April 17, 2015 nº 1,617 - Vol. 11

“Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing.”

In today's Law Firm Marketing, How to achieve website success without SEO

_____________

Read Migalhas LatinoAmérica in Spanish every Tuesday and Thursday. Visit the website at www.migalhas.com/latinoamerica

_____________

Get Migalhas International on your mobile

You can now read the newsletter on your mobile device, through the migalhas.com/mobile website. The content of the main sections is the same as that found on the newsletter, but optimized for small-screen displays on mobile devices. Migalhas International Mobile, advancing legal news.

• Top News

European Parliament calls killings of Armenians 'genocide'

The European Parliament approved a resolution on Wednesday calling the massacre of Armenians during World War I a "genocide," while urging Armenia and Turkey to reconcile their diplomatic relations. The resolution comes days after Pope Francis instigated outrage by using the same term in Turkey. Members of the European Parliament commended the statement of the Pope, "honoring the century of the Armenian genocide in a spirit of peace and reconciliation." The Parliament has asked Turkey to "conduct in good faith an inventory of the Armenian cultural heritage destroyed or ruined during the past century within its jurisdiction." The Parliament also proposed an "International Remembrance Day for Genocides," so as to remind all people, and all nations, of the right to peace and dignity.

Brazil scandal sends multinationals running to attorneys

Multinationals with operations in Brazil are making frightened calls to their lawyers, as the country's spreading corruption scandal reaches more companies. The bribery investigation known as "Operation Carwash," which has already sent Brazil's state-run Petrobras into a tailspin, is spreading across the country's largest construction companies and its third largest bank. Brazilian prosecutors say shipbuilding arm of South Korean conglomerate Samsung paid bribes to a former executive at Petrobras. Brazilian prosecutors have also accused Swedish builder Skanska of taking part in the corruption at Petrobras. Brazilian investigators have said they are investigating large international firms that they believe have paid bribes. Attorneys say companies with operations in Brazil are scrambling to assess whether they could get swept up in the probe. "They are very worried. The investigation is so widespread. If you have business in Brazil, the likelihood that this is going to touch you in some way is very high."

DOJ looking closer into movie distribution

Lawyers from the Justice Department's antitrust division have stepped up their examination of exclusivity agreements between the nation's largest exhibitors and studios that limit the number of theaters allowed to screen certain films. The agreements—known in the industry as "clearance"—have emerged as a contentious topic among smaller theater operators that say it violates antitrust law, puts too much power in the hands of big companies and limits consumer choice. Big theater operators argue that restrictions affect a small number of locations and that clearance is a long-established industry practice.

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.

• Crumbs

1 - Bank of New York Mellon fined £126m by regulator for 'failings' - click here.

2 - HSBC seeks new non-executive directors in wake of tax evasion scandal - click here.

3 - Tobacco companies sue U.S. FDA over label approvals - click here.

4 - Egypt court backs deportation of 'gay' Libyan man - click here.

_____________

100% Migalhas: www.migalhas.com

_____________

• MiMIC Journal

China jails journalist over leaked 'state secrets'

China has jailed a top journalist for seven years for leaking a confidential paper to a foreign website. Gao Yu, 71, had "illegally provided state secrets to foreigners", the court in Beijing said. China has not confirmed which document the case relates to, but it is thought to be a Communist Party strategy paper known as "Document No 9". The paper is said to call for aggressive restrictions on democracy, civil society and the press. Amnesty International called the sentence "an affront to justice".

Bank of China's Cao says Yuan 'maybe' in IMF basket by next year

The yuan may win reserve status by being included by next year in the International Monetary Fund's basket of currencies, said Bank of China Chief Economist Cao Yuanzheng. "The process depends on the negotiations, we hope this is as soon as possible," Cao said.

China halts new policy on tech for banks

China has suspended a policy that would have effectively pushed foreign technology companies out of the country's banking sector. Banks are to "suspend implementation" of the rules, which have been at the center of a brewing trade conflict between the United States and China. The rules, put into effect at the end of last year, called for companies that sell computer equipment to Chinese banks to turn over intellectual property and submit source code, in addition to other demands. At stake is billions of dollars of business for major American companies that make the advanced computing hardware and software that crunches numbers for banks across China. Trade groups representing companies including Microsoft, IBM and Apple have complained that such policies are protectionist.

