Valley Attorney Marketing

Los Angeles ERISA Lawyer and Estate Administration Attorney

2012-02-08T09:21:00.000-08:00

Another great site has launched. Woodland Hills, Los Angeles Attorney Mark Boykin has moved away from a large legal website provider, to having his site recreated by VLM - and has saved hundreds of dollars a month. The new site has a introductory video on the home page, as well as a video library, covering ERISA matters and estate planning/administration issues.

Compared to his previous template site, the look of this custom designed site is warmer and more detailed. The imagery is of Point Vicente is Los Angeles and works well with the overall colors and theme. An online contact form is placed on the home page as well as on the contact page, and geographical images for the office location is easy to find.

More content will be added as his other site will soon be integrated into this site - having one comprehensive site makes social media and geographical citations much easier to manage, and it also is a better resource for referrals - they land on a consistent message.

Congratulations to Attorney Boykin on the new site, increased performance, and overall savings.

Reviews for Electrician in Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Agoura Hills

2012-02-07T09:10:00.000-08:00

Website for small business are a necessity. It helps them be found by people looking for services, and it also supports the way referrals work. It can also be a way to enforce the way other places on the web can help. For example, does your website allow easy access to your Yelp reviews, Facebook page, and Linkedin profile? By doing so you can support your brand and help ensure consumer get a feel for your business.

A great example of this is on www.thousandoakselectric.com. Not only do you see links to the various places right on the home page, the electrician testimonials and reviews section has reviews form local businesses and residents. The site also has maps showing the areas that they serve, Westlake Village, Calabasas, and Agoura Hills. This is what people want - information, reviews, and assurance.

Related to assurance, the site details the experience and skill of the company. Being Union-trained and licensed is a huge benefit to anyone looking for quality work. From the many legal websites that have been developed and the interactions with attorneys - too many people have been injured by poor workmanship. Hiring the right company can prevent catastrophe.

To summarize, when consumer search the web for local services, many factors come into play. Being found is first, then it is all about the impression that is made. Professional, check. Local, check. Reviews, check. Safe, check. Don't think you can put all your eggs in one basket- balanced marketing is key.

Debt Collector Harassment, Los Angeles Consumer Rights Website

2011-11-12T09:58:00.000-08:00

As our economic environment continues to challenge consumers, many business are willingly or unwillingly breaking the law in attempts to collect debts owed. Attorney Jonathan Leventhal, located in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles CA, has just launched a website for consumers rights against harassment by debt collectors - www.isuecollectionagencies.com. The 20 page site is extremely informative regarding federal and California state laws for debt collectors- what they cannot do in efforts to collect a debt - even for debt that they bought from your original creditor.

One important aspect about the laws for consumer protection in debt collection, afforded by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), is how every violation can have a monetary penalty attached, and how attorney fees are paid by debt collectors if they have been found to violate the laws.

Glendale Tax Attorney

2011-11-11T11:49:00.001-08:00

No matter what type of tax law concerns you may have, the first thing we will do is sit down and evaluate the circumstances in your case so we can map out a course of action for you. We understand the complexity involved with tax matters and we work to ensure you understand the charges and your options. We allow you to make informed decisions about your case. When you leave our office, we want you to understand your options and have a plan to move forward to bring a resolution to your tax issue.

At the Law Offices of Yeznik O. Kaznajian, we always offer our initial consultations free of charge and without expectations. We are always willing to help and encourage you to consider us a resource for information about tax law. It is important that you contact a Glendale Tax Attorney as soon as possible call 818-240-5996 or toll free 888-412-8882 to schedule your free consultation. We are looking forward to your call and speak Russian, Spanish, Armenian and Farsi.

Ventura Criminal Defense Attorney

2011-11-11T11:48:00.001-08:00

If you are being investigated or were charged with a crime, it is essential to hire an experienced Ventura Criminal Defense Attorney to protect your rights. At the Law Offices of Krause & Hirschhorn, LLP, we are dedicated to representing clients facing any type of criminal offense. As career criminal trial lawyers with extensive trial experience and a legal practice devoted to criminal defense, we provide our clients with the dedicated legal representation they rightfully deserve. Our skill and insight into the California legal system could mean the difference in your criminal case.

Contact the Law Offices of Krause & Hirschhorn, LLP, as career criminal defense lawyers we have been involved in thousands of criminal defense hearings and trials. We can help you fight for your rights against any criminal charges. Call us at 805-330-1529 or email us to speak with an experienced criminal attorney today. At our firm, we are committed to excellence in representing our clients. Our attorneys take on criminal cases throughout Ventura, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara Counties.

Los Angeles Disability Attorney

2011-11-11T11:47:00.001-08:00

If you have questions about your rights under either the FMLA or the CFRA, or if you have the strong feeling that you've lost your job because you invoked the disability, medical, or maternity leave rights to which you were entitled, contact the Leichter Law Firm.

The Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it illegal to discriminate against disabled workers. Disabled workers are permitted by law to keep working for as long as they are able to complete their job requirements. Your employer cannot tell you that you need to go out on leave or stop working because you are disabled. A company may be violating the law if it has refused to hire you because you are disabled; demoted or terminated you, or reduced your job responsibilities because you are disabled; or denied you a promotion because you are disabled. We serve clients throughout California from our Los Angeles office, located in the mid-Wilshire area. Call to set up a free, confidential consultation with a Los Angeles Disability Attorney: 213-381-6557 or email us.

How People Search - San Diego Haircut Case Study

2011-09-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

Many times attorneys have asked about the use of AdWords and other Pay Per Click (PPC) methods to increase search traffic. Usually, I am not a fan of such methods, mostly because I strongly believe that the primary effort of creating a nice looking website, with good content, and proper Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the best return on investment.

This thought comes from years of internet marketing for law firms, and one very evident fact is that for many search terms desired by law firms (like "divorce lawyer los angeles" or "personal injury attorney") PPC is just too exepensive, often at $50 CPC (cost per click).

However, in niche areas, PPC can be used to set up a traffic flow in a very fast and cost effective manner. Think - product recalls, changes in the law, or a natural disaster. In fact, Valley Lawyer Marketing has done this several times, creating "microsites" that have strong contextual designs, that start working immediately for the target PPC audience, then over time they appear in the search engines organic ranks, eventually allowing for the PPC campaign to end.

This focused approach also works for small geographic areas, where one can bid PPC CPC high enough to get great placement, but only display those ads to people most likely to click. This reduces the overall budget impact. In fact, this approach is now being used for a San Diego Men's HairCut business, targeting a small radius around Clairemont. Of course, the salon industry is very competitive, and many business are trying to utilize the internet to earn new business. But doing so in a cost-effective way is key to the return on investment. Think how this relates to attorney marketing - how much will you spend to get a five-figure case?

Creditor's Rights in Bankruptcy - Los Angeles Attorney Adds Information to Website

2011-06-30T06:36:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles bankruptcy attorney Jonathan Leventhal has recently added content onto his website detailing his law office's capability to handle legal issues involving creditor's rights. His website currently contains over 25 pages of information regarding bankruptcy, including a helpful glossary and frequently asked questions (FAQ).

Whenever content is added to a site, it is important to consider other information throughout the site that should be referenced to the new information, as well as references on the new information to other parts of the site. For bankruptcy related legal issues, there are many factors and considerations - for business, types of debt, etc.... This site does a great job of ensuring good information flow.

Does Your Website Match Your Business Brand and Personality?

2011-04-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

Everyone has a brand. What people find online about you and your business is part of the brand. But is your online brand consistent with your real life business and personal practice? If not, then over the long term you will have a consistent problem in the perception that clients had coming into to your office, vs. what they feel in the end of their case. Perhaps they wanted a supportive attorney and cared more about moving beyond their problems over getting the best monetary outcome in divorce settlement? Maybe they really wanted an attorney who is aggressive and unrelenting - does your website say that and more importantly, is that true? In the end, getting the cases you want, that are a fit for your and gives your client the end results they want - that is the goal on online marketing and brand management.

The online image for the Los Angeles Family Law Practice of Pines Laurent, LLP is a great example of consistent and responsible branding. The imagery of the site matches the office decor, and the content represents the attorneys experience and depth of knowledge. Even the colors are important - no doubt that this is a female run law firm.
The site does have major section of child custody legal issues, in addition to the 20+ pages of legal information on the website.

San Jose Employment Law Attorney Website Launch

2011-04-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to bay area Attorney Rutger Heymann. His firm now has a great looking, content rich, and fully custom website for his San Jose Employment Law Practice. The site includes photos of downtown San Jose as well as situational images related to sexual harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination and other matters representing the mistreatment of employees.

This site follows best practices in website development, but is not a "cookie cutter" design. The colors are rich and the layout is strong (even the rollovers are bold). The site is also very well formatted for tablet viewing (in an upcoming post, iPad screen-shots of various sites will be presented).

It was a pleasure to work with Rutger on his site. Interestingly, this was the first site VLM has created where we never had any face-to-face meeting. Rutger, being in northern California, learned about Valley Lawyer Marketing and contacted us about doing a site. This was after he was presented with a proposal from a leading legal marketing website development company. A few emails and phone conversations later, he was confident in our abilities...just about six weeks later....new website!

California Personal Injury Attorney - Special Focus on Police and Firefighter Injuries

2011-03-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Attorney William Flahavan on the launch of his website for his southern California Personal Injury law firm office. A bright website that focuses on his experience and history, with special content for civil litigation representation for injured first responders, such as police officers and firefighters.

It should be noted that this is a southern CA office, in contrast to his northern CA office, with locations:

Flahavan Law Offices
19528 Ventura Blvd
Tarzana, CA 91356

Flahavan Law Offices
2277 Townsgate Road
Suite 212
Westlake Village, CA 91361

This site has a straightforward flash sequence, that keeps the focus on Attorney Flahavan's experience and results. Rollovers are used throughout the design, including the three main boxes, the practice area navigation, and the large button for injured Firefighter and Police Officer representation. That specific page includes its own internal design, with flash incorporated as well. Overall, the site has 14 pages of dedicated content, and is a great resource to help people.

Did you know? Attorney Flahavan is a primary author of the book "PERSONAL INJURY PRACTICE GUIDE" - considered the "Bible" for personal injury lawyers.

Northern California Law Firm Website - Santa Cruz and Monterery Bay Area

2011-02-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

Valley Lawyer Marketing has just launched a site in Northern California - our first! A very Santa Cruz feeling website, improving upon a template site, is now live for Attorney Berkowitz, at www.montereybaylegal.com. One great feature is the use of local photos throughout the site.

