"Start where you are. Distant fields always look greener, but opportunity lies right where you are. Take advantage of every opportunity of service."

Robert Collier

In today's Law Firm Marketing, Multi-pronged approach reinforces marketing message, generates steady flow of new clients.

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• Top News

MEPs back deal to give air passenger data to US

The European Parliament has adopted a controversial bill clarifying US access to personal data about airline passengers in the EU. MEPs agreed by 409 votes to 226 to let the US Department of Homeland Security see data on the PNR - Passenger Name Record, under strict controls. Supporters say this is a vital step in the fight against terrorism. But some fear information could be used for other unspecified purposes which could affect civil rights. The agreement applies to airlines operating flights between any of the 27 EU countries and the US. It covers not only European airlines but also any carriers that are "incorporated or storing data" in the EU and operating flights to or from the US. The new agreement replaces a provisional 2007 EU-US deal, under which PNR data is already transferred to the US authorities. But that deal was renegotiated, under pressure from the European Parliament, which insisted on firmer privacy safeguards.

Supreme Court rules patent applicants can introduce new evidence

The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday in Kappos v. Hyatt that a patent applicant pursuing a 35 USC § 145 claim may introduce new evidence that could have been presented to the US PTO - Patent and Trademark Office in the first instance. When the PTO denies an application for a patent, the applicant may seek judicial review of the agency's final action through either of two avenues. The applicant may obtain direct review of the agency's determination in the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit under 35 USC § 141. Alternatively, the applicant may commence a civil action against the Director of the PTO in federal district court under 35 USC § 145. The ruling affirms a Federal Circuit decision, which held that "§ 145 imposes no limitation on an applicant's right to introduce new evidence before the district court." Admissibility of new evidence is limited only by the Federal Rules of Evidence and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The court also held that, when new evidence is introduced under § 145, the district court may decide de novo the factual questions to which the evidence pertains, without giving deference to the prior decision of the PTO.

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• Crumbs

1 - For Americans abroad, taxes just got more complicated - click here.

2 - Julian Assange's lawyer 'prevented from boarding flight at Heathrow' - click here.

3 - Did Pippa Middleton break French criminal law? - click here.

4 - Twitter to limit use of patents in lawsuits - click here.

5 - 'Bachelor' to be hit with race discrimination lawsuit - click here.

6 - Brazilian companies scores high sales and profits in Forbes Global 2000 - click here.

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• MiMIC Journal
  

Ford unveils further investment in China

US carmaker Ford wants to boost its manufacturing capacity in China and has announced further investment in China, with plans to build a $760m factory in Hangzhou. Ford already has a big complex in Chongqing, which is its largest global manufacturing location outside south-east Michigan.

People's Daily site raises $222m

The website of Chinese newspaper, People's Daily, raises 1.4bn yuan ($222m) via its initial public offering.

• Law Firm Marketing

Multi-pronged approach reinforces marketing message, generates steady flow of new clients

by Trey Ryder

The main reason education-based marketing is so powerful is because prospects want information and advice, not a sales pitch.

After you develop and start marketing with an educational message, you make your message even more powerful and productive when you deliver it in several different ways.

One-prong approach: Let's say one of your prospects heard you interviewed on a radio talk show. On that show you offered your educational materials, as you do at every marketing opportunity. If your prospect has a pressing need in your area of the law, he would likely call your office and ask for your written materials.

Two-prong approach: Now let's say, in addition to hearing your interview on the radio, your prospect also saw an advertisement in the newspaper inviting interested parties to your seminar. Even though he might not have responded to your radio interview, he might now decide that he wants to attend your program.

Three-prong approach: Now, in addition to hearing your radio interview and seeing your seminar ad, your prospect's neighbor shows him one of your newsletters. Even if he hasn't responded to either of the first two opportunities, your newsletter may motivate him to action.

On top of this, someone may show him your firm brochure. Or he might visit your Web site. And so on.

