Content Marketing and Web Analytics: The Yin and Yang of Any Successful Law Firm Marketing Campaign

Good content has always been one of the best ways for a lawyer to establish and maintain a professional reputation. In the hands of potential clients, good content demonstrates your understanding of the law and your ability to do what you claim to do.
Let's say you write an excellent article on the recently signed patent reform act.
Prior to the Internet, your options for distribution of that article would be limited. You could submit it to print publishers who could decide whether or not to publish it and how to edit it. By the time it appeared on a client's desk, it might be three months out of date.
In addition, you could snail mail a copy of your article with a cover letter directly to your list of clients, potential clients and referral sources. You could include it in the firm's print newsletter. You could mail it to reporters covering the patent law beat and hope that they give you a call next time they are writing a story on that topic.
And that was about it. You really had no way of knowing what happened to that hard copy - if the publication was read or if the envelope or newsletter was even opened.
Today, thanks to the Internet, the options for distributing a well-written and informative article (and all kinds of content) to a wide range of interested parties are vastly expanded. So, too, are the options for finding out if the article was opened, was read and prompted further action on the part of the reader.
In the Internet age, online content marketing is the best way for lawyers and law firms to establish their reputations and attract new business. And web traffic analysis is the best way for lawyers and law firms to measure the success of a content marketing campaign and move forward based on that information. Content marketing and web analytics are inseparable parts of the same strategic process.
Online content marketing for law firms
Online content marketing involves publishing content (like the article on patent law) on your law firm's website (including mobile website version), client extranet sites or blogs. It involves the e-mailing of your article (or newsletter) to clients, potential clients, referral sources and media sources.
An integrated online marketing program is an essential part of a law firm's marketing program. Content marketing involves distribution of your content using popular social media sites (like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube) as well as successful content syndication sites (like JD Supra, LegalOnRamp and Scribd).
Each time your keyword-rich patent law article is published on one of these sites, it is indexed by Google and other search engines - enhancing results for searches on terms like your name, your law firm's name, your geographic area and the relevant subject area.
The term 'content' applies to almost any kind of material your firm is publishing. It applies to documents like press releases, experience descriptions, attorney biographies (profiles), client alerts, blog post, white papers, email campaigns and e-books on legal subjects.
Content also includes non-written files, like an online ad campaign, courtroom graphics, a PowerPoint deck, or photos of an open house or employee charity event. It includes online surveys along with survey results. And it definitely includes audio or video recordings of a presentation, a seminar or a webinar.
All types of reputation-demonstrating content can be posted not only on your own website, but also to a wide range of (mostly free) social media and content syndication sites. Once posted, this informative content is available 24/7 and around the world.
Web analytics for law firms
Not only does the Internet facilitate the wide distribution of content,"it also allows lawyers and law firms to closely track distribution - to know how many visitors click on the content; how much time they spend reading, listening or viewing the content; and where (your website, search or some other site) they found the content.
Web analytics is a process for collecting visitor or consumer data, analyzing those data and generating reports on the overall performance of these different channels. It extends well beyond your website into virtually every online channel your law firm might be using.
In the early days, web analytics programs focused on the simple measurement of activity on a law firm's web site. Today, a good law firm website still contains useful information about the firm and its services, but the site functions more like an interactive hub to which all of the firm's online content distribution efforts are tied.
In addition, most social media sites have their own built-in analytics programs that can be accessed for more details about activity on your accounts on those sites.
The popular Google Analytics program is free and yields information about site visitors, including number of visitors (unique, new and repeat), page views, repeat rate, visit length, page view length, page view per visit, bounce rate (those who leave quickly from a given page), entry pages (where visitors enter you site), exit pages (where visitors leave your site) and referral sources (direct traffic, search engines and other referral sites).
Among other things, Google Analytics can chart data over time, compare data month-by-month or year-by-year, and internally compare different sets of results.
Other commercial web analytics programs allow the site administrator to 'dig deeper' into the data. Most analytics programs will record detailed information at the user level, allowing administrators to track the number of times a given user came to the site, which pages he or she viewed and, in some cases, the location from which that user is connecting.
At Tenrec, we combine basic Google Analytics with a program called Urchin (essentially, Google's commercial analytics product) to obtain different levels of results for our clients. There are many programs out there. The one you select should be determined by how you plan to use the results.
It is important to remember that no performance metric is inherently bad or good. A limited number of the right kind of people visiting your content and reaching out to your firm is a better result than hundreds of visitors who take no action.
Strategic content marketing and web analytics for law firms
Web analytics programs are capable of generating a vast amount of information. There are far too many metrics for users to process and interpret. Measurement tools are only useful when there is something specific to measure.
The challenge is not to get more data, which can needlessly complicate your decision-making, but to get better data. Be strategic. What is the purpose of this online content campaign (within the context of our business goals), and which select measurements will indicate progress towards achieving this goal?
Let's go back to that article on patent reform. You post it on your website. You reference it in your blog. You e-mail it to clients, potential clients, referral sources and media sources. You post it (with links back to your site) on a variety of social media sites and content syndication sites.
On your website, analytics will let you know who visited the page and how they got there. In addition, you will discover if they stayed a while, read the article and downloaded a copy.
If no one comes or if visitors take a quick look and 'bounce,' you know that there is something wrong with the content. The subject is not newsworthy. The headline or keywords need work. The article is too long or too short. It is too dense and needs shorter lines and subheads, to encourage skimming. It is too casual or too filled with legal jargon. In other words, it needs work.
An e-mail analytics program will let you know who opens the e-mail and clicks on the link. Other analytics programs will indicate how your article fares in the blogosphere or is shared or re-tweeted on social media and content syndication sites.
The information generated by web analytics is a valuable tool to help lawyers and law firms plan -- and continuously improve -- their content and their online content distribution campaigns.

