This post originally appeared April 12, 2016 on Attorney at Work. Why do you find certain lawyers quoted so often? Are they magically on speed dial with certain outlets? In short, yes. Befriending a reporter is an exercise in social capital. You want to create an easy, mutually beneficial relationship. It may be intimidating to some, but it can be done. Most reporters are more approachable than this. When I was a reporter, I had several trusted lawyers and judges who consiste

This post was originally published on Ms. JD. I recently received some sage advice from a valued mentor. She said to stop saying “I’m sorry.” In emails, in person, on the phone, no matter where. You are a busy, successful professional. Just. Stop. Saying. It. She needs a face card because she doesn't really mean it. Here’s the thinking. “Sorry for the delay,” “Sorry for missing this,” “Sorry for not responding earlier” is for your benefit, to assuage your guilt, not theirs. Y

This post originally appeared in Susan Kostal's Legal Marketing Bits & Bites Newsletter. Sign up for more content here. We all know the tyranny of the inbox. He is a jealous lover, prone to wild behavior, incredibly possessive, covets your every moment, and won’t shut up. So break up with him. OK, I get that’s impossible. But it’s vitally important for business development that he doesn’t control your life. Be Proactive, Not Reactive Most incoming email demands reactiv

This post was originally published on LexisNexis Business of Law Blog on April 28, 2016. For many law firm public relations professionals, their job is 80% reactive and 20% proactive. The pros manage to get that ratio down to 50/50, but it’s tough. Either camp really needs to make that time count. It must be true if Bill Gates said it. To complicate matters, the marketing, business development, and PR teams at some firms are so siloed: one department has no idea what the othe