KM 101 Webinar: What Do We Know? Document Management and Retrieval Systems

On Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada), I’ll be conducting the second of four webinars in the KM 101 series. Register here – free.  If you missed session one, you can watch it here.

Picking up where session one left off, this session, What Do We Know? Document Management and Retrieval Systems, will focus on the “What we know” of knowledge management. Most firms have been around for many years. They have amassed collections of documents that contain the firm’s “institutional knowledge” or “collective work product.” The ability to quickly and easily access and reuse the models, samples, forms, and precedent documents allows lawyers to leverage the work of their colleagues to ensure high quality work product in a efficient, cost-effective manner.

Like last time, we’ll use Twitter as an additional platform for questions and answers. During the sessions, you can send a “tweet” to me at @LawyerKM and include the hash tag “#KM101.”  I’ll be monitoring Twitter and I’ll try to answer any questions that you may have.  You’ll also be able to ask questions or make comments via telephone or through the WebEx Q&A system.

I’ve already reached out to the “Twitterverse” to ask people their thoughts about this topic and to see what they would like me to cover in session two.  Here are some of the responses (Search LawyerKM on Twitter to see the conversations there):

My thanks to the Twitters above — and all the others — who have chimed in.  You can too… or leave a comment below.

Hope to see you Wednesday.

LawyerKM :: Knowledge Management & Technology for Lawyers and Law Firms

Knowledge Management 101 for Legal – Webinar Series

I’ll be conducting a series of four short (20-30 minute) webinars in association with LexisNexis.  The series will be tied to my Knowledge Management 101 blog posts.  Those posts, and the webinars, are intended to give people a basic introduction to KM in the legal industry (hence the “101″ designation).  If you’re a KM whiz, like many of my readers, you may not get much out of the series, but if you know someone in the legal industry who wants to begin to understand what KM is all about, please let them know.

And just for kicks, I thought we might try to use Twitter as the platform for questions and answers. During the sessions, you can send a “tweet” to me at @LawyerKM and include the hash tag “#KM101“.  I’ll be monitoring Twitter and I’ll try to answer any questions you may have.

Here is the schedule and description for each webinar (or visit the LexisNexis sign-up page for all four):

1. Introduction to Legal Knowledge Management – Wed, April 8 – 3:00 PM

Knowledge management is nothing new, but there is still no agreed-upon definition. The way organizations implement KM efforts and initiatives varies widely; and law firms are no exception. This session will be a general introduction to knowledge management, focusing on the basics. It aims to help you decide whether to introduce KM at your firm, and how it can help — not only in the practice of law, but also in the business of law. A question & answer session will follow the presentation.

2. What Do We Know? Document Management and Retrieval Systems – Wed, April 22 – 3:00 PM

Picking up where session one left off, this session will focus on the “What we know” of knowledge management. Most firms have been around for many years. They have amassed collections of documents that contain the firm’s “institutional knowledge” or “collective work product.” The ability to quickly and easily access and reuse the models, samples, forms, and precedent documents allows lawyers to leverage the work of their colleagues to ensure high quality work product in a efficient, cost effective manner. A question & answer session will follow the presentation.

3. Who Do We Know? Contacts, Connections, and Social Networking for Lawyers and the Legal Profession – Wed, May 6 – 3:00 PM

Knowledge management is not just about documents. It’s also about finding the people (both inside and outside of the firm) who can help you get the job done or help with business development. This session will focus on the importance of the “who we know” aspects of knowledge management. Many firms have seen significant growth in the past decade. At some smaller firms, everyone knows everyone, and their areas of expertise. However, as firms grow and add lateral attorneys, it becomes more difficult to really know your colleagues and the their specialties. Cross-selling legal services to existing clients becomes difficult because attorneys may not know who at their firms can assist. This session will also look at connections outside of the law firm, and discuss how social networking can help solve the “who do we know” problem.  A question & answer session will follow the presentation.

4. Intranets, Portals, Web 2.0 & Enterprise 2.0 – Wed, May 20 – 3:00 PM

Knowledge Management is not all about technology, but it certainly helps. Today, we’ll discuss how intranets/portals can play a central role in your firm’s KM strategy, and can provide a single place to access much of the information that lawyers and staff need to do their jobs efficiently and effectively. We’ll also look at Web 2.0 tools (blogs, wikis, etc.) and see how they can be used both inside (referred to as Enterprise 2.0) and outside the law firm.  A question & answer session will follow the presentation.

