March 27, 2015 nº 1,610 - Vol. 11
"Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose."
Tennessee Williams
In today's Law Firm Marketing, Personal contact builds and maintains relationships
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UN SG calls for end to modern slavery
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Wednesday for an end to modern slavery during remarks at the unveiling of The Ark of Return, Memorial to the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. He stated that the memorial will commemorate the millions of victims of the transatlantic slave trade. He honored the women of Africa who constitute one-third of the slaves traded from Africa. Ban also said,"I hope The Ark of Return will also serve as a call to action against the many contemporary manifestations of slavery, from human trafficking and sexual enslavement to debt bondage." He said the memorial reemphasizes the goals of the UN set forth 70 years ago to protect human rights and dignity of all people.Cyber attacks upend attorney-client privilege
EU carbon fluctuates after nations agree to seek 2021 fix start
European Union carbon permits fluctuated after governments agreed to seek a market fix starting in 2021, enabling the start of talks with the European Parliament next week. Benchmark allowances in the world's biggest emissions market erased losses after member states late Wednesday approved the mandate for talks on the final version of a draft law on a market stability reserve. The reserve would ease a glut of permits that led to a 75 percent drop in emission allowances since 2008 to levels that fail to deter industry from burning coal, the most-polluting fossil fuel. The agreement includes a provision to transfer permits withheld from government auctions in 2014-2016 into the reserve, preventing their return to the market in 2019-2020.
Companies restless at slow pace of EU justice
The wheels of justice turn mighty slowly for some in Europe, not least for companies found in breach of European Union competition law. It takes an average eight years from the launch of an investigation into possible antitrust violations or illegal state aid to exhaust all legal appeals. But efforts to speed up the process have become bogged down in EU politics. For companies involved, the process is time-consuming and expensive. Up to €7 billion ($7.68 billion) has to be set aside every year to pay fines or repay government support deemed forbidden under EU law. Three companies have become so exasperated with the delays that they have sued the court. Adding to delays is translation. Companies can submit their documentation in their national languages, though many file in English. But each must be translated into French, the working language of the court.
Corruption combat
Lawyers Luis Gustavo Miranda de Oliveira and Paulo Teixeira Fernandes, from Rolim, Viotti & Leite Campos Advogados, broached the measures recently adopted by BNDES to intensify corruption combat of foreign public officials. The institution requires the implementation of compliance programs as a condition to finance exporters. (Click here)
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1 - Supreme court clears way for release of secret Prince Charles letters - click here.
2 - Medical marijuana bill introduced in US House - click here.
3 - Kansas legislature approves ban on second trimester abortion procedure - click here.
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Australia may join China-led AIIB bank if conditions met
Australia said its "prepared to join" a new China-led infrastructure bank should certain conditions be met. Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the country had been talking to China about how the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) would be governed. He added that a decision will be made "in the next few days". Australia counts China as its largest trading partner and may join its new development bank initiative
China rejects calls to free women's rights activists
China has rejected calls from several foreign governments to free five women's rights activists who have spent nearly three weeks in detention. Foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said that nobody had the right to ask China to release the group. The activists were planning public campaigns against sexual harassment.
Personal contact builds and maintains relationships
By Trey Ryder
Most clients don't know how to judge the depth of your knowledge, skill, judgment or experience. After all, they didn't go to law school and you did, so they couldn't possibly appreciate what you know.
But they can measure what they see and feel. They draw conclusions based on their perceptions. And this is where the strength of your relationship with them plays a key role.
Clients feel a sense of relationship with you. They know whether they like you. They know whether you like them. They know how often you contact them. They know how much time you spend with them. They know how much attention you give them. They know whether the letter you send actually comes from you.
Since clients can't evaluate your legal knowledge, you need to pay special attention to the things they can evaluate. Remember, the little things make clients feel important. And the more time and energy you spend on the little things, the stronger your relationships with clients grow.
Whenever possible, stay in the picture. Don't have your secretary or paralegal call your clients if you can do it yourself. And don't slough it off by making the excuse that you don't have time. The time you invest in building and maintaining relationships is what keeps clients coming through your doors.
Make sure letters go out over your signature rather than your secretary's. Whenever a client calls your office with a legal question, you should take the call, not your secretary or paralegal. And whenever possible, offer seminars so you can meet and greet clients and prospects in person.
The more clients see you and talk with you, the more they value their relationship with you. At the same time, the more they see and talk with you, the more you can educate them about their problems and the solutions you can provide. It's win-win.
This flies in the face of popular thinking that says you should delegate everything to secretaries and paralegals so you make better use of your time and increase your income. Remember, the relationship your clients want -- and the relationship you want clients to feel -- is the relationship they have with you. If they feel their relationship with you deteriorating, they become easy prey for other lawyers who are actively building relationships.
