Environmental Law a High Growth Area

"Climate change and renewable energy developments are the next big thing in environmental and energy law," said Michael Gerrard, director of Columbia Law School's new Center for Climate Change Law and senior counsel to Arnold & Porter. "Every law firm that has a practice in either of those areas is trying to position itself so that when the major work arrives, they will be able to grab a good chunk of it."

Read the full story, Law Firms Prep Clients for Climate Policy Implications, The New York Times, 9/18/09.

Don't Dis the Judge: A Lawyer's Guide to Social Media

A Florida lawyer who vents about a judge, with a blog post describing her as an "evil, unfair witch," draws the attention of The Florida Bar and the Florida Supreme Court.

The New York Times covers this incident and more in a September 12th article titled, "A Legal Battle: Online Attitude vs. Rules of the Bar."

Finding the right balance between ethical behavior, attorney advertising rules, and free speech is a daily challenge for lawyers and law firms that is being played out online.

South Florida lawyers can learn more at the upcoming Broward County Bar Association's Bench & Bar program on Friday, October 16th. This Rainmaking Lady is honored to be moderating a 3:00 p.m. panel titled, "Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter." Speakers will include Bob White of Gunster Yoakley, Rob Brighton of Ruden McClosky, and Michael Schwager of Becker & Poliakoff.

Attorneys Embrace Social Media

Over 70 percent of lawyers are members of an online social network, according to the second annual "Networks for Counsel Survey" of almost 1,500 lawyers commissioned by LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell®. This number is up nearly 25 percent over the past year, with 30 percent growth reported among lawyers aged 46 and over. More than 50 percent of respondents think online networks have the potential to change the business and practice of law, while 65 percent expressed interest in joining an online professional network designed specifically for their profession.

Read the full press release on lawyers' use of social media.

Survey Shows Drop in Average Revenues per Lawyer

"The 2009 Survey of Law Firm Economics by Incisive Legal Intelligence, a leading source of business intelligence for the legal profession, reveals that participating U.S. law firms saw drops in virtually all key financial performance metrics last year. While average hourly billing rates for equity partners reached $332, an increase of less than 1% over the prior year, the hours billed by the average partner decreased by 2% to 1,681. Average revenues per lawyer reported by participating firms were $413,086, representing a decrease of 4% from the prior year."

Read the full press release.