Start Blogging Today
Part Five – Introduction to Twitter
Part Six – Introduction to LinkedIn
Part Seven – Networks as a Communication Tool
Part Eight – Submit Yourself to Blog Catalogs
Part Nine – Put Your PR Department to Work
Part Ten – Lend us your Comments
Part Eleven – Intro to Viral Marketing
Part Twelve – Answer Questions 2.0
Part Thirteen – The Big Picture

Bankruptcy Fee Awards and Legal Malpractice

We've written in the past on the collateral estoppel trap in legal malpractice.  While fee arbitrations in State Court proceedings probably have the greatest absolute number of applications, bankruptcy court fee awards may well cover a greater dollar figure.  Here, in In re D. A. ELIA CONSTRUCTION CORP., Debtor.  07-CV-754,08-CV-103  UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK  2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20443   March 14, 2009, Decided we see a result.  Law firm handles a 10 year bankruptcy for debtor, and is awarded several interim fees.  Law firm then applies for final fee award, and for the first time, debtor raises issue of legal malpractice.  Court considers the fee application, and awards fees.
 
When debtor later sues in State Court, result is: dismissed on the basis of collateral estoppel/res judicata.

"Upon finding that no merit to Elia's claims of malpractice, this Court observed:

As is readily apparent from this Decision and Order, the Court finds Elia's arguments in favor [of] remand and against the motion for summary judgment to be completely without merit. In opposing the motion to dismiss on res judicata grounds, Elia did not even attempt to [*5] distinguish the most obviously relevant case law against it -the First, Fourth and Fifth Circuit rulings holding that a bankruptcy court's grant of fees under 11 U.S.C. § 330 bars any subsequent malpractice claims premised upon those same services. See Grausz v. Englander, 321 F.3d 467 (4th Cir. 2003); In re Iannochino, 242 F.3d 36 (1st Cir. 2001); In re Intelogic Trace, Inc., 200 F.3d 382 (5th Cir. 2000). Instead, Elia attempts to mischaracterize the record by suggesting that the bankruptcy court never considered its claims of malpractice and attorney misconduct. Both this Court and the Second Circuit have expressly rejected that argument and have found that the bankruptcy court gave adequate consideration to Elia's claims of postpetition malpractice. See In re D. A. Elia Constr. Corp., 04-CV-975, Dkt. No. 21, at 20 (this Court's Decision and Order stating that "[t]he bankruptcy court fully considered [Elia's] allegations of misconduct but found them to be without merit"); and id. at Dkt. No. 33, at 3 and 4 (Second Circuit Summary Order stating that the bankruptcy court gave Elia "more than ample opportunity to present its arguments" regarding its claims of "conflicted and negligent [*6] representation").

In light of those express findings, it is difficult to believe that the state court action was filed by Elia in good faith. Even if Elia did have some good faith basis for initially filing its state court claims, it should have been clear that its position was meritless upon reviewing the cases cited in Damon & Morey's motion to dismiss. This is particularly true where, as here, Elia's principal is also an attorney and therefore presumably understood the res judicata arguments being raised. Nevertheless, Elia chose to oppose the motion and filed its own motion to remand.

The foregoing certainly provides sufficient evidence for this Court to conclude that the instant action was brought in bad faith and for the purpose of harassment and delay."

Legal Malpractice in the Real and Cinematic Worlds

Burt Pugach and Linda Riss are a staple of the blogosphere and the Page Six world.  He was a lawyer who was convicted in 1959 for blinding Linda Riss by use of lye, went to jail ,came out of jail to marry her ,and then was disbarred.  He was determined to have practiced law through the use of a front man-lawyer in 2008.  But that is all part of the Page 6 portion of their lives.

Here, the two sold their life story to HBO for use in a film called "Crazy Love" and this is where the legal malpractice portion of their life comes in.  Was the deal fair, and did HBO owe them more money?