The Law of Post-Atmospheric Alien Encounters by National and International Organizations

How would international law treat the hypothetical case of a national space shuttle mission encountering an alien race? To begin with, I should probably instead use the word "extraterrestrial" rather than "alien," as alien is already a well established legal term of art. So this is not the law of foreigners in a state's territory, but rather the law of contact with intelligent non-human entities that did not originate from earth.
What if First Contact happened tomorrow? How would humans react, and how would the law apply? Assuming the aliens didn't immediately blast us out of existence, that is. I think it's safe to say each state would want to have its own say in how things with the aliens go down, and that states would have their own individual opinions and conflicting agendas regarding the encounter. Which means, inevitably, they would each take whatever actions they deemed appropriate and then afterwords seek to justify those actions on the basis of contorted interpretations of international law. The United Nations would also want to establish a central role for itself in the fray, and because it does possess the institutional mechanisms that states tend to follow when seeking to take multinational action, the UN would likely emerge as the primary vehicle through which multilateral discussions and actions would take place.
So international law would be the natural language for states to use when framing these discussions. In this first installment, I am going to examine how international law in its current form would govern an encounter in outer space between extraterrestrials and a national or international body. Later articles will consider outer space encounters between aliens and private parties, and encounters with aliens on earth.
Space law, although relatively new and still developing, is an established body of law governing human activities beyond the atmosphere. Although the current body of space law lacks any provisions directly regulating potential alien contacts, the laws contained within the various space treaties would by their language pertain to such an encounter.
The most relevant document is the 1967 Outer Space Treaty ("OST"). Other international space agreements are less important, as they either concern situations that would inevitably be of solely human concern, or else are only signed by nations that do not possess the ability to enter space and are therefore irrelevant. Also, the OST is like to be enforce whenever a state encounters aliens in space, as under Article XVI, withdrawal from the treaty will not be effective for one year. Thus, assuming we don't get much advanced warning that our alien neighbors are dropping by, any spacefaring nation that has contact with an alien will not have had time to drop out of it. Moreover, at this point in time, OST may well embody customary international law, and thus be binding on all nations regardless of their ratification status.
Some basic legal stipulations conferred by the OST are that the space activities conducted by parties to the OST are governed by international law (Article III), and that nothing beyond the earth's atmosphere is subject to "national appropriation by claim of sovereignty." (Article II). So at the outset, we do know international law is in fact the governing body of law regarding alien-state relations, and that states are prohibited from immediately enslaving any alien races they encounter.
Let's establish a hypothetical scenario: Canada has set up a manned space station in orbit around the moon. Aliens have arrived, and for reasons beyond human ken, have chosen to make first contact with the Canadian ship. The alien envoys thereafter board the Canadian vessel to enter into negotiations with Canadian diplomats that have been sent up to join them.
As an initial matter, Canada would be required to inform the rest of the world of the alien contact, and would be in breach of its treaty obligations if it attempted to keep the contact secret. Under Article XI of the OST, Canada has an obligation "to inform the Secretary-General of the United Nations as well as the public and the international scientific community, to the greatest extent feasible and practicable, of the nature, conduct, locations and results of [outer space] activities." Therefore, not only must all other nations be made aware of the aliens, no secret Men In Black type arrangements can legally take place either; the discovery of an extraterrestrial intelligence must be announced to the world. Even if all the states wanted to make it a government secret, the scientific community also has a right to be informed.
Secondly, Canada would be required to allow other nations to have access to the Canadian space vessel that the aliens are on board -- although Canada can get away with not granting that access immediately. Under international law, if the aliens should choose to board the space station of a single nation or a station collectively owned by a subset of nations, the owning nation(s) will not be allowed to exclude other countries from the Interstellar Negotiations. This is because Article XII provides that, "All stations, installations, equipment and space vehicles on the moon and other celestial bodies shall be open to representatives of other State Parties to the Treaty on the basis of reciprocity." However, any country wishing to visit "shall give reasonable advance notice of a projected visit, in order that appropriate consultations may be held and that maximum precautions may be taken to assure safety and to avoid interference with normal operations in the facility to be visited." This language give lots of room for stalling -- consultations, plus 'maximum' precautions,' plus 'avoiding interferences with operations' means that Canada could easily delay such visits for a lengthy time indeed. But, eventually, other countries must be allowed to visit with the aliens.
