EU presses China over fake goods

The EU has urged China to step up the fight against black market exports, saying counterfeit cigarettes alone are depriving the EU of 10bn euros (£8bn) in tax revenue annually.The EU Commissioner for Taxation and Customs, Algirdas Semeta, is in Shanghai to discuss customs co-operation with Chinese officials. He described China as "the main source of counterfeit cigarettes in the EU". Most fake or pirated goods seized in the EU last year were Chinese. The European Commission says goods from China accounted for 64% of the seizures. Besides cigarettes, the main items were fake labels, clothing and accessories, shoes, toys and blank CDs and DVDs.

Heavy in Dollars, China warns of depreciation

China on Friday offered a rare glimpse into its foreign exchange reserves, confirming that they are overwhelmingly allocated in dollars, while a central banker said the mountain of cash could face depreciation risks. The Chinese government's currency reserves, the world's largest such stockpile at $2.45 trillion, are held roughly in line with what was described as the global average: 65 percent in dollars, 26 percent in euros, 5 percent in pounds and 3 percent in yen.

• Law Firm Marketing

19 steps to building a national practice

by Trey Ryder

Many lawyers are expanding their practices beyond state boundaries, building a regional or national practice.  In some cases, they provide narrowly focused services; in others, they offer broad-based skills with the hopes of attracting a handful of the best cases in the country.

If your practice area is suited to going beyond your state boundaries, here are four reasons to consider a regional or national practice:

Reason #1:  You have more opportunities to attract the types of cases you want.  When you draw clients from 50 states, you have a much greater selection than when you limit your field to your home state.  If every state has three really good cases, you can compete for the three in your own state -- or you can compete for your share of 150 from across the U.S.

Reason #2:  You have many more opportunities for media publicity.  Gaining publicity outside your state is often easier than getting attention in your own state.  This is because nearly every business wants to be featured in your local newspapers.  But when you pursue articles in regional and national publications, you often find yourself competing with fewer businesses and fewer lawyers.

Most businesses and lawyers get customers from within a few-mile radius, so they don't need attention beyond their local boundaries.  Plus, businesses often assume that gaining national publicity would be much harder than gaining local attention.  But, in fact, when you go beyond your state's boundaries, you have access to hundreds of additional publications at the state, regional and national levels, all of which could be suitable targets for your publicity effort.

Reason #3:  The "mystery of distance" results in your being perceived as the authority in your field because you're from out of town.  You have probably heard of this marketing principle, but you may not have used it as part of your marketing strategy.  The mystery of distance says:  The farther you go to get a product or service, the better and more valuable it is.  Here's an example:

You can buy a pair of binoculars at your local sporting goods store.  Or you can buy them online from a company in Switzerland.  Which pair is better?  Obviously, the binoculars from Switzerland.  

There's no logical reason to believe that something that comes from far away is better than something that comes from down the street.  Still, subconsciously, we think it is.

Reason #4:  You can live wherever you want.  Many lawyers don't need to meet their clients face to face.  If you can service clients by phone, fax, mail and e-mail, then you don't need to work with them in person.  And if you go to trial in their state -- or if you need to meet with them -- you can always travel.  Technology has changed how we market and deliver services.

Here are 19 steps to building a respected regional or national practice.

Step #1:  Identify the niche you want to fill and the services you want to market.  When clients hear your name, you want them to associate you with a specific type of legal services.  For example, John Wilbanks is a personal injury attorney.  Karen Ambrose is a tax lawyer.  Mark O'Connor is a corporate lawyer.  Consider whether any lawyer in your market area immediately springs to mind when you mention your area of law.  If so, that lawyer owns a very strong position.  If no lawyer comes to mind, an effective marketing program will help you build the perception that you are the leader in that practice area.

Step #2:  Identify the type of clients you want to attract.  You must know where to aim if you expect to hit your target.  List the types of people or companies you want to attract that are ready, willing and able to hire your services.  Identify your prospective clients by who they are and what they have.  For individuals, consider things such as gender, age, marital and family status, education, occupation, income and home ownership.  For companies, consider things such as industry, gross sales, number of employees, level of risk or whatever makes a client attractive to you.

Step #3:  Identify how you and your services differ from those of your competitors.  Positive differences are your competitive advantages.  Negative differences are your competitive disadvantages.  Identify both so you'll know your strengths and weaknesses.  Evaluate your qualifications, background and experience.  Evaluate how you serve clients.  Evaluate the environment in which you serve clients.  Look at your strengths and weaknesses from your prospects' point of view because prospects evaluate you based on what is important to them.  Every time you talk with prospects, make sure you emphasize your competitive advantages so prospects appreciate how you differ from other lawyers.