In Pugach v. HBO Pictures Inc., Slip Op. 2009 30489U we see that their legal malpractice action fails. Judge Kitzes of Supreme Court, Queens County writes:

"This action arises out of an agreement between plaintiffs and defendant Shoot the Moon, dated May 11, 2004, whereby, in consideration of the payment of the sum of $ 2,000, plaintiffs granted Shoot the Moon an option to purchase all rights to their life stories...."  Plaintiff's argument that Linda Pucach could not read the contract because of her blindnes was disallowed on the basis that "if the party could not read it, "not to procure it to be read was equally negligent."
The legal malpractice action was dismissed as the attorney defendants represented Shoot the Moon and not plaintiffs, thus lacking privity.
 
 
Legal Malpractice in One of Its Many Guises

Our meme on this blog is that Legal Malpractice litigation is ubiquitous and omnipresent.  All right, what exactly does that mean?  It's not just blown statutes in personal injury, and it's not just unanswered questions in matrimonial suits, and it's not even just bankruptcy trustees and ponzi schemes.  It's the basis commercial transactional world too.  Here in an article from Law.Com, by Brian Katkin, we see:
"Hogan & Hartson is being sued for malpractice by a client who alleges the firm used attorney-client information to boost a competitor.

In the complaint, filed in Washington, D.C., Superior Court last month, Prestige Brands Inc., makers of household products like Comet and Compound W, claims lawyers at Hogan & Hartson breached their retainer agreement and committed legal malpractice by helping another company get a competing product on the market.

Hogan has yet to respond to the allegations, but the firm has hired Mark Foster, a partner at Zuckerman Spaeder, to defend the action. Last year, Foster successfully battled malpractice allegations against Wiley Rein when the firm was sued by former client Blackwater Security Consulting. Foster and J. Warren Gorrell Jr., Hogan's chairman, declined to comment.

Prestige is using Marianne Roach Casserly, a partner in the D.C. office of Alston & Bird, along with lawyers from the firm's Atlanta and New York offices. Casserly did not return calls seeking comment.
Charles Jolly, Prestige's general counsel, says he found out Hogan was working for a competitor from the Food and Drug Administration's Web site. "I've been practicing for 40 years, and I can think of only one time when I've gotten in a dispute with a firm that I hired for outside counsel," Jolly says.

Welcome to part seven of our blog series on Going Green, dedicated to helping attorneys practice law in a more environmentally friendly way.  Last week we discussed the positive effects that recycling can have on your business and on the environment.  This week we will focus on gadgets.

As lawyers, we can use an endless list of gadgets to help us get more utility and joy out of the job.  You may own some sort of portable music player, a smart phone, an additional cell phone, digital reader, laptop, etc.  Each of these things is an accessory that has become commonplace in the world today.  Some of them have almost become necessities if you want to keep up.

And though we always like to have the latest and greatest technologies available, it is important to remember that gadgets such as these use energy, and become waste in only a few short years when they grow old.  They are impacting the environment as much as any other product that we consume.

But there are ways to go green in your gadgetry.  First, before buying any new product you can compare them for environmental stats.  For example, Consumer Reports and Energy Star ratings can show you which products and companies are better for the environment.  Also, you can consider recycling an old gadget when it is not vital to obtain a new one.

Your purchasing decision is one of the most important decisions you can make when it comes to the environment.  But if you can’t choose the gadget that is the most eco-friendly, consider a few other steps you can take to minimalize its impact.  Charge it with renewable energy, use the gadget as long as you can, use it for as much as possible (limiting your need for additional gadgets), and recycle it when you are finished with it.

Each of these steps will go a long way towards limiting your gadgets’ carbon footprints.  It is better for the environment, and requires little effort for you.  The smallest of steps can have a positive reaction, and we all owe that to each other.

Past Installments in this Series
Part One – An Introduction to Going Green
Part Two – Cut Electricity Costs, Just Flip the Switch
Part Three – Forget Paper, Go Digital
Part Four – Travel Together, Travel Less
Part Five – We Recycle
Part Six – Natural Lighting

This is a new weekly post where we will be reviewing some of our favorite User Feedback from attorneys who have completed Lawline.com CLE courses.  We decided to start this blog post because we thought it would be fun to share our favorites.