LawyerKM :: Knowledge Management & Technology for Lawyers and Law Firms

Social Media For Lawyers Meetup Group Talks Twitter in NYC

If you’re in the legal profession, are interested in social media, and are in or near New York City this week, you should join the Social Media for Lawyers Meetup Group for a discussion about Twitter.

The Meetup, called The If’s, Why’s and How’s of Using Twitter, will be this Thursday, March 26, 2009 at 7:30 PM.  The location is still TBD, but will be somewhere in NYC.

As super-Tweeter and group organizer, Alin Wagner-Lahmy (@alinwagnerlahmy) puts it on the Meetup page:

Let’s gather to talk about how Twitter can be used to:

* Promote
* Network
* Learn
* and more

without it taking control over our lives.

As a meet-up, the purpose is to meet face to face. Those who cannot physically attend a NY venue and wish to attend are invited to attend via Twitter.

Location details to be confirmed soon (somewhere in NY City).

$5 fee for those attending f2f to cover location and drinks. If you plan attending through Twitter please still let us know by RSVPing.

Event Hasgtag: #SM4Law

So, please join in the conversation; and tell them you heard about it here.

You can follow LawyerKM on Twitter here.

LawyerKM :: Knowledge Management & Technology for Lawyers and Law Firms

Another Law Firm on Twitter

Since I’ve written so much about Twitter, including a few posts about law firms on Twitter, I just had to mention another one.  It’s my law firm, Gibbons P.C., where I serve as chief knowledge officer.

I’m happy to say that we launched our Twitter page today.  You can follow Gibbons P.C. on Twitter by clicking here.  I hope you will.

LawyerKM :: Knowledge Management & Technology for Lawyers and Law Firms

What is Twitter and How Can I Use It?

I attended LegalTech New York and took some notes from Monday, February 2, 2009.   They may be a little rough, so please forgive any typos.

From the conference: What is Twitter and How Can I Use It?

• What is Twitter and why should ‘I’ use it?
• At the end of the day is Twitter the “ultimate time waster” or a “great tool”?
• From ‘huh?” to “a ha!” – one lawyer’s journey into the Twitterverse. — alternative title “How I learned to stop worrying and love to Tweet!”
• Time to Tweet? How to use Twitter without losing time to Twitter.
• Lawyers, Twitter and Client Development
• How lawyers are using Twitter for sharing and camaraderie among each other

Bob Ambrogi introduced the panel.

Moderator: Monica Bay, Editor-in-Chief, Law Technology News, incisivemedia

Panelists:
Matthew Homann, Founder, LexThink LLC
Kevin O’Keefe, Chief Executive Officer, Lex Blog
Chris Winfield, President, 10e20

My notes of the presentation:

There are already several lawyers and a handful of law firms using Twitter. Chris Winfield polled the audience to see who is on Twitter – quite a few.  Maybe 30-50%

Twitter is about the conversation – it’s not to do “old fashioned” marketing and just slam your message down someone’s throat.   But, as I’ve said, I believe that it can be used to publish marketing-type updates.   Not that it should be used exclusively for that, but it is one possible use.

Chris went through all the basics about how to use it, including search, hash tags, etc.

Chris actually tweeted as he prepared for his presentation and asked people to tell him what Twitter is.  He got many responses and displayed them to demonstrate the way people use it and the value  they find.

Went over Twitter tools:
- search.twitter.com
- TweetDeck
- twitterFon
- EasyTweets – for easy Twitter marketing

Described ways to use Twitter as a lawyer
- learn
- build relationships
- make connections

Matt Homann

Many people in the audience were tweeting the presentation using #LTNY to indicate “Legal Tech New York”

Why do people use it?

- it’s a Kool-Aid application – once you use it and get it, you can’t stop talking about it.
- Matt gets his news from Twitter – through featured and trending topics.  It often has news that does not make it to the mainstream media.  And Twitter users often break news much more quickly than mainstream media.

Twitter is like a river – you can’t see it all at once.   And don’t feel overwhelmed if you miss something – you’re not supposed to see it all.  But, you can always search for key words and find what people have said after the fact.

It is a way to initiate a relationship – the best thing that you can do is make the connection and then follow up with a phone call or some other “real” in-person conversation.

Kevin O’Keefe

Kevin was a Twitter skeptic, but after using it for a few months he was converted.  He gave a concrete example of how he made a customer contact through a Twitter conversation about baseball.