This site is built over an existing site, one that had been live for almost a year, but did not stand out in the search engines. By adding more content and improving the user experience, we anticipate an significant increase in traffic for searches involving, business law, estate planning, and personal injury in Santa Cruz and the surrounding areas. In fact, one page has already been added, focusing on car accidents. In the next few months new pages will be added to further enhance information for potential clients.

One important design and business factor worth mentioning is the "built to grow" approach. Both in the design imagery and navigation elements, this law firm website is very capable of growing, without the need to change theme or layout. This is good for branding as well as being cost effective in the long run.

California Construction, Real Estate, and Business Law Firm

2011-02-01T12:52:00.000-08:00

Not too long ago Baker & Associates, Attorneys at Law launched their VLM designed website. A deep blue color theme with nice blue and beige sections the site has a nice flash sequence of California scenes.

In addition to business support and litigation matters, this site covers real estate and construction issues for owners, investors, developers, and contractors. Licensed in CA, Attorney Mark Baker focuses on these areas of law and can help with public works projects and well and private project issues.

The office is located in Woodland Hill, CA, and you can see images right on the website of the building, as well as find links to the google map listing. On a technical note relating to the physical location - the site does incorporate kml locations and a geo-sitemap.

Lemon Law, Consumer Rights, and Class Action Litigation - Strategic Legal Practices, APC

2011-01-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

Congratulations are in order for the newest site, as well as the first site launch of the new year. Strategic Legal Practices, APC has a striking design for it's Los Angeles Consumer Rights Site. The law firm uses chess imagery corresponding to its strategy theme. It really is a neat 3D image that blends with firm name and SLP-APC acronym. The design is one of the most interesting images and layered looks to date for VLM. Importantly, the site is very easy to navigate and is also designed to grow, with menu placement and drop downs having been organized for expansion of the content and practice areas.

The founder of the law firm is attorney Payam Shahian, a graduate of UCLA and UC Hastings. A very accomplished lawyer, with several notable class actions cases, Mr. Shahian's office is geared to helping consumers with issues relating to automobile warranties, lemon law, defective products, unfair business practices, and personal injury from his Century City law office.

Southern California Personal Injury Attorneys Launch Blog

2010-12-22T11:21:00.000-08:00

The wonderful attorneys and staff at Freeman and Freeman, LLP in Woodland Hills have launched a blog focusing on CA personal injury issues. Already filled with a few blog posts about car accidents and personal safety, the each post has great information and links to sources if people want more information, including links to their comprehensive Los Angeles personal injury legal practice. The blog uses the same deep blue color as their website, and has the firms contact information readily available.

This blog is based on the Blogger platform, that is very easy to use and configure. The standard templates can be changed and enhanced to provide a branded look, as done.

Blogs can even have static pages, analytic tracking, and dynamic content feeds. They truly are a overall package that makes publishing online very easy.

The keys about blogging are consistency and content - blogging a few times a month can be a great way to get information out to users who may need legal services.

Los Angeles Immigration Attorney Launches Site

2010-12-05T23:56:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Los Angeles immigration attorney Yasmin Kayiran for the launch of her new website - www.yklawoffices.com. A striking site with a conceptual theme and very focused images on every page of the site.

The site was constructed with the ability to grow - additional immigration content or even new practice areas can be added to the site and the theme and layout can remain mostly unchanged - only the navigation table at the middle left needs to be restructured.

The site also has pages in Turkish and Spanish!

This is a new site, at a new address, in the competitive Los Angeles legal market. It may take a bit for it to do well in the search engines, but it has what it takes as framework to perform. We at VLM are very excited to launch this site and see it work.

Blogging - Inspirational Survival Story About Breast Cancer While Pregnant

2010-11-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

Using the internet, no one is alone - I don't mean that in a big-brother spying way. I mean that you can share your story or find people who can share theirs. Finding help or even just hope can make a big difference. I'll let the linked site do the rest of talking - my words can't do it justice - it is my sister-in-law's inspirational story about breast cancer while pregnant. She documented her ordeal, complete with music that helped her cope, and has launched a blog where you can read the amazing story.
Blogging - Inspirational Survival Story About Breast Cancer While Pregnant

California Elder Abuse Attorney Launches Site

2010-11-18T12:06:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the newest client of Valley Lawyer Marketing - the Law Offices of Gregory L. Johnson - www.gregoryjohnsonlaw.com! A sharp site, that has a great feel and color scheme - all focusing on elder abuse and nursing home neglect. Notably, his law firm has a history of obtaining significant settlements and trial awards and the page dedicated on the site has an easy way to view trials and settlements by year.

The site uses the green and blue colors from his professionally designed logo, with two softer shades of blue. A great flash tagline and image rotation that work together with the theme - " A voice for those who need to be heard".

The site has over 20 pages of great information, and is integrated with his blog. Any blogposts are automatically fed into the front page section.

This is actually the third manifestation of a website that attorney Johnson has had in the years of his practice. .htaccess and 301 redirects were heavily needed align the past with the present. Wrapping up a ton of technical and graphic work - this is a great site. Congrats!

A Few Tips for a Successful Website - Focus on Design for Lawyers

2010-11-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

1) Have a target audience in mind. This relates to both your website design and your content. In some cases yo might need a very focused approach, for example if all you practice is personal injury your imagery and subject matter should all relate. If you practice in a variety of areas - you design probably should be geographic, legal, conceptual, or attorney focused. Below is quick list of examples sites in each category, but keep in mind that categories can overlap.

Attorney focus/practice focus www.jcollierlaw.com
Conceptual/attorney focys www.chytenlaw.com
Conceptual/multipractice areas www.ercolanilawgroup.com
Practice area www.rpjaccidentlaw.com
Conceptual/practice area: www.legalbankruptcycenter.com
People focused: www.hoeghlaw.com
Legal focused: www.valleyestateplanning.com

2) Capture what is important about your practice- What about your practice might be most important to you clients? Your experience, your education, your commitment, your results? This can be part of your theme and ideally a nice tagline can be created that can be used throughout your site.

3) Photos. Images can make or break a site. Blurry, cheesey, overused stock photos..it is all out there. Taking the time to find the right photo is important. Importantly, don't steal from other sites. Use royalty free stock image sources and with the help of image software (such as Adobe Photoshop) the photos can be customized, cropped, blended etc.

4) Personalize. Use your own ideas in all of the above. Colors of the site that mach your office, photos of yourself and other staff. Nice photos of the building. If you must - hire a photographer.

5) Make it easy to read - not too cluttered with important information in the right places. Phone number, location, areas of practice -- all should be easy to find within seconds.

New Site for Woodland Hills Personal Injury Attorney

2010-10-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

Congrats to attorney Jonathan Leventhal for the launch of his newest website - www.valleypilawyer.com. This website was created as starting point for internet marketing for personal injury cases. The site is very direct, and the navigation has been designed with growth in mind. For example, the three graphic images (now a car accident, mean dog, and slippery floor) can easily be made into interactive flash driven menus - as can the space on the left that is currently occupied as contact form.

The site design incorporates the gavel and scales of justice images that are used on his estate planing website. Also in common is the use of a call-out feature (the red box in the middle of the page). The color scheme fits well for the tone of personal injury, without being too bright or dark.

Overall this is a very well balanced site design and as more content is added to the site, users will find it a good resource, that is impressive in design and proper in tone.

Santa Barbara and Ventura Family Law Attorney Launches Site

2010-10-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to attorney Michelle Evans - the new website for her Santa Barbara and Ventura Family Law and Estate Planning law offices just went live. The site is a wonderful deep blue color, with gray accents. The images all include beach and sunset themes - that are a great contrasting color. The main flash sequence includes transitions from an artistic to photo image of Ventura and Santa Barbara scenes.

The site has over 10 pages of in-depth content about California family law and estate planning, and it is all easily navigable from the left side of the site. Topics include divorce and child custody, and even a section on military divorces. This site is likely the content rich family law website for the Santa Barbara area.

This site replaces a five page site that had been in existence for some time. Appropriately an .htaccess file was constructed to ensure all redirects of the old php files to the new html based pages. This is always something to be considered when upgrading a site.

Uninsured Drivers: How the Numbers May Affect Your Car Accident

2010-10-13T23:24:00.000-07:00

Insurance is one of those things things that you appreciate when it is needed, and tend to forget about otherwise. It offers peace of mind, but paying every month for something that might not need to be used doesn't appeal to everyone. Case in point - it is estimated that 1 in 6 drivers in the United States does not have car insurance (numbers form the Insurance Research Council).

Estimates do vary by state, and it is assumed that the economic situation may even mean that the number of uninsured drivers may be increasing. Also, one might consider that overall insurance coverage limits may be decreasing, as people try to reduce expenditures.

This is bad news for people involved in car accidents, both for people who themselves are not insured or under insured as the at fault driver, and for people injured by drivers without insurance. Many attorneys are familiar with how to handle cases, Los Angeles Lawyers for Car Insurance Claims, for example. There are many myths and misconceptions regarding car insurance after an accident, and it is probably best to learn about the details from a professional.

Insurance, like many other things, is not a commodity. Although policy limits can be compared - customer service and fine print are not always transparent when you sign on the dotted line. Luckily, there is help.

Google Updates Search Engine Optimization Guide

2010-09-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

In 2008 Google created a document that actually gave insight to what is and is not important is search engine optimization (SEO). Recently Google has provided a new SEO guide - a hefty 4 MB pdf.

There isn't too much news here for anyone familiar with SEO, unless perhaps you need a guide in a language besides English (over 40 different languages are published for the guide). The guide has some nice graphics and should be very useful for anyone attempting to create a site for the first time. For most people trying to create a site, the guide is probably best at showing the level of detail required to create a website the adheres to basic best practices.

However, with respect to lawyer marketing - the guide just scratches the surface in the overall big picture. It may tell you what to do for a few very important things, but since law firms need a website that is deep in content, with many pages - actually accomplishing this "to do list" properly can be a very detailed and daunting task.

An analogy might be home improvement. Materials and tools are easy to buy. Books and Do It Yourself (DIY) guides offer unlimited instruction and examples for repair and remodeling. But not many people get a project right the first time, and a good number of people realize that their time is better spent with focusing on the end result, instead of the steps needed to create.

So law firms and attorneys may know how to help their clients, how they want to reach out and distinguish themselves, and what they want the site to accomplish - getting it all together might be more than just reading a guide and trying to implement the major factors.

Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Westlake Village Lawyer Launches Site

2010-09-27T11:25:00.000-07:00

Congratulations are in order for the launch of a new website for attorney Russ Ercolani of the Ercolani Law Group. The law office is located in Westlake Village but focuses on helping people from the west end of the San Fernando Valley, Sim Valley, Thousand Oaks, and westward to Camarillo, Ventura, and Oxnard.

