The Red Velvet Lawyer

The Bricklayer, the Micro-burst, and the Lawyer Yesterday, I posted some excerpts from an email I got from a former client.  I then sent him the link and said that if I needed to change anything or take it down, he should let me know.  Instead, he sent me even more heart-warming praise.  The prior posting described my representation of a client whose shop and house suffered severe damage during a thunderstorm/tornado that struck a portion of St. Louis.  The insurance company denied his claim, asserting that the damage was caused by water and not by wind.  The policy did not cover water damage, but it did cover wind damage. The company relied primarily on the anticipated testimony of their retained expert.  Later, using a sixth sense, I discovered that the expert had lied about his credentials.  Based on that discovery, the insurance company removed him from their list of expert witnesses. I also learned that his report assumed a certain type of back-fill that

Love your Clients and They will Love You, Too. This past week, I got a very warm email from a former client. The "Re line" read:  "I miss my good friend and attorney."   I had not heard from this client in several years.  But, when he has any type of legal problem, he contacts me. That's client loyalty. Here's a short excerpt from the email that makes me laugh and makes me very proud.   How is the best attorney, this side of the Mississippi doing? I know you jumped ship and moved across the mighty Miss. so that would make you the best in the lower 48? I represented this client in an insurance coverage dispute after a micro-burst during a thunderstorm destroyed his shop and compromised the integrity of his family's house. What did I do over fifteen years ago to create such loyalty? Here's my guess: I provided extremely high-quality client service; I got the client an extremely favorable outcome; I was creative, persistent, r

30,000  Page Views Friends, family, and colleagues: Another milestone reached!  Some time today, page views of my blog topped 30,000. And, after nearly a year of blogging almost every day, the Google bots are regularly paying attention to my blog. Love you all, and thanks so very much for your support!

Love this Guy's Advice! Marketing guru, Seth Godin, has a string of blog postings  on his Squiddoo website that every lawyer should read.  I am creating this blog posting just so I can go back to it again and again.   For a list of his books I found compelling on the topics of content marketing, permission marketing, and social media marketing, see here . 

90 to 100 Percent of Students Improve Their Scores on the Practice Exams My colleague, Professor Priscilla Harris, noted that many of the students in our region of service --largely rural -- do not have access to a LSAT prep course. Consistent with our mission to serve the community, we began offering one.  The Appalachian School of Law has now held four LSAT Prep Courses for prospective students and for students from the central Appalachian region.   Significant Improvements: This last time -- held February 1, 2014 --all seven students improved their test scores between the first and second practice exams.   On average each student improved his or her test score by 3.4 points, the difference between being admitted to the law school of the student's choice or qualifying for a scholarship.   One student saw a 7 point increase in his score on the practice exams! Students take a practice exam at the beginning of the day.  Then, they end the day with a second pract

Appalachian School  of Law  TV Ad If you have not yet seen it, here's the ad that ran during the Super Bowl on our regional TV station.  The ad will run for the next several weeks on both WEMT, our FOX affiliate, and WCYB, our NBC affiliate. Please share this posting and spread the word about your law school. 

Ad Featuring  our  Educational Program Dear ASL Community: Thanks to the generosity of one of our founding Trustees, Joe Wolfe, the Appalachian School of Law will be featured in a Super Bowl commercial. The 30-second spot will air during the second half of the game on WEMT, the Fox affiliate in Bristol, Virginia: http://www.wcyb.com/fox-tri-cities/super-bowl-xlviii/-/23965940/-/expsyf/-/index.html . I have the honor of introducing the commercial, which features a photo montage of the law school and our students, and which emphasizes our focus upon community service, non-traditional students and natural resources law. At the insistence of the Other Professor Harris, it also features the ASL Softball Team. After the Super Bowl, the spot will air extensively for several weeks, both on WEMT and on its sister station, WCYB, the NBC affiliate in Bristol. I hope that you can catch the commercial during the game, but, in case you miss it, I’ll be posting a v