What if other nations fear that Canada is doing a horrible job at negotiations with the aliens, and worry that Canada's bungling of it will drive the aliens into declaring a space jihad on Earth? Under Article IX,
A State Party to the Treaty which has reason to believe that an activity or experiment planned by another State Party in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, would cause potentially harmful interference with activities in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, may request consultation concerning the activity or experiment.
So essentially, if, say, Barbados, gets worried that Canada's dealings with extraterrestrials might cause "potentially harmful interference with activities in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space" (potentially starting an intergalactic war with a race of super advanced aliens would probably qualify), Barbados can take the proactive step of... requesting a consultation.
Of course, if this didn't work, Barbados could always bring a case against Canada before the ICJ, arguing that Canada is violating its obligation "to conduct all their activities in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, with due regard to the corresponding interests of all other States Parties to the Treaty."
But that would take at least a few years, and by then we'd all probably be slaves to the Alien Overlord. So under Article XIII, any "practical question arising in connection with the exploration of outer space" is to be decided by members to the OST among each other or with the appropriate international organization. To answer a practical legal question like "Does Canada have to let other nations talk to the aliens?", we could consult with COPUOS. The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space was established by G.A. Resolution 1472 (XIV), and gives COPUOS authority "to study the nature of legal problems which may arise from the exploration of outer space[.]" So it looks like UNCOPUOS is going to be our new law firm for all legal disputes concerning aliens.
Now, assume the aliens are well-meaning, but clumsy, and while all the debates over international law are going on, the aliens accidentally explode the Canadian space station. What recourses does Canada have?
If a visiting alien's spacecraft accidentally injured an Earth vessel, or other earth-owned property, the injured owner may be able to bring suit against the alien by means of a Claim Commission on earth. Canada should consider using this remedy. Assuming the injury took place in our solar system, I believe a strong argument could be made that the damage should be governed by earth law, as torts are generally governed by the law of the location where they took place. Under lex loci delicti, for an injury in space the applicable law would be the Convention on Liability For Damage Caused by Space Objects. The Liability Convention mandates,
"In the event of damage being caused elsewhere than on the surface of the Earth to a space object of one launching State or to persons or property on board such a space object by a space object of another launching State, the latter shall be liable only if the damage is due to its fault or the fault of persons for whom it is responsible."
So assuming it was the aliens and not the Canadians that were negligent, this might provide the basis of a claim. Although an alien would presumably not be a member of the treaty, if the Liability Convention represents an embodiment of customary international law, it can be argued that, as CIL, it is applicable to a state even absent its consent. Just as CIL is applicable to newly formed nations whose existence postdates the establishment of a CIL norm, if an alien empire were to enter Earth jurisdiction, it too would be bound by CIL, despite the fact it never signed it. Therefore, the alien would have to compensate Canada for the loss of its space station. (If I were the type to make bad jokes, I would now make a reference to the possibility of the Liability Convention being the new 'alien tort statute.')
Finally, it may be premature to be concerned about Canada falsely attempting to claim a role as Earth's mouthpiece. Presumably, any alien civilization capable of traveling between stars would have a sophisticated legal system, and would thus realize that Canada is not the proper Earth channel which planetary diplomacy should occur through. In which case, our alien visitors might consider all nations' astronauts, not any single state government, to be the appropriate envoys for Earth. Under Article IV of OST, astronauts have been declared by the earth nations to be the "envoys of mankind" -- which theoretically means they trump any individual nation in their right to be at the negotiation table with visiting alien dignitaries. So astronauts, cosmonauts, and taikonauts might be Earth's diplomats for purposes of interstellar or intergalactic law.

