June 15, 2007  nº 502  -  Vol. 5  
 

"Good critical writing is measured by the perception and evaluation of the subject; bad critical writing by the necessity of maintaining the professional standing of the critic."

Raymond Chandler

In Law Firm Marketing, today: "Over-priced services" usually is a symptom of another problem

• Top News

Germany chancellor doubtful of EU constitution progress at summit 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the lower house of Germany's parliament  that she hopes a road map to an eventual European constitution  can be achieved at an EU summit in Brussels next week, but expressed doubts  that any further progress would be made beyond that. Merkel recognized a number of stumbling blocks that have arisen, including calls from France and Spain  for a "mini-treaty" to replace the originally proposed Constitution for Europe . Germany had wished to place the EU back on track towards ratifying the treaty while holding presidency of the EU , but it relinquishes the role to Portugal at the end of the month. Another key stumbling block involves the voting system proposed in the 2004 draft constitution. Poland has rejected the "double majority voting system", which is supported by 25 member states, because that system diminishes Poland voting power compared to the 2000 Treaty of Nice . Despite Poland's concerns, Reuters has reported that a German report on EU constitution reforms makes no mention  of the voting system. On Wednesday, Poland's Prime Minister indicated that unless negotiations on the voting system were left open, they would not agree  to any proposed treaty.

FBI tries to fight zombie hordes

The FBI is contacting more than one million PC owners who have had their computers hijacked by cyber criminals. The initiative is part of an ongoing project to thwart the use of hijacked home computers, or zombies, as launch platforms for hi-tech crimes. The FBI has found networks of zombie computers being used to spread spam, steal IDs and attack websites. The agency said the zombies or bots were "a growing threat to national security".

Bush pushes for more border security funding in immigration bill 

Bush told the Legislative Conference of the Associated Builders and Contractors Thursday that he supports an immigration bill amendment to provide $4.4 billion in immediate additional funding for border security, obtained through fines and penalties collected from illegal aliens. Bloomberg reports that several Senators reacted favorably to the proposed funding increase, hoping that it could jump-start the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, which stalled in the Senate  last week. Senator Jon Kyl and Senator Lindsey Graham , who proposed the amendment, said that presidential support boosts prospects of the immigration bill passing.

US human trafficking report cites Islamic states for inaction 

The US State Department  Tuesday cited the governments of 16 countries, including 11 predominantly Islamic states, for not making a "significant effort to combat human trafficking" in its annual report  on modern-day slavery around the world Tuesday. Although Algeria, Bahrain, Burma, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Kuwait, Malaysia, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela were classified as the worst "Tier 3" countries, State Department spokesman Mark P. Lagon nonetheless insisted  human trafficking "plagues every country in one way or another." The report, mandated by the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (VTPA) , analyzed 164 countries and territories, and ranked 151 of the entities where there have been 100 cases of human trafficking into four categories.  The report classified 32 countries or territories on the "Tier 2 Watch List," a classification for countries that were found to "not fully comply with the VTPA's minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves in compliance" but continue to face a very significant or growing human trafficking problem, including Argentina, China, Egypt, India, Libya, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and others.

The authoritative resource for information on the worldwide legal profession

Martindale-Hubbel's Legal Network is the most complete, widely used and trusted source of information on the worldwide legal profession - and one of the most effective ways for lawyers to promote their practices. The Lawyer Locator to find the credentials of more than one million lawyers and firms is available in a click here.

Before you open the door to the boardroom, peek through the keyhole!

Have a look at the new section of the Migalhas website and discover the professional development opportunities with large corporations presented by Michael Page International. Click here to peep through the hole!

• Crumbs!