Social Media is more important than search engine optimization.
Kevin — like Guy Kawasaki — would rather go without his cell phone for a week than to go without Twitter for a week.

The Twitter small talk leads to real conversations and relationships.

I had a chance to chat (really, a real conversation – face to face) and he mentioned that he knows of some practicing lawyers who have landed clients through Twitter.
LawyerKM :: Knowledge Management & Technology for Lawyers and Law Firms

Law Firms on Twitter – An Update

Back in August 2008 I wondered “Is the AmLaw 100 on Twitter?” The answer was a resounding “no.”  There were a couple of “exceptions.”  Skadden had an account, but it  seemed to be simply parked, with no updates.  It’s still there, still with no updates, but now has 25 followers (including LawyerKM).  It also appeared, back then, that Orrick had an account, but based on the updates, it was clearly “brand jacked” as Steve Matthews put it, in the comments on that post.  The Orrick Twitter account still appears to be controlled by someone other than the firm, but it now has 49 followers, and two new/different updates, which are less offensive than the previous updates.

That was almost six months ago.  This is now, and the new answer to that question “Is the AmLaw 100 on Twitter?” is: well, not really, but sort of.

Here’s what I found looking around Twitter:

• Fulbright & Jaworski has apparently embraced Twitter.  It appears that the account was started in October 2008.  Since then the firm has acquired 106 followers and posted 53 updates.
• Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP has 73 followers, 25 updates and has been tweeting since December 2008. [updated 2/1/09]
  
• McDermott Will & Emery started tweeting in December 2008.  84 followers and 40 updates.
  
• Weil Gotshal & Manges also started tweeting in October 2008.  It has 65 followers and has posted 61 updates.
• Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice gets the award for the best Twitter image (a bulldog) and slogan (“Innovators @ Law!”).  I also like their first update: “Launched the new Womble Carlyle Twitter page. Get current information on the legal issues facing your business. Friend us, we won’t bite.” With 92 followers and 86 updates, they have been tweeting since November 2008.

You’ll notice that the firms mostly post links back to their websites.  Not surprising – this is law firm marketing, after all.

There are several AmLaw 100 firms that have apparently claimed their accounts, but have done nothing with them.  This is a smart move if they are trying to avoid the fate of Orrick.  Here’s a list of firms and possibly their Twitter handles.  I say possibly because this is based on my research on Twitter – I have not contacted any firms to ask whether they have, in fact, claimed their Twitter accounts.  I didn’t include hyperlinks because, for the most part, there is nothing to see on the Twitter pages.  But the URLs, as listed, are valid.  If you see some that have one follower, it’s me.

• Akin Gump – http://twitter.com/AkinGump
• AlstonBird – http://twitter.com/AlstonBird
• Arnold & Porter – http://twitter.com/arnoldporter
• Baker & Hostetler http://twitter.com/BakerHostetler
• Baker & McKenzie – http://twitter.com/bakermckenzie
• Baker Botts – http://twitter.com/BakerBotts
• Bryan Cave – http://twitter.com/BryanCave
• Cleary Gottlieb – http://twitter.com/ClearyGottlieb
• Davis Polk – http://twitter.com/DavisPolk
• Debevoise & Plimpton – http://twitter.com/debevoise
• Dickstein Shapiro – http://twitter.com/dickstein_llp
• DLA Piper – http://twitter.com/DLAPiper
• Fish & Richardson – http://twitter.com/FishRichardson
• Foley & Lardner – http://twitter.com/FoleyLardner
• Gibson, Dunn – http://twitter.com/GibsonDunn
• Goodwin Procter – http://twitter.com/GoodwinProcter
• Hogan & Hartson – http://twitter.com/HoganHartson
• Holland & Knight – http://twitter.com/hollandknight
• Howrey – http://twitter.com/howrey
• Hunton & Williams – http://twitter.com/huntonwilliams
• Jones Day – http://twitter.com/jonesday
• Latham & Watkins – http://twitter.com/lathamwatkins
• Dewey & LeBoeuf – http://twitter.com/deweyleboeuf
• Mayer Brown – http://twitter.com/mayerbrown
• Morgan Lewis & Bockius – http://twitter.com/morganlewis (has four followers and is following four others)
• O’Melveny & Myers – http://twitter.com/omelveny
• Patton Boggs – http://twitter.com/pattonboggs
• Paul Hastings – http://twitter.com/paulhastings
• Paul, Weiss – http://twitter.com/paulweiss (I think that this may be a person named Paul Weiss – probably not the firm)
• Proskauer Rose – http://twitter.com/proskauerrose
• Reed Smith – http://twitter.com/reedsmith (this is a “marketing guy” in Austin Texas – probably named… Reed Smith)
• Ropes & Gray http://twitter.com/ropesgray
• Schulte Roth - http://twitter.com/Schulte
• Seyfarth Shaw – http://twitter.com/seyfarthshaw
• Sidley Austin – http://twitter.com/sidleyaustin
• Simpson Thacher – http://twitter.com/simpsonthacher
• Sonnenschein – http://twitter.com/sonnenschein
• Squire Sanders – http://twitter.com/squiresanders
• Sutherland Asbill  – http://twitter.com/sutherland
• Vinson & Elkins – http://twitter.com/vinsonelkins
• White & Case – http://twitter.com/whitecase
• WilmerHale – http://twitter.com/wilmerhale
• Wilson Sonsini – http://twitter.com/wilsonsonsini
• Winston & Strawn – http://twitter.com/winstonstrawn

