Time management and career coaches agree that the lack of time for marketing, public relations and all of those other important elements is one of the biggest reasons a law firm doesn’t grow – or worse, fails.

The absence of a strategy is another company crusher. You don’t plan your finances each month without a strategy, right? You put aside money for retirement, savings, “mad money”, expenses, etc. This allows you to better plan for the future with the resources you currently have. The same holds true with a law firm: you want to ensure the success of the practice and you must maximize everything you already have so that you can stimulate that growth.

Lack of proper staff is another one of the big deal breakers. You can’t practice law successfully if you can’t find a great paralegal or the right receptionist to cover the phones. Choose your staff wisely and ensure they too are on the same page with the goals of working to bring the law firm to amazing heights.

Wondering what else you can do to raise the bar? By far, a social networking presence can be a powerful tool. Work to have your clients review the service they received on sites such as Solicitor.info. We tweet those impressive reviews each day – it’s a fine way to build a bit of client loyalty while getting your firm out there.

Also, most marketing folks will tell you to introduce a blog. This is another powerful resource that allows your clients to connect with you. It also serves as a great way to shape the image you want that public to see. A few tips here and there, a blog post or two about how rates are determined and other “of interest” stories from the legal sectors allow you to connect in ways you never thought possible.

Jordan Furlong, whose resume is more than a little impressive, posted in his blog that the traditional lawyer must prepare for a new “normal”. By that, he means the bubble the collective legal profession has been in for decades must find a way to survive outside the “entitled” existence; indeed, he goes so far to say that it’s more than just survival – it’s all about thriving in a new normal that includes an ever-growing technology, wiser clients and healthier markets:

The legal market hasn’t really been a “market,” in classical terms, at all. It’s been artificially constrained for decades by asymmetric knowledge, inadequate technology, limited competition, undifferentiated providers, seller-driven pricing, and most damaging of all, the absence of disinterested regulators. Accordingly, buyers have long suffered from weak bargaining positions and low self-confidence. Why, when you stop and think about it, would we ever have supposed that was normal?

The Consumers
After reading this piece a few times, it occurred to us that perhaps the biggest change comes with the consumer who no longer walks into an attorney’s office with no idea of what he’s about to face. These days, consumers are doing their homework. They’re hitting the Solicitor.info site, they’re checking the Solicitors Regulatory Authority and they’re doing this first.- just to see what former clients had to say about the service, commitment and quality they received. From there, they then turn to the SRA, which of course, memorializes serious complaints and other charges that might compromise a solicitor’s sense of ethics and ability to follow the law.

This means there might be a bit more competition amongst law firms. It means consumers are turning to resources to get a better idea of what their dilemma is long before seating themselves in front of a solicitor and it means, in Furlong’s words, “This isn’t a market going crazy. It’s a market going normal. And it’s not going back.”

It’s the “total package” approach and an unwavering commitment to meet every client’s expectations that ensures the firm has a loyal client base. Perhaps it has as much to do with the firm’s rich history that dates back to the mid-1800s and a conscious effort to keep the original principles of integrity and value added service as well as adapting to each and every turn to be the firm they are today.. Just as likely, the reason for the high regard for this law firm is the atmosphere that clients walk into that immediately puts them at ease, even as they’re facing a confusing or overwhelming legal issue.

Croftons has several teams, each one comprised of a group of professionals who work to ensure a seamless transition for its respective clients. The firm’s Managing Partner is Simon Leighton and its Practice Manager is Naeem Dean.

The Croftons Teams include:

• Social Housing Team
• Commercial Real Estate Team
• Conveyancing Team
• Injury Claims Team
• Hearing Loss Team
• Employment Team; and
• Mediation Services

Most recently, the firm has went further than most law firms would consider venturing by developing two iPhone apps; Site Surveyor ™ and The Accident App, proving that they are a firm rooted in history that ensures they still deliver an excellent quality service and the best possible results to our Clients today, as they have over the past 150 years.