Yes, I know you can't always take time to provide this much personal attention. Or at least, you think you can't. But in marketing, relationships are critical. If relationships with clients are not a high priority for you, you can be sure you have already lost clients -- and will continue to lose clients -- to other lawyers.
Take time to build and nurture relationships. You'll be richly rewarded with more new clients, more referrals, more income and a more satisfying career.
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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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Gasoductos
Los fondos Blackrock y First Reserve adquirieron una participación combinada del 45 % en el proyecto de gasoductos Los Ramones II, de la petrolera mexicana Pemex, por un equivalente a US$ 900 mlls., dijo el jueves petrolera. La fase II del ambicioso proyecto irá de Los Ramones, en el norteño estado de Nuevo León, a Apaseo el Alto, en el central estado de Guanajuato.
Banco
El grupo financiero de capital hondureño Ficohsa adquirió la totalidad de las acciones de Banco Citibank y Cititarjetas de Nicaragua, del gigante estadounidense Citigroup. La operación aún deberá ser aprobada por los reguladores bancarios de Nicaragua y Panamá. Ficohsa no precisó el costo de la transacción, pero detalló que la operación de Citi en Nicaragua comprende US$ 255 mlls. en activos, US$ 171 mlls. en créditos, US$ 46 mlls. en patrimonio y US$ 197 mlls. en depósitos, en base a cifras al cierre del 2014.
Arbitraje
Venezuela solicitó nuevamente la recusación de los árbitros del tribunal del Banco Mundial, que procesa la millonaria demanda de la petrolera ConocoPhillips por la nacionalización de sus activos en el país sudamericano.
(Presione aquí)
Pérdidas
Las pérdidas en Perú por parte de empresas y contratistas privados en arbitrajes por controversias de contrataciones públicas, llegaron a US$ 366,23 mlls entre 2003 y 2013, según informe del Organismo Superior de Contrataciones del Estado.
(Presione aquí)
Airlines across the world to change safety policies
Airlines across the world have begun requiring two crew members to always be present in the cockpit, in the wake of the French Alps crash. A number of major Canadian, Norwegian, German and UK airlines have all pledged to change their policies. Lufthansa said that no matter how good the security, ultimately nothing could stop a rogue pilot.
FedEx uses 'common carrier' defense against DOJ drug-shipping charges
FedEx Corp. filed a motion to dismiss Justice Department charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances related to its alleged role in transporting illegal prescription drugs, arguing that it is legally protected as a company that carries goods for the public. The FedEx motion, filed in San Francisco district court on Wednesday, argues that as a common carrier, FedEx cannot reasonably be expected to police the millions of packages it carries each day that might potentially contain an illegal item. A common carrier is typically defined as a transportation company that is paid to take cargo indiscriminately and serves the general public, which can include railroads, trucking companies and airlines. The case is a key test for how much legal responsibility delivery companies bear for the contents of packages they deliver.
Bank of England warns of risks from Greece and market liquidity
The Bank of England said Thursday that Britain's stability continued to be threatened by international risks, including Greece's financing needs, China's slowdown and potentially inadequate market liquidity. "Any of these risks could trigger abrupt shifts in global risk appetite that in turn might lead to a sudden reappraisal of underlying vulnerabilities in highly indebted economies, or sharp adjustments in financial markets," the bank said.
Judge admonishes attorneys for overwriting
Lawyers who don't write succinctly have been taken to task by another judge. Judge William Pauley III, who clearly knows how to turn a phrase, said in a March 24 ruling that "a troubling trend toward prolixity in pleading is infecting court dockets in this district and elsewhere." The judge did a phenomenal job of sorting out the facts to get to a substantive understanding of the dispute. Pauley was right to criticize complicated filings with alternative pleadings that might be viewed as inconsistent.
Argentine court dismisses Cristina Fernandez case
An Argentine appeals court has upheld a decision to dismiss a controversial case against President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. She had been accused of covering up the alleged involvement of senior Iranian officials in a 1994 bomb attack against a Jewish center in Buenos Aires. Two out of three judges voted to reject an appeal by prosecutors, saying that no crime had been committed.MThe original decision to throw out the case against Fernandez was made by Federal Judge Daniel Rafecas in late February. The court of appeals agreed with Judge Rafecas' conclusion that there was no evidence pointing to Fernandez.
DNA of 'an entire nation' assessed
The genetic code of "an entire nation" has effectively been deduced, say researchers in Iceland. The feat was performed by combining DNA data with family trees. The team say they could now find every woman at high-risk of breast cancer "at the touch of a button" and it would be "criminal" not to use the information. The concerns are that the data is going to be made public, anonymity technically promises protection, but you can be re-identified in datasets. There are also concerns of commercial interests in the use of these databases, so there are a lot of concerns that need to be addressed.