The idea is to create the perception that your marketing message is everywhere -- to help prospects conclude that wherever they turn, they'll see your message again. And we hope your prospects infer that the reason they see your message over and over is because you are the respected authority in that field of law.

This is strongly reinforced if the messages they see, hear or read come through articles in the print media and interviews on the broadcast media. Nearly everyone assumes that articles and interviews are the result of reporters pursuing subjects that are important to the audience. Few people realize that much of what we see in the media -- other than breaking news stories -- is actually the result of a publicity person's efforts.

Your bottom line: The more different ways you deliver your marketing message, the greater the likelihood that your prospects will call you and become clients.

So while you might be inclined to test one method at a time, realize that a one-time exposure, while it might compel ready-prospects to respond, might not motivate prospects who are interested but not yet ready.

When you launch your marketing program, make sure you launch at least a few different methods at about the same time so they reinforce one another. You don't have to use every method all at once, but if you select the three or four methods your prospects will likely see, you could get a much greater response than if you start with only one method.

Consider these different ways to deliver your marketing message: Advertising, publicity, seminars, newsletters, follow-up letters, Web site, social media, written fact kit, brochures -- plus referral sources, including colleagues, past clients and editors.

The more of these methods you use at the same time, the more new clients you'll attract.

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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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BP asks federal judge to accept terms of Gulf oil spill settlement

BP - British Petroleum and a group of plaintiffs' attorneys sought preliminary approval from a federal judge on Wednesday on a settlement agreement between the oil company and individuals and businesses adversely affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. BP and the plaintiffs hope that Judge Carl Barbier of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana will approve the settlement that the parties reached in March. The settlement calls for BP to pay the plaintiffs approximately $7.8 billion in two separate agreements, one to resolve economic loss claims and another to resolve medical claims.

First Brazil IPO since july falters as Locamerica discounts 36%

Brazil's first initial public offering since July struggled to lure investors as Cia. de Locacao das Americas, a Sao Paulo-based car company, priced shares 36 percent below the upper end of its target. Locamerica and its holders are selling as many as 30.9 million shares for 9 reais ($4.8) each after saying in the prospectus it aimed to price the stock at between 11 reais and 14 reais, according to data posted on Brazil's securities regulator's website. The Sao Paulo-based company may raise as much as 313.9 million reais in the primary and secondary offer. The listing broke the longest drought in Brazilian IPOs since a 12-month dry spell in the wake of the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. that ended in June 2009.

New prosecutor seeks to stop Chevron, Transocean Brazil ops

Celso de Albuquerque Silva calls the companies' activities "dangerous to the environment and society," a sign that he may be just as tough on them as his predecessor.

Wall Street receives Volcker rule clarity

Regulators on Thursday announced a formal clarification that Wall Street need not immediately comply with a new rule banning banks from trading with their own money, sending sighs of relief across the financial industry. The guidance, delivered by the Federal Reserve and other financial regulators, explained that the Dodd-Frank regulatory overhaul law grants banks two years to fully comply with the Volcker Rule, which regulators have yet to finalize. While the Dodd-Frank Act called for a two-year compliance period until 2014 for the Volcker Rule, the fine print of the law left some room for interpretation. Banks claimed to be jittery about what would happen this July 21 when the rule technically takes effect, fearing that they would have to scramble to comply before a final draft spelled out the nitty-gritty of their obligations. Banks must show "good-faith planning efforts" to gear up for the rule until July 2014. And the regulators said they can extend the deadline further, until as late as 2017.

UN says South Sudan seized Heglig oil field illegally

UN Secretary General Ban said the seizure of Heglig "is an infringement on the sovereignty of Sudan and a clearly illegal act". He urged the south to withdraw its forces immediately to stop border clashes spiraling into a war. South Sudan has issued a statement to say it is not interested in war with its northern neighbor. It says Heglig is rightfully part of South Sudan and it does not want the north to use it as a base for attacks.

