Services That a Lawyer Provides

April 12th, 2013 by admin No comments »

A lawyer is often seen as someone who prosecutes or defends criminal suspects in court. In reality, it is the criminal attorneys who actively prosecute or defend their clients in court and there are other roles that legal professionals might do aside from going to court to defend and prosecute. These other responsibilities are taught during law school and are fine-tuned during practice. They are obligated to do what is right and morally correct for their client.

Services

Many companies retain the services of a lawyer for legal advice, recommendations, and brainstorming ideas. Companies need attorneys because of the implications of some decisions as well as the other aspects of running a company. There are many different decision making legalities that company heads must consider before implementing the changes and decisions they want. This is especially true in tax and accounting divisions as well as in the personnel department. Contracts that the personnel have with the company need to be worded carefully as well as be legally binding. Some attorneys are good at protecting the intellectual rights of the company and products that they manufacture or handle. He or she works to register patents, trademarks and other forms of intellectual properties under the name of the company that produces them. Registering these in a specific government agency needs legal know-how and foresight in order to prevent any problems in the future in connection with the product or service.

The drafting of contracts also falls under the responsibilities of the lawyer who is hired by the company. Jurists or notaries act as those who negotiate and draft contracts, which are necessary to provide a binding contract that will stand up in the court of law. Conveyancing is also included in the many responsibilities of a corporate attorney. This involves the making of documents which are needed in order to facilitate the transfer of mortgages and deeds. In other words, it involves the transfer of real property for either a purchase or a sale. It is important that the deeds are legally binding and the attorney drafts the contract and the documents in such a way that is understood by the seller and the buyer. All legal implications need to be pointed out as well as explained in these contracts.

The attorney might also carry out the intentions and wishes of the deceased. Many countries require the drafting of will and trusts be done with the guidance of a lawyer to make it binding and able to stand in the court of law. Probate is the process through which the estate of a person who has passed away is dispensed by the court. If there are any wills or trusts that have been made, the most recent one stands in court. Many attorneys focus mainly on probate law and the drafting of trusts for the easy dispensation of the estate. The lawyer offers sound legal advice to his clients in order for the will or trust to be acceptable in court.

9 Secrets of Successful Media Publicity For Lawyers

March 11th, 2013 by admin No comments »

SECRET #1: 

Send news releases written in Associated Press (AP) style. Doctors understand medical terms. Lawyers understand legalese. Editors understand news releases written in AP style — because that’s the style in which editors write. An editor is much more likely to print your news release if it won’t cause him a lot of work. You reduce the editor’s workload and increase your chances for success when you write your news releases in AP style.

SECRET #2: Make sure your news release is timely. This means whenever you think of an idea for a news release, ask yourself, “Why is this story important now?” If your story is timely, you dramatically increase your chances for success. Your information may be timely because it’s a breaking news story, because of a recent news event, or because of the time of year.

SECRET #3: Ride a news wave. If you can help people understand a subject in the news — if you can offer advice about a current problem — or if you disagree with a law that’s being proposed — make sure editors know that you’re available to share your views.

SECRET #4: Make sure your story idea is newsworthy — and the more newsworthy, the better. Your story increases its news value when it (1) makes an impact on local people, (2) contains a credible authority as the source of information, (3) shows a new or established trend, (4) warns people how to protect themselves, or (5) raises a controversy.

SECRET #5:  Offer to write the article yourself. Many editors and reporters are overworked so they look for the easiest way to get good stories in print. When you present your idea to the editor, offer to write the story yourself. If the editor approves, then you control the order in which your information appears. On the other hand, if the editor decides to assign a reporter to your story, you’ve made a positive first impression because you’ve offered to make the editor’s job easier.

SECRET #6: Make sure your story idea contains helpful tips or advice. Editors want to help readers solve problems. So the more people who will benefit from your advice, the better. To make your story more powerful, offer readers a free written handout and give your telephone number so they can request a copy.

SECRET #7: Offer story ideas about subjects editors want. These include (1) new research and discoveries, (2) health, (3) finance, (4) women’s issues, (5) high technology, (6) the Internet, (7) inventions, (8) overcoming adversity, (9) human interest, and (10) profiles of companies and people.

SECRET #8: Don’t send a press kit. A press kit is usually a two-pocket folder that contains a news release, fact sheet, biography, photographs and any other backup materials an editor might need. Public relations firms use press kits to impress clients and justify charging $5,000 to $10,000 — or more — for their preparation. To an editor, a press kit looks like a lot of work because there’s so much to read. One editor told me she often throws press kits into the trash — unopened. The most successful publicity programs I’ve ever conducted have been with the use of inexpensive — yet powerful — news releases.

SECRET #9:  Send good story ideas, often. Your idea might not be right for the editor today, but it might be perfect tomorrow. Send news releases to editors at least every six to eight weeks. Monthly is even better. If you’ll keep good ideas in the editors’ hands, from time to time they’ll use them. And when you maintain an ongoing publicity program, at the end of 12 months, I think you’ll be pleased with the number of feature articles about you in print.

Trey Ryder specializes in Education-Based Marketing For Lawyers. The American Marketing Association featured his Ryder Method of Education-Based Marketing on the front page of its national publication, Marketing News. He offers lawyers three free articles by e-mail: 17 Fatal Marketing Mistakes Lawyers Make, 7 Secrets of Dignified Marketing for Lawyers, and 11 Brochure Mistakes Lawyers Make. To receive these articles, send your name and e-mail address to trey@treyryder.com