Three Free Law Journals

Whether you're studying law or currently established in the legal profession, staying current with legal issues is a must. One way to stay current involves subscribing to law journals. Below, we've outlined a collection of free law journals from well respected sources. After all, staying current doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune!
Duke Law
Duke University School of Law offers issues of its journal online for free. You can download and print issues without incurring any charges as well as read articles online for free. If you prefer professional, printed copies, the yearly subscription rate is $44 for U.S. deliveries. To read current or archived articles online, you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader as all issues and articles are offered in the PDF format.
Expect in-depth articles with each issue. For example, the March 2010 issue features a 68-page analysis of antitrust law and boycotts titled, Antitrust Censorship of Economic Protests by Hillary Greene.
In addition to the journal, the Duke Law Journal is part of a larger legal community. Be sure to check the "Legal Workshop" which features op-ed versions of articles posted by other law journals participating in this unique judicial symposium. Articles posted here are thought provoking but not nearly as long as journal articles.
Web Journal of Current Legal Issues
Based in the UK, the Web Journal of Current Legal Issues is published five times per year by the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. It focuses on current legal issues in judicial decisions, legislation, law reform, policy related socio-legal research, legal research, legal information, information technology, and practice. Each issue typically contains several in-depth articles and book reviews.
Issues are posted online where you can read them directly. In addition, PDF versions are available for download. In order to download an article or book review, you'll need to first go to the site's index and select the issue containing the journal article that you'd like to save. Once selected, you'll then click on download where you can then choose the file to download.
The Open Law Journal
The Open Law Journal is a peer reviewed, online journal that publishes original research articles, short articles, and reviews covering U.S. federal and state law and international law. Currently in its third year, the Open Law Journal publishes roughly 4-5 articles per year. According to the Open Law Journal's manuscript guidelines, research articles must be between ten to thirty pages.
Like many of the other free online journals, the articles published in the Open Law Journal can be read online or downloaded as PDF files.
Reading Online
If you've ever spent much time reading law articles online, you know that the computer isn't the best medium for reading of this nature. Consider printing the articles and reading them offline or using the PDF download versions to import into an eReader device that's easier on your eyes.
Submitting Articles
Each of the above free online journals accepts unsolicited submissions from legal professionals. Specific writing guidelines apply, so make sure that you follow the guidelines set forth by each journal. While it's unclear if these journals pay for articles that they publish, getting your law research published in one of these online journals allows you to reach a worldwide audience.