Swiss re-impose immigration limits on some EU states

The Swiss government has decided to re-impose immigration quotas on workers from central and eastern EU - European Union countries. In a strongly worded statement, Baroness Ashton said she considered the measure to be in breach of the free movement agreement between Switzerland and the EU. "The agreement does not allow for any differentiation between EU citizens," she said. The Swiss government said that it recognized the "positive impact" that immigration from the EU had had. But it said that the "complexity" of the topic of immigration meant that a discussion about the labor market and integration was required.

'For Dummies' publisher seeks piracy trial

US publisher John Wiley & Sons is demanding a trial by jury of people accused of copying its books. It said that users had "engaged in the illegal copying and distribution of Wiley's 'For Dummies' books through the peer-to-peer file sharing software known as Bittorrent". The peer-to-peer communications protocol allows users to upload and download files to each others' computers. Wiley had previously filed 15 lawsuits to obtain the identities of about 200 people believed to have infringed the copyright of its titles. The firm's lawyer said that he believed this would be the first trial of its kind based on the use of Bittorrent.

Italy slashes 2012 growth outlook

The Italian government slashes its forecast for the economy in 2012 and admits it will not be able to balance the budget in 2013.

Federal judge dismisses Goldman Sachs, other banks from GE securities lawsuit

Federal Judge Denise Cote on Wednesday dismissed a securities lawsuit against Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and 41 other defendants claiming that the banks helped mislead investors in the $12.2 billion stock offering by GE - General Electric Co. back in October 2008. The claims, filed by investors in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, were brought under the 1933 Securities Act and concerned GE statements made in September 2008 indicating that GE possessed a strong, healthy financial position. Cote, however, noted that the statements in question were made in a press release, and were not incorporated in GE's prospectus supplement for the secondary offering. This fact, explained Cote, was the key distinction from her January denial of defendants' summary judgment motion, where she had improperly relied on the statements because they were presented as part of the offering documents for the shares.

Former Venezuela top judge accuses government of manipulating judicial decisions

A former Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice judge accused the Venezuelan government on Thursday of improperly interfering with judicial decisions in a televised interview. In the interview conducted in the US, former Venezuelan Justice Eladio Aponte Aponte said that judges in Venezuela make their decisions based on government instructions. Aponte said "I think it's very corrupt at every single level. There's a lot of manipulation. ... There's no ruling that isn't consulted. Lately, all the criminal courts have to make consultations before handing down a ruling."

Louis Vuitton wins ITC trademark battle v. Chinese counterfeiters

We know that Louis Vuitton doesn't take kindly to the unauthorized use of its toile trademark. So it must have some extra swing in its sashay after a ruling released this week by the US International Trade Commission, which puts border agents on notice to block counterfeit Louis Vuitton goods from entering the United States. The order doesn't specify a remedy, but says the commission may issue cease-and-desist orders to keep the alleged counterfeiters from "engaging in unfair acts in the importation and sale" of infringing articles.

Apple, Google fail to dismiss poaching lawsuit

District Judge Lucy Koh ordererd the companies to face an antitrust suit claiming they illegally agreed not to poach each other's employees.

As Asians flock to Northern Virginia, laws and palates collide

The bullfrogs, turtles and eels that Northern Virginia's booming Asian population used to buy at the counter and take home to cook are nowhere to be found, seized last year by state agents who leveled criminal charges against two managers of the store accusing them of illegally selling wildlife. The case, which is scheduled to go to trial in June, has put culinary traditions of Asian immigrants into conflict with state laws, illustrating what some see as a cultural fault line in the changing population of Northern Virginia. Lawyers for the store managers say that the law governing sales of live fish and other animals has not been updated to reflect advances in aquaculture, and that it is tilted against immigrants with unfamiliar cuisines and customs. In a court filing, they argue that the case "seems to be about the tyranny of the majority."