I may have missed some.  If so, please let me know.

It’s not just the AmLaw 100 on Twitter.  Here’s a list of other firms that I’ve encountered from comments on Twitter:

• Deacons (Australia) – 140 followers, 120 updates.
• Staton Law Firm (Huntersville, NC) – 73 followers, 28 updates.
• Clements Law Firm (Charlotte, NC) – 66 followers, 2 updates.
• Christensen Law Firm (Draper, UT) – 4 followers, 1 update.
• Hinshaw (USA) – 32 followers, 0 updates.
• Gowlings (Canada) – 66 followers, 24 updates.
  
• Patel & Warren (Houston, TX) – 47 followers, 12 updates.
  
• Jackson Walker (Texas) – 79 followers, 18 updates (has 13 other associated Twitter accounts, and check out their website, which has a prominent “Follow Jackson Walker on Twitter” link).
• Simmons Cooper (Illinios) – 80 followers, 130 updates.
• ShannonGracey (Texas) – 173 followers, 31 updates.
  

And for those firms that have not *yet* jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, here’s the good news:  You’re still in the Twittersphere.  You may not be tweeting, but others are tweeting about you.  For example, the ABA Journal has a Twitter account, has posted more than 4,400 updates, and has almost 1,000 followers.  The AmLawDaily also posts updates about firms.  It has 188 followers and has made over 350 updates.

Others are Tweeting about law firms, as well.  There is a huge community of lawyers and others in the legal profession on Twitter.  They post updates about firms big and small.  Unfortunately, these days, a lot of what they’re are saying has to do with law firm layoffs.  There’s even a Law Firm Layoff Tracker on the Lawshucks website that’s, sadly, a hot topic on Twitter.

The question remains: should law firms be on Twitter?  Some say no, but that lawyers at firms should be.  Maybe these are the Twitter purists.  Perhaps they think that Twitter should be all about the conversation and not about simple broadcasting and posting links.  My personal opinion is that Twitter conversations are great, but law firms should be on Twitter.  It is a marketing opportunity, just like a law blog.  It’s an opportunity to get a firm’s content in front of more eyes and drive more traffic to its website.  If a firm’s lawyers also use Twitter, then all the better.  Those lawyers can have Twitter conversations and build relationships.  But the two needn’t be mutually exclusive.  Firms might not engage in Twitter conversations, but neither do the many of the mainstream media outlets, like Fox News, CNN Breaking News, and New York Times.  Twitter–in its short life–has grown into more than just a place to chat.  It is a place to post news and information that others will chat about.

Being a mere mortal, and there being only so many hours in the day, I’m sure that I missed some law firms on Twitter.  If you know of others, please let me know by leaving a comment.  Thanks.

Finally, if you’re going to LegalTech NY this coming week, you won’t want to miss “What is Twitter And How Can I Use It?” – a panel discussion moderated by Monica Bay with panelists Matthew Homann, Kevin O’Keefe, and Chris Winfield.   It’s Monday Feb. 2, 2009 at 3:00 PM.  I’ll be there.   And feel free to DM me and say hello – http://twitter.com/lawyerkm- in person.

In the meanwhile, join the conversation about Twitter in the comments below.

• Should law firms be on Twitter?  If so, how should they use it?
  

