October 03, 2014 nº 1,551 - Vol. 12
"You simply *must* stop taking advice from other people."
Alvin Toffler
In today's Law Firm Marketing, 12 ways to generate interactions with prospects
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Supreme Court announces its new cases
The US Supreme Court expanded its docket for the 2014-15 term, adding high-stakes cases on employment discrimination, fair housing and congressional redistricting, but the true blockbuster cases may be yet to come. The court didn't act on appeals from five states raising one of the most eagerly anticipated legal issues in a generation: whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. Also possibly on the horizon is a second round of cases that could threaten the heart of Obama 's signature health-insurance law, the Affordable Care Act. The justices any week could decide whether to resolve the gay-marriage issue nationwide. Religious rights are likely to be another theme of the term, just months after the court ruled that closely held businesses, such as Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., can on religious grounds disregard contraceptive-coverage requirements in the health law. The court next week will weigh whether a Muslim inmate in Arkansas has the right to grow a half-inch beard, despite state-prison regulations forbidding facial hair. In a high-stakes employment-discrimination case involving Abercrombie & Fitch Co., the court on Thursday said it would decide employer obligations to make religious accommodations for job applicants. The case centers on a practicing Muslim in Oklahoma who alleged the clothing company declined to hire her because she wore a head scarf for religious reasons. In another potentially important case, the justices next week will consider a case brought by workers at Amazon.com Inc. warehouses over whether they should be paid for time spent going through theft-deterrence screenings at the end of their shifts. On fair housing, the justices will decide the validity of a legal strategy that has been used by plaintiffs in housing-discrimination cases. The appeal comes from Texas, focusing on the allocation of low-income-housing tax credits in Dallas. On the court's criminal docket, the justices in December will consider how to judge threatening speech in the age of social media. At issue is an appeal by a Pennsylvania man convicted of making threats on Facebook against his estranged wife, law enforcement and local elementary schools. The case focuses on whether the Facebook posts were protected by the First Amendment—and whether the government must prove the defendant intended to threaten his wife.
Acquisition of real estate in Brazil by foreigners
In his new article, Ítalo Melo de Farias, principal at eponymous law firm, explains that, although it has a rather complex legislation, Brazil offers international investors a very secure legal system for attractive real estate projects. Click here to read more.
Visit our new 'Magic Eye' page and boost your career
Migalhas International, with the support of executive search firms, brings the best career and professional development opportunities to its readers. We call this service the "Magic Eye". Click here to go to our special webpage and find your next lease on life.
1 - Julia Pierson, Secret Service director, resigns amid controversy - click here.
2 - Rupert Murdoch's News Corp To Buy Property Listings Site Move For $950M - click here.
3 - Consumer Confidence Falls to Lowest Level Since May - click here.
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Did China go back on its promises?
Hong Kong's protesters say they were guaranteed universal suffrage in the 1997 handover, but there is intense debate over whether China really has violated the letter of the law. "The people on the streets are asking for the right to nominate. Universal suffrage, under the international covenant, means that there are express rights to elect or be elected. There is no express right to nominate." The rules make it virtually impossible for anyone not trusted by the Chinese government to stand for election. As a result, the protesters accuse Beijing of reneging on decades of vows to give Hong Kong people genuine democracy.
Hong Kong leader says government will meet with demonstrators
Leung Chun-ying told reporters that he appointed his deputy to meet with student activists to discuss "constitutional development," but he renewed warnings about occupying government buildings.
12 ways to generate interactions with prospects
By Trey Ryder
You could be the most trusted lawyer in your state. You could write and publish dozens of articles. You could appear on TV news interviews You could do everything right. But if your phone doesn't ring, does anything else matter?
Without an interaction, you will never get to talk with your prospect. Interactions don't happen by accident; they happen by design. Here are 12 ways to build interactions into your marketing program:
1. Offer free written information (educational articles) that you will mail or e-mail to prospects on request.
2. Offer free initial phone consultations with prospects. After you learn about your prospect's case, you decide whether to invite him to your office for an in-depth conversation.
3. Offer free peace-of-mind meetings to families after major life events, such as births, divorces and deaths. This allows you to offer needed services to family members during transition.
4. Invite prospects to educational seminars so you can interact with them in person.
5. Invite prospects to take part in an internet discussion group, where you can respond to their questions.
6. Invite prospects to a briefing at your office, perhaps a brown-bag update or an executive roundtable.
7. Invite prospects to a webinar you conduct on the internet.
8. Join networking groups that allow you to meet and respond to questions from prospects.
9. Join a non-profit organization to develop relationships with prospects.
10. Start your own non-profit organization designed to bring you into contact with prospects and referral sources.
11. Host your own radio talk show and invite business and professional prospects onto your show as guests.
12. Invite prospects to breakfast, lunch or dinner -- to a reception or party -- to play golf or take part in other sports.
Bottom line: Don't overlook the interaction step in your marketing program. It is the key to your success. Without it, your marketing program fails.