Lawyer accused of breaking into ex-employee's personal email is barred from using

A Michigan lawyer is facing a five-count criminal case on charges he broke into a former female employee's personal email account over a period of about six months last year. Steven F. Spender, 63, is charged in the Genesee District Court case with three counts of unauthorized computer access and two counts of interfering with electronic communications. All of the counts are felonies. He was released on $10,000 bond. However, 67th District Court Judge David Goggins barred Spender not only from using the Internet but from accessing the computer server in his law office. He is permitted only to use his smartphone for calls and cannot have direct computer access or use a digital tablet or iPad.

• Daily Press Review

'Friends of Syria': Annan plan is last hope
Al Jazeera, Doha, Qatar

Israel inciting division between Hamas and Egypt; Al-Masri
Asharq Al-Awsat, Pan-Arab daily, London, England

Bahrain unrest intensifies ahead of Grand Prix
Egyptian Gazette, English-language, Cairo, Egypt

Israeli Conservative Movement approves ordination of gay rabbis
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel

Egypt military appeals ban on president candidates
JPost, Conservative, Jerusalem, Israel

Security stepped up at Bahrain F1
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England

Ousted Secret Service agent posted on Palin
CNN International, London, England

Jamaica premiere for Marley tribute
Daily Express, Conservative tabloid, London, England

First pictures of The Colombian hooker who shamed the Secret Service over a matter of $800 revealed
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England

The Hunger Games' Jennifer Lawrence hits the bullseye in figure hugging dress on Spanish TV
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England

'Friends of Syria' stress UN plan is last chance for peace
EuroNews, International news, Ecully Cedex, France

MALI: Ousted Mali president arrives in Senegal
France 24, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France

Officers are trained to stage coups when necessary
Hurriyet Daily News, (Liberal, English-language), Istanbul, Turkey

Men At Work flautist 'devastated by song theft case' is found dead at home
Independent The, London, England

Spending showdown looms
Moscow News The, Independent, Moscow, Russia

Wealthy woman with connections with a foreign head of state wins ban on allegations of her sex life being made public
Telegraph The, Conservative daily, London, England

Daniel Craig in stills from Skyfall, the new James Bond film
Telegraph The, Celebrity news, London, England

Minister: PAD cannot rally at army venue
Bangkok Post, Independent, Bangkok, Thailand

Ma urges shedding of 'protectionist mindset'
China Post, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan

Lee Pays Tribute to Victims of 1960 Uprising
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea

'Crashed US chopper responded to blast'
Hindustan Times, New Delhi, India

NSCN-IM captures 5 jawans near Hebron
India Times, Conservative daily, New Delhi, India

Morneau, Twins rough up Yankees right-hander Kuroda
Japan Times, Independent centrist, Tokyo, Japan

Clinton urges tougher UN pressure on Syria
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand

Global economic recovery at critical juncture: WB chief economist
People's Daily Online, English-language, Beijing, China

New York police open new leads on child missing 33 years
Straits Times, Pro-government, Singapore

Next few days critical
Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily, Sydney, Australia

Gulf islands keep tension continuing between Arab, Iran
Taiwan News, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan

Vedanta says full-year iron ore production drops
The Economic Times, Business, Mumbai, India

Breivik says steroids, games presaged Norway killings
Canadian Broadcasting Centre, Toronto, Ontario

Flaherty objects to calls for more euro zone bailout money
Globe and Mail The, Centrist daily, Toronto, Canada

Australian Dollar Outlook - 04/20/2012
International Business Times, Business news organization, New York, U.S

U.S.-Mexico Border Build-Up Found Excessive
IPS Latin America, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy

Shares ease as U.S. data casts doubt on recovery
Reuters, Business News, New York, U.S

Mexico leftist moves into second place in presidential poll
Reuters, World News, New York, U.S

Ajax senior fights to get her home back from former caregiver
Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario

'Huge' water resource in Africa
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England

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