InsideLegal

LegalTech New York - Incisive Media Editors Breakfast

On Tuesday morning at 8:00 am, Incisive Media held their annual Editors Breakfast at the Hilton.  The event began with time to mingle and enjoy a lite breakfast. Shortly after, the Incisive editors in attendance (see picture below) introduced themselves and their publications. Post introductions, the feeding frenzy began with all the attendees racing to meet particular editors of interest (which usually means Ms. Monica Bay of LTN for this crowd!). New editor faces for 2009 included Leigh Jones with National Law Journal and Anthony Paonita of Corporate Counsel.

(L to R - Craig Ball, Steve Salkin, Safia Maharaj, Bob Ambrogi, Monica Bay, Robin Sparkman, Adam Schlagman, John Bringardner, Michael Moline, Leigh Jones, Anthony Paonita, David Snow, Aric Press)

(Bill Pollak, CEO of Incisive Media North America)

Editors in attendance included...

• Bill Pollak, CEO, Incisive Media North America
• Aric Press - Editor-in-Chief, The American Lawyer
• David Snow - Executive Editor, Law.com
• Anthony Paonita - Editor-in-Chief, Corporate Counsel
• Leigh Jones - Associate Editor, National Law Journal
• Michael Moline - Assistant Managing Editor, National Law Journal
• John Bringardner - News Editor, Law.com
• Adam Schlagman - Editor-in-Chief, LJN's Legal Tech Newsletter
• Robin Sparkman - Executive Editor, The American Lawyer
• Safia Maharaj - Administrative Assistant, Law Technology News
• Steve Salkin - Managing Editor, LJN's Legal Tech Newsletter
• Bob Ambrogi - Web watch for Law Technology News, writes for Legal Blog Watch
• Craig Ball - EDD Update Blog, "Ball in your court" column for "Law Technology News" 
• Monica Bay - Editor-in-Chief, Law Technology News
• Sean Doherty - Technology Editor, Law.com (not in photo)

Here is a complete list of all of Incisive Media's legal products.

Legal Assistant Today Acquired by Conexion International Media

According to a press release we received today, the publishers of Litigation Support Today have acquired Legal Assistant Today magazine from James Publishing (who used to publish the very popular Law Office Computing).  We could not find the announcement on either website to link to, so below is the press release content.

"The leading magazine for the paralegal profession, Legal Assistant Today, has been acquired by Conexion International Media, Inc., publishers of Litigation Support Today, from James Publishing, Inc. Legal Assistant Today is the only independent national trade magazine written exclusively for paralegals. It has been published continuously for more than 25 years and it is the established authority in the paralegal field. The acquisition provides legal marketers with a new combination of' 'sister' magazines for more efficient advertising to both the litigation support field and the paralegal field, the two most influential target audiences in today's complex and rapidly growing legal marketplace. Special combination rates are available for 2009 advertisers, including print ads, conference activity, and online opportunities allowing marketers to make the most of the synergism between the paralegal profession and the litigation support profession. 
 
The new owners have stated that their vision for the development of Legal Assistant Today is to sustain the excellent editorial quality and usefulness of the magazine while introducing new enhancements and techniques that will expand readership and attract more advertisers. Charles Buckwalter, VP of Conexion International Media, says 'The reader loyalty that this great magazine commands is outstanding, with 91% of subscribers reporting that they keep their back issues and share them firm-wide. Subscription renewals are also very high. We intend to build on LAT's strong, legitimate base of paid subscribers and expand circulation to better serve the information needs of the paralegal profession and to give advertisers greater penetration into this escalating marketplace.'  The U.S. Department of Labor reports there are 220,000 paralegals/legal assistants today and the profession is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2010.
 
The dizzying impact of e-discovery and other high-technology demands on every aspect of the legal practice has caused many vendors to be uncertain which professional audience and which media are best suited for their tight advertising budgets in the fierce competitive months ahead. The publishing amalgamation of Legal Assistant Today and Litigation Support Today, both solid leaders in their own niche yet parallel markets, now provides the optimum media combination for efficient reach to the primary influences and users in each of the two key segments that are on the leading edge of the market's expansion."

ILTA is Here! Don't Miss out on the Program Offered for Vendors on Monday!

We at Envision/InsideLegal have been co-producing the Vendor Education Program at the ILTA Annual Conference since 2004.  For our fifth year anniversary, we  took a step back and looked at how we could improve the program, resulting in a plan to offer more content to the vendor attendees while still covering all the main information areas.  Primarily, we wanted to make sure the program was applicable to established vendors who may have attended all past events as well as new vendor attendees.  Please get your booths setup early on Monday, August 25th so you can join us!  Here are the details for the 2008 ILTA Vendor Program that will take place in Texan Station Lower Level:

Vendor Business Meeting – 1:00-1:30 p.m.