Faculty Member: Hal Lieberman

Lawline.com CLE Courses:
Ethical Issues in the Litigation Process
Ethics: Conflicts of Interest

Hal Lieberman is an expert on professional responsibility and ethics.  He is one of the most respected attorneys in his field and we love that he continues to work with us to produce the highest quality Continuing Legal Education courses on the subject of Ethics.  His course have gotten rave reviews, and we expect that they will continue to do so for as long as they are available.

Favorite Comments about Hal Lieberman
"Mr. Lieberman is a very good, very clear speaker."   - Jennifer (Dallas, TX)

"Speaker was interesting and kept me engaged, which is most important in a course on the subject of ethics, well done."   - Laura (Decatur, GA)

Favorite Comments on his CLE programs
"Great format, great substance, well done. I'd use this service again."   - James (Research Triangle Park, NC)

"Hal Lieberman did a very thorough presentation on ethics and conflicts of interests in this CLE seminar program. The Q&A session was most helpful!"   - Steven (Indianapolis, IN)

"Thorough and well-presented. The best ethics seminar I've attended in my 25 years of practice."   - Michael (Buffalo, NY)

Another week has passed, and another group of people have started using new internet technology to connect with others and build business.  Hopefully, that group of people includes some lawyers.  Welcome to part 13 of our blog series on social media for attorneys.  This week we will focus on the big picture.

Social media is exploding.  It is connecting people that would have never been connected in the past.  It is opening up dialogue on important issues that never made it to the mainstream.  It is giving everyone a voice, and at the same time, teaching people how to use that voice.

Evidence that social media is bigger than we all thought:

1. Politicians are on Twitter.  Some members of Congress have started to use Twitter as a tool to spread messages about policies, opinions, and even day to day activities in Washington.  Even Barack Obama’s campaign team used Twitter to help spread his message before the election.  Check to see who is doing it here, http://tweetcongress.org/.

2. Businesses are using Twitter.  Some large companies have seen the benefit of using Twitter to communicate directly with customers.  Comcast uses it to handle online complaints and customer service issues.  Dell uses it to announce special deals.  Zappos uses it to discuss business strategy, upcoming promotion, and answer all questions from their customers.  JetBlue uses it to discuss flight times and schedule changes.

3. CEO’s are Blogging.  Many large companies have instituted corporate blogs to communicate both internally, and externally.  CEO’s are writing blogs to keep the public informed about what the company is doing, offering a more open atmosphere allowing customers to give feedback and hold companies accountable for their actions.

4. Companies on Facebook.  Over 10,000 companies are now using Facebook in some way.  Some, like JetBlue, have created fan pages to interact with customers.  Some, like Burger King, have started advertising through web applications.  Some, like Lawline.com, have started using it as an excellent recruiting tool.

5. LinkedIn is a huge success.  With 2008 revenue at close to $100 Million and rumors about an IPO, LinkedIn has exploded among both individuals and companies.  People use it to network and find jobs, and companies pay to have profiles for recruiting and brand recognition purposes.  It is one of the first truly profitable social media services.

These are just a few examples of the way social media is changing the world.  It is easy to see here that the future is shifting to online platforms, and those that do not get involved, run the risk of getting left behind.  As lawyers, you have the opportunity to gain an edge in your profession, one that is notoriously slow to change.

Next week we will return the focus to you.  We will go over specific examples of interactions on blogs, how you can take advantage of them, and avoid some mistakes that many new bloggers make.

Past Installments of this Series:
Part One – Intro to Social Media for Attorneys
Part Two – Signing up for the Networks
Part Three – Using Blogs as an Information Source
Part Four – Start Blogging Today
Part Five – Introduction to Twitter
Part Six – Introduction to LinkedIn
Part Seven – Networks as a Communication Tool
Part Eight – Submit Yourself to Blog Catalogs
Part Nine – Put Your PR Department to Work
Part Ten – Lend us your Comments
Part Eleven – Intro to Viral Marketing
Part Twelve – Answer Questions 2.0

Welcome to part six of our blog series on Going Green, dedicated to helping attorneys practice law in a more environmentally friendly way.  Last week we discussed the positive effects that recycling can have on your business and on the environment.  This week we will focus on setting up the office to utilize natural lighting.

Artificial lighting will account for about 40% of electricity use in any office environment.  But there are many ways that you can cut that down.  One such way, which we touched on earlier in this series, is turning off the lights in unused offices and making sure not to use lighting when you are out of the office for the day or night.