• Law Firm Marketing

How to achieve website success without SEO
By Trey Ryder

With search engines, you face at least two problems:

PROBLEM #1: The lawyers who get the first few positions usually get the inquiries. The remaining lawyers are left paying for websites that produce little.

PROBLEM #2: Even if you rank high, your search results are mixed among those of your competitors, so prospects can easily get distracted and miss your site altogether.

Fortunately, you can bring prospects to your website without search engines and without the potential for confusion. Here's how:

STEP #1: Load your website with educational articles that have teaser titles. People are drawn to helpful information written in list form. For example, I use 17 Fatal Marketing Mistakes Lawyers Make, Marketing Secrets of Superstar Lawyers, 11 Brochure Mistakes Lawyers Make, and many more. When you add educational articles, in addition to increasing your relevance in search engine rankings, you create a highly desirable website.

STEP #2: Invite prospects to visit your site where they can read your articles. Offer the articles in every type of communication, including

-- Classified Ads. Invite prospects to your website through classified ads. Your entire ad could be as simple as this: Discover 17 Fatal Marketing Mistakes Lawyers Make at www.treyryder.com. Or make it more attractive by including two or more titles: Discover How to Build Your Law Practice With Dignity and 11 Brochure Mistakes Lawyers Make at www.treyryder.com.

-- Display Ads. If you want more space than a classified ad -- or think your prospects may not read classifieds -- design a small display ad. Make powerful use of black and white graphics to seize your reader's attention. In addition, include a closely cropped photo of your face with good eye contact and a warm, engaging smile. (Nothing draws a reader's eyes to your ad faster than your eyes looking back at the reader.) Depending on the size of your ad, you could include titles of many articles. Each title acts like a fishhook in the lake. You can't be sure which bait will cause your prospect to bite, but all it takes is one good title to motivate him to visit your website.

-- Yellow Page Ads. In you still use yellow page ads, offer articles that your prospect can read on your website.

-- News Releases to the Media. Write a news release about a key issue in your area of law or the impact of a recent court decision. At the end of the news release, announce that you have published three articles, listing each by title. Then tell the reader he can call your office to receive free copies by mail, or visit your website at www.yourdomain.com.

-- Newsletters. In every issue, invite prospects to read articles on your website. You might say something like: Yours Free! Discover 15 Business Card Sins Lawyers Commit, Marketing Secrets of Superstar Lawyers, and How to Market Other Practice Areas Within Your Firm -- at www.yourdomain.com.

-- Social Media. Even if you're limited in characters, you can still give your article's title and your website address. If the title is compelling and if the recipient needs help, he or she will likely visit your website. Here are examples:

Discover "9 Ways to Know Whether Your Doctor Made a Terrible Mistake" at www.yourdomain.com/malpractice.

Read "21 Costly Misconceptions About Wills and Probate" at www.yourdomain.com/misconceptions.

-- Seminars. In your seminar materials, include a flier that lists articles on your website.

-- Referral Sources. Send a mailing to your past clients and referral sources alerting them to articles on your website -- and inviting them to direct friends and colleagues to your site.

-- Referral Cards. Create a referral brochure with a reply card on which you offer various articles. Say that for a faster response, they can read these articles on your website.

-- Feature Articles. At the end of every article you submit for publication, include an author's note that offers your articles, something like this: Trey Ryder specializes in education-based marketing for lawyers He offers the following three articles at www.treyryder.com: 17 Fatal Marketing Mistakes Lawyers Make, High Pressure vs. Dignity Depends on How You Use the Three Cons, and 19 Secrets That Increase Response to Ads.

-- E-mail Signatures. Consider offering an article and including its title in the signature to your e-mail. You might include something like: Visit www.yourdomain.com to read 17 Fatal Marketing Mistakes Lawyers Make. Your URL by itself may not motivate a prospect to go to your website. But when you alert him to an important article that discusses one of his current problems, he has a good reason to visit you site.

-- Envelope Inserts With Outgoing Mail. Prepare an insert about 1/3 the size of an 8.5" x 11" sheet that announces new articles on your website. Include this in all outgoing correspondence and, on the insert, invite the recipient to pass it along to a friend or colleague.

