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New York Times, Letter to the Editor, August 11, 1996

G.O.P. Convention Spirit

To the Editor:

The best evidence of America’s decline is a quote by Paul J. Manafort, Bob Dole’s convention manager (front page, Aug. 8): “If there are any political issues, which there won’t be in this convention . . .”

Thus, the candidates themselves have eschewed the value upon which our nation was founded: the free exchange of political speech to achieve the ends of self-government.

Why look to the evils of the news media, the welfare system or the lack of family values for the cause of our social malaise, when our leaders stand before us void of the American spirit?

Theresa Caron (Markham)

New York, Aug. 9, 1996

American Bar Association Journal, September 1999

Netting Surfers With a ‘HULA’ Hook

Web sites alone won’t catch clients- try special services, links and quotes

By Jill Schachner Chanen

Log on to Theresa A. Markham’s Web site if you want to learn how to “HULA,” but don’t expect lessons on Hawaiian dancing, HULA stands for Halt Unnecessary Lawsuits and Arbitrations, and Markham, a solo practitioner who represents brokerage firms, is betting potential clients are going to want to follow the links.

When they do, Markham’s site warns: “If you think your Ops/Compliance Manager answers complaints ‘just fine’ THINK AGAIN!” Click on that upper-case screamer, and read her advice on how potential clients might get dissatisfied brokerage customers to go away by telling them that “Theresa Markham takes care of investigating all our complaints.”

Information for her clients--jazzed up and easy to find-- is all part of her plan for presenting herself in cyberspace. “A Web site cannot just be a static medium,” says Markham of Hamburg, N.J. “It has to be very personal. That’s why the whole feel of my site is geared toward my clients--90 percent of whom are male stockbrokers who are primarily geared toward making money.”

Along with steps for a successful HULA, users get suggestions for motivational tapes, gifts for a secretary, inspirational quotes (Albert Einstein is a favorite), even a link to an industry headhunter.

When Markham created her site this year for her new solo practice, she was determined not to make that mistakes that so many solos do: Launch a site and forget about it.

By contrast, Markham’s Web site--http://www.brokerslawyer.com/-- is a continual work in progress, with features added or updated almost weekly to lure new clients and keep existing clients on the edge of their seats, eager to see what’s new.

Markham’s is a lesson in Web site building that more lawyers should learn, many experts say. Given the ease with which Web sites can be produced and launched, it is no longer enough for solo and small-firm practitioners merely to have one. Rather, they need to continually update and promote their sites to make them effective tools.

Yet many solo and small-firm practitioners--perhaps because of the cost or the time commitment--follow the mantra popularized in the movie Field of Dreams, says Denver attorney and technology consultant Barbara J. Leff.

“People really do think that if you build it, they will come,” she says. But solo practice marketing is not like sticking a baseball diamond in an Iowa cornfield.

Leff, whose company Legal Web Works produces Web sites for solos and small firms (www.legalwebworks.com), advises clients to think of their sites as part of an overall marketing plan. For starters, she says, Web sites need to be accessible.

On Track With Search Engines

One of the best ways to do this is to submit the site to as many World Wide Web search engines as possible, says Douglas Holmes, a Chapel Hill, N.C., solo who maintains several Web sites for his immigration practice.

The submission process is easy and free: Simply go to the search engine’s home page and follow the “add your site here” instructions. Note that submitting a Web page to a search engine--such as Yahoo or Lycos--does not guarantee acceptance, so Holmes advises submitting the page to many search engines.

Nor does getting a site on one search engine mean that it will be on other search engines, says Holmes. Each is a self-contained database and does not pull Web Sites from another engine.

Markham also lists her Web page in Internet directories, which are indexes of Web sites for specific topics, such as New Jersey real estate. Most charge a small fee.

Another effective sway of attracting visitors is by installing hypertext links to other Web sites--legal-related as well as nonlegal sites. “Think about where visitors go who might have the kinds of needs for which you can be of help,” Leff says. For example, she says, “If you are a real estate attorney, you many want to link to a local real-estate-agency Web site because people who are relocating may need an attorney.”

Keeping it Personal

Many of the links on Markham’s Web site are aimed at providing nonlegal services to her clients. She has links to purveyors of expensive wines, cigars, cars and other “toys” that stockbrokers like. She says the links do more than provide a service to her clients; they depict her as a lawyer who understands her clients’ needs and wants.

“Any good attorney who is a good business person is always looking to know clients better,” Markham says. “The more you know who your clients are, the easier it is to give them information they want.”

Note that before linking to other Web sites, “netiquette” requires asking permission of the other site’s owners.

Leff suggests e-mail as another free, easy and frequently overlooked way for solos to promote their Web sites. Most e-mail programs allow a signature block--detailing the sender’s name, address and other information--to be built into every message sent. She says the signature block should always include the address of your Web site.

Finally, do not underestimate the value of good content, Leff says. Most Web surfers want to see more that an attorney’s resume¢ on a Web site, “It is like creating a newsletter,” Leff says. “Think about what might be of interest to your clients.”

Many of Markham’s small-business clients hire her for real estate matters. She has learned that many have similar concerns, so she added a frequently asked questions section to her Web site, which includes closing checklists and timelines.

“What better way for them to get this information? And they do not have to pay $200.00 an hour to get it,” she says.

Law Office of Theresa A. Markham, P.C.

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