I've got a unique combination of legal industry and information technology experience that enables me to hit the ground running with your next marketing communications project. Whether you're selling the next killer app for litigators or offering a service that extends support staff capacity, I can speak credibly and confidently to lawyers, legal administrators and staff using their language to talk about what's important to them.
I've been in their shoes ... and yours
I spent over 20 years of experience as a legal assistant, paralegal and software trainer, both before and after The Great Recession, so I've seen, up close and personal, just how much The New Legal Normal has impacted daily law practice. I've witnessed how technology has changed day-to-day operations — secretarial teams, e-discovery, tech-savvy associates — and how much further law firms and law departments need to go to adapt to their rapidly changing environment.
But I've not only been an end-user of technology, I've been an implementor, too. I spent several years working on large-scale software implementations as a consultant and trainer, and I've seen how challenging change is for this industry in particular. Even in the face of entrenched resistance to change, I've helped countless lawyers and staff have that "I didn't even know that was possible" moment when the right technology or service solves a persistent problem.
I know details matter
If there's one thing I learned working with lawyers, it's that courts and clients don't grade on a curve. Everything's got to be letter-perfect before it goes out the door. You can depend on that trained eye for detail when I work on your projects.
Deadlines matter, too
Working on large team information technology projects with multi-million dollar budgets taught me the importance of deadlines. Deliver something even a little late, and downstream project tasks get pushed, sometimes with disastrous results. Running complex project plans taught me to always keep the big picture in mind, which requires strict adherence to schedules plus communication, communication, communication. I know how to deliver on time and to specifications.
My award-winning writing for this audience
My passion for helping lawyers and legal staff solve problems with technology led me to start my own blog, Legal Office Guru, where I've written over 200 tutorials showing this audience how to get it all done using Microsoft Office. I've also written tech-focused articles and provided videos for such industry blogs as Lawyerist, TechnoLawyer and Attorney at Work. Several of my articles have won awards such as TechnoLawyer's LitigationWorld Pick of the Week award, and I was even a presenter at ABA TechShow 2017.
Even though I've been using Word since about 2004 (my first laptop), I hardly/barely know ANYTHING about how to use it properly or fully (okay, I know Ctrl+S). I am amazed at how much you know, how well you're able to share your knowledge in plain English, and especially how you always come across as so friendly and cheerful. The whole world needs a lot more you's.
Mike (a Legal Office Guru reader)
A passion for technology and productivity
Whether I was working in an IT department or not, I've been a closet geek all my adult life. I spent my first law firm Christmas bonus on a computer (back when one of those puppies cost about $5K), then used it to take programming classes at night, rock Compuserve's command line interface (with a 300 baud modem), and endlessly tweak Windows 3.1 (back when you could still move individual driver files around without crippling the computer).
At work, I wrote WordPerfect macros for everything. I installed computer hardware. And I generally earned a reputation for being able to figure out the fastest, easiest way to accomplish nearly anything.
What kinds of marketing communications projects could I help you with? Click here to see some examples.