ABA's two-day national marketing conference

04/06/07

ABA's two-day national marketing conference

To commemorate the 30^th anniversary of the seminal law firm marketing case - Bates v. Arizona, the American Bar Association has planned a two-day Law Firm Marketing Strategies Conference. The conference will be held on November 8 and 9, 2007 in Washington, DC. It is organized by the ABA's Law Practice Management Section.

The unique conference will feature several all-attorney panels to study how law firm marketing has evolved. It will also take a look at the trends in the profession. The conference aims to assist lawyers and firms with improving their business development strategies.

Law firm marketing continues to puzzle the bar. Micah Buchdahl, chair for the conference, said it is time for a review of the legal industry set by Bates. After assessing what works for law firms at present, measures for further improvement will also be worked upon. Buchdahl also said that the meet apart from addressing "the concerns, will also teach best practices for moving forward with smart initiatives."

The two-day event will feature some of the top-notch law firm marketing gurus. Experts like Van O'Steen from Bates v. Arizona will talk about legal ethics; Chris Lehane, strategic communications specialist and Jamie Diaferia, Infinite Public Relations' will deliberate on crisis communications. A program on the impact of diversity initiatives on law firm business is also envisaged.

In addition, two Extreme Marketing programs will also be organized with 10 speakers. These 10 speakers are partners from 20 national law firms who will talk about different topics.

Liberal bar rules help Baker & McKenzie strengthen its Tokyo office
International firm Baker & McKenzie fortified its Asia presence by hiring prominent Japanese lawyer Fumio Koma and his team this April. Koma and his attorney team, both from Asahi Koma Law Offices and the Janssen Foreign Law Office, joined Baker & McKenzie GJBJ Tokyo Aoyama Aoki Law Office. Koma's team-mates include Yasunori Hashiguchi and Shinichiro Abe, two Japanese lawyers, besides Markus Janssen, a German lawyer, who join as senior partners. The firm also comprises three other partners, associates, and counsel.

With the bar rules getting more liberal, the Japanese legal market is expanding. The new bar rules permit Japanese and foreign law to combine practices. Hence, lawyers in Japan are now getting more opportunities to advise domestic and multinational companies on both sides of the borders.

Koma is excited to join Baker & McKenzie. He hopes to expand Baker's international practices, including multijurisdictional transactions apart from the traditional M&A, IP, and international business restructuring. He envisages building up of a substantial Euro-Japan group to benefit both its clients as well as its team in Japan and Europe.

Koma practices in international commercial affairs, finance, M&A, and antitrust law. He specializes in domestic and international M&A and has extensive experience in representing banks and security companies, chemical companies, healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, besides various others. Yasunori Hashiguchi's practice includes IP, entertainment, and sports law. Shinichiro Abe handles business restructuring, insolvency law, and litigation. He specializes in Japanese and international business restructuring, insolvency law, structures requiring insolvency protection, and solutions. With nearly two decades of experience in Japan, Markus Janssen established Janssen Foreign Law Office. It was a joint enterprise with Asahi Koma. Janssen has extensive contract and transaction experience in various industries. He focuses on foreign direct investment of European enterprises in Japan, and also assists Japanese enterprises in important projects in Europe.

BIZARRE NEWS

Yoggie = Yoga + Doggie
Brenda Bryan takes "doggie yoga" classes at the Seattle/King County Humane Society in Bellevue, Washington. The 40-minute doggie yoga is a way for dogs and their owners to exercise their body as well as their emotions, reports Associated Press. Doggie yoga was created when Brenda, the trainer, met Emily Keegans, who was doing a dog massage fundraiser for the Humane Society. They decided to combine their skills to create the class. The yoga activities include "upward facing belly pose," "downward facing dog," gentle stretching, and dog massage, among others. Mostly the participants "gently" use their pet as "yoga props." Now, now… if dogs can adopt human practices, we can also adopt theirs. This can include sleeping whole day, pissing on car tire, digging for bones…