Step #4:  Identify ways you can add value to your services so prospects eagerly choose you over all other lawyers.  What can you add to your services to make them more attractive than they are now -- and more attractive than services offered by competitors?  If you were in your prospect's shoes, what could your lawyer provide that would cause you to choose him or her over every other attorney?  Review how you currently provide legal services.  Then ask yourself how you could provide services more efficiently, more effectively, more completely, or faster -- with your client benefiting from less risk and more value.  Then, in addition to what you listed in step 3, the ways you add value to your services now become more competitive advantages.

Step #5:  Compile and keep on computer a comprehensive mailing list.  Your most important business asset is your mailing list.  It's your own personal area of influence.  It should include your current clients, past clients, prospective clients, referral sources and prospective referral sources.  Whether your list contains 20 names -- or 2,000 names -- these people are the core around which you build a prosperous firm.  As you attract an ongoing flow of new inquiries, keep all of the names and addresses on your mailing list.

The critical element in your marketing program is your ability to add new names of prospective clients to your mailing list.  You want to attract names at whatever rate will bring you the number of new clients you want.  How long you leave names on your mailing list will depend on how long your prospects need to make their decision and at what point, if any, the list becomes unmanageable.

Step #6:  Make sure prospects and clients can reach you easily and without hassle.  As distance increases, prospects often grow concerned about their ability to contact you.  To reassure them, explain the many ways you invite contact from clients, like these:  Direct line, e-mail, cell phone, pager, fax, mail, courier, as well as intake and contact forms on your web site.

Step #7:  Compile your information and advice into your own unique educational message, built on this proven five-part framework:

-- Part #1:  Identify and explain your prospect's problem.  People won't pay for a solution until they understand their problem.  The bigger the problem -- and the greater the risk of allowing it to persist -- the more they will pay to solve it.

-- Part #2:  Prove the problem exists.  Prospects know you earn your living from solving problems.  Skeptical prospects may think you are overstating the depth of the problem.  You can overcome this sometimes-hidden suspicion by taking time to prove the problem exists and to prove that it is serious enough to warrant your client hiring your services to solve it. 

-- Part #3:  Identify and explain one or more solutions.  Prospects want a clear understanding of what you recommend to solve their problem.

-- Part #4:  Prove the solution works.  Prospects may be skeptical as to whether your recommended solution will actually do what you claim.  You can expect a higher level of skepticism if the solution you recommend is perceived by your prospects to be expensive.

-- Part #5:  Build yourself into the solution.  You don't want prospects to agree they have a problem but then hire another lawyer to solve it.  You must do everything possible to make sure that your prospects conclude you are best equipped to provide the solution.

Your marketing message is the same as your educational message.  You build your message on a foundation of information that explains your prospect's problem and the solutions you can provide.  Then you support your message with proof documents that further add credibility to everything you say.  Proof documents include your photo and biography, article reprints, schedule of services and fees, and references.  Testimonials and letters of recommendation help a great deal, but some jurisdictions do not allow their use.  Check your rules of professional conduct before using comments from clients.

In this way, you create a powerful, persuasive message.  The result is that your message is much more compelling and credible than messages used by other lawyers

Step #8:  Educate your audience with written information and advice.  Write your marketing message in a form that you can send to anyone who calls your office.  Then, by offering to send copies without charge, you attract calls from genuine prospects.  When prospects call, they give you their names and addresses (or e-mail addresses).  Then you add these prospective clients to your in-house mailing list.

Important Note:  The longer your materials, the better.  The longer you keep your prospect's attention -- and the more facts you provide -- the more likely your prospect is to hire your services.  Fortunately, prospects will read long materials, provided they are well written and relevant to their problem.  The fact kit I used for 15 years varied from 40 to 50 pages in length.  And many lawyers told me they read every word.  I have now included all this information on my web site and in the article packet I send by e-mail.

Step #9:  Define the geographical area from which you want to draw clients.  Geographics identify individual prospects by where they live, where they work, and where you can find the prospective clients you want.  Geographics identify companies by where they are based, where they have facilities and where they do business.

Step #10:  Compile a media list of the newspapers, magazines, newsletters and broadcast outlets you want to receive your news releases and query letters.  You should choose national media outlets, as well as regional and local publications in states where you hope to serve clients.  You can usually find current media lists online and at the library reference desk.

Step #11:  Launch an aggressive publicity campaign by sending news releases, feature articles and query letters to media outlets on your list.  If you send articles 4 or 5 times each year, you could have an ongoing flow of articles appearing in various parts of the country.