Update: Thanks to Bruce Carton for pointing out his great list of BigLaw Lawyers on Twitter.  He noted a few firms I missed (now updated above).

LawyerKM :: Knowledge Management & Technology for Lawyers and Law Firms

An Even Better Must-Follow KM Tweeter List

David Gurteen, a definite KM must-follow tweeter, has come up with his own really nice list of must-follow tweeters.  Check out his KM Tweeters! blog post.  He merged, removed duplicates and sorted my list list of lists and turned them into links [very helpful! Why didn't I think of that?!?] to the individual’s tweet page.  And he listed his Top Ten Tweeters, a few I hadn’t been following.  Also, he reminds us to use #KM when tweeting about knowledge management, a practice I find really helpful because it allows me to create an RSS feed of knowledge management tweets.

LawyerKM :: Knowledge Management & Technology for Lawyers and Law Firms

Must-Follow Twitterers on Twitter | Knowledge Management

Over the past few weeks, I’ve asked people to send me their list of “must-follow” Twitterers (or Tweeters).   Yes, there are other ways to find people to follow.  There’s Mr. Tweet, which somehow magically finds and suggests influencers and followers in your network for you.  There are several lists of certain types of Twitterers.   Adrian Lurssen of JDSupra compiled a list of 145 Lawyers (and Legal Professionals) to Follow on Twitter. That list has ballooned from 145 to over 500. Adrian also posted a list of Legal News Feeds on Twitter, which is quite good.  

But I wanted to know the “must-follow” Twitterers – right from the source.  So I asked my Twitter friends.  Of course, the people who contributed to this collection are among my must-follow Twitterers, so be sure to check them out.

Here is the list of their lists (in the order in which they were received):

Steve Mathews recommended:

• @jordan_law21
• @Charonqc
• @Geeklawyer
• @conniecrosby
• @ErikMazzone
• @SCartierLiebel
• @time2simplify
• @jeiseman
• @mikemac29
• @JDTwitt
• @kevinokeefe
• @RobLaGatta
• @GrantGriffiths
• @denniskennedy
• @infobunny
• @carolynelefant

Victoria Prather recommended:

• @mediabistro

Tony Hartsfield recommended:

• @mikemac29
• @jennsteele
• @bburney
• @beaum
• @denniskennedy
• @didomenico
• @dougcornelius
• @dwilkinsnh
• @eschaeff
• @gheidenreich
• @jdtwitt
• @jordan_law21
• @kevinokeefe
• @kmhobbie
• @lawyerkm
• @legalblogger
• @matthomann
• @mbeese
• @tamischiller

Jennifer recommended:

• @nikiblack
• @carolynelefant
• @stevewhitaker
• @jimduncan

Mike McBride recommended:

• @BrettTrout
• @Denniskennedy
• @stevematthews
• @nikiblack
• @tonyhartsfield
• @jennsteele
• @dougcornelius
• @conniecrosby
• @commonscold
• @kevinokeefe
• @carolynelefant
• @complexd

Stan Garfield (who was kind enough to include the Tweeters’ names) recommended:

• @gsiemens – George Siemens
• @4KM – Alice MacGillivray
• @mathemagenic – Lilia Efimova
• @dweinberger – David Weinberger
• @pekadad – Lee Romero
• @valdiskrebs – Valdis Krebs
• @rossdawson – Ross Dawson
• @klowey22 – John Hovell
• @dougcornelius – Doug Cornelius
• @chieftech – James Dellow
• @etiennewenger – Etienne Wenger
• @smithjd – John D. Smith
• @unorder – Shawn Callahan
• @carlfrappaolo – Carl Frappaolo
• @driessen – Samuel Driessen
• @dineshtantri – Dinesh Tantri
• @lawyerkm – Patrick DiDomenico
• @borisj – Boris Jaeger
• @nimmypal – Nirmala Palaniappan
• @VMaryAbraham – Mary Abraham
• @cdn – Christian De Neef
• @kdelarue – Keith De La Rue
• @rsims – Ray Sims
• @jackvinson – Jack Vinson
• @dankeldsen – Dan Keldsen
• @amcafee – Andrew McAfee
• @s2d_jamesr – James Robertson
• @innotecture – Matt Moore
• @trib – Stephen Collins
• @snowded – Dave Snowden
• @elsua – Luis Suarez
• @DavePollard – Dave Pollard
• @euan – Euan Semple
• @johnt – John Tropea
• @NancyWhite – Nancy White
• @panklam – Patti Anklam
• @WestPeter – Peter West
• @AndrewGent – Andrew Gent
• @jschunter – Johannes Schunter
• @DavidGurteen – David Gurteen
• @stangarfield – Stan Garfield

Updated List (commenter and email generated):

• @BillIves – Bill Ives
• @romasha – Romasha Roy Choudhury

Great lists!  Thank you all for contributing.