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eBay Suspensions, PayPal Limited, Business and Law Article

TO CREATE A NEW UNTRACEABLE EBAY + PAYPAL ACCOUNT
Follow these to avoid being traced back to an old EBAY account of yours:
1. New email address
2. New name
3. New address
4. New telephone number
5. New credit card
6. New bank account
7. Delete cookies
8. Delete flash objects
9. Change IP address
10. Pick PayPal or your own merchant account as your payment method to receive payments.
11. List items for sale - and awaaaaay you go.
Even being a PowerSeller does not immunize you.
Powersellers Suspended From eBay
According to eBay, most "Powersellers" get suspended from eBay, or have been suspended. Does this give you cause to think twice?
Who's To Blame?
If an eBay member is suspended, whose fault is it? Is it because the member is doing something wrong, or is it because eBay cocked up?
If it is due to the member's behaviour, what was the problem?
Reasons
There appear to be five main reasons why an eBay member should find his account suspended. These are:
1 Selling Counterfeit, Fraudulent, Stolen or Mis-Described Goods
Judging by the number of eBay items with obviously misleading descriptions or titles, this is one of the less serious reasons as far as eBay are concerned, and eBay will only suspend a seller if enough other members complain.
2 Failing to pay eBay fees on time.
This seems to rate highly, as if eBay selling fees are not paid on time, then the account is suspended, and no further selling activity can take place.
3 Repeated Copyright Violations
Using other people's copyright images, text, and sometimes copying complete eBay listings will result in a ban, at least if you get reported enough times, possibly three or more. Of course, if nobody notices or complains, then you can get away with it indefinitely. The reason that eBay will suspend or terminate you account is that if they fail to do so, they themselves could be held responsible for permitting, or failing to stop, the violations, and they could be sued for large amounts of money. Courts may decide to award actual and punitive damages, and eBay would have little if any defense, and would almost certainly have to pay the other party's legal fees, which could run into hundreds of thousands of dollars or pounds.
4 Whistle Blowing
One of the quirkier eBay rules is that members may not contact each other to warn about other members suspected of fraud or selling counterfeit goods. Anybody caught doing so will have their account suspended or terminated. This strikes us as very unfair indeed, and we wonder if it is because eBay are making plenty of money from the crooks?
5 eBay's Incompetence or Negligence
eBay have been known to suspend members by mistake, and we believe it is quite common, They probably also do so out of fear. Because there are few if any checks when members first join or start to sell, and eBay suddenly notice that a member is selling large volumes or values of goods, they are likely to panic and suspend a member, then ask questions later.
There is a forum I found on the internet that is free, and helps with eBay, PayPal, business and the law. Just post any question, the experts will answer it if it has not already been answered!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2886330

Child Custody: A Guide to the Holidays for Separated and Divorced Parents

Dealing with a separation and divorce can be difficult, especially when child custody is involved. The holidays can present a whole new set of challenges for separated and divorced parents. In addition to developing a regular custodial schedule for the children, parents must also decide where and with whom their children will spend their holiday time now that mom and dad live in two different houses. In thinking about a schedule that will work for the new family unit, it is important to consider several factors. First, to the extent possible, the children’s holiday traditions should be preserved. For example, if throughout the parties’ marriage, the children had Thanksgiving lunch with their paternal grandparents, and Thanksgiving dinner with the maternal side of the family, the parents may want to consider implementing a visitation schedule that allows both parents the opportunity to take the children to their respective family’s holiday activities.
Another issue that often arises is whether parents should alternate major holidays with the children or attempt to divide each holiday period. In determining the preferred schedule, parents should keep in mind whether either parent may need to travel out of state with the children to visit extended family for the holidays. If that is the case, parents may prefer a schedule that allows them to alternate various holidays on an annual basis, rather than try to divide each individual holiday. For example, rather than attempting to divide Thanksgiving Day, parents may instead choose to alternate the entire holiday weekend such that dad has custody of the children from after school the last day preceding the holiday weekend until the following Sunday in even numbered years, and mom has this same time with the children in odd numbered years.
Typically, for the major holidays such as Christmas or Hanukkah which often coincide with a longer break from school, parents choose to divide the school break evenly such that the children spend the first half of the school break with one parent, and the second half of the school break with the other parent. Parents may then choose to divide Christmas Eve and Christmas Day such that one parent would have custody of the children from Christmas Eve at a particular time until mid-morning on Christmas Day. The parents would then alternate these times on an annual basis.
In addition, parents should consider a custodial schedule that maximizes the children’s time with both parents. Children benefit in different ways from spending time with each of their parents. In situations where both parents are suitable caregivers, mom and dad may want to consider a schedule that allows the children to spend as much time as possible with each parent. Many different options exist for shared custodial arrangements. Some separated families choose to share custody of their children on a weekly basis such that the children live with mom for one week and dad the next week. Other families choose to share custody of their children such that mom has the children every Monday and Tuesday, dad has custody of the children every Wednesday and Thursday, and the parties alternate the weekends such that the children are with mom Friday, Saturday and Sunday in week one and with dad for those days in week two. There is no right or wrong answer here. The key is to pick a custodial arrangement that works for your family.