1 - Judges approve rules for Cambodia tribunal. (Read more)

2 - No gay marriage vote for Massachusetts. (Read more)

3 - Judge: Canadian man cannot have a girlfriend for 3 years. (Read more)

4 - EU constitution 'can be simple'. (Read more)

5 - Ex-lawmaker convicted in Volkswagen corruption. (Read more)

6 - High court limits union use of nonmember fees. (Read more)

7 - Top court allows lawsuits on U.N. property taxes. (Read more)

8 - Toothpaste may contain chemical. (Read more)

9 - House panel passes bill to cut subsidies to student lenders. (Read more)

10 - F.D.A. panel rejects drug for obesity. (Read more)

11 - Metso wins EU150 million order from Brazilian papermaker VCP. (Read more)

_______________

100% Migalhas:  www.migalhas.com

_______________
 

• MiMIC Journal

US rejects China currency charge

The US Treasury has refused to describe China as a currency manipulator in its twice-yearly report on exchange rate policies, as political pressures grew. A group of influential Democrat and Republican Senators now plan to unveil legislation to force China to revalue its currency, threatening tariff hikes. The lawmakers say China keeps its yuan much weaker than it should be to boost exports at the expense of US firms. The Bush administration said that China did not meet the technical requirements of a country that is manipulating its currency to gain unfair trade advantages.

• Law Firm Marketing

"Over-priced services" usually a symptom of another problem

Lawyers who don't attract enough new clients often conclude they have set their fees too high.  And while it's possible this is true, in most cases the problem is not their fee.

If your market area is made up 100% of people who make only minimum wage (an extreme example), then yes, they might not be able to afford your fees.  (You should think about relocating your office.)

But in most cases, when lawyers think their fees are too high, this is a symptom of an inadequate marketing program.  It comes down to the value/price equation.

The value/price equation says clients will pay your fees as long as they believe the value they receive from you is greater than the price they pay.  If the value they believe they get from your services is lower than the price you ask, then you have a problem and they will likely find another lawyer.

One basic element of a competent marketing program is to make sure your prospects believe that your services are worth much more than you charge.  In short, that your value is greater than your price.

This may boil down to a simple communication problem.  How well do you communicate to your prospects the value of what you do for them?

ADVICE:  I encourage my clients to charge on the high end.  It’s much easier and more desirable to be the most expensive lawyer in town and have people appreciate your knowledge and experience -- than to be the cheapest lawyer in town and have prospects question your skill.

Certainly, not every person in your city can afford you.  But you don’t want everyone as a client.  If only 30% of the population can afford you, then ask yourself if you can earn a good living from that 30%.

Not long ago I received a call from a tax and estate planning lawyer who was seeking high-income clients.  He wanted as clients only people who had incomes in the top 5% of the local population.  But he wasn't sure enough of those people existed for him to launch a marketing effort.  His market area has a population of 2,000,000.  5% of that number is 100,000. I explained that if he got only 1% of the top 5% as clients, he would still have 1,000 new clients.

And while 1,000 new clients seems overwhelming, it points out that the number of prospective clients in almost any target audience is greater than most lawyers care to handle.

No matter how narrow the audience you’re trying to reach, you can probably find hundreds of prospects in that target audience.  The key is having a competent marketing program that can effectively identify, reach and harvest those prospects so they become your clients.

Don't fall victim to the trap of lowering your fees.  When you cut your fees, you undermine your credibility and you attract clients who want only low fees.  These clients are usually the worst clients you can attract.  When you accept clients who nitpick about fees, they will needle you to death and then jump to another lawyer when he offers a fee $1 less than yours.

The only way -- THE ONLY WAY -- to get past the fee problem is to elevate yourself above it.  In a marketing sense, define your practice or firm as so unusual in your skills and abilities that your prospects wouldn't dream of hiring any other firm.  (That takes a really good marketing program.)

If you sink into the problem and start lowering fees, you open an enormous can worms that, without exaggeration, could destroy everything you’ve worked so hard to build.

If you're getting fee complaints from clients and prospects, my first thought is that these clients and prospects are not in your prime target audience.  (You MUST target your marketing specifically toward the audiences you want to reach, realizing that many people are not in your target audience.)