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© Trey Ryder
FREE LAWYER MARKETING ALERT: If you'd like to receive Trey Ryder's weekly Lawyer Marketing Alert, send an e-mail to [email protected]. Write "Subscribe LMA" in the subject line and write your name and e-mail address in the body of the message.
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Acuerdo
La petrolera estatal peruana Petroperú suscribió un acuerdo de asociación con la petrolera multinacional GeoPark para la exploración y explotación del Lote 64, también conocido como Bloque Morona, en la Amazonía peruana. GeoPark será el operador y asumirá las inversiones necesarias para la puesta en producción del yacimiento Situche Central, parte del Bloque Morona, cuya titularidad fue asumida por Petroperú en 2013.
(Presione aquí)
Impuestos
El Gobierno de Colombia quiere mantener un impuesto al patrimonio y otro sobre las transacciones financieras, que expiraban este año, en busca de asegurar recursos en medio de las expectativas de una disminución de la renta petrolera, dijo el jueves un congresista con conocimiento de la propuesta.
(Presione aquí)
Valores
La Comisión Nacional de Valores (CNV) de Argentina suspendió preventivamente a la sociedad de bolsa Mariva Bursátil, tras detectar irregularidades en una inspección realizada como entidad encargada de controlar a los actores del mercado financiero. Entre las irregularidades se comprobó que la empresa no cumplió con la puesta a disposición de las órdenes de pago, recibos de cobro y transferencias emisoras y receptoras de valores negociables desde enero de 2013.
New mission for lawyers: free aid to young immigrants
In a departure from their usual clientele, attorneys at major US law firms and corporations are volunteering to represent, free of charge, unaccompanied children who have entered the US illegally.
U.N. report details possible war crimes by Islamic State militants
A United Nations report out today lists what it describes as a "staggering array" of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity by the self-declared Islamic State in Iraq, including mass executions, the kidnapping of women and girls to use as sex slaves and the use of child soldiers. It also points to shelling and airstrikes by Iraqi security forces that killed civilians and "may have violated the principles of distinction and proportionality under international humanitarian law." The office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights says the report is based on interviews of some 500 witnesses, who related "apparent systematic and widespread" human rights abuses by the extremist group also known as ISIS or ISIL.
ECB to start asset buying program
The European Central Bank has kept its benchmark interest rate at 0.05% and given details of its asset purchase program announced last month. The bank's head Mario Draghi said it would start buying covered bonds this month and other assets in the final three months of the year. He said it would continue to buy assets for two years. The bank is looking to add liquidity to the financial system, boost lending and lift flagging economic growth. Covered bonds are those backed by public sector loans or mortgages.
BP seeks revised verdict or new trial on spill negligence
BP Plc asked the US judge in charge of thousands of oil-spill damage lawsuits to review a ruling that exposes the company to as much as $18 billion in fines, saying it was based on evidence he said he wouldn't consider.
UN prosecutors demand life sentence for Karadzic
Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic should be sentenced to life imprisonment if he is convicted of "a substantial portion" of the crimes he stood trial for at a U.N. war crimes tribunal, prosecutors said in a written brief. Karadzic is charged with 11 crimes including genocide for allegedly directing Bosnian Serb atrocities throughout the war, including the 1995 massacre of thousands of Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica. He insists he is innocent. The prosecution's "final trial brief" dismissed most of Karadzic's defense witnesses as "demonstrably lacking in credibility," calling much of their testimony "confused, contradictory, vague, evasive, and often plainly absurd."
JP Morgan customer accounts hacked
The bank said a breach revealed the names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of 76 million households and 7 million small businesses. The raid gathered account holders names and addresses but the bank said it did not involve critical information such as account and social security numbers. It said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it had not seen any "unusual customer fraud related to this incident". JP Morgan is the US's biggest bank. Earlier this year there were reports that Russia had hacked into its systems.
The White House could be made a fortress, but should it be?
It turns out the Secret Service isn't too good at protecting the White House, and maybe one reason is that we don't want it to be. Secret Service agents are famously willing to sacrifice their own lives to protect the president and his family. They are also trained to take the lives of others in defense of their protectees. The president obviously must be protected. But what politician wants to be seen as living within a fortress in a state of siege? In ancient Roman times, top generals hand-picked a few legionnaires to guard their own personal headquarters. The HQ was called a praetor, and the protectors became known as praetorian guards. These elite units grew in size and importance until Caesar Augustus made them his official protectors. Over the next three centuries the praetorians became a key element in Rome's recurring power struggles, sometimes protecting emperors and sometimes assassinating them. Since then the term praetorian has been used to connote a protective inner circle that either grows too powerful or otherwise becomes a problem. The Secret Service is surely a far cry from such a force. But allowing armed guards all the leeway they might require to do their job perfectly can have unintended consequences as well.