While the holidays can present unique challenges for separated and divorced families, by maintaining the children’s traditions and implementing a schedule that accommodates both parents, these challenges can be overcome. Overall, flexibility and a willingness to compromise when dealing with issues of child custody go a long way to ensure that the children and both parents enjoy their holiday time with one another.

California Employment Lawyer: 10 Ways Your Business Could End Up In Court!

Los Angeles, CA (California Employment Lawyer News) — In our litigious society, you can never be too careful. And even a careless mistake can become a valid reason for an employee to file a lawsuit against you. For employers, simply trying to be nice and go the extra mile to help an employee could land you in court for inadvertently violating employment laws, reports California employment attorney Eric Grover of Keller Grover LLP.
In a new report the California Chamber of Commerce details that “employers may unintentionally violate employment laws simply by trying to provide some flexibility for an employee, save money for the company or just be nice.”
According to the California Chamber of Commerce, the following are the top 10 mistakes that can often result in a lawsuit:
1. Classifying all staff as exempt: According to state and federal laws, only certain positions can be exempt from overtime laws, including meal and rest breaks. While it may seem easier to just put your whole staff on salary, labor laws will not permit it for every type of position.
An employee can only be considered exempt in positions that include high-level executives, administrative, professional employees, and certain artists and outside sales staff. An exempt employee is paid a specific amount of money, no matter how many hours they work in a week.
Failing to accurately classify your employees can result in lawsuits for failing to provide meal and rest breaks, as well as overtime wages.
2. Allowing staff to work through meals so they can leave early: Even if an employee is willing to forego breaks in order to leave early, it is illegal and could land you in court. Non-exempt employees are required to take at least a 30-minute meal break and a 10-minute rest break for every four hours that they work. If both meal and rest break violations take place in the same day, then the employee is entitled to two additional hours of pay.
3. Classifying all personnel as “independent contractors” because it’s easier: While it may be easier to classify your employees as independent contractors, issues can be raised when workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and state liability insurance or paid family leave benefits come into the picture. In addition, problems can also arise when the Franchise Tax Board or the Internal Revenue Service are looking for owed taxes, since the “independent contractor” hasn’t been paying and/or owes. The employer can actually end up owing this money to the tax collector.
4. Failing to provide adequate training for supervisory staff on handling sexual harassment and discrimination: Sexual harassment and discrimination does happen in the workplace. Avoid lawsuits by properly training your personnel on how to identify and handle these situations.
5. Allowing employees to determine their own daily schedules: Unless classified differently, most employees are restricted by law as to how many hours they can work without being paid overtime wages. “A valid alternative workweek schedule requires that employers follow specific steps to institute such a program. Failure to meet the specific requirements can mean back pay for overtime, as well as penalties,” the report stated.
6. Firing an employee that took a leave of absence: Employees have legal protection when they are away from work for various reasons, including workers’ compensation, disability, pregnancy, family and medical leave, military leave, jury duty and many more, according to the report.
7. Failing to give employees their last paycheck because they didn’t return company property: While it seems reasonable to hold a former employee’s check if they haven’t returned company property like a laptop, it is against labor laws. In California, a large penalty can be levied if the final paycheck isn’t given to the employee by the state designated deadline.
8. Offering employee loans then deducting the payments from paychecks: California’s Labor Code section 224 permits deductions authorized by law and those authorized by the employee for benefits such as health insurance or benefits. No other deductions are permitted, the report stated.
9. Using non-compete agreements to protect confidential information: In California non-compete agreements are prohibited, with a few exceptions. There are legal options for protecting trade secrets, like customer lists and pricing information. Employees have the right to work and earn a living.
10. Enforcing a “use it or lose it” vacation policy to avoid paying a lump sum at termination: This is not permitted in California. If an employee has earned vacation, it is essentially a form of wages that cannot just be voided. You may place a reasonable cap on the accrual of vacation, which stops the accrual of vacation when a certain level of accrual is reached. But you cannot take away what the employee has already accrued, the report said.
Keller Grover is an experienced employment law firm that has played leading roles in a wide variety of employment related claims, including wage and hour, breach of contract cases and discrimination and harassment cases based on race, sex, age, disability and other legally protected categories. Keller Grover LLP is dedicated to helping workers whose wage and hour rights have been violated. For more information about the Los Angeles employment attorneys at Keller Grover and employment law cases, please visit www.kellergover.com.