The practice areas of his law firm include bankruptcy, personal injury, business litigation, estate planning, and insurance litigation.

The website design is a striking outdoor scene, that blends with site content nicely. A rich blue color helps the white text stand out and the site navigation is very well laid out - giving the site much room to grow. For example the bankruptcy practice section has over ten pages. Other sections can easily be amended, without the need to modify the home page.

California and Nevada Law Firm Launches Comprehensive Web Site

2010-09-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

Over fifty pages of content for the recently launched site for Myers, Widders, Gibson, Jones and Schneider, L.L.P. (“MWGJS”) were developed by Valley Lawyer Marketing. The firm is the largest attorney group VLM has worked with in developing a great looking site that is visible in the search engines.

The colors and images of the site are meant to complement the law firm's letterhead and other existing print media. The photos used in the flash imagery represent the office locations and the many practice pages are easily accessed via the interactive menus.

The site has some neat features that go beyond typical websites. For example: the Recent News section (both the summary and the dedicated page) are essentially powered by Google Blogger. When someone at the firm posts to Blogger (via logging in or sending an email using the secret email address) the email subject and body become the news article.

Content on the site covers business law, construction law, estate planning, and many other practice areas relevant to individuals and business.

Was Football Player’s Suicide Linked to His Brain Injury?

2010-09-20T17:58:00.000-07:00

An autopsy conducted on a football player who committed suicide earlier this year, has shown signs of mild Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). This condition is sustained through consistent head injuries, like the kind that football players suffer. The death University of Pennsylvania player Owen Thomas is once again raising questions among California brain injury lawyers about the risk of brain injury in athletes who do not even show any outward signs of injury.

Traditionally, research into brain injury among athletes has focused on the presence of severe and consistent concussions. However, Owen Thomas had never suffered a concussion during all the years he had played football, starting when he was nine years old. According to his parents, the day before the suicide, he called them complaining about feeling low, which was uncharacteristic for him. He had never displayed any suicidal tendencies, and had no history of mental illness. However, he had sustained consistent and frequent hits to the head throughout his career.

His suicide came as a shock to his parents. They agreed to allow research to be performed on his brain after his death, even though they were not expecting any link between his suicide and the brain injury. After all, he did not even have a history of concussions. For them, it has been a shock to learn that he had developed Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy before he died. Some of the symptoms of this illness are suicidal tendencies, depression and emotional instability.

Thomas’ case is not the first one involving a football player with CTE, but it is definitely grabbing attention because this is the first case involving a football player with CTE who had apparently never suffered a concussion. His parents are hoping that there can be more in-depth research into how CTE is impacting football players, even those who may not show any outward signs of injury like concussions.

Los Angeles Worker's Compensation Attorney and Employment Law Website

2010-09-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

Another VLM site launch to highlight - Los Angeles worker's compensation and employment law attorney Tom Hoegh now has a beautiful site for The Law Offices of Thomas Hoegh. The site has flash intro sequence, showing the exterior and interior of the office, and well as staff photos. The site also is set up to grow, with interactive buttons for the practice areas.

Located in Woodland Hills, CA the office is especially geared for Los Angeles workers compensation law cases, but Attorney Hoegh is very well known for serious employment law litigation.

It has been a pleasure to work with Attorney Hoegh on the site launch, and VLM looks forward to the upcoming sections to be added: "What to Expect in Your Workers Comp Case" and "What to Expect in Your Employment Law Case".

Insurance Company Ranks Cities with Worst Drivers: Glendale, CA Near Bottom

2010-09-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

As reported in the Glendale News Press - Glendale, CA ranked 191 out of 193 cities for having the worst drivers in the latest "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report" The report is annually published by Allstate Insurance, and this is the third time in a row that the Southern California city has made the list.

The newspaper article also reports:

"In contrast 2008, Glendale ranked above average among similarly-sized cities for the number of fatal and injury-related traffic collisions, said Chris Cochran, a spokesman for the California Office and Traffic Safety."

Having spent much of my life living in Glendale, including residing on Glenoaks Blvd in Northwest Glendale (a busy six lane stretch, separated by a raised center divider) I know a lot about driving in the area I agree with the insurance report and but wonder what most Car Accident Lawyers in Los Angeles would think about the report. Driving in the Los Angeles is much different than driving in Ventura or Oxnard - but accidents still happen.

Glendale also is near the Angeles Crest Highway (Route 2) - which is one of the most dangerous roads in all of the United States. Fatalities occur too often, many of them involving recreational motorcyclists.

Ventura Bankruptcy Lawyer on Duty - Guarding Your Financial Rights

2010-09-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

Congratulations are in order for the newest site developed by Valley Lawyer Marketing - The Law Offices of Rounds and Sutter, LLP just launched a stunning site for their Ventura Bankruptcy Law Practice. The theme is original and the colors really make the site stand out. The content includes thirteen very specific topical pages about bankruptcy issues - and with addition of the basic site structure the total page number is over 20 pages. This amount of content really helps users and it also provides the proper structure for the search engines to understand what the website (and law office) has to offer visitors (potential clients).

The interior page format looks similar to the home page, but the main image is smaller and the email contact form is removed. Importantly, every interior page has a specific image to reinforce the topic.

One really cool aspect is the Spanish page link - it takes you to a translated home-page, complete with contact form info in Spanish, and a Spanish language disclaimer. This sets the stage for all the topical pages to eventually be translated.

This site is replacing a GoDaddy website tonight template, that was about nine pages and in existence for about 5 months. Proper 301 redirecting has been performed and we are very interested to see the search engine performance, especially given that major changes to Google's algorithm and search display have occurred in the last few weeks.

Los Angeles Construction Company WebSite Remodel and Relaunch

2010-08-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Los Angeles Construction Company Modaa Inc on the remodel and relaunch of their website. The redesign keeps the brand and feel of their older site, but adds much more content. This is one of the few non-attorney sites VLM has developed, and the relationship started from a referral. Actually this is the second site for Modaa, as VLM created the Los Angeles Handyman FixitDudes site. This is very typical with successful websites - one site leads to another!

Modaa Inc is involved with a variety of community and industry events, and online social media is one of their strong points. On the site they have links to the FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other accounts.

A few technical things to note: this new site is now running static urls compared to the javascript pages prior. This make the file name structure much more search engine and user friendly. It was a bit tricky to handle the 301 redirects, but it works. Here is a nice example - Google search for: Modaa at Mar Vista expo indicates this page www.modaainc.com/content_detail.jsp?number=20 but clicking on the link takes you to the new page: http://www.modaainc.com/Community.html. The 301 redirect not only takes the search engine user to the right page on the new site (since the old page no longer exists) but it also indicates to the search engines that the old page should be replaced by the new page. Eventually, he search engines will replace the info for the old page with the new page in their index, and the old page will no longer be served up in the search engines.

There is so much more to talk about this site, but not enough time today!

Updated Website Design - Employment Law for Dancers

2010-08-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

After a very successful, run of about 10 months, a website focusing on dancer's rights at gentleman's clubs has undergone a color scheme update and minor layout change. The exotic dancer legal rights site has been widened to 990p from 900. Overall the new color scheme is bolder and more modern (dark blue and white, with some orange accents, like rollover hyperlinks). Rounded corners have been excluded, and even the font has been modified. It is now larger, and spaced apart slightly more.

The three main images have had the resolution increased, and interactive menus pop up when the mouse is hovered over the main areas - Your Employer - Your Club - Your Pay. The goal of the "facelift" was to keep the familiarity of the old site, but make things stand out better and be more readable.

An additional page was added - about the claims against the adult entertainment industry. Serious issues.

I think the new site is much better statement and best of luck to the law firm and the people that can be helped.

Technology Not the Only Distraction for Drivers - Pets in Cars

2010-08-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

How many times have you seen a dog sitting in the lap of a driver? A recent survey conducted by the American Automobile Association (AAA) and Kurgo (a manufacturer of pet transportation products) where they surveyed 1000 dog owners. From the study:

More than half (55%) have pet their dog while driving
More than 1 in 5 (21%) allowed their dog to sit in their lap while driving.
31% of respondents admit to being distracted by their dog while driving
59% have participated in at least one distracting behavior while driving with their dog.

"Other distracting behaviors drivers admitted to include giving food and water to their dog (seven percent) and playing with their dog (five percent). These behaviors can distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that looking away from the road for only two seconds doubles your risk of being in a crash."

Although dogs add fun and companionship to our lives, pet owner need to be responsible while driving when they take along dogs. Liability in a car accident can depend on multiple factors, and being distracted by your dog can certainly contribute to an incident. Properly restraining your dog makes your driving better and protects you pet. A variety of precaution can be done, from seatbelt type restraints, to cargo area dividers.

Economic Indicators - Mortgages, Foreclosures, and Jobs

2010-08-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

Compiling a few facts about the economy:

Mortgage rates at lowest rate since 1971 - Freddie Mac 30 year fixed at 4.44%
Foreclosure trends - In July there were more than 325,000 foreclosure filings -- including notices of default (NODs), auctions notices and bank repossessions. That is the 17th month in a row total filings exceeded 300,000. Source - CNN and RealtyTrac's CEO, James Saccacio.
First-time filers for unemployment insurance rose to the highest level since late February - according to goverment reports.

The numbers above, especially the foreclosure and unemployment numbers, point to a stagnant econonmy. Although mortgage rates are low, the number of loans being processed is nowhere near ealier numbers - many people cannot qualify to for a loan or affTord to move. They may be underwater in their current home (from a Santa Barbara Bankruptcy Lawyer) or simply are incurring too much debt and are havng trouble keeping bills paid.

Another interesting economic indicator is the worker productivity numbers. Numbers have been increasing, until very recently. Employers may have to actually hire more in the near future. This would be key, because it would infuse money back into the economy, and hopefully push things forward.
However - consumer debt will still take some time to be brought under control - instead of bankruptcy - debt negotiation may be more common - but hard to track since settlements are not filed like bankruptcies.

Palmdale Accident Website - Relaunch

2010-08-08T23:14:00.000-07:00

The search engines keep good tabs on sites - having a site down for as little as a month can virtually make the site disappear from search engine results. Checking the indexed pages on Yahoo Site Explorer is a good way to tell what has happened to pages on a site as well.

Due to domain transferring issues and a site redesign, I've seen first hand how fast a site can drop out. Now I get to see how fast it can be-reindexed. The website for Palmdale & Lancaster Accidents was re-launched and it will be very interesting to see the traffic - comparing it to prior and seeing how long it takes to recover/surpsass where it was.