Step #12:  Contact high-profile publications and interview shows on an individual and exclusive basis to gain the highest level of nationwide publicity.  Offer to write ongoing columns for publications, and appear as a periodic guest on interview shows.  You might offer to host your own legal, news-talk or interview show.

Step #13:  Compile a list of trade associations that serve the prospects you want to attract.  Keep these trade groups on your mailing list.  Offer to present seminars that are sponsored or co-sponsored by these trade associations, in hopes they will mail seminar invitations to all their members.

Step #14:  Compile a list of referral sources and potential referral sources in the states you serve.  Send them your packet of information so they understand what you do.  Invite their referrals and offer referral fees, if appropriate.  Keep referral sources and potential referral sources on your mailing list.

Step #15:  Compile a list of past clients.  Send them a letter announcing your regional or national practice and a copy of your information packet.  Most people have friends and colleagues in other states.  Keep past clients on your mailing list and invite them to refer family members, friends and colleagues.

Step #16:  In all of your marketing materials, make sure you tell prospects the geographical area from which you accept clients.  If you don't mention the area you serve, prospects could easily conclude that you limit your services to your city or county.

Step #17:  Establish a web site.  The easiest way to reach prospects in different states is to establish a web site.  This puts your materials at everyone's fingertips 24 hours a day.  Generally, the more information you provide, the more likely you are to win a new client.  So be generous with the information you post.  Also, make sure you spell out the cities, counties and states from which you accept clients because this helps improve your search engine rankings when prospects look for a lawyer in their local area.

Step #18:  Market your seminars and speaking engagements nationwide.  Make sure everyone on your mailing list knows you offer seminars.  While they might not be the contact person, they can make your seminar known to the right people, who may get in touch with you.  This is the most common way I receive invitations to speak to lawyers.  Also, thanks to technology, now you can offer seminars over the telephone, by video conferencing, and over the internet.

Step #19:  If you collect e-mail addresses from people on your mailing list, send an e-mail alert or briefing every week.  The more often you stay in touch with everyone on your mailing list, the more new clients and referrals you'll attract.

After your publicity starts to appear, you'll get inquiries from prospective clients and increase referrals.  Trade and professional associations will invite you to speak.  And, one by one, you'll start getting clients from throughout the geographical area you wish to serve.  Soon, you'll have a profitable, prestigious nationwide practice.

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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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• Historia Verdadera

• Brief News

BigLaw's 'cranky' midlevel associates are dissatisfied with pay and benefits

Midlevel associates at America's top 200 law firms survived the job cuts, but they haven't been so dissatisfied since 2004, according to a new survey. One of their big complaints is compensation, the American Lawyer reports. Twenty-seven percent of associates surveyed said their benefits had been reduced in 2010, and the associates rated their overall compensation and benefits an average of 3.78 on a five-point scale, the lowest rating in recent years. The third-, fourth- and fifth year associates responding to the American Lawyer survey also expressed their displeasure in the comments section. Many associates complained they were being paid below-market rates. One asked for restoration of the firm's 401(k) match, and another wanted to "bring back fun perks from before the recession." Associates also expressed dissatisfaction with staff layoffs that are forcing them to take on paralegal work and indicated unease with the abandonment of lockstep compensation. Heavy workloads were also a factor; almost 45 percent said that if they leave their law firms, it will be for better work-life balance.

German banker 'should be fired'

The German central bank calls on the country's president to dismiss one of its board members over comments he made about immigration and Jews.

Brazil arrests almost entire government in Dourados

Brazilian police have arrested almost the entire local council in the southern city of Dourados, leaving an unprecedented power vacuum. Mayor Ari Artuzi, his wife, deputy, and 25 other people were detained on suspicion of fraud and corruption. Prosecutors accuse the mayor of heading a complex corruption racket. Prosecutors accuse Artuzi and his collaborators of taking a 10% cut of all public works contracts and using the money for election campaigns and to bribe other local politicians. Artuzi's allies reject the charges. A judge has been appointed to run the city of 200,000 people in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Legal experts say there are no legal provisions in Brazil for the situation in Dourados, where in effect there is no-one to run the government.

