Courts and Law Brooklyn Boro

Brooklyn Bar Association gives class on branding for lawyers

January 12, 2017 By Rob Abruzzese, Legal Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle
From left: Juda Engelmayer, Amber Evans, David B. Sarnoff, Richard Klass and Warren H. Cohn. Eagle photo by Rob Abruzzese
From left: Juda Engelmayer, Amber Evans, David B. Sarnoff, Richard Klass and Warren H. Cohn. Eagle photo by Rob Abruzzese
Share this:

The Brooklyn Bar Association (BBA) hosted a discussion on branding and marketing skills in Brooklyn Heights on Monday, where panelists gave tips for lawyers to use both online and in person to increase their business.

The discussion, which was worth no Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits, was moderated by Richard A. Klass, a trustee at the BBA. The panelists included attorney David B. Sarnoff and Warren H. Cohn and Juda Engelmayer of Herald Strategies, a public relations and digital marketing firm.

“We’re lucky to have three great speakers join us for this,” said Klass, who is the chair of the BBA’s Mentor Committee. “David Sarnoff has a ton of experience in helping lawyers and firms project their image. Juda and Warren do public relations and social media campaigns for businesses and attorneys. They have a lot of experience dealing with attorneys and issues related to their marketing and public relations.”

Subscribe to our newsletters

The presentation was designed to highlight ways in which attorneys can utilize marketing themselves, both online and in person. Sarnoff said that the biggest problem that he sees attorneys make is never taking the time to come up with a comprehensive plan.

“The one thing about projecting your brand, coming up with a business plan to identify your practice, requires a lot of thought before you jump into it,” Sarnoff said. “Too many people start a website, set up a Facebook page, open a Twitter account, but they don’t know what they want to be or what they want to say.”

The group went on to explain that when coming up with a plan, it is important to focus the two or three things that the attorneys specialize in rather than pretend to be everything to everybody.

“Figure out the issues you want to focus on, and that becomes your brand,” Engelmayer said. “If you don’t do that, you will flounder. You might even figure out a way to do well enough, but if you want to make it and be known you have to have a focus.”

Cohn added that focusing in two or three areas will not only help an attorney come across as an expert in those fields, but that it will help online with search engine optimization.

“When you are focusing on an idea, the two or three things that you’re best at, you want to make sure that’s what you are putting forth on your online presence,” Cohn said. “Optimize your website and your web presence so that you or your firm become known.”

The BBA’s next CLE will be on video evidence and will be presented by attorney Carmen Jack Giordano on Jan. 18.

 

Volunteer Lawyers Project Hosts CLE on Article 17A Guardianship

The Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) also hosted a CLE this week titled, “Article 17A: Guardianship of Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled Persons” at the BBA on Tuesday.

That CLE was worth two professional practice credits and was presented by Sidney Cherubin, director of Legal Services at the VLP. Cherubin discussed health care decisions, petition for appointment, modification of guardianship orders and other topics related to the guardianship of intellectually and developmentally disabled persons.

The course was free to any attorneys who agreed to take at least one pro bono 17A Guardianship matter from the VLP before July 10, 2017. Attorneys also received an additional CLE credit for every two hours of eligible pro bono work.

The VLP’s next CLE, The Basics of Uncontested Divorce, will be held on Jan. 25. It will be presented by Cherubin, Charles Coleman and Joanne Reece and will be worth 2.5 credits.

 


Leave a Comment

Related Articles

Leave a Comment