The new site includes a prominent contact/email area, and enhanced search functionality. The imagery color scheme and imagery is subdued, letting the content work to inform potential clients.

Future plans for the site include Spanish language content and specific images relating to the Palmdale and Lancaster Area.

HID Headlight Problems - Flickering and Intermittantly Shutting Off

2010-08-04T17:06:00.000-07:00

High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights offer super bright lighting for cars, but there are many recent reports of problems with HID lights that are frustrating consumers. A lawsuit was filed by California Attorneys against Volkswagen of America (on behalf of VW and Audi owners of certain models). The lawyers have a website, www.HIDproblems.com and you can also read about the filing - by doing various Google searches.

Specifically the suit names 2004-2009 Volkswagen or Audi years and models:

2004-2006 Volkswagen Touraeg

2008-2009 Audi TT

2006-2009 Audi A3

2005-2007 Audi A4

2007-2009 Audi A4 Cabriolet

2007 Audi Q7

But there may be others.

Traffic and Resutls: Google changes attorney websites

2010-07-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

Google made over 400 changes in the last year to the search output, algorithm, and databases. Sometimes the changes are noticeable, other times they aren't. And in some cases, the changes are significant enough they roll out a new name for everything; such as "caffeine".

What does this mean for law firm websites?
My impressions are that more weight is being given to sites with "trusted" urls and that Google Local Maps have really tuned into locations and topics more than regions..that is more and more actual local business are showing up.

Here is an example of what I mean by the Google Map Results of the search for: calabasas car accident lawyer

Only one firm listed has a non 818 area code. The other firms are located near Calabasas. This same search last year would have resulting in seeing many Los Angeles area law firms that had significant Google Maps presence.

Another example is for: canoga park dog bite lawyer

Again, law firms local to the area. What is notable are that three top listings are identical. They are close to the geographic location. Take a look at the three sites and there is something interesting to see. The three sites vary in graphic appeal. The personal injury attorneys Freeman & Freeman have the most interesting site by far. One of other two sites cannot compete visually.

So although the search engines may change, a good website can do its job with the people that find it. The search engines want to bring users to sites they like. Perhaps Google tracks click rates and bounce rates back to the map sections to determine what users like? Will that type of data be used in the newest versions?

Relationships and Social Media - Divorce Lawyers Finding Internet Information Useful in Settling Cases

2010-07-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

Clearly the internet has been a useful tool for divorce attorneys to be found by potential clients, but statistics reported by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) indicated that a large number of attorneys use social media to find information and evidence during cases. Heavily cited is FaceBook, where people share information, and depending on the sharing status settings, more people than intended may see information that someone cares to share. Even today, on AirTalk, Southern California Public Radio, the host and several attorney discussed how social media has changed the intricacies of a case.

One example was a person involved in a divorce claiming items/contested property had been stolen, but FaceBook photos surfaced of the items with him and his girlfriend were found that were taken after the alleged theft. They attorneys also discussed the ability of computer hard drives to be mirrored and searched by forensic experts, and keyword searches can turn up useful information and the status and activities of a spouse.

Several attorneys have told me about implications of internet searches of spouses involved in divorces. Ventura divorce lawyer Joan L. Collier, discuss the use of forensic professionals in property division on her website, and social media is just one avenue to explore.

Years ago if became very common to search the internet prior to meeting a person for the first time before you begin a relationship, like a blind date or a business service. Now people are searching the internet as they end relationships!

Ventura Personal Injury Attorney - Car Accidents and Serious Injuries

2010-07-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

After 6 months utilizing a compact website for personal injury issues, attorney Robert Jennings now has a comprehensive and detailed website about car accidents and other serious injuries. The 28 page site included 19 pages of specific content about injuries, most of them describe motor vehicle accident incidents such as freeway accidents, dangerous road, and rear-end collisions. The site also has a Spanish language page.

The design of the site is a mix of bold and subtle. Black, with some red highlights, and gray major portions work to highlight the images, which are different on most pages. The home page includes flash, designed as a storyline - ending with a photo of attorney Jennings in front of a courtroom. The home page also includes a very prominent contact form at the top right - while interior pages simply have a call to action link.

With so many detailed pages, adding to a existing site, this website is on the way to becoming prominently found by people looking for a car accident lawyer in Ventura. Expectations are high, and I actually posted back in May the story of this site and what to expect using a placeholder. I have already seen an increase in traffic, but that was from a small step - now there should be more visits and conversions.

Congratulations to Attorney Jennings on the new release!

Bankruptcy and Divorce - Family Law Attorneys Broaden Pratice Area

2010-06-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

Divorce and bankruptcy can happen simultaneously, and separating debt as well as property may not be that easy to do. Often a family law firm with assist with individuals and couples as they move through the bankruptcy processes. The Ventura County Family Law firm of Van Sickle and Associates, P.C. offers bankruptcy filing services in Ventura County, and they have just updated their websites with two pages of bankruptcy related information.

Essentially, filing for bankruptcy before or after divorce has implications that require couples to consider which option is better, and an experienced attorney can help. The Law firm has over 20 years of legal experience, and office in Thousand Oaks and Ventura.

Although medical issues are typically cited as one of the largest contributing factors to bankruptcy - divorce and bankruptcy do go hand in hand - but if marriage problems lead to financial problems, or financial stress leads to marriage problems is not easy stipulate as the norm. Relationships and financial situations vary by a number of factors - but in any case, assistance from a knowledgeable professional can help.

Backyard Injuries - Premises Liability Inflatable Bouncers

2010-06-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reported 1,993injuries associated with inflatable bouncers in 2001. In 2004 the estimated total was 4,900. Undoubtedly, that number is much greater today: simply drive through any suburban southern California neighborhood on a weekend an practically any home celebrating a child's birthday will have a bouncy house for party entertainment.

Trampolines are often thought to be dangerous backyard toys, as many homeowner insurance companies exclude them from policies, due to homeowner premises liability issues. but the sheer number of bouncers in use make for very interesting statistics and many accidents.

Below is the first study of injures an bouncers -
Tigran Avoian, MD, et al. Inflatable Bouncer-Related Fractures in Children. In Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics. September 2008. Vol. 28. No. 6. Pp. 656-659.

The study was conducted by physician examining the records at Children's Hospital, Los Angeles., of 49 trauma injuries due to bouncers. Most injuries occurred when children of different sized and ages were in the bouncer together.

Notably, over half the injuries that were examined in the study occurred due to a lack of adult supervision.

http://www.saferparks.org/safety/risk_factors/inflatables.php lists some great safety tips.

New Site for Attorney Group Located in Westlake Village, CA

2010-06-13T21:29:00.000-07:00

A group of independent attorneys who share some common resources has just launched their redesigned website. The Westlake Law Group currently consists of three experienced attorneys, in disparate practice areas covering legal issues in Ventura County: Health Insurance Law, Employment Law, Personal Injury, Business Litigation, Criminal Law, and Estate Planning.

The website includes bright colors and local imagery from Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Malibu, Ventura and the hills of Southern California. The site has over 17 pages of content and is set up with a easy navigation and color system. The layout really allows the site to grow, by making each practice area its own overview page, you can quickly scan and zip around the site. If I was looking for a Thousand Oaks or Westlake Village Lawyer, this site would impress me.

This site has some great personal touches, I actually took the photos of the office building, the Thousand Oaks Center, and parts of Westlake. The other photography is royalty free images that are purchased from iStock photo.

Since this site is built on an existing domain, with good page rank - I anticipate great search engine results sooner than later. I did have to spend a significant amount of time handling 301 redirects from the old pages - I've found some neat tools to do this, and I will post on them later.

GM Announces Recall of 1.5 Million Cars, Trucks Because of Potential Fire Risks

2010-06-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

Toyota's unintended acceleration crisis seems to have opened up a torrent of recalls, as auto makers rush to admit safety defects that would place consumers at risk. There have been a spate of recalls, and the most recent one comes this week from General Motors.
GM has announced a massive recall of 1.5 million vehicles, including cars and trucks. The company says that there is a wiring problem with the heater windshield wiper system that could cause short-circuiting, and contribute to a fire. The recall spans across the board, and includes a number of sports utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and passenger cars that were manufactured between 2006 and 2009.

General Motors says it has information of at least five fires. However, there have been no injuries, accidents or fatalities resulting from these files. General Motors is asking consumers to contact dealers to have the system turned off. GM is also offering a $100 refund in compensation for the lost feature. GM will not be replacing the feature or installing a new one in its place. That's because the company that used to make the system that was used in the recalled vehicles, has closed down.

The General Motors recall comes just a few days after the Chrysler recall that involved more than 34,000 Dodge Calibers and 90 Jeep Compasses. For the class action attorney and the consumer alike, it's hard to be shocked at any recall announced anymore. We have all become so inured to massive recalls, especially with the large numbers that were involved in the Toyota recalls.

Every time a recall is announced however, it only brings home to every class action attorney the need for strong support for a new auto safety bill that is expected to be introduced in the U.S. Senate. That bill will include greater powers for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to announce a recall, and equipment of all cars with advanced break over ride systems and black box data recorders.

High Net Worth Divorce Attorney - California Divsion of Property Lawyer

2010-06-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

Another new site launch! Congratulations to Family Law Attorney Barton Pokras for the recent launch of his website Ventura-Divorce.com. A beautiful site, with deep blue water, a white sailboat, and light blue backgrounds. The interior images are all local California places, with subtle relationships to the pages on which they are placed. For example, on a the page about hidden assets, there is a photo of a secluded cove and on a page detailing divorce options, there is a photo of a trail in the hills separating into two paths.

Attorney Pokras is a very seasoned and skilled family law practitioner. He has over 20 years of legal experience, and his legal education includes law degrees from the University of California, Hastings School of Law and Golden Gate University. With a J.D and a L.L.M (Masters in Laws) from California institutions and career in practicing law in California, he understand California marriage, support, and community property laws and can assist clients with a wide range of complicated issues.

The site details common divorce issues, but also describes matters involving high net worth divorces, such as real estate investments and business partnerships.

Congrats again Attorney Pokras!

Great Design - Los Angeles Handyman Services

2010-06-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to FixitDudes, who now have a very nice website for their Los Angeles Handyman Services. A very clean site, with personality. From the eco green to drawings of the owner and his associate, this site stands out!

This site is an example of how Valley Attorney Marketing can help anyone, not just law firms. Every once in a while we've revamped or started a brand new site for a company, based on referral.

This site uses much of the best practices for successful internet marketing. Phone number on the top right, contact form accessibility, H1 and title tags. Spread out text, with bullet points. Geoblock footer.

