The Weekend File - March 20, 2021

Weekend Notes

Lawyer Marketing? Just Work On Your Craft.

Ryan Holiday tells the story of a comedian who approached Jerry Seinfeld in a club one night and asked him for advice about marketing and getting exposure.

"Exposure? Marketing?" Seinfeld asked. "Just work on your act."

I had the pleasure of speaking with a young lawyer who is opening up her own firm after working for several years in another local firm. Starting your own practice is an exciting time -- exciting and terrifying. So much to do. So much to learn. So much that you know you don't know.

One issue she mentioned was her feeling overwhelmed with all the marketing decisions that are flying at her. She has done some research online and now her email box and social media feeds are flooded with solicitations from SEO gurus, practice coaches, law firm directory services, and social media marketing providers. They all promise they hold the golden ticket to what every new solo needs -- more clients.   

They say there is a sucker born every minute and I'll bet that more than half of them are lawyers buying "hot leads" or pouring thousands of dollars into some marketing program or social media service. And, more often than not, they end up with little to show for it. The amount of marketing opportunity garbage that comes at you as a lawyer is truly dizzying.

My advice to the lawyer opening a new practice is simple: Ignore all of it.  Read more...

Legal & Business Reads

• FLSA May Require Pay for Time Employees Spend Getting Vaccinated

  • Most employment attorneys are of the opinion that the federal FLSA statute likely requires employers to pay workers for time spent receiving the vaccine, if the employer requires vaccination.

• Is Workplace Bullying Illegal?

  • Texas employment law attorney Chris McKinney discusses bullying at work in today's video. When does workplace bullying cross the line into illegal harassment? We discuss that and related issues.

• Criminal Background Checks and Their Impact on Black Job Applicants

  • The HR community in the U.S. appears to be slowing moving to remove the barriers standing in the way of job seekers with criminal histories. But the courts, as is typical for the judicial system, are a lagging indicator of this move.

Weekend Reads

• Hunting For Books in the Ruins: How Syria’s Rebel Librarians Found Hope

  • “Most of them had already lost everything – their homes, their friends, their parents. Amid the chaos, they clung to books as if to life, hoping for a better tomorrow, for a better political system.”

• The Lost Year: What the Pandemic Cost Teenagers

  • “In Hobbs, New Mexico, the high school closed and football was cancelled, while just across the state line in Texas, students seemed to be living nearly normal lives. Here’s how pandemic school closures exact their emotional toll on young people.”

• Squirrel Cop

  • Audio: The first day inevitably means mistakes, mishaps, fiascos. A true story, told by a former rookie cop.

• Ian McKellen Explains The Difference Between Acting on Stage and In Movies | The Dick Cavett Show

  • Video: Ian McKellen suggests why film actors don't always look the most naturalistic on stage.
    Date aired - November 11th 1981 - Ian McKellen