Florida Attorney Reveals How to Win in Court without a Lawyer

There are plenty of lawyers out there who are willing to represent you if you find yourself either being sued or having to sue someone. But do you really need a lawyer?
Gary Zeidwig doesn’t think so, at least not all the time. Zeidwig, an award-winning lawyer, reveals that there are some cases where an individual can move forward pro se, (for oneself) that is, advocating without an attorney and defending or fighting for their rights on their own behalf, and that it’s not only acceptable but relatively safe to do so.
Pro se litigants have been steadily increasing over the past decade. The right of an individual to represent his/her own cause has long been legally permissible, dating back to the birth of our nation and signed into law by our first president, George Washington. (Laws do exist, however, barring certain types of individual representation in order to protect the parties involved.)
“In Florida alone,” Zeidwig cites, “divorce filings, for example, with at least one pro se litigant have increased from 66 percent in 1999 to 73 percent in 2001 and continue to rise.”
Zeidwig, who’s licensed with the federal bar to present cases in the US District Court in Southern Florida, and handles injury and criminal cases, arguing in both jury and non-jury court proceedings, feels so strongly about this that he sat down and wrote a book on just how to proceed in court when representing yourself.
“One statistic asserts that 90 percent of Americans will face a lawsuit at some point in their lives,” Zeidwig points out. “Yes, it’s possible to represent yourself in court, but you need to know specifically what to do in order to be best prepared. For example, how much time you have to file documents and such is rigid — if you miss the deadline, you’re in serious trouble.”
This is what motivated Zeidwig to author “How to Represent Yourself in Court—Winning Big without a Lawyer,” a comprehensive yet easy to understand book outlining how to take immediate steps to protect yourself not only in the courtroom but beforehand, when putting together your case.
“Read it once,” Zeidwig advises, “to get a sense of how the system works. Then, when you are faced with a legal situation, you’ll be able to assess quickly whether it’s one you’ll feel confident handling yourself. And you’ll have a handy guide at your fingertips to make sure you don’t overlook anything important.”
With 90 percent of Americans facing potential lawsuits at least once in their lives, being prepared can mean the difference between winning and losing. Pick up a copy of “How to Represent Yourself in Court—Winning Big without a Lawyer” and let Gary Zeidwig show you how to best prepare yourself in the event you find yourself in court fighting for your rights. Don’t wait until a lawsuit presents itself. By then, it might be too late.

Contact Gary Zeidwig’s Fort Lauderdale law firm at 954.523.3993 for a free consultation with Gary Zeidwig to learn more about when it’s safe to proceed without a lawyer.