Another way to cut the amount of electricity you use at the office is to utilize natural light.  Though you may not have much say about the way your office is set up, you can always make suggestions to others.  And office managers should always be open to suggestions about how they can save money in very easy ways.

The sun provides all of the light you will need on a good day.  Proper windows with open shades or curtains allow enough light into the office that you will need to use much less artificial light, if any at all.  You can put desks closer to windows, keep areas as clean as possible, limit the number of walls and blockages, etc.  And where you need to set up walls, don’t use walls that extend all the way to the ceiling.  Instead, put glass in to allow for light to escape.

Taking advantage of natural lighting will not eliminate your need for electricity.  But hopefully it will lessen the amount of lighting that you need in the office, and the amount of time those lights need to stay on.  The lower your electricity cost is, the better it is for business, and less affect you are having on the environment.  Congrats!

Past Installments in this Series
Part One – An Introduction to Going Green
Part Two – Cut Electricity Costs, Just Flip the Switch
Part Three – Forget Paper, Go Digital
Part Four – Travel Together, Travel Less
Part Five – We Recycle

This is a new weekly post where we will be reviewing some of our favorite User Feedback from attorneys who have completed Lawline.com CLE courses.  We decided to start this blog post because we thought it would be fun to share our favorites.

Faculty Member: Malcolm Taub

Lawline.com CLE Courses:
The Prenuptial Agreement: A Key Aspect of Matrimonial Law
Legal Issues Relating to the Purchase and Sale of Art

Malcolm Taub became famous with our members after his course on Art Law.  Though it was an obscure topic, people found him engaging and powerful as a speaker.  Because the course became so popular, we had to ask him to come back and do another one.  I am sure we will see much more of Mr. Taub in the future.

Favorite Comments about Malcolm Taub
"The value of having a speaker with extensive experience in a field becomes apparent when viewing these courses."   - Roy (new york, NY)

"Excellent. The lecturer is obviously an expert in his field."   - Henry (Los Angeles, CA)

Favorite Comments on his CLE programs
"This is the best online seminar I have taken. Extremely interesting topic and very informed speaker. He offered great examples, good slides - I would definitely recommend this particular program to others!"   - Allison (Falls Church, VA)

"Excellent. The best lecture I've had - very substantive, and clear. Taub is an expert in his field and I was very grateful for his lecture, and all the materials he put together. Top notch."   - Lauren (Boca Raton, FL)

"Although this is not my area of law, this is one of the best courses I have ever taken, on-line or live. The speaker was excellent, and the materials are original, creative and yet practical."   - Francine (New York, NY)

Welcome to part five of our blog series on Going Green, dedicated to helping attorneys practice law in a more environmentally friendly way.  Last week we discussed travel costs, both monetary and environmental.  We realized that by limiting travel and gas expenditures, you can help your wallet while helping to do your part to save the planet.  This week we will focus on recycling.

Recycling is something that we have heard about our entire lives.  It seems like this was the answer to all of our problems in past.  Well, it is still one of the most important things that we can do to help the environment.  In addition, it is still something that most people do not pay attention to.

As we discussed in a previous post, many lawyers use a lot of paper.  It is just something that comes with the territory.  In part 3 of this series, we talked about ways to reduce paper usage.  But, no matter what, there will always be paper waste.  That is why recycling is so important.  Throwing all that paper in the trash is one of the most hurtful things that you can do as an attorney to our environment.

Most times, it is just as easy to recycle as it is to throw something in the trash, so in those cases you have no excuse.  Sometimes, you have to make the extra effort to find recycling centers are discuss recycling options with your building.  Either way, the amount of waste that you will be saving is worth it.

In addition, as an outside the box suggestion, consider using printing services that use recycled paper.  Many lawyers will print up materials for use in marketing, communication, or even materials for trial.  It is important to realize that for just a small amount more, you can use a company that prints exclusively on recycled products.  This helps the environment, and helps out other companies with the health of our planet in their business model.

Recycling is easy, and cheap, and should already be a part of your professional life.  But if it’s not, then it’s time to start.