Site Surveyor™allows surveyors to record information accurately and quickly when preparing a Schedule of Condition at the start of a commercial lease. Surveyors can use their iPhone to record audio or written comments and link them to photographs in the Schedule of Condition and to store the location of a property using the device’s GPS.

The Accident App is designed to give information to those involved in accidents and to give them the opportunity to contact a Croftons’ personal injury specialist directly, without having to go through another company / third party.

Visit the app store for more information as well as screen shots of the apps in action.

To be sure, the future looks bright for this law firm. Clients are happy, too, as evidenced by the reviews left on the Solicitor.info site. You can learn more about Croftons Solicitors, LLP by visiting its website at croftons-solicitors.co.uk. Alternatively, you can call 0161 214 6180, visit them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

The names have been released and those arrested this week include Geoff Webster, who is the deputy editor, image editor John Edwards, senior reporter John Kay, chief foreign correspondent Nick Parker and one more reporter, John Sturgis.

The charges are believed to include paying bribes to law enforcement and other public officials, suspicion of corruption, aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office, and conspiracy The employees are now being questioned at police stations in London and Kent.

At least one Surrey police officer as well as a Ministry of Defence employee were also arrested on Saturday.

News International has endured catastrophic charges in the past 18 months, including closing News of the World following the illegal behaviors of several journalists, including hacking into cell phones of celebrities and a missing child.

For now, the presser from News Corporation says it is aware of the arrests and is cooperating with the investigation. It also said it is offering “immediate legal representation” to the arrested employees.

“News Corporation remains committed to ensuring…news-gathering practices by individuals in the past will not be repeated and last summer authorised the MSC to co-operate with the relevant authorities,” the press release read. It also reiterates its commitment to taking appropriate steps to “protect legitimate journalistic privilege and sources, private or personal information and legal privilege.”

Reports are that officers who define the Operation Elveden team made the arrests between 6am and 8am Saturday and say it’s part of the investigation into allegations of inappropriate payments to police and public officials. Operation Elveden was put into place last July when the scandal became front page news and the severity of it was being uncovered.

Solicitors in the UK say search warrants are likely to be carried out over the weekend, if they haven’t been served already.

Andrew Iyer, a now-former solicitor, has been accused of embezzling £3 million of clients’ money and putting it into accounts and businesses he had a stake in. He’s let many down, including his former law firm, Ince & Co, where he was a partner at one time.

The Spreadsheet Tells All

An Excel spreadsheet was found by the law firm and in it were more than 400 fake invoices that Iyer had sent his clients. This totaled close to £2 million and the remaining funds are believed to have been stolen from the firm. The story began to unravel for Iyer as more evidence was uncovered with time.

The disgraced solicitor was the one-time love interest of one of Sir Michael Caine’s daughters as well as a member of the royal family, whose name we haven’t been able to confirm.

Iyer has since admitted to what’s being called “as bad a case of fraud that the tribunal has ever had to deal with”. When the Solicitors Regulation Authority learned of the potential misconduct and opened an investigatory case in an effort to disprove (or prove) the allegations, his story began unraveling. This week it was announced the SRA pulled his license. The criminal investigation with Metropolitan police continues.

What Went Wrong?

How can the former head of a major law firm’s global energy department and a two-time author choose such unethical behaviors; not to mention the laws he broke in the process? Many have suggested greed, others say his behaviors are indicative of a narcissistic personality; either way, however, the damage he’s done is widespread and forces reputable solicitors to take the defensive – not to mention the lack of consideration he displayed for his law firm.

For now, the case continues and the ultimate dissolution is yet to be announced. Solicitors in the UK are watching the case closely and there is no shortage of legal minds who say this less than ethical legal mind is a disgrace to the profession.

He went to the small claims court and filed a lawsuit against Miss Chesselet on the grounds that she had broken an oral contract to have dinner and see the musical the Wizz. Mr Horsley, who made a 100 mile round trip to visit her, informed the court that he wanted to be paid for two hours of driving at his minimum rate and car expenses per mile + a filing fee + a fee to serve court papers.