UN report: Colombia should reconsider military jurisdiction expansion bill
A team of 12 independent human rights experts from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights announced Monday the contents of a letter written to the government and the congress of the Republic of Colombia that argues Colombia should reconsider the possible adoption of Senate Bill-85, 2013 to restructure and expand the scope of the jurisdiction of military courts. According to the human rights experts, Bill No. 85 would give Colombian military courts extensive jurisdiction covering inter alia homicide, breaches of international humanitarian law, breaches of information and data protection and crimes against public security. The strongest argument in opposition to the bill is the potential for military courts to hear matters that would usually fall under the jurisdiction of civilian courts. The experts urged the government to limit the jurisdiction of military tribunals to criminal offenses and "breaches of discipline of a strictly military nature and allegedly committed by active members of the armed forces." The legislative process in Colombia is comprised of seven steps, and Bill No. 85 was originally introduced in September 2013.
EU commissioner: Nude celebs 'dumb'
The EU's next digital head has refused to apologize for saying celebrities were "dumb" for taking intimate pictures that were later leaked. Günther Oettinger was highly criticized for comments including: "If someone is dumb enough as a celebrity to take a nude photo of themselves and put it online, they surely can't expect us to protect them. Stupidity is something you can only partly save people from." He will become the EU's digital economy and society commissioner in November. Critics said that he just blamed people whose personal data was accessed and spread without authorization. "He placed the moral blame for that crime squarely on the victims rather than the perpetrators."
Death penalty sought in US beheading
Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against an Oklahoma man accused of beheading a female co-worker after being suspended from his job. The District Attorney is seeking the death penalty due to the "especially heinous, atrocious or cruel" nature of the crime, according to paperwork filed in the case. The perpetrator was discharged from hospital on Wednesday and is currently being held without bond. An attorney has yet to be appointed to him.
Abercrombie in discrimination suit
Clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch will appear before the US Supreme Court accused of discriminating against a Muslim teenager for wearing a headscarf. The retailer says the woman didn't tell them she wore the hijab for religious reasons.
ECHR recognizes Scientology church as legal entity in Russia
The European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) on Thursday ruled to officially recognize the Church of Scientology as a legal entity, over strong opposition by Russian authorities. The church has applied for recognition six times between the years of 1995 and 2003.
Secret Goldman Sachs tapes put pressure on New York Fed
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which regulates Wall Street's largest banks, faces scrutiny from Congress after the release of an employee's secret recordings that suggest lax oversight.
Turkish MPs back operations in Syria and Iraq
Al Jazeera, Doha, Qatar
This Day in Jewish History / She lived fast, died young and left a ravaged corpse
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel
Tories 'to curb human rights cases'
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
Rock legend has dementia
CNN International, London, England
Kendall Jenner could be the next Victoria's Secret Angel
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
Murdered Alice's sister slams BBC: Just let us grieve, she says, after Question Time panel's discussion on tragic case
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
US partially lifts ban on arms to Vietnam
EuroNews, International news, Ecully Cedex, France
Hong Kong's leader rejects protester calls to step down
France 24, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
Be?ikta?, Trabzonspor eye victory on European stage
Hurriyet Daily News, (Liberal, English-language), Istanbul, Turkey
Ebola outbreak: American cameraman covering epidemic in Liberia contracts the disease
Independent The, London, England
Five blunders US made in treating country's first Ebola patient
Telegraph The, Conservative daily, London, England
BBC's casting coup: Sir Anthony Hopkins and Sir Ian McKellen unite
Telegraph The, Celebrity news, London, England
Turkey approves military operations in Iraq, Syria
China Post, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan
World Oil Prices Falling Sharply
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea
16 still missing on Japan volcano typhoon threatens recovery
Hindustan Times, New Delhi, India
Hyderabad traffic cops to get tabs: Move aimed at nailing habitual traffic offenders
India Times, Conservative daily, New Delhi, India
Vietnam welcomes US partial lift of arms sales ban
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand
Ukraine President cancels trip over protests in eastern Ukraine
Straits Times, Pro-government, Singapore
Has The Bachelor's Blake Garvey moved on already?
Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily, Sydney, Australia
EOC Limited: Completion of Singapore Offering and the Business Combination and Increase of the Company's Share Capital
Taiwan News, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan
Russia to launch new heavy-lift space rocket on December 25: Interfax
The Economic Times, Business, Mumbai, India
Hong Kong protesters split on tactics fear lack of central leadership
Canadian Broadcasting Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Love China, love democracy?
Globe and Mail The, Centrist daily, Toronto, Canada
Liberty Reserve Brought Down By 'Joe Bogus': How The Feds Arrested Arthur Budovsky
International Business Times, Business news organization, New York, U.S
Puerto Rico's Green Crusaders Still Going Strong
IPS Latin America, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy
Asian stocks shake off early blues, USD pins hopes on jobs data
Reuters, Business News, New York, U.S
Turkey will try to stop Islamic State taking Kurdish border town - PM
Reuters, World News, New York, U.S
Ebola finds its way to the United States
Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario
Liberia 'to prosecute US Ebola man'
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
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