If you would like to contribute to this list (I will update it), you can email your list to lawyerkm [@] gmail.com with “twitter list” in the subject line, or leave your list in the comments field.

LawyerKM :: Knowledge Management & Technology for Lawyers and Law Firms

Twitter about Knowledge Management? Use #KM

Back in October I started using #KM when posting knowledge management related posts on Twitter and asked people to join in the fun. The idea of a hash tag is nothing new to Tweeters, but this seemed especially helpful. KM (without the hash tag) is often the abbreviation for kilometers. Lots of people have joined in. Thanks! If you’re on Twitter and you post about knowledge management, please use #KM. If you use an RSS reader, you can set up a feed to deliver the results so that you don’t miss a thing.




LawyerKM :: Knowledge Management & Technology for Lawyers and Law Firms

All My Clients Come From Twitter | Knowledge Management

Follow LawyerKM on Twitter

I’ve written a bit about Twitter and micro-blogging in law firms.  I’ve had my doubts about it’s value both inside and outside law firms.  I’ve also praised it for being good at what it is.  If you think that Twitter is a complete waste of time, think again.

I came across a interview with Laura Fitton, founder & CEO of Pistachio Consulting, on Global Neighborhoods.  Check out the whole interview, but here’s the takeaway:

All my work now comes from people I know through Twitter. All of it. Not only do all my clients come from Twitter, by the time someone contacts me, they thoroughly understand how my mind works and have already decided I am the one for the project.

While the size of my Twitter network is crazy, the quality of it is what *really* blows my mind. I now routinely stumble across someone absolutely fascinating and brilliant who I had no idea was following me. My Twitter network includes some extraordinary and influential professionals including VCs, CEOs, CIOs, VPs; the executive producer of Curb Your Enthusiasm; the editor in chief of CIO Magazine, authors of The Cluetrain Manifesto and hundreds of other extraordinary people, many of whom I have never met face-to-face.

All of these brilliant and accomplished people–all of them trace back to things that happened on or because of Twitter. Connecting to so many smart people – online and off – via Twitter has been like hitting a big cool oasis in a lifelong desert. I love nothing more than hearing people’s ideas and passion. That fires me up and keeps me going.

Wow.  Maybe Twitter is not such a waste of time, after all.  Granted, @Pistachio, as she is known on Twitter, is a consultant who helps “companies harness the business power of microsharing quickly and effectively”  [Laura prefers the term "microsharing" over "microblogging"].  So, it follows that Twitter, the leading microblogging site, would be fertile ground for her.  But can lawyers reap the same benefits from Twitter?

Law firm blogging guru Kevin O’Keefe said that Lawyer Marketing with Twitter has Arrived and his company, LexBlog, “may pick up some very good work through Twitter – with larger law firms.”  But what about practicing lawyers picking up clients?  Kevin pointed out a bit of a gaff by one public relations firm that apparently used Twitter to find plaintiffs for a class-action lawsuit.  The Twitter community did not react positively (“…ambulance chasers…” and “have some pride” were tweeted in response).  The PR firm later retracted the posting.

Legal web marketing consultant Steve Matthews, of Stem Legal, noted that there are a lot of lawyers on Twitter.  But the question remains: can those twittering lawyers turn 140-character tweets into cash?  Steve suggests that “[w]ith Twitter, like most forms of web marketing, the value is found in the big picture & the cumulative effect of using it as but one piece of the web-lawyer’s marketing toolbox.”  I’m no marketing expert, but that makes sense.

Twitter shouldn’t be seen as a billboard on which lawyers declare their ability to trounce insurance companies and win large settlements for injured clients.  It should be a way for lawyers to engage in conversations and form relationships, which may lead to trust, confidence, and maybe — just maybe — a new client or more work from an existing one.

So, do you lawyers out there have any success stories about getting business from Twitter?  We’d love to hear about it.

LawyerKM :: Knowledge Management & Technology for Lawyers and Law Firms