In summary, if you think you may be over-pricing your services, develop better ways to convey your value to your prospects.  A competent marketing program should soundly defeat this problem.

© 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.

_______________

Tell your friends and colleagues you've read it in Migalhas International

_______________
 

• Historia Verdadera

______________

Diga a sus amigos y compañeros que usted leyó esto en Migalhas International

______________

• Brief News

Brazil police mount Rio crackdown

Brazilian police are continuing operations in a group of Rio shanty towns where they have been confronting drugs dealers for more than a month. Around 420 officers moved back into an area known as the German Complex a day after staging a big show of strength. The police action is part of an increasingly assertive security policy in Rio de Janeiro, which has been criticized by some human rights groups.

Banks charged over Parmalat crash

An Italian judge has ruled that four international banks will face charges over their involvement in the 2003 bankruptcy of dairy firm Parmalat. Citigroup, UBS, Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley are accused of not stepping in with measures that would have alleviated the company's plight, yet continuing earning money through commissions. If found guilty, the banks may face bills of hundreds of millions of euros, and could, analysts say, be barred from operating in Italy.

Argentina vows Falklands' return

Argentine President Nestor Kirchner has said Britain won a "colonial victory" in the Falklands War that was unacceptable in the eyes of the world. He said that Britain "may have won the battle because it's a world power but they will never win by reason or justice".

Abbas Declares Emergency, Scraps Hamas Coalition

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has dismissed the Hamas-led coalition government and declared a state of emergency. With Hamas in control of Gaza, and Fatah still holding the West Bank, many in the area now say the idea of a Palestinian state in the two territories has become virtually impossible.

Russia 'aftershave drink' fears 

A study says Russian men risk death by drinking aftershave and cleaning agents with high levels of alcohol.

US House passes gun control bill

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that would bolster background checks on gun buyers. If it passes the Senate, it will be the first major gun control law since 1994.

Transfer of North Korean assets begins

The banking dispute holding up a North Korean nuclear weapons deal looked on Friday to be almost resolved but few expected it to prompt the hermit state to actually start dismantling its atomic armory any time soon. China-controlled Macau, where the North Korean funds have been stuck for nearly two years over U.S. money-laundering charges, announced on Thursday that some $20 million had finally been transferred out of the territory.

US confirms missile shield plans

The US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has confirmed the US will go ahead with plans to install parts of a missile defence shield in eastern Europe.

• Daily Press Review

Africa

Big spending on Kimunya's road to wealth
East African Standard, Liberal daily of Nairobi, Kenya

Debate on United States of Africa  Why Mills, Nana Addo disappointed audience
Ghanaian Chronicle, Independent, published  in Accra, Ghana

ANC gears up for policy wars
Mail and Guardian, Liberal daily of Johannesburg, South Africa

Zambia records decrease in maize production
Times of Zambia, Government-owned daily of Lusaka, Zambia

Americas

11-Plus top ten named
Barbados Advocate, Independent daily of St Michael, Barbados

Boca draw first blood
Buenos Aires Herald, Liberal daily of Buenos Aires, Argentina

Siege was months in the making
The Globe And Mail, Centrist daily of Toronto, Canada

Strachan blasts Finance Ministry
Jamaica Gleaner, Centrist daily of Kingston, Jamaica

Asia Pacific

DPRK funds transferred to New York
Daily Yomiuri, Conservative daily of Tokyo, Japan

China police rescue 248 from slavery in brick kilns
People's Daily Online, Pro-government daily of Beijing, China

Child abuse 'rampant' in NT
The Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily of Sydney, Australia

Trillanes sews up 11th Senate slot
The Manila Times, Pro-government daily of Manila, Philippines

Lawyers in Altantuya trial meet CJ
The Sun, Independent daily of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Europe

US Wartime Treatment of Germans May Get New Look
Deutsche Welle, International broadcaster of Cologne, Germany

Counterfeit medicines pass through Finland to world markets
Helsingin Sanomat, Centrist daily of Helsinki, Finland