The site has plenty of pages of information about all their home repair services. They do it all: electrical, carpentry, outdoor, plumbing, patching and painting.

The site will be growing, with the addition of how-to videos and lot of photos.

Recent Bankruptcy Data - CA 8th per capita in nation

2010-05-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

The newest bankruptcy numbers are in, reported by Reuters. The filing level is almost near the 2005 record number, and some sates have seen a dramatic increase. Overall, numbers are up 4% since the previous quarter, and Arizona saw an increase of 69% in filings over the last year - the largest increase in any federal district.

Some interesting numbers over 70% of filings were chapter 7 and over 25% were chapter 13. It should be noted that chapter 7 can be used for personal as well as business debt. Many attorneys handle only chapter 7, and it is apparent why, as most filings represent debt discharge.

By checking out the data source (the American Institute of Bankruptcy) I was able to generate a graph o non business filings in the Central District of California - near one of VLM's client Dennis Shea, a lawyer whose practice type is Bankruptcy in Santa Barbara. What an upward trend from 2006 to 2009!

Adding Content to a Placeholder Site - Scalabiltity and Cost Effective

2010-05-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

Several months ago Valleys Lawyer Marketing created a Family Law focused web site for Attorney Robert Jennings. Attorney Jennings had immediate success with the site, and decided that he may want to pursue a similar web presence for his personal injury practice. A plan was created to create a site in stages.

A domain name, similar in brand to his first site was secured. (www.rpjdivorcelaw.com and www.rpjaccidentlaw.com).
A basic site was created with no practice area pages, using the first site as graphic template. (Not too long, Google PageRank was evident for both sites, a 3 and a 1 respectivley - the richer content divorce site obviously held a better PageRank).
Today, 6 pages of of Automobile accident content was added to the site, including an overview page.

This is an interesting exercise in analytics - as the auto accident site has had tracking, but low traffic due to the minimal amount of content. The long term plan is to revamp the site graphic design, but this step in content should be very visible to the search engines. I will post the before/after trends, and update it again after the site design and even more content get added.

Motorcyle Speed Wobbles - Not Unusual. Design Flaw or Normal?

2010-04-30T15:23:00.000-07:00

Speed wobble - a term used when a vehicle starts to feel unstable once a certain speed as been achieved. For me, my first experience was back in my youth while skateboarding. It would happen if I got moving too fast downhill. But speed wobbles can go beyond just moving too fast - some vehicles can exhibit instability even at low speeds due to vibrational resonance. Even large structures can be affected, such as bridges (Google "Tacoma Narrows Bridge" for the classic oscillation resonance example).

I don't know too much about this effect in motorcycles, but the Law offices of Robert Starr is investigating speed wobbles and weaves in motorcycles. A small website has been created - www.bikerwobble.com.

This is the just one of the many web sites that helps Attorney Starr and people on the internet connect. The site is right to the point, and is minimal is content. But, it is unique and that can be one of the biggest factors in search engine and conversion success.

Classical Design - Really ..... Classical Music

2010-04-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

Professionals of all sorts should have a web presence - and at LouiseDiTullio.com you can see what a world renown flutist has on her website. The site has two main design goals - 1) an introduction to her skill and expertise, and 2) highlighting the release of her newest album.

This site was efficiently created, and has some very personal significance to me - Ms. DiTullio is the mother of one of my best friends - Someone I've known for over 30 years. I've heard her music throughout that time - and you have too, as she has performed in over 1200 movie scores - including the Godfather, Jaws, E.T, - the list is impressive.

San Fernando Valley Estate Planning Website Launch

2010-04-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

Congratulations are in order for the new Los Angeles estate planning focused website for attorney Jonathan Leventhal. A very clean, professional, and warm site design. The site has perfect tone for people interested in learning about estate planning options. Over 15 pages of content covering estate planning aspects such as CA wills & trusts, special needs, living wills, and more. This is great source of info, even including a glossary of estate planning terms.

Marketing wise- the site details how the attorney's practice is different than other lawyers. For starters, attorney Leventhal offers his clients assurance that he will return calls within 2 business days - even putting his money where his mouth is and offering a $100 credit of his legal feels if he fails to do so! The site also indicates how he is the primary contact - not a paralegal or assistant.

Attorney Leventhal is no beginner to internet marketing, as he has used other services in the past (including running his own business online prior to law school). I am very proud to say that he chose to work with me and is now a client of Valley Lawyer Marketing.

Answering Services for Attorneys - Phone Call Efficiency for Lawyers

2010-03-25T19:51:00.000-07:00

Having seen a law firm's practice dramatically change for the better due to internet marketing, I'd like to mention a very good problem to have, and what to do about it.

Finding time to handle incoming calls.

Not only is attorney time an issue, but also the client screening process and the impression that the client receives is critical.

In regard to attorney time, being too busy to answer the phone may allow you to focus on the case at hand, but the opportunity cost loss may be much larger than the current issue being addressed. Let's face it, if you were found online, you were just one option that the potential client had.

Client screening is another factor. Some lawyers have very capable staff that know the right questions to ask. But in many cases, receptionists fail to collect the right information. Asking about the nature of the call and taking proper notes can save attorneys tons of time. During this "intake", the basic merits of a case may be established, and if warranted the call can be routed immediately to the proper person in the firm.

Finally, the overall impression that potential client is given includes the phone call experience. Did anyone answer? Friendly, but professional? Can a meeting be set right up? When is a call back expected? etc.

Lawyers need to consider all the above. It really makes a big difference. I've been asked many times about how a website looks, what I think of the office decor, which portrait photo of the attorney should go on the website,etc - but attorneys also need to consider the phone intake process and what the voice mail message says, as monitor the types of calls and the business that results.

In fact, when I am asked about call services - I do have a resource to point them to for reception and messaging. Alert Communications Attorney Services has an impressive client list of over 150 law firms, and really has got it right. They have 24 hour services, Spanish services, and are very in-tune with attorney needs. For example, bankruptcy attorneys can have specific instructions read to calls from a client's creditors. How much time would that save?

Eventually I will compile a list of resources and services for law firms - such as calling services like above. I plan to include rental spaces/virtual offices, message centers, professional photographers, and private investigators (I've been asked about that last one a lot!)

Law-Blog.org - Informative site about news affecting the legal community

2010-03-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

I've had much more of interest in website and blog design lately (compared to content, content, content), and www.law-blog.org is a nice example of content with that is not overpowered by design. A simple white page, with large title name and description next to a laptop and gavel - works much better than it sounds like it would.

The blog was launched in the second half of 2009, and now enjoys a PR1. Each post is very thorough and typically includes a quality image that is related to the content. For example, in the article about text messaging that describes "sextexting/sexting" as well as text messaging as a distraction for drivers the image used is that of a smartphone keypad with fingers across the keys. The use of good imagery really makes a difference - one can imagine the range of very inappropriate images that could be used - and unfortunately too many law firms and legal related blogs use designs and images that detract more than enhance the content.

Lauch of Bankruptcy focused web site for Santa Barbara

2010-03-11T22:33:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Santa Barbara Bankruptcy Lawyer Dennis Shea on launching a web site dedicated to helping people on the Central Coast with Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The site has a very focused them - get help from a experienced attorney, local to you. Dennis has lived in Santa Barbara for over 20 years and has been an attorney for over 25 years. As a big plus, the bankruptcy court is located just up the street from his office on State St. in downtown Santa Barbara.

The design of the site is a very soothing tone of blue, that helps with the contrasting image of money dropping out of a piggy bank. The content is very compact, with hardly any wasted space, but very clear and concise (contact form, office location, site navigation).

This site is a brand new domain, but given that bankruptcy is a very popular legal practice area right now, I am sure this site will do very well.

Site Makeover - Spray Tanning

2010-03-08T22:40:00.000-08:00

Every once in while I post about a non-lawyer website - but I do try to make it relevant to internet marketing. Check out the redesigned site for Elegant Spray Tan, a mobile service for spray tanning in Ventura. The company is owned by the wife of one of my friends, and I just completed a design makeover. The original site was a GoDaddy.com website tonight template, which are pretty decent platforms to start with (my www.valleylawyermarketing.com site is still on that platform, but look for it to change soon - I did just switch another site away form the template, I'll post on that soon, too).

The www.elegantspraytan.com site had existing content and some decent SEO practices (title tags, geo-block, etc), so I did not change any of that. It will be very interesting to see how much the conversion rates increase due to the design. After seeing that baseline, adding more SEO and copy should really drive the visitors and conversions. One thing that would be a huge benefit to this site - video of the tanning process!

Bankruptcy Attorney in Los Angeles - Putting Clients First

2010-03-05T22:38:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Woodland Hills bankruptcy attorney Jonathan Leventhal on his recent website launch - an upgrade from a template site. I met Jonathan last summer and his commitment to his clients was immediately evident. In addition to free consultations in his pleasant office, he assures his clients a prompt return of any phone calls.
Even on his web site, one can see his attention to detail and desire to inform his clients about options for bankruptcy and debt relief. His site has content dedicated to chapter 7, chapter 13, time-line for bankruptcy, and a comprehensive glossary of terms used in bankruptcy.

Regarding the design elements of his site, it is notable that the domain name and the primary imagery do match well - wrapping up debt and crumpled paper going into the trash - neat! The design is really special in that Jonathan provided the concept. The site also has some cool subtleties like the faded "LEVENTHAL" text.

Congrats!

Los Angeles Attorney for Consumer Rights - Debt Colleciton and Tenant Rights

2010-03-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

A website dedicated to helping consumers affected by the current economic conditions has been launched by attorney Robert Starr. The website addresses unfair debt collection practices and tenant rights, including issues affecting renters in properties undergoing foreclosure. There are over 10 pages of optimized content on the site, and I believe this site will have a good presence in the Los Angeles market.

This layout of the site is very clean and the imagery is right to the point, using the Statue of Liberty on a blue background. There is also a transparent image of the state of California behind the text. Contact information is on every page, including a email form function.

More news about auto defects and accidents - Toyota Sudden Acceleration

2010-02-26T22:05:00.000-08:00

The Los Angeles times is reporting about Toyota deliberately withholding evidence in safety lawsuits. The article details how documents were not disclosed during litigation involving rollover accidents, and the author cities a New York politician's worry about information regarding the current safety issues regarding sudden acceleration accidents.

