Attorney Search Network is a State Bar Certified Lawyer Referral and Information Service that meets American Bar Association standards. It operates in California’s 21 Counties of Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Modoc, Napa, Orange, Placer, Shasta, Siskiyou and Solano. The website enables clients to find attorneys by entering their location, practice area and/or type of law firm. Clients can also search the database for an attorney’s background and education.
The first step in finding a lawyer is to research the specific legal issue at hand. Non-lawyers who are seeking a lawyer often start their research by searching online for information related to their problem or simply ask a friend or colleague for a referral. Some of these people will decide that they do not need a lawyer, while others will realize they need one after researching their issue more thoroughly or consulting with an expert in the field.
In addition to traditional methods of locating about lawyer searcher network, such as word of mouth referrals from colleagues and friends or listings in print Yellow Pages, the Internet has revolutionized the way in which lawyers market themselves. Many lawyers and law firms now rely on their websites to attract potential clients. This is particularly true for solo practitioners and small and mid-sized firms, which tend to have less marketing resources and a more focused client base than larger firms.
One of the most effective marketing strategies for a lawyer is to participate in contributor networks. A contributor network is essentially a bullpen of subject-matter experts on which a publication relies to provide practical, boots-on-the-ground pieces that supplement its staff-written stories. Once accepted into a contributor network, lawyers and legal professionals have broad discretion regarding what they can write, as long as it is relevant to the outlet’s editorial guidelines and publishing cadence. Moreover, netting high-SEO-value backlinks from article content is a perk that drives many lawyers and legal professionals toward signing up for these opportunities.
For example, Bloomberg Law accepts articles on topics such as litigation and business strategy from law firm attorneys, in-house counsel and law professors. The publication showcases the contributed articles outside its paywall in its Professional Perspectives and Insights sections. Interested lawyers and legal community professionals can contact the editor-in-chief, Robert Ambrogi, directly with ideas for articles. In addition, the site’s Contributor Directory offers a way for law firms to offer ongoing column opportunities. The directory currently includes content such as product reviews, how-to guides, best practices pieces and case studies. The directory’s current submission guidelines are available here. In addition, LawNext publishes articles on topics such as business development and marketing. The site’s current submission guidelines are available here. The site is free for lawyers and legal professionals to use. In some cases, it is also open to journalists who want to write about legal issues from a news angle. Some of these journalists are reporters from mainstream media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Reuters.