In addition to offering articles, you can also use the above methods to invite prospects to your website so they can (1) ask you a question by e-mail, (2) send you facts about their claim for a case evaluation, (3) subscribe to your firm's newsletter, (4) register for your firm's seminar, (5) read your latest newsletter, (6) request a consultation with you by phone or in person, (7) read comments from past clients -- whatever you think will motivate them to visit your site.

SUMMARY: Even if you spent good money and got on the first page of search results, Google (or the other companies) could change algorithms next week and you'd be near the bottom of page 23.

So -- don't depend only on search engines to bring prospects to your website. Also, don't depend on your web address alone to motivate prospects to visit.

Instead, make your prospects an irresistible offer -- something they can't refuse -- which they'll discover on your website. Then put the offer in ads, newsletters, e-mail messages and announcements. This will erase the confusion factor from search engines and increase the number of qualified prospects going directly to your site.

---

© 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 Verdadeira

Indemnización

Gold Reserve, una pequeña minera canadiense que intenta cobrar una indemnización de US$ 750 mlls. a Venezuela, tiene en la mira los activos del país petrolero en el extranjero, una estrategia legal amenaza las arcas del Gobierno socialista ya en crisis.

Licitación

Empresas de Francia, España, China, Canadá y Chile oficializan interés en porción mayoritaria de eléctrica colombiana Isagen valorada en al menos US$2.000 mlls.

Compraventa

Enaex, filial del Grupo Sigdo Koppers de capitales chilenos, acordó la compra del 100% de la propiedad del Grupo francés Davey Bickford por unos US$ 109,4 mlls.

Daño

Tras el fin de siete años de embargo estadounidense al comercio del Atún, México estima que, el daño a las empresas llega a US$ 100 mlls.

• Brief News

Shareholder litigation that works

A battle is brewing in Delaware over what was, until recently, a quiet corner of corporate law: stockholder appraisal rights, which allow shareholders to go to court to contest the price paid in a corporate buyout. Although shareholder litigation is often a pestilential bog of nuisance suits, appraisal cases stand out as something unusually valuable — a form of shareholder suit where the merits actually matter. Opponents lump appraisal litigation with other, more dubious forms of shareholder suits, and then decry them all as nuisance litigation. Appraisal suits are different. They are targeted litigation driven not by plaintiffs' lawyers but instead by sophisticated investors who often acquire stock specifically to bring an appraisal suit. Because these appraisal specialists put their own money on the line, they pick their battles carefully. Other shareholder suits are brought virtually indiscriminately, but appraisal litigation is significantly associated with buyouts with an unusually low deal price and where insiders are part of the acquiring group. These are precisely the deals where something is most likely to have gone wrong: Insiders may have favored themselves over the shareholders, or the board through negligence or favoritism may have failed to adequately shop the company.

Big data looms as next battle in europe

EU lawyers are already limbering up for the next battle: big data. At issue: whether the way that major technology companies such as Google and Facebook Inc. mine people's personal data should worry antitrust officials. Personal data is an increasingly important asset for digital businesses, some experts argue, even though people hand it over voluntarily when they use free online services. Major Internet firms compile huge data sets that could, these experts say, give them an unfair edge because they effectively act as a barrier to new competition. Incumbent firms might have developed such sophisticated profiles of consumers, and can target advertising with such precision, that new rivals cannot hope to catch up. Lawyers who represent major US tech companies in the EU argue that the concerns are misplaced: Data isn't exclusive, they say, because many companies can hold the same information on people's names, addresses and credit-card details, for instance. Numerous online platforms also compete for users' attention, and switching platforms is easy.

French railroad sued for carrying Nazi victims to death camps

Three descendants of Holocaust victims sued the French national railroad over claims it was paid to confiscate property and transport Jews and others to Nazi concentration camps. Relatives of the three were on their way to Auschwitz and Buchenwald when their property, including gold, money and other personal belongings, were taken by the Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer, or SNCF, according to the complaint filed Thursday in federal court in Chicago. During World War II SNCF was paid to help with Nazi deportations, according to the complaint. SNCF assembled and ran deportation trains that took 75,000 Jews of all nationalities to the camps in 72 convoys, the three plaintiffs said. SNCF is accused in the complaint of violations of international law, conversion of the allegedly stolen property for profit and unjust enrichment.