Besides the fact the I know attorneys involved in personal injury litigation - these stories are very interesting to me because I currently have 2 Toyota automobiles. A hybrid Camry (unaffected by the recall, but I was confused and concerned for some time) and a Sienna minivan - which is currently at dealer as I type this. My minivan is at the dealer for a recall issue involving the struts on the rear hatch, but I am also having them investigate a burned out HID bulb- which at 60,000 miles should not be burned out. The bad news is that it appears that the headlight housing and power control box may need replacement - this will be over $1000 in parts and $200 in labor -for a light-bulb! It is so expensive because the HID Xenon bulb ($300 at the dealer, $150 at an auto parts store), the housing is ~$400 (there is water condensation in mine at this point indicating a seal issue, and they must drop the bumper ($200) to replace it. If the control box is shot- I bet that will be another stack of large bills. This is all a result of high technology gone wrong - The bulb did not last as long as it should, the features of HID and level control are not really needed - I loose in the end! Compare and contrast that a bulb in my third car costs about $20 tops and the actual assembly is $70!

My rant is a just a financial parallel to a much more important issue - how complicated do cars have to be and be safe - do extra features impair safety?

Thousand Oaks, Ventura County Family Law and Divorce Lawyers

2010-02-25T17:57:00.000-08:00

A Thousand Oaks Family Law Firm, with twenty five years of experience helping people in Ventura County - Van Sickle & Associates, P.C.. Here's a clean website design, with perfect imagery on each page. The home page has a rotating flash sequence of father/child, mother/child, and of course oak tress on a California hillside. Additioanlly, each interior page on the site has a related photo. For example, the divorce and legal separation page has a picture of a California couple sitting at opposite ends of park bench, and the paternity page has a cute photo of a newborn.

I really like this site's "feel". Professional, yet warm. The attorney profile section is complete with staff photos - always a good conversion tool for potential clients.

Keep an eye out for more content to be added onto this site - and for the launch of their new blog.

Attorney-Pages.net launched - Web Sites for Lawyers

2010-02-15T22:09:00.000-08:00

Attorney-Pages.net has just been launched, as a resource for lawyer websites. It was a quickly developed site, and it will be growing and changing over the next few weeks. The site has some nice features that I've been manipulating - flash, image galleries of lawyer website designs, and even a favicon.

The site is not overly content-rich, but it has a very nice design and it straightforward in the message: How does your site measure up?

I will also be adding some special sections to help people analyze their own site - heat maps, SEO comparison tools, and branding tips. But unlike print- nothing is set and things may be changing quite often. For example - orange is a cool, tech color, but in 8 months it may be old news. Easy enough to change in the digital age.

Rain, Rain, Mudsildes in La Canada and La Crescenta

2010-02-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

Last September, the station fire was right across the valley from my home, and it greatly affected the lives of my immediate family and my in-laws. I blogged a lot about the status of the fire and evacuations, and I had many visitors to the blog and many comments about how people found the information useful.

In the last few weeks there have been some rainstorms that forced additional evacuations in the La Canada area, especially around Ocean View Blvd. (where my mother-in-law lives just above Foothill Blvd, and where my sister-in-law lives just above Rock Castle and below Paradise Valley).

The last storm wasn't too bad, but was very popular on the news - however, this current storm has really done some damage up there. From my in-laws, I've heard that people are not to leave thier homes, or they may not be able to return - and up above rock castle, it is pratically impossible to drive a normal car due to mud on streets. I was also told of some damage to homes on Fairhurst St.

Coincidentally, I've been working on a website for an attorney who focuses on property damage to homes in California, Terry R. Bailey. His site is still being developed, but here is a peek at the new design.

The site will likely launch next week, and I'm sure the recent conditions will drive a lot of web traffic and business to his firm. During the creation of his site I noticed that one of his cases actually ivolved the property of a friend of mine in Northern California! Small world!

As for the current conditions, I will try to post more about any developments. I've asked my in-laws to take a few photos of the damage around the neighborhood, and perhaps I can get them up on this site.

Stay safe and dry!

Largest Recall in U.S. History Gets Complicated - Toyota and 5 Million Cars

2010-01-29T10:26:00.000-08:00

If you've been following the news. you seem the many stories about Toyota and the recalls involving the gas pedals and acceleration control. The initial recall of about 4 million vehicles happened in September of 2009, involving Camry and a few other vehicles was expanded this week by adding another 1.1 million - a few additional models.

I've been hearing lots of varying stories about the cause - floormats, pedal design, springs in the assembly that can't work properly if too much moisture is present. Toyota has said that their are two separate issues. One thing I can say as the owner of a 2009 Camry Hybrid - I have not received any notices vial mail- I've only learned of the recall via TV and internet news. I do know that recalls can get very complicated and at least one attorney I am familiar with handles auto recall issues - Robert L. Starr in Woodland Hills, CA.

The recall has been one of the most searched and reported news topics over the last few days, Especially since Toyota has decided not to even sell new models of the recalled cars until fixes are in - the timing right around financial reporting of last quarter really generates a buzz: Today, Yahoo lists "auto recalls" has number 7 in search trends.

Ventura Divorce Lawyer - Attorney Focused on Family Law

2010-01-19T17:13:00.000-08:00

Joan L. Collier has just launched her new website, detailing here focus on family law issues in Ventura County. The site is clean, detailed, and has very nice images throughout the site. The attorney focused home page image and flash are a good balance with the white space, logo and colors. The individual images throughout the site are very specific and aid the focus of each page.

Joan helps those in Ventura County with Divorce, Custody, and Support matters, including guardianship and dependency. She is very familiar with the family law courts, having interned there while in law school. Her office is located in Oxnard - but keep an eye out for her in the search engines - she'll be there often!

Heavy Rain and Car Accidents - Injury Statistics

2010-01-18T09:38:00.000-08:00

The rain is here and it is not pretty on the roads. In fact, in my drive yesterday of 60 miles round trip, I saw the aftermaths of 4 major car crashes. This morning,I did hear a blurb on the local TV news about car accidents in bad weather being 3x more common in the rain. So I tried to do a little research

Looking at the California Highway Patrol Website - in 2007 over 100 deaths and almost 8000 injurys occurred during poor weather conditions.
Research studies show that highway unsafety increseas as the weather declines, and higher traffic volume areas are more impated. (spinning out on an empty road not so bad - on a buse freeway not so good.)

Other concerns include the flooding of streets - esepcially in desert valley areas (like southern California, Arizona, and Nevada) trapping people in cars, and accidents when a car hits a pedistrian due to poor visablility.

The rain here is going to be non-stop for the next 7 days - perfect time to stay home and work on your website- maybe adding some content about accidents injury types like in this site for Las Vegas Accident Lawyers. Or adding sections about rain,snow, fog and road condition factors in auto accidents.

Southern California Business Litigation Attorney

2009-12-21T01:41:00.000-08:00

Attorney Kenneth Chyten has just launched his very detailed custom website for his Business Law Practice in Ventura County. The site has a very clear message and uses flash imagery to complement the theme. I also like the professional color scheme - dark red/maroon and black over white.

Some practice areas that Ken focuses on for business and real estate issues: Breach of Contract, Failure to Disclose, Construction Defects, and Fraud.

With a top-notch education and stellar professional experience (over 30 years of practice and 500 cases!) why not have a great looking website to ensure people can find you online and what they see reflects your practice.

Congrats on the site Ken!

Family Law Website - Conejo Valley, Ventura County

2009-11-11T17:07:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Robert P. Jennings on the launch of his new family law website. Robert’s office is located in Oxnard and he handles divorce in Ventura County, as well as other family law issues: Custody, Support, and Relocation.

His website has very clear user navigation as well as nice imagery (a picture of the Old Ventura Courthouse is the main image, the office building is on every page, and his profile has a professional portrait photograph).

This website follows some of the best practices used for lawyer websites and Internet marketing - focus, easy to navigate, multiple pages, and plenty of calls to action.

Robert is a Ventura local, having grown up and played high school football in the area. Interestingly, he is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese!

Criminal Defense Law Firm Website - Good Reason to be Mobile Device Ready

2009-10-29T00:05:00.001-07:00

Having a nice looking website is important for attorneys, but having it look nice on a desktop or laptop computer might only be part of the picture. Many mobile devices are web enabled and it is a best practice to make sure your website appears correctly on iPhones, Blackberry's etc.

One instance in which I can see this of real benefit: Domestic violence accusations. The police have been called on the accused, who has removed himself or herself form the situation (perhaps outside the residence waiting in a car). Unable to access a personal computer for help from an attorney ASAP, the accused might use a mobile device to search for a domestic violence attorney in Los Angeles. How many sites will be unreadable? How many will look as good as the site I've got pictured?

Chicago Commercial Construction Website

2009-10-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

Mark Aguilar recently launched his first website for his Chicago Commercial Construction Company. A great screenshot of the downtown skyline (familiar to me from my days in the wind city!) is the main image of the site, but the text and logo support the business type.

Mark's main goal in this website was to be found by referrals, and timing of the site launch was important as a trade publication was reporting about his recent projects throughout the area.

The information on the site details the commercial and residential work - from remodeling to complete teardown and building.

Of course, a detailed bio is available - one of the most important pages on a site - all about the person you may be doing business with.

Driving Under the Influence (DUI), Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), "502" and the "duece"

2009-10-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

The title of this post had the common name of the drunk driving charge here in California, as well as a misnomer, and some slang terms. Many of these terms are used in website URL's, html titles, anchor text, etc to try and gain search traffic. However- just a few terms aren't going to be a substitute for an overall SEO, COPY, and Design approach. Check out the top ten websites for any search for a los angeles dui lawyer and see what you think compared to the site I've included in the anchor text.

Having just the right amount of marketing copy is often what makes a site with even marginally effective SEO work better than sites that dominate the SERP (search engine results page) for a term. I've even been told by an attorney client how an accused went back and forth between several websites and that the attorney's site just "spoke" to her.

Ever read "Made to Stick" by Chip & Dan Heath?

Niche Marketing - Being Found by the Right People- Dancers!

2009-10-22T22:29:00.000-07:00

Marketing vs. Advertising - In a perfect approach, you advertise to your market, therefore you are not wasting time trying to give your message to someone who doesn't need it. With respect to legal marketing websites, much emphasis is given on "focus". Is it a personal injury website only dealing with say, dog bites? Good. Is it a website talking about estate planning and criminal defense? Not so good. The message in your website is diluted down. Add too many practice areas and your website may become useless to potential new clients.

Targeting works - check out the new site from Robert Starr, dealing with employment law for dancers, showgirls, and strippers. Can't get too much more focused than that! Over 10 pages of content about wage & hour, harassment, & the overall treatment of dancers by club managers and owners.

There are some very neat focused sites for the practice of law throughout the country. This one seems pretty unique.