BP says oil spill cost up to $8bn

The cost of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster continues to mount up for BP. The company says the cost of its Gulf of Mexico oil spill has risen to $8bn - a rise of more than $2bn in the last month alone. BP is warning Congress that if lawmakers pass legislation that bars the company from getting new offshore drilling permits, it may not have the money to pay for all the damages caused by its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Prosecutors urge continued support of international tribunals

Current and former international prosecutors on Tuesday signed the fourth Chautauqua Declaration praising recent advances in international law and urging countries to continue supporting the international courts in order to maintain the spirit of the Nuremburg Principles. The prosecutors, who have worked with the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), as well as the International Military Tribunals, called for continued support and funding of the tribunals and courts as they continue working to maintain the rule of law. They urged countries to fulfill their obligations under international law by investigating and prosecuting, or transferring to the appropriate international court, suspects who violate international criminal law, including sitting heads of state. Countries were also encouraged to refrain from the use of military force and to settle disputes in accordance with the UN Charter. The prosecutors noted the fifteenth anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre and the continuing need for accountability. They also recognized the first conviction of an ex-Khmer Rouge leader, which was announced by the ECCC in July. Additionally, the prosecutors applauded the ICC's adoption of an amendment to the Rome Statute in June, which included a definition for the crime of aggression and created jurisdictional conditions for prosecution.

Obama administration appeals stem cell research block

The Obama administration on Tuesday appealed last week's ruling by the US District Court for the District of Columbia that granted a preliminary injunction blocking federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. The administration argues that Judge Royce Lamberth's holding is overbroad, endangering an array of research across multiple programs and centers while only serving a very attenuated economic interest of the plaintiffs in the case. According to the filing, the injunction threatens 24 research projects, more than 1,300 jobs and $64 million in funding, as well as potentially millions of Americans who may benefit from medical advances in the field of stem cell research. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has asked the court to rule on the appeal by September 7. Meanwhile, in response to last week's ruling, Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO) has called for new legislation to reform embryonic stem cell research restrictions.

US indicts 11 executives for honey smuggling

US authorities have indicted 11 German and Chinese executives for conspiring to illegally import $40m worth of honey from China. The executives were accused of being part of an operation which mislabelled honey and tainted it with antibiotics in an attempt to avoid import duties. The case is part of a crackdown on illegal imports of substandard and counterfeit products. Officials say it is the biggest food smuggling case in US history.

Mozambique food price rises 'irreversible'

The government of Mozambique says price rises which have led to riots in the capital Maputo are "irreversible". Troops have been deployed to help clear up the debris while text messages are reported to have been circulating urging people to continue protesting. The price of bread has risen by about 30% in the past year in Mozambique, one of the world's poorest countries.  Government spokesman Alberto Nkutumula said the cabinet meeting had emphasized "the importance of all citizens to abstain from participating in acts of upheaval, vandalism, looting and violence in general to enable the quick return to normality". He condemned the violence on the streets of the capital and appealed for people to remain calm, but said the government would not reconsider increasing the price of bread.

Europe rights court reviewing Russia freedom of assembly complaint

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has begun considering a lawsuit filed by three Russian activists alleging their right to freedom of assembly has been violated, their lawyer said Tuesday. The court is reportedly deciding whether the case merits priority consideration. The lawsuit stems from Russian law enforcement officials' suppression of protests being carried out by political and human rights activists. The three plaintiffs, chairwoman of the Moscow Helsinki human rights group Lyudmila Alexeyeva, Other Russia opposition party leader Eduard Limonov, and Left Front opposition movement member Konstantin Kosyakin, are seeking USD $127,000 in damages for alleged violations of Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which envisages Right to Freedom of Assembly and Freedom of Association. Russian activists have been holding protests at the end of all of the months that have 31 days to call attention to Article 31 of the Russian Constitution, which provides for freedom of assembly. Their most recent protest, during which they were joined by members of the European Parliament, was held on Tuesday. During the protests, dozens of protesters were detained but later released.

Legal blogs are dead?

Blogs have firmly established their usefulness in law practice. A blog such as SCOTUS blog, www.scotusblog.com, demonstrates the gold standard of what a blog can be, having become the pre-eminent resource on all things Supreme Court. The universe of blogs has become too crowded, too noisy, and too cluttered with spam to have any value, some say. Services such as Twitter and Facebook are easier, more direct and more personal, they contend. Blogging is alive, well and thriving within the legal profession. The future is foretold by what is new. Constantly, new and clever blogs emerge, all of which show the continuing vitality of the medium.

Lehman Brothers rescue would have been unlawful, insists Bernanke

The US Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, bluntly declared today that it would have been unlawful for the US government to rescue Lehman Brothers, arguing that the Wall Street bank's finances were too weak to justify an emergency injection of public money in the run-up to its 2008 bankruptcy. He said: "The only way we could have saved Lehman would have been by breaking the law and I'm not sure I'm willing to accept those consequences for the Federal Reserve and for our system of laws. I just don't think that would have been appropriate. So I wish we had saved Lehman but it was beyond our ingenuity and capacity to do it."