PayPal in payout for allowing illegal payments
PayPal has agreed to pay $7.7m (£5.1m) to the US government following claims it allowed payments that violated sanctions against Iran, Cuba and Sudan. The US Treasury Department said the payment firm had failed to adequately screen and prevent transactions.
Japan nears deflation
Annual core consumer inflation in Japan, the world's third-largest economy, stopped rising for the first time in nearly two years in February. The core consumer price index (CPI) was flat from a year ago, stripping out the effect of last year's sales tax increase in April.
Brazil's Galvao goes bust following Petrobras scandal
One of Brazil's biggest engineering companies, Galvao Engenharia, has filed for bankruptcy protection in the wake of the Petrobras scandal. The state-run oil company has cut off payments to Galvao. Grupo Galvao, the firm's parent company, said it was never involved in the alleged corruption scheme. A cartel of engineering and construction firms allegedly overcharged Petrobras for work and used the excess for bribes.
Goldman, JPMorgan must face revised aluminum price-fix case
Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Glencore Plc were ordered to face manufacturers' antitrust claims that they conspired to manipulate the price of aluminum to boost trading profits. US District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan rejected a request by the banks and their aluminum warehousing operations to dismiss the claims entirely. She threw out a monopolization claim against Goldman Sachs and some state-law claims against all the defendants.
Nigeria chooses president amid bombings, currency crash
Nigeria holds presidential and legislative elections on Saturday, delayed from Feb. 14, as Africa's most populous nation and biggest oil producer endures widespread Islamist militant attacks, crude's price crash, and a currency that has been devalued twice since November, making many of the imported goods it relies upon more costly. President Goodluck Jonathan is seeking a second full term, while his main challenger, Muhammadu Buhari, is a former military ruler with three failed presidential bids behind him.
Spain urges EU to remove barriers to banking takeovers
Spain, home of the euro area's largest bank, is pushing the European Union to remove obstacles to cross-border mergers of retail lenders. The European Commission should stop national regulators using discretionary powers to hamper tie-ups that strengthen the financial links between euro member states, Alvaro Nadal, chief economic adviser to Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said.
UN says 2014 'devastating year' for Palestinians
Al Jazeera, Doha, Qatar
Palestinians in Mideast find their position more precarious in wake of Syria war
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel
Leaders grilled in election special
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
Autopilot set to crash plane, data analysis shows
CNN International, London, England
Ellie Goulding holds hands with Dougie Poynter on romantic date night... after sharing sexy selfie on Instagram †
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
Lord of the dance! Labour peer shows off his best moves at Usher after-party†
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
Information sought on co-pilot who appears to have deliberately crashed Germanwings jet
EuroNews, International news, Ecully Cedex, France
Turkey supports Saudi mission in Yemen, says Iran must withdraw
France 24, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
Hollande, Merkel, Rajoy arrive near French Alps crash site
Hurriyet Daily News, (Liberal, English-language), Istanbul, Turkey
Germanwings crash: Airlines to insist on two crew in cockpit at all times in wake of Flight 9525 crash
Independent The, London, England
Major Ukrainian TV provider drops Russian channels
Moscow News The, Independent, Moscow, Russia
Barack Obama talks drugs with The Wire creator David Simon
Telegraph The, Conservative daily, London, England
Rotherham scandal: IPCC to investigate 44 police officers over handling of child sex claims
Telegraph The, Celebrity news, London, England
Germanwings crash appears 'deliberate'
China Post, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan
Arsonist Attacks Korea Cultural Center in Tokyo
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea
Rouhani writes to Obama as Iran talks near deadline
Hindustan Times, New Delhi, India
LPG: 5 days for Aadhar, bank a/c linking, 2L yet to do it
India Times, Conservative daily, New Delhi, India
Number of reported child abductions down 'drastically' a year after Hague Convention
Japan Times, Independent centrist, Tokyo, Japan
Bomb hits police bus in southern Pakistan, wounding 10
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand
Ukraine President cancels trip over protests in eastern Ukraine
Straits Times, Pro-government, Singapore
Markets Live: Bargain hunters jump in
Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily, Sydney, Australia
Complex US-Iran ties at heart of complicated Mideast policy
Taiwan News, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan
Amazon in talks to buy online luxury retailer Net-a-Porter: Report
The Economic Times, Business, Mumbai, India
5 instances of pilot sabotage aboard commercial airliners
Canadian Broadcasting Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Forces loyal to Yemen's ex-president hit by strikes aimed at Houthi militia
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
Acting Tough to Earn Respect as Policewomen in Argentina
IPS Latin America, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy
U.S. biotech stocks may fall further as short interest rises
Reuters, Business News, New York, U.S
Co-pilot suspected of deliberately crashing Germanwings jet
Reuters, World News, New York, U.S
Germanwings pilot's deepest mental state will face psychiatric scrutiny
Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario
Nigeria rivals sign peace accord
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
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