Do you know some one who would do this if they thought they could get away with it?

Richard O’Dwyer hosted a website that offered free internet TV. His profits came from internet ads. He was breaking no laws in the UK. Still, American officials are dropping major bucks to force this young man to the U.S. to stand trial for copyright infringement. He’s being charged with two counts and faces five years in prison on American soil. Keep in mind – he broke no laws in his home country.

Today, Fox News ran as its lead story:

Egypt to prosecute 19 Americans, after raids on rights groups

Turns out, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s son was one of the 19 arrested in Egypt for “receiving foreign funds illegally” and for “being involved in banned activity in Egypt. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, along with the State Department and no telling how many more federal agencies are throwing political weight around to prevent these 19 Americans from standing trial; the U.S. is demanding they be released and charges dropped. They, too, face five years (just like O’Dwyer faces). Clinton is threatening to withhold “billions in aid” to the country if these folks aren’t released.

Ray LaHood is calling the possible prison time “very serious”. He’s worried about his son, who’s in his 40s. Solicitors in the UK are saying Richard O’Dwyer’s mom is worried as much for her son as LaHood’s father is for his son. The Daily Mail Guardian is reporting O’Dwyer’s mother was sobbing outside the courtroom after hearing the court system won’t be able to keep her son from being extradited, even though he’s done nothing wrong as far as the UK legal system is concerned.

Is this a case of double standards? The U.S. seems to always be thwarting bad publicity, and this time, even though the charges are significantly different, the dynamics are the same. The U.S. believes England should have stricter laws while it also believes Egypt’s laws are too strict.

You know you’re doing something right when your clients are consistent in their experiences with your law firm. We at Solicitor.info know well the feedback from clients of Booth, Ince & Knowles and it’s that consistency that tells the tale. This week, we explore the winning formula of this impressive family law firm.

For more than one hundred years, this law firm has maintained offices throughout the country. Its Tameside office, referred to often as ‘home base’, is usually what most folks associate with the firm as a whole. Offices can also be found in Hyde, where clients see Janet Davies, Wayne Allen and Kathryn Jones and Denton, where clients can find exceptional legal representation regarding wills and trusts, divorces, conveyancing and others.

The firm’s mission is simple:

Value each client. Never lose sight of the foundation of the firm being a family team with family values. Ensure each client has confidence in his choice and never jeopardize the trust those clients place in us.

While the solicitors each bring remarkable skills and experience to the table, ask any of them and they will tell you it’s their support teams of assistants, secretaries and paralegals that keep the offices running smoothly, each client witnessing a seamless transition as their cases progress. There’s no doubt this is the epitome of a “team effort” and one in which respect is shared, as is the focus of each staff member; that focus being, of course, their clients.

And speaking of those clients, here are a few of the powerful testimonials left on the Solicitor.info pages:

Janet Davies is an outstanding solicitor. Her passion for customer service, her professionalism and her experience stand her head and shoulders above anyone else in the field. I have used her services twice now and would never consider using anyone else. I have and will continue to recommend her wholeheartedly to anyone!

and:

The service was excellent. Our buyers had a problem on the moving day which was sorted out in a practical way which allowed us all to move. Our solicitor kept in touch with us throughout the day,reassuring us in what was a fraught situation. Their experience and professionalism shone through. The fees were very reasonable and we have nothing but praise for them.

The long term goals of the firm is the same as it was 100 years ago: building solid relationships with clients while playing a significant role in the legal aspects of their lives. Many of the firm’s clients have trust Booth, Ince & Knowles for decades. This speaks volumes about the mission of the team and serves as perhaps the most powerful reason for a would-be client to consider this law firm.

Want to read more about Booth, Ince & Knowles? Visit the Solicitor.info page that offers the 140+ reviews from satisfied clients throughout the UK.  Be sure to visit the Booth, Ince & Knowles website, too.

You can contact the firm via phone or by visiting their offices.

105 Market Street, Hyde
Stockport, Cheshire
SK14 1HL
Tel: 0161 368 2134
Fax: 0161 368 2774