Case based  on  espionage charges opened following Lugovoi's statement -
FSB (Part 2)
Interfax, Government-owned news agency, Moscow, Russia

Ahern plays it safe ó but Greens get two key roles
Irish Examiner, Centrist daily of Cork, Ireland

Spy Spat Brews as Austria Arrests 2
The Moscow Times, Independent, English-language daily of Moscow, Russia

Hamas marches on in name of Islam
The Scotsman, Centrist daily of Edinburgh, Scotland

Turkey's chance to take part in the $1.3 trillion drug market
Turkish Daily News, Independent daily of Istanbul, Turkey

Middle East

After the shouting
Al-Ahram Weekly, Semi-official, English-language weekly of Cairo, Egypt

Sultan Discusses New Projects in Al-Kharj
Arab News, Pro-government, English-language daily of Jidda, Saudi Arabia

Eido funeral turns into rally against Syrians, opposition
The Daily Star, Independent, English-language daily of Beirut, Lebanon

Hamas overruns Gaza
Gulf News, Independent daily of Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Israel weighs transfer of frozen tax funds to PA
Ha'aretz, Liberal daily of Tel Aviv, Israel

Zionists, occupiers behind Samarra crime, says Leader
Islamic Republic News Agency, Government-owned news agency of Tehran, Iran

Haniyeh rejects Abbas's decree to dissolve unity gov't
The Jerusalem Post, Conservative daily of Jerusalem, Israel

_______________

How are we doing?

We would like to hear from you how we perform. What you like and what we should change or add... Send us an email; we aim to please!

Tell your friends and associates ...

... to subscribe to Migalhas International! www.migalhas.com

Express yourself

Want to share your opinion, your experience, your questions? You are welcome to do so. This forum is yours. Please contact the editor: [email protected]

Events

We welcome information about your events or conferences to come. Please contact the editor.

Sponsors

Become a sponsor. Spread your name in the business and legal spheres around the world in Migalhas International.

Subscription

To subscribe:  Register your name and your address at www.migalhas.com

To unsubscribe:  Send your name and e-mail address to in the subject line.  We will remove your name soonest.

Address changes:  If you want to continue to receive Migalhas International, please make sure we have your current e-mail address.

Contact

Michael Ghilissen, editor: [email protected]

Miguel Matos, publisher: [email protected]

Please feel free to send your comments, questions and suggestions to the editor.

Your comments

We always welcome information, articles, testimonials and comments about something you've read in Migalhas International. Please forward your contributions to the editor.

Confidentiality

When you add your name to Migalhas International, you can be sure that it's confidential. We do not share, trade, rent or sell this list.  Our "privacy policy" contains no fine print.  No one gets our list.  Period.  Your e-mail address is safe with us.

Sharing Migalhas International

If you'd like to share this Migalhas International with friends and colleagues, feel free to forward this issue including the copyright notice.  Or, invite them to subscribe so they receive their own Migalhas International every week. 

Sources

The content of the Migalhas International newsletter is edited for purposes of news reporting, comments and education from several sources, including: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The London Times, Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, The Financial Times, Google News, Paper Chase (jurist.law.pitt.edu), The World Press Review: https://www.worldpress.org, Forbes, Fortune, Time, Newsweek, Harvard Business Review, American Lawyer Media, FindLaw.com, Reuters, Associated Press, Internet Business Law Services, Folha de Sao Paulo, O Estado do Sao Paulo, Lexis Nexis, West Law, CNN, The Globe and Mail, The Los Angeles Times, Wikipedia and more. 

Fair use notice

This newsletter contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of legal, environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. 

The messages that appear in this newsletter are for informational purposes only. They are not intended to be and should not be considered legal advice nor substitute for obtaining legal advice from competent, independent, legal counsel in the relevant jurisdiction.

Transmission of this information is not intended to create, and receipt does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. The information contained on this list may or may not reflect the most current legal developments.

www.migalhas.com

Copyright 2007 - Migalhas International