Past Installments in this Series
Part One – An Introduction to Going Green
Part Two – Cut Electricity Costs, Just Flip the Switch
Part Three – Forget Paper, Go Digital
Part Four – Travel Together, Travel Less

This is a new weekly post where we will be reviewing some of our favorite User Feedback from attorneys who have completed Lawline.com CLE courses.  We decided to start this blog post because we thought it would be fun to share our favorites.

Faculty Member: Olivera Medenica

Lawline.com CLE Courses:
Basics of Operating an Online Business
Social Networking and Advanced E-Commerce Issues
How to Handle a TV Deal
International Copyright: What the US Practitioner Needs to Know
Representing the Fashion Client

Olivera Medenica has been a Lawline.com Faculty Member for two years now.  Through our partnership with the New York County Lawyers’ Association in addition to our own courses, we have featured Olivera in 5 courses on the website right now.  From the user comments below and the quality ratings of those courses, it is clear to see that Olivera is one of our highest rated faculty members.

Favorite Comments about Olivera Medenica
"This speaker seemed extremely comfortable with the presentation format and therefore, it was very easy to pay attention."   - Mary (Hopatcong, NJ)

"Ms. Medenica gave an excellent, informative presentation. In a very thorough and organized way, she covered many important, relevant, applicable areas of law. Thanks."   - Elisa (Chicago, IL)

Favorite Comments on her CLE programs
"Excellent seminar. Very informative and provided excellent written materials with citations that will be useful in the future."   - Jeffrey (Knoxville, TN)

"This was very helpful--questions addressed in this lecture come up routinely from clients who are taking their business on line."   - Claudia (Newark, NJ)

"Very good speaker and presentation good analysis of a technical subject"   - Gerard (hicksville, NY)

Another week has passed, and another group of people have started using new internet technology to connect with others and build business.  Hopefully, that group of people includes some lawyers.  Welcome to part 12 of our blog series on social media for attorneys.  This week we will focus on answering questions, the social media way.

Developed out of necessity, we used to have discussion boards and forums as a means of talking about common interests.  The online world would congregate to certain websites to discuss things, ask questions, find news, etc.  From there, we developed various other means of communication, leading to blogs, social networks, and question and answer services.

Question and answer services are a very basic way of asking the “world” a question, and letting the internet work for you.  If I log into one of these sites and ask “What is Twitter?”, hopefully someone out there will find that question and deliver an answer back to me.  Multiple people can answer the same question, and it can even start a whole discussion on the subject.

Using these services can help you label yourself as an expert in any field.  The more questions you answer, the more people will see your name associated with a certain topic.  The better your answers are, the more people will respect your opinion.  It all leads to a more credible online personality and can get you noticed by the online community.

Some sites that offer question and answer services are LinkedIn, which uses the power of their network connections to deliver questions to those who can answer them, Yahoo!, WikiAnswers, AnswerBag and AllExperts.  Each of these sites works basically the same, with various features and popularity making the biggest difference.  I would recommend logging in to one or two and cruising around, find some questions you can answer, and keep track of those discussions.

In addition, Twitter has started to replace these services in a lot of ways.  Look for people that are asking questions on Twitter and send them a reply or a direct message.  They will thank you for it and you will gain respect within that community.

Also, as an additional task, you can think about adding a service like this to your blog or website.  Include a place where people can ask questions to you or the community.  In this space, the subject of the questions can be narrowly defined to your area of practice or expertise.  Allow people to discuss various things they hear or see, including cases and laws.

Next week we will take a break from direct advice and focus on the larger picture of social media.  We will cover the current atmosphere involving the social web, where it is going, and what changes it is going to have on the rest of the world.

Past Installments of this Series:
Part One – Intro to Social Media for Attorneys
Part Two – Signing up for the Networks
Part Three – Using Blogs as an Information Source
Part Four – Start Blogging Today
Part Five – Introduction to Twitter
Part Six – Introduction to LinkedIn
Part Seven – Networks as a Communication Tool
Part Eight – Submit Yourself to Blog Catalogs
Part Nine – Put Your PR Department to Work
Part Ten – Lend us your Comments
Part Eleven – Intro to Viral Marketing