The

Undeniable

Ruth

®

…and the Ruth shall set you free!

  • Why Lawyers Should Use Twitter

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    Ruth Carter

    I have a friend who has been a personal injury lawyer for decades.  He’s a solo practitioner with enough cases to keep him comfortably in business.  He was my lawyer after I was involved in a car accident and he did a wonderful job settling my case.  He has a great reputation and gets the majority of his business through word-of-mouth.  He has a website and occasionally writes a blog.  He recently asked me why he should be on Twitter if he doesn’t need it to drum up business.

    Free twitter badge
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    I think my friend doesn’t see any value in sitting on Twitter all day reading and responding to others’ tweets.  I think he’s right on that point, but I don’t think he sees some of the other benefits of having a Twitter account.  I’ve been pondering his question for a few weeks and I’ve come up with the top three reasons why a lawyer in his position would want to have a Twitter presence.

    1. Promote Your Blog – I love that my friend writes a blog, but if no one knows when he has something new posted, who is going to read it?  I have a lawyer friend who mostly uses his Twitter account to announce when he has posted a new blog.  I love when he writes, but he doesn’t publish on a set schedule.  I appreciate the notice when he has something new for us to read.
    2. Stay On The Radar – By using a Twitter account, a solo practitioner remind others that they exist in a non-intrusive way.  It also makes it easier for people who promote you within the Twitterverse.   For example, I recently had a friend ask me for a recommendation for a real estate lawyer in Arizona.  I didn’t know any lawyers who practice in this area, so I put the question out on Twitter.  (Note – I only put the question out on Twitter.)  I received two recommendations within 24 hours.  I appreciated the response that provided a name, a Twitter handle, and a website more than the response that just gave me a name.  It gives people a way to get to know you before they initiate a conversation with you.  If you saw a tweet where someone mentioned you, you could post a thank-you tweet and continue to build goodwill for your firm.
    3. Stay Abreast of Legal News – I get multiple legal magazines every month and I don’t have time to flip through them all.  Instead, I follow various entities on Twitter who post links to articles and blogs on the latest legal news.  It’s a more efficient way to know what’s going on in the legal world.

    When it comes to social media like Facebook and Twitter, it’s important for lawyers (and any professional) to look at it as a tool, and evaluate it whether it can assist them in their business.  With Twitter, it’s about having public conversations in an online community and people can engage where they are comfortable.  In the big picture, I think it’s better to be partially involved and engage a little bit, than not to be involved at all.

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  • Walking on Tables: Reflections on Katy Goshtasbi

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    Ruth Carter

    Last week the law school invited Katy Goshtasbi of Puris Image to speak about personal branding.  My friend said she had good information about how you should dress and act.  I was a little afraid that she was going to prescribe a cookie-cutter uniform that all lawyers need to adopt in order to be successful.  I was so glad I was wrong.

    Katy Goshtasbi, Photo from Puris Image

    My friends will vouch for me that I am not a typical girl, woman, chick, what’s the female equivalent of “guy?”  I’m a pretty rough-and-tumble person.  I prefer to be comfortable than to be pretty.  I will rarely torture myself with clothing that restricts my movement or shoes that pinch my toes.  At most, I do 5-minute make-up before walking out the door on a typical day.  I have been mistaken for a man.  For my 18th birthday, my sister bought me Victoria Secret lotion and said, “If you’re not going to dress like a girl, you can at least smell like one.”

    Now it may seem like I don’t care about how I look, but that’s not true.  I am very particular about the clothes I buy.  When I’m in cute mode, I’m determined to be very cute.  However, you’ll never catch me dressing like a girly girl.  Even when I’m in a dress, it’s obvious that I’m not a girly girl.  Even when I’ve tried to be a girly girly, it doesn’t work.

    I was overjoyed when one of Goshtasbi’s take away messages was “Be Yourself.”  Thank you!  I was so happy to hear that someone might get me and promote the fact that there’s more than one way to be portrayed as a successful professional.

    I want to be the lawyer to the geeks and I’m glad that my potential clients are typically found in jeans, t-shirts, and hoodies.  Goshtasbi’s talk brought to my attention the fact that I had adopted my future client’s preferred wardrobe as my everyday uniform.  This may not be portraying my desired image of “sassy, smart, and strong.”  Goshtasbi inspired me to become reacquainted with my closet.

    Goshtasbi said that she would give a free 40-minute phone consultation to the first 3 people who approached her at the end of her talk.  I wanted one of those slots, but I was sitting 3 rows back and 4 seats in from the aisle in a room with stadium seating with long tables instead of individual desks.  There was no way I could get to her if I went the traditional route.  Drastic measures were required to achieve my goal.  The second Goshtasbi was done talking, I climbed up on top of my table, and walked down the tables as if they were stepping stones to Goshtasbi podium. It was unconventional but it worked.  I can’t wait to talk with her next month during our session.

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  • SALK Day 29 – Jane Ross

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    Ruth Carter

    Jane Ross is one of my favorite lawyers in Phoenix.  I admire her commitment to being herself and not conforming to the traditional lawyer mold.  After law school, she lasted exactly one week at a large law firm.  She quit on a Friday and by the following Monday, she had started her own firm.  She’s been in business for nearly eight years, and she’s never had a lack of work.

    Jane gave up a lot when she left big law firm life.  She gave up the security of a steady job with benefits, bonuses, and people whose jobs it is to make coffee and photocopies, answer phones, and do research, for the freedom to select her own clientele and decide her own schedule.  She can work in her pajamas at home if she wants with her dog laying at her feet.  She never has to feel guilty or worry about her reputation if she takes the afternoon off to be with her daughter.  On the flip side, she lives in an eat-what-you-kill world where she is solely responsible for her paycheck.  In many ways it appears that she has the perfect professional life, once you get past the fear of being completely responsible for her own success.  I couldn’t imagine striking it out on my own right out of law school, but I’ve heard that it’s made a lot of people happy and that help is only a phone call away if they need it.

    Rainbow flag flapping in the wind with blue sk...
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    Jane is a special breed of lawyers – the gay lawyer.  This is different from a lawyer who happens to be gay.  The lawyer who happens to be gay is someone who is a lawyer first and their sexual orientation is one of many aspects of their personality.  These are also lawyers who might be able to pass as straight.  Conversely, a gay lawyer is someone is undeniably gay and whose work is dedicated to the LGBT community.  They often are often found in boutique law firms or are solo practitioners and advertise in the gay press.  Their passion for LGBT rights and legal issues are intertwined with their identities.  These environments give gay lawyers the freedom to be themselves and focus on LGBT legal issues.  Gay lawyers and lawyers who are gay are both known for being fabulous and active in the LGBT community.   I’ve met some wonderful LGBT lawyers through the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) chapter of the local bar association.

    Sponsor A Law Kid is my endeavor to pay for my last semester of law school. Today’s sponsor is Jane Ross.  For more information about Sponsor A Law Kid or to see what days are still available for sponsorship, visit my Sponsor A Law Kid page.

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