Don’t miss the ILTA ’08 Vendor Business Meeting!  This session will include an opportunity to meet the ILTA staff, to receive updates on conference activities, find out about future conference locations and get an update on general ILTA programs.

ILTA Member Technology Purchasing Survey & InsideLegal Vendor Marketing Survey Results – 1:30-2:15 p.m.

We will present the findings of the 2008 ILTA Member Technology Purchasing Survey as well as the inaugural InsideLegal Legal Technology Vendor Marketing Survey, both extremely relevant to vendor executives and marketing staff.  This is good information to be armed with before the exhibit hall opens!  Take a look at the ILTA Member Technology Purchasing Survey from 2007 to get an idea of the information we'll be covering.  We'll also be going over a sneak preview of the Inaugural InsideLegal Legal Technology Vendor Marketing Survey.

ILTA Vendor Breakout Program – 2:15-5:15 p.m.

This year, we will be expanding topics and offering a vendor breakout program including five, simultaneously offered, roundtable sessions offered in 20 minute intervals.  This will give each attendee the opportunity to attend all sessions in a small group where they can interact and ask questions.  In addition to allowing a broader offering and incorporating more ILTA industry partners, we hope this approach will draw additional personnel from the vendor companies in addition to only their marketing contacts. The preliminary breakout topics, which will each be hosted by 2 faculty per table, include:

• Working with Association Media – Randi Mayes, Executive Director of ILTA, and  Monica Williams, new Editor of ILTA & Larry Smith, ABA LPM Exec Director
• Working with Online Media/Bloggers – Sean Doherty, Technology Editor of Law.com
• Working with Legal Media – Charles Christian, Editor of Legal Technology Insider & Albert Buckwalter, Editor of Litigation Support Today
• Working with ILTA Regions and Peer Groups - Kara Portwood (Armstrong Teasdale) ILTA Microsoft Peer Group VP & Deb Himsel (Locke Reynolds) Great Lakes Regional VP
• Advice for Selling to ILTA’s Members – Peggy Wechsler, Program Director and Vendor Liaison of ILTA & Joy Heath (Sidley Austin), President of ILTA

The breakout sessions will include with a Q&A portion and an in-room networking reception affording vendors the opportunity to mingle with the other attendees and meet the panelists.  To participate, please RSVP with your name, company, title and email address to JoAnna Forshee by the end of Friday, August 22.

The Anatomy of a Succesful PR Campaign: What are we dealing with anyway? (Part 2 of 2)

Recently, we talked about the strategic components you might want to consider when orchestrating a PR initiative or campaign. While strategy (where are we going?) is the foundation for any effort, the tactics (how are we getting there?), and more importantly, the timely execution of these tactics, provide the framework and details that make any initiative unique and define its success.

Here's a snapshot of what to look for on the tactical front:

• Press release creation and distribution: A well-crafted press release consisting of concise, straightforward (read jargon free), and accurate content, presented in an easy to read (or browse) format sets the foundation for your PR program.
• Media alerts and advisories: While the release announces a new product, feature set, partnership or corporate development, a media alert or advisory is more timely and geared toward promoting something immediate such as an event of interest to the media, an executive's keynote speech, or a local or national event that might interest media.
• Success stories/testimonials: Clients can be the best champion of your products and services through thought leadership-focused articles and stories.  Also, editors appreciate contributions that have no sales-pitch quality and actually help their readership better understand and deal with every day technology challenges.
• Media tours: Depending on the scope of your new product announcement or initiative, you may want to plan a series of media stops designed to brief the editors on what's going on. Of course, this can also be achieved when scheduled around major trade shows. Often times, publication editors provide media briefing opportunities to vendors on site.
• Speakers bureau development: Another effective way of espousing your expertise and thought leadership on a given technology topic is to conduct an internal audit of subject matter expertise and then make this "topical intelligence" available to editors and event management who might be interested in either using your experts as sources in future stories or offering up speaking slots at conferences that correspond with your expertise. However, always keep in mind that your ability to participate in these type of activities is a direct function of the quality (and uniqueness) of content you have to provide, and the ability of your subject matter experts to provide educational, factual and market-based content versus blatant or thinly-veiled sales pitches and advertorials.   

The Anatomy of a Succesful PR Campaign: What are we dealing with anyway? (Part 1 of 2)

We routinely work with technology companies who realize that public relations can add tremendous value to ongoing marketing efforts, new product introductions, and even future initiatives. This is a good start but if you dig a little deeper and ask companies to tell you what they mean by PR, most folks we talk to define PR as press releases with the occasional feature article mixed in. They have obviously scratched the surface of an array of initiatives that make up a comprehensive PR program. With that said, an "anatomically correct" PR campaign consists of the right blend of strategic and tactical initiatives. Here's a snapshot of what to consider on the strategic front:

Media relations: The foundation of an effective PR campaign is based on:

• Relationships:  The relationships you develop and hone with members of the media community - editors, reporters, freelancers, editorial assistants (often the gatekeepers), and publishers - are key.
• Messaging and Positioning: When communicating with the media, and indirectly with your target legal audience, what do you want them to remember and identify you with? What are your core messages, approaches, differentiators, and what value due you provide to the media and their readership?
• Goal Setting: Carefully define what you want to achieve with each PR effort with quantifiable goals and create a method of delivering on those goals and providing accountability for achievement.
• Audience ID and Targeting: Who do you want to reach with a campaign and how can you cut through the clutter of competitive messages and slogans? This translates to crafting the appropriate messages for the appropriate targets and, equally important, delivering this content via the right medium. For example,it makes little sense to promote a new technology/software program to an audience that is not tech-savvy, but more interested in the business and best practice aspects of law.
• Spokesperson Selection and Media Preparedness: While you are deciding what you want to tell the world and the best way to do it, do not forget to identify who will be your poster child. You can position different spokespeople for different initiatives. For example, you might have a corporate spokesperson (i.e., CEO or exec level), but also rely on a series of subject matter experts to represent your product set, expertise within the marketplace, understanding of market trends and developments, etc.

ABA TECHSHOW Media Panel Take-Aways: Info you can use

ABA LPM and Envision Agency hosted the first ABA TECHSHOW Legal Media Panel discussion and subsequent publication “Meet & Greet” last Wednesday, the eve of TECHSHOW. Per our post Thursday, the event was well attended and the feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive. There is definitely a need for more media-vendor education and communication of this sort. Take a look at our panelist take-away notes below...  Also, look for our publication profiles and editor contact information post tomorrow.

ABA's Law Practice

• Know your target publication: Know who the readership is, what topics they cover, and how you can contribute something that fits.
• Don't bother with vendor-authored bylines - while they are not published, law firm success stories and innovative examples of technological advancements are. Case studies focused on how something works, conceptually, are of interest as well. 

ILTA's Peer to Peer

• Familiarize yourself with the editorial calendar so you know what topics both Peer to Peer and ILTA's whitepaper series are focused on.
• Vendors are thought leaders too, and although ILTA member firms provide most of the newsletter and whitepaper content, legal technology companies can participate in educating the target audience with relevant, non-promotional or sales-focused contributions.

ALA's Legal Management

• Email is the best way to reach out to editor John Delavan, be it sending relevant press releases or floating article pitch ideas his way.
• Vendors are an important part of the ALA/Legal Management community. Readers can turn to the "vendor perspectives" supplement (first introduced in LM's 2007 June/July technology issue) to read about best practices and legal technology trends from the vendors point-of- view. Case studies, primarily focused on law firm success stories, are now also a mainstay within LM.

ABA Journal

• Send press releases to keep ABA Journal editors in the loop on new product announcements, corporate updates and significant partnerships that impact the readership.
• The ABA Journal has a team of reporters and journalists covering the legal space. While the staff handles all of the writing assignments themselves, vendors are able to offer up subject matter expertise and promote their clients' expertise for future article consideration.  Keep in mind, if you pitch an article idea on a topic and the ABA Journal decides to proceed with the story, they may also include your competitors.

ABA's Law Practice Today e-Zine

• Law Practice Today is designed to inform and provide current information and how-to's on what's important to LPM members. Editor Dan Pinnington is always looking for new angles and welcomes subject matter expertise, be it from firms or technology companies with a keen understanding of trends and applications.
• Press releases are not picked up or included in issues of LPT, but might serve as a starting point for content the readers can use.

If you have any questions on the event, please let us know.

Editorial Calendars: Making the most out of knowing what editors are focused on

Editorial calendars are a standard component of most publications' media kit and can help you shed light onto what particular content themes editors will be covering throughout the year. Traditionally editorial calendars have been used to help advertisers figure out where they should put their advertising dollars, a modern utility for these calendars is mapping your company's software or service offerings, or better yet subject matter expertise, within the framework of the editorial highlights of a given publication. There are literally hundreds of legal publications out there (Envision's list alone covers 660 legal magazines, dailies, association newsletters and bar association journals), but a solid starting point for scanning through the editorial calendars takes us to the larger legal publishers and key associations. To give you a head start, we have included a few links for you to peruse: Go to the ALM Sites for a comprehensive list of all legal magazines, newsletters, and online resources available for ALM Media. Review ILTA Peer to Peer & Whitepapers editorial content if you are interested in contributing educational content to an extremely tech-savvy law firm technology audience; click on Law Practice Magazine, the ABA Law Practice Management section's flagship membership publication, and check out the Association of Legal Adminstrator's ALA media kit including Legal Management Magazine. If you are focused on reaching virtually the entirety of the Californian legal community, California Lawyer Magazine should meet your needs.

We will keep you updated on editorial opportunities throughout the year and feature specific publications and editorial themes as well, but hope that this primer will aid you in your quest to actively promote and represent your company and products with relevant and useful content.