Domestic Violence - California statistic about criminal defense.

2009-10-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Times recently reported some domestic violence statistics from the Judicial Council of California; Assembly Bill 590 - by Jane C. Murphy.

90% Percent of litigants in domestic violence cases currently appearing without counsel

That is a surprising high number, and perhaps it is due to the common occurrence of accusers
"taking back" what they had said in order to help the accused. From White Goldstein (www.whitegoldlaw.com), a Los Angeles Domestic Violence Defense Lawyer website.

The accuser cannot simply “make the charge go away.” Once an accusation is made,
the law enforcement agency and the prosecutor working on your case are in
complete control..... it is within the sole discretion of the prosecutor to
decide whether the charges are justified and whether there is sufficient
evidence to pursue the case.

It is easy to see how things can get out of hand pretty fast in court - defendants may start off thinking that the charges will be dropped - but the result may be very different, even requiring help beyond the criminal court if family situations are at risk. For example, child custody and Child Protective Services may be affected/required. This is why having an attorney is very important - to ensure all loose ends are taken care of.

Google Trends as a consumer reflection - Car Repossesion, Loan modification, & Lemon Law

2009-10-17T08:36:00.001-07:00

Is Google the most powerful database ever? Check out the neat graph generated from Goolge Trends- showing search volume for Car Repossesion, Loan modification, & Lemon Law.

There are scale adjutments to keep in mind, but the trend is what shows the big picture.

People are searching less and less for info about lemon law, becuase - car sales are way down. Repossession search terms have been increasing, as people are defaulting on secured loans - that they are willing to give up. And loan modification takes the cake. I should also mention that loan modification is one of the most searched terms in the is blog as well, especially loan modification advance fees.

What a story of the consumer economy - generated in just a few seconds. Interestingly, the recent downturn in search trends might be an indicator of the "recovery" we are hearing about.

Relatedto what Internet Marketing for Attorneys, although the search volume is too low to scale now, I suspect we will see rises in search terms about the legal issues invlolving debt collection harassment, and vehicle deficiency judgments.

Los Angeles Employment Lawyer - in the News

2009-09-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

The Law Offices of Rheuban & Gresen have been in the news a lot lately regarding their case in which they represent a Burbank Police Officer. Much of the story can be found here:http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS210755+22-Jul-2009+GNW20090722. The case is quite interesting, involving a highly decorated Narcotics Officer who was fired. To quote Attorney Solomon Gresen -

"The facts of this case further demonstrate that Detective Dunn's termination
was racially motivated and made strictly in retaliation for his complaints of
harassment and discrimination, and the complaint made against him was totally
without merit."

This case has been picked up by many news outlets, including the Los Angeles Daily News, The Burbank Leader, The Los Angeles Times, and LAPD.com (Los Angeles Police Protective League).

Undoubtedly this is driving a lot of internet traffic to the website, where visitors can read the depth of content about California Employment Law. The legal issues are very detailed, topics such as termination, discrimination, retaliation, retirement benefits claims, & much more.

The design of the website is a very understated, yet super professional look. The colors invoke wisdom and experience, and the columns, scales of justice, and gavel are subtle, yet powerful to provide legal imagery.

The office did recently move into the San Fernando Valley, and I look forward to continued success for the firm.

Station fire la crescenta briggs terrace fire updates

2009-08-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

More following up on a new post - following up on http://valleylawyermarketing.blogspot.com/2009/08/station-fire-near-la-canada-la.html

at 1:12 PM sunday the wind has increased, blowing smolke to the north west.

The tip of Mt. Lukens has some large flames, at the west end neat the towers.

Most of the hills above La Crescenta look okay, but there is a lot of smoke in a pocket, just at tree line. I can't tell where it is, but my guess is pickens?

It is scary how low that spot is, but I can't tell if it is near homes.

Some other resources:
http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1856/
http://www.lacanadaflintridge.com/

UPDATE 4:04 PM
Mt Lukens towers - fire just below -structures look okay.
Smoke along ridgeline way above La Crescenta homes, just east of lukens.

UPDATE 6PM
Here's a photo of Lukens.
No homes appear threatened.
Family who live up near the top Oceanview were allowed back.

to the East, it looks pretty bad

UPDATE MONDAY 3:50 PM

There are hot spots and flames just above home , west of briggs terrace, I think above La Crescenta Ave. near the water tanks. Winds are strong, and it looks really close to the houses.

station fire near la canada - La Crescenta Briggs terrace

2009-08-29T14:48:00.001-07:00

(THIS BLOG IS NORMALLY ABOUT LEGAL MARKETING, BUT SINCE I LIVE NEAR THE FIRES, I AM TRYING TO UPDATE IT TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED. - THIS POST MAY BE OUTDATED, SO CHECK THE MAIN PAGE)

This is a pic taken about 1 PM - the station fire that had spread nest mt Lukens - I have never seen so much smoke billow up so fast. It was like watching time lapse video.

I live on the on the mountains across from the hills on fire - the Station Fire near La Canada.

News coverage is pretty bad, and homes are threatened. Right now two sets of in-laws have evacuated their homes, and are staying with my family.

So far I can't see any homes in the path, it all seems above the homes.

Helicopters are flying past and I think they are on their way to the Altadena Fire.

I will post another picture soon.

UPDATE 3:30 PM
the smoke above Lukens is nothing like before - spread out and not billowing.
Just heard from a neighboor that santa carlotta near briggs got notices to evacuate
here's a pic of pickens I think- you can see the ravines/canyons and a helicopter making a drop.

Copters are now water dropping over the area and are not flying directly to atladena. I haven't seen any planes dropping anything.

UPDATE 6:30

So far houses in La Crescenta , look okay. Lots more fire. Some flare up on Luken, west of the towers. Seeing some planes, but haven't see them drop.

UPDATE 7:42 PM

Houses still look safe, but fires just above. We've heard that Crescenta Valley High School is now an evacuation center. Still seeing more planes, but no drops.

Flames are huge, up the hill pretty much to the top in various spots. In the picture to the left their are hot lines up and above the top left part.

SUNDAY MORNING 7:30 AM

Smoke and fog in the valley makes it impossible to see across hill. News reports say homes in Briggs Terrace and up Ocean View are still okay. Air quality is bad, my eyes hurt, and even indoors it smells like smoke. I'll shoot a photo when a breeze lifts the smoke a little.

SUNDAY past noon 12:28

I can see the homes now. Nice to see the ridges and canyons don't have a ton of smoke or flames. Briggs seems fine.

There is one flare up, that is aggressively being water dropped by helicopters. It is below one the the houses.

In the pic to the left, is is in the thick area of smoke, on the right side.

Los Angeles Employment Contracts Lawyer Launches Website

2009-08-28T15:15:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Lin Meyer for the recent launch of her website detailing employment law issues in southern California.

Lin has a great deal of experience: her prior positions at large international law firms as well as at a smaller local boutique firm enabled her to see many types of legal issues.

One area that Lin has special interest in is employment matters pertaining to non compete and business agreements in California, especially within executives in the entertainment industry.

Laywers in trouble for Loan Modifications - Up Front Fees & No Results

2009-08-27T22:01:00.000-07:00

Loan modification is one of the most common keywords leading visitors to this blog (web traffic is tracked here too), and I've blogged about clients who are both providing loan modification services to clients, as well has helping those that have been defrauded by companies.

Looking at the traffic just in the last month, ~25% of keyword traffic involved the work "loan", and ~5% had the word "scam" with it. Obviously, people are looking for information. I did a little digging my self and searched for issues with loan modifications - there was plenty to be found!

I found testimony about investigation and complaints against attorneys the from the Chief Trial Counsel from the State Bar of California
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/testimony_-_drexel,_ca_state_bar.pdf

Documents detailing the FTC and a company called the Federal Loan Modification Law Center
http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/0923070/090626fedloancmpt.pdf

Also California Attorney General Jerry Brown has sued United First and others (21 individuals and 14 companies)

News is out there about people who can help, and believe it, this blog has helped connect attorneys, clients, and even reporters who want info about Loan Modification scams. Last March I blogged about Robert Starr's actions against loan modification companies his interview on FOX11LA. This was before all the news above about lawyers getting themselves in trouble with taking upfront fees and doing little to help clients. Robert has updated his site with even more information about Loan Modification, including attorney involvement in upfront fees.

Phone Books/Yellow pages advertising for Attorneys - Lawyers pulling out?

2009-08-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

The latest issue of a yellow pages book arrived to my house, and when I browsed the attorney section - I was surprised at the many blank spots - quarter page and larger. Maybe I never noticed that this is common (since having internet access over the last 15 yrs, I've always thrown phone books into the recycling) or maybe it is a sign of the times.

A few questions and my best guesses in parenthesis. Any one with experience care to comment?

Are law firms pulling out of the yellow pages? (yes)
Are law firms waiting until the last minute to renew their ads, and when no renewal happens the books don't have time or can't afford to re-do the layout?
Are open spaces left as as placeholders for selling the ads? Do they want so many open?(probably not)

The answers are pretty obvious - and the direction is clear, yellow pages will continue the decline that has been happening. Content just isn't there- consumers what information, not just a listing.

Where do they go? To the search engines!

Los Angeles to Orange County - Legal Marketing Consultant

2009-08-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

Typically, blog posts here are about using the internet to help attorneys get clients. Once in a while there's a post about the people thst help make it happen - and this is one of them: Sally Janavicius is now helping attorneys and law firms in Orange County. Sally spent a few years working with lawyers on the west side of Los Angeles (Century City & Beverly Hills),and she's moved down the coast to Newport Beach.

She now has a new website and blog that detail a lot about what happens for lawyers in Newport Beach & the OC. Her blog and have great branding and are perfect places for attorneys to learn how to get more and better clients. Congrats on the move and new sites Sally!

San Fernando Valley Bankruptcy Lawyer in Woodland Hills - Jonathan Leventhal

2009-08-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Law Office of Jonathan Leventhal has just launched a website focused on helping people in the San Fernando Valley with bankruptcy issues. Jonathan's office is right in the Warner Center Towers of Woodland Hills, not too far from the courts.

The website is a very warm hue of brown, with legal and professional imagery. The content represents Jonathan's up-front approach to the law, and his commitment to his clients' needs. Attorney Leventhal knows how important it is to exceed expectations in personal/business matters. Prior to opening his own law practice, he successfully started and operated two different business ventures.

He now focuses on helping people with thier legal needs, and his website is very detailed about the bankruptcy process. Over eight pages of content, including on overview of Chapter 7, and stopping creditor harrasment.