Obama seeks conservative court's relief on immigration plan halt

Obama's efforts to let almost 5 million undocumented immigrants stay in the US may languish as his second term winds down unless he can win over one of the nation's most conservative appeals courts. Two of the three appellate judges in New Orleans who will take up the case were nominated by Republican presidents, and one of those has described himself as a former "right-wing activist." Obama's immigration order has become a flashpoint in Washington, with Republican lawmakers maintaining that his actions were unconstitutional. In February, House Republicans threatened to withhold funds for the Department of Homeland Security over the program, and passed a bill just before funding was set to expire.

Germany warns Greece over credit

Greece would struggle to find creditors outside the EU and IMF, German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has said. He said it would be welcome to try to find investment from Beijing or Moscow, but may have difficulties. His warning came after fears of a Greek debt default saw its borrowing costs jump 3.5 percentage points to 27%. Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said his government refuses to consider leaving the EU: "Toying with Grexit... is profoundly anti-European." He also promised to "compromise, compromise, compromise without being compromised" to satisfy current creditors. On Wednesday, ratings agency S&P downgraded Greece's credit rating. Yields also rose on longer-term Greek borrowing, with the 10-year bond yield - the amount investors demand for lending - rising one percentage point to 13%. Schaeuble said that the Greek government needs to find creditors.

Wikileaks publishes hacked Sony documents

Wikileaks has published hundreds of thousands of emails and documents from a cyber-attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment last year. The archive apparently includes Sony conversations with government members and with Hollywood figures. In November, the entertainment company suffered a cyber-attack weeks before releasing The Interview, a film criticized by the North Korean regime. Sony said it "strongly condemns" the Wikileaks release. "We vehemently disagree with WikiLeaks' assertion that this material belongs in the public domain,'' the company said in a statement. The Wikileaks dump includes more than 170,000 emails and over 20,000 documents. Julian Assange, the founder of the website, justified the publication by saying the documents show the inner functioning of a multinational company and are "at the center of a geo-political conflict".

Scandal claims top Brazil official

The treasurer of Brazil's ruling Workers' Party, Joao Vaccari, has stepped down, after being arrested over corruption at oil giant Petrobras. Vaccari is charged over an alleged scheme in which the party received dirty money from inflated deals between oil executives and construction firms. Party president Rui Falcao said he still had confidence in Mr Vaccari. He is the closest ally of Dilma Rousseff to have been arrested in the broadening scandal.

New York City council approves monument to slaves

The New York City Council has approved a monument recognizing the contributions of slaves to the city's founding and economy. The marker will be placed in the Wall Street area, about a block from where the city's first slave market stood. When the council approved the market in 1711, almost 1,000 of the city's 6,400 people were black. The monument is expected to be unveiled this summer. The new marker will join 38 other markers - mostly commemorating success in the financial and construction industries - in lower Manhattan.

France court allows women to adopt same-sex spouses' children

A French court on Thursday permitted four lesbian women to adopt their wives' children born in foreign countries through artificial insemination. France has legalized same-sex marriage and adoption, but only heterosexual couples are authorized to have medically assisted fertilization. In April 2014 a lower Versailles court ruled that a birth mother had committed fraud by having artificial insemination in Belgium, and the birth mother's wife was not allowed to adopt the child. Versailles' appeals court overturned this ruling before the case headed to France's highest court, which ruled that medically assisted fertilization performed abroad is "not an obstacle" for women wishing to adopt the children of their partners. Same-sex couples were granted the right to marry in May 2013.

US minimum wage protests expand

More than two years after it began, a movement to raise wages in the US, known as Fast for 15, is expanding. Organizers say today's effort is the group's biggest protest yet, with actions planned in 230 cities across the US. Workers in industries from fast food to homecare are demanding that employers raise the minimum wage paid to service workers. The current US minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Workers have said that that wage is not enough to support a family, and have called for a living wage of $15 per hour. However, while workers and union supporters have applauded those moves, they have said that they are still not enough to ensure that workers are paid fair wages.

Vatican ends crackdown on 'radical' US nuns

The Vatican has ended its controversial control of the main organization representing US nuns. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious was under close supervision from Rome after being accused of undermining Catholic teaching. The Vatican said the group's focus was now Christ and faithful teaching.

Colombia government amends legislation to limit military court power

The Colombian government on Tuesday modified proposed legislation that would have allowed an expansion of the military courts' jurisdiction and power. President Juan Manuel Santos introduced Senate Bill 85 of 2013 to strengthen the military justice system after Colombia's "false positive" scandal, where army officers tried to present civilians as guerrillas killed in combat to inflate body counts and earn bonuses. Critics of the bill argued that its language was unclear and would allow killings to be tried in the military courts, which have a history of ruling leniently on rights abuses.

Pakistan top court halts executions on constitutional grounds

The Supreme Court of Paksitan suspended all death sentences on Thursday rendered by the country's new military tribunal after the Supreme Court Bar Association challenged the constitutional amendment that created the tribunals. This move directly affects six prisoners who faced imminent executions. The 17-judge panel held that the military tribunals will not be permitted to hear terrorism cases until the Supreme Court makes its final ruling because verdicts in these cases often carry death penalties. This decision arises from concerns of fairness and the extent of military power, following international concern by advocacy groups and foreign governments regarding Pakistan's escalating executions. Those convicted by the military tribunals may continue pursuing appeals.

Canada top court: no legal right to prayer at municipal council meetings

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled unanimously Wednesday that elected officials do not have the right to open municipal council meetings with a prayer. The country's top court found that reciting a Catholic prayer at council meetings is unconstitutional and infringes on freedom of conscience and religion.

• Daily Press Review

Talks resume between Libyan rivals in Morocco
Al Jazeera, Doha, Qatar

Wake up and eat the coffee!
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel

Miliband and Sturgeon clash in debate
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England

Opinion: Nightmare for women taken by jihadis
CNN International, London, England

Tom Hardy unveils buzz-cut with Noomi Rapace at Child 44 premiere
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England

Police 'watched as teens tried to save friend' who drowned in Hampstead Heath
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England

Chinese journalist jailed for 'leaking state secrets'
EuroNews, International news, Ecully Cedex, France

France's Calais in mourning after rape and murder of schoolgirl
France 24, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France

Turkish ex-president urges caution over switching to full presidency
Hurriyet Daily News, (Liberal, English-language), Istanbul, Turkey

Big Brother contestant in South Africa expelled from show following rape allegations
Independent The, London, England

Major Ukrainian TV provider drops Russian channels
Moscow News The, Independent, Moscow, Russia

China jails 71-year-old veteran journalist for 'leaking state secrets'
Telegraph The, Conservative daily, London, England

25 great closing lines in films
Telegraph The, Celebrity news, London, England

Tearing down Taipei Dome an option: gov't
China Post, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan

3 Korean Films Invited to Cannes
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea

Syria gas attack video moves UN Security Council envoys to tears
Hindustan Times, New Delhi, India

Gujarat to set up India's first medical device testing lab
India Times, Conservative daily, New Delhi, India

Sharp eyeing ¥200 billion bailout: source
Japan Times, Independent centrist, Tokyo, Japan

Director Peter Jackson unveils WWI exhibition in New Zealand
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand

Ukraine President cancels trip over protests in eastern Ukraine
Straits Times, Pro-government, Singapore

Timpanist Rick Miller on 40 years with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily, Sydney, Australia

India's rising tiger numbers may be victory only on paper
Taiwan News, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan

China's Li Keqiang urges banks to support real economy: Sources
The Economic Times, Business, Mumbai, India

Parents of Martin Richard against death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber
Canadian Broadcasting Centre, Toronto, Ontario

South African police fire rubber bullets, stun grenade to disperse immigrant vigilante group
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

Rural Women in Latin America Define Their Own Kind of Feminism
IPS Latin America, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy

Nokia CEO says French jobs pledge is business as usual
Reuters, Business News, New York, U.S

South African police disperse immigrant vigilante group
Reuters, World News, New York, U.S

Premier moves Tory's SmartTrack a little further down the line
Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario

SA shops hit by xenophobic attacks
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England

-----

How are we doing?