Los Angeles Mediation, Collaborative Law, and Certified Family Law Specialists

2009-07-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Cari Pines, Donna Laurent, and Heidi Lauer on the launch of their Family Law website for the recently formed partnership- Pines, Laurent & Lauer, LLP, a Practice Devoted to Family Law in Southern California.

The website has sixteen pages total, including detailed biographies of each partner and two articles that were recently published in Valley Lawyer (the San Fernando Valley Bar Association's monthly magazine). There are four specific practice area pages on the website:

Divorce
Child Custody & Support
Special Needs Children
Mediation and Collaborative Family Law

The imagery and content tone does help this firm stand out- and two of the pages on the site are definitely different than most Family law websites and those pages do show up very well in Google searches for "Los Angeles Family Law for Special Needs Children" or "lawyer for collaborative divorce in Southern California"

Each of the attorneys over 15 years of legal experience. Two attorneys - Cari Pines and Donna Laurent, have been certified Family Law Specialists by the California Board of Legal Specialization. Heidi Lauer has an extensive Mediation and Collaborative Law background.

Personally, from my business relationship to date, I can say that this is great firm to work with - energetic, focused, and outgoing. Stay tuned for a few image additions to the site as well as increased content, as Heidi, Donna, & Cari are very active in the legal community there will be much to add to the PLL Family law website.

Los Angeles Area Mobile Home Park Residents Win Lawsuit

2009-07-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

The LA Times is reporting the details about residents of a San Fernando Valley mobile home park and the battle against the management and owners http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mobile27-2009jul27,0,2043044.story.

Issues were about about code violations, unsafe conditions, failure to maintain, and a variety of other points. Via ADR, back rent was awarded, as well as punitive damages and attorney's fees- a very large victory for plaintiff residents.

I've been working with consumer rights attorney Robert Starr for almost a year, and as his website has grown, he has added content about the above issues for mobile home tenants.
A page about mobile home management failure to maintain and a page about California mobile home evictions / relocation. Examining the traffic and keyword searches to his website - I've seen over 120 different phrases bringing potential clients to his website (by just filtering for "mobile" and "trailer"). Only 4 of the 125 were phrases that were repeated, for a total of 14 searches. This is another great example of the "long tail" - the variety and unique nature of search. Properly written content brings these potential clients to lawyers and help convert them to clients- matching the right lawyer with the right issue.

Los Angeles Criminal Law Website Launch - DUI, Drugs, & Domestic Violence

2009-07-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to attorney Marc Legget for the launch of his web site, focusing on criminal law matters in Southern California. Marc is an experienced lawyer, with over 50 trials of various types under his belt. He's handled many clients facing serious allegations, and has exceeded their expectations in the end- that's what experience gets you.

Marc's website is a clean design, with a traditional legal focus theme. Courthouse and historical imagery, with flash quotes from Abraham Lincoln, perhaps our country's most famous lawyer and president. The site content is tied together very well - most of the emphasis is DUI and Drug related for Los Angeles, but California domestic violence issues are also covered.

Working on this web site with Marc has been pleasurable and efficient! I met Marc via Robert Starr (consumer law attorney in Woodland Hills). I look forward to posting about the great results Marc gets due to the site.

Los Angeles Family Law Attorney Launches New Web Site

2009-07-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Robert Gantman for the launch of his family law and estate planning focused web site at www.gantmanlaw.com. The new site is a custom design, with subtle flash elements to enhance the user's experience. The color scheme and background imagery really let the content stand out - especially the unique Legal Fact vs Fiction section. There are some other great content sections: hidden assets, estate plans & divorce, and California paternity issues.

Robert comes form a family of attorneys, and is very well known and respected. In fact, if one does a Google search for his name, you'll see what his referrals see when they want to learn more about him and his practice. This is very important, as the Internet is often a source that people turn to before meeting someone for the first time.

San Fernando Valley & Santa Clarita Attorneys who Blog

2009-07-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a bit about an ongoing "controversy" between two service providers for blogs for lawyers. Much of the back and forth is about pricing, features, and services - but I do want to reiterate what is most important about a blog- commitment. To be effective as a communication tool, blogs do need to be updated often with relevant content. Unlike a web site, blogs are expected to have new content added frequently, I suggest at least weekly.

Here's nice list of attorneys with whom I work that blog, there website, their blog, and which platform they are using.

Gerald Kane

Owen Patterson & Owen

Steven Mehta

I'm sure this list will grow in the next few months.

Regarding platforms - I'm partial to Blogger, since that is what I am most familiar with tweaking it to my tastes - including customization of the graphics, title tags, and making it look "clean". But I've heard great things about WordPress. But the again, the real value comes from what the blogger writes - not the platform or design.

Palmdale & Lancaster Personal Injury Site Launched

2009-07-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

Congratulations are in order for the Second Website for Robert Starr- focusing on accidents & injuries in Palmdale and the surrounding high desert area.

Michael Jackson - overall internet traffic & Lawyer websites

2009-06-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

The news of Michael Jackon's death spread across the internet in a massive wave, fist being reports on the website TMZ.com. Right away, Twitter messaging increased two-fold, and the mass of search engine traffic even caused Google to take action (there was a few-minute shut-down for results of some search terms). Over the last few days, Internet radio stations saw a large increases in Michael Jackson songs being streamed, and YouTube videos of his performances and even fan tributes became top viewed. Even sales of his albums spiked- the top downloads from iTunes contained several works by Michael Jackson and/or the Jackson5. Much of the above info came from www.dailymail.co.uk.

Given that Michael Jackons has had an array of legal issues over the year: including family law, business law and criminal law matters - I decided to examine the search engine traffic flow to a few attorney websites - and yes -there has been an increase over the three days. This increase is due complexity of the search terms people are doing - because they are interested in the law as it may apply to Michael Jackson's estate, children, and even business dealings. Searches about custody and surrogacy, or insurance coverage, even about medical negligence are all relevant to Michael Jackson's death - but importantly, they are relevant when people who have legal issues directly affecting them are searching for information and legal help.

So the fact the we see this increase in attorney websites - may not mean any cases will come as a result for this short-term blast of traffic, but it does mean that properly developed lawyer websites do attract relevant keyword traffic. Thus, in the long run - qualified clients to come to law firms via the internet. Marketing with the internet- you can't "Beat It".

California Trade Secret Legal Content Added to Los Angeles Law Firm's WebSite

2009-06-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

Fisher & Tawlar, a Los Angeles Law firm, have added a very comprehensive section to their website regarding California Trade Secret Law. The added page describes trade secret dispute issues and recent information from the courts.

This content was written by attorneys at the firm and covers issues in detail; including information about non-compete agreements and customer lists. California is a very special state and several complications can arise that would require attorney intervention.

Check out the site and see how all the content works together to paint a compelling overall description of the firm's practice area.

Attorney Website Makeovers -Three Southern CA Firms

2009-06-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

As a recurring blog article theme I will be doing will highlight newer web sites that were built over existing sites - upgrades and makeovers.
The first group shown here fall into the latter category. One thing to note is that these are all sites that belong to established attorneys, well known in their practice areas. For these law firms, search engine traffic was strong from the start, as branded search existed (referrals for example) and domain trust was established.

Starting from the top left, the first site is www.mehtamann.com - Steve Mehta & Michele Mann's web site for Valencia Wills, Trusts, & Estate Plans. There are few design elements in common with the previous site, but almost all the content was rewritten (carrying over the testimonials and recent results).

The middle images show the before and after for Owen, Patterson, & Owen - www.opolaw.com - California lawyers for serious injuries. The web site is has amazing flash design elements and over 50 pages of content. Branded search is huge for this firm for this main personal injury site, but several other websites for the firm generate almost all content driven traffic.

Rounding up this set is the site for Joseph Lovretovich at www.jmllaw.com. The Los Angeles employee rights Attorney has earned quite a reputation - including obtaining a landmark decision in a disability case. I really like the direct imagery of the new site - it appeals to a wide audience.

Bing Search Engine for Finding Attorney Web Sites

2009-06-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

On May 28th, Microsoft launched Bing - from the ashes of MSN Search. You probably have seen the TV advertisements, as there has been a big "push" to let everyone know. I decided to investigate the results so far - by analyzing the referring domains since June 1st to six websites that I consider to have very good visibility in search engines.

What I found - in 50% of the sites there was a two fold factor is visits from Bing.com vs. MSN from the previous period. However, this doubling amounted to no more than 3% of Search traffic.

So I will do another round of data compiling next month to see if Bing gains any more traction, or perhaps it will fall off as the TV advertising slows - by the way...did you know that a larger number of people use the internet while watching TV? I'm doing it right now, but if you want some stats on what percentage- feel free to use Bing.com, or Google, or Yahoo, or Dogpile, or.......

Bankruptcy Information - Where do you get yours?

2009-06-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon a very funny image regarding bankruptcy. From Graphjam.com.
see more Funny Graphs

It instantly made me think about the very informative web site of Jeff Hagen, Southern California Bankruptcy Attorney. The site has 62 pages of content, all about bankruptcy and debt relief. There is an FAQ, detailed forms, driving directions to various courthouses, and of course - the spinning globe!

Spanish Content added to San Fernando Valley Website

2009-06-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to The Law Office of Robert L. Starr (Woodland Hills) on the addition of 3 pages of Spanish content. Robert has several staff members who are fluent Spanish speakers. Of course Robert's office can help with a variety of issues, but the three pages focus on personal injury (Lesiones personales), employment law (ley de empleo), and vehicle fraud (fraude de vehiculos).

The placement of the practice pages menu is near the Lemon Law information center, and stand out above the "fold". Importantly, every page of the website does mention that the firm speaks Spanish.

Motorcycles & Angeles Crest - One of California's Most Dangerous Roads

2009-05-22T23:39:00.000-07:00

Since 1998, 33 motorcyclists have died on Angeles Crest highway, says the LA Times in a recent article about a section of the road that is re-opening after being closed since 2005. I'm actually very familiar with this road, as I live just a few miles away and have driven it many times - both in a car and motorcycle.

However fun, it is a dangerous place for many. According to the LA Times article, it is one of the five most dangerous roads in the country for motor vehicle accidents. Not just motorcycle accidents, but cars, trucks, and even bicyclists are frequently injured or killed. Even pedestrians at intersections are at risk from runaway vehicles; a few months ago a semi truck crashed through a building.

California Conservatorships - As the US Baby Boomers Age

2009-05-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

Conservatorships typically affect those over 85 - and this age group is the fasted growing in California; it will increase by 143% between 1990 & 2020. This information comes http://www.aging.ca.gov.

Much like increase in motorcycle accidents due to commuters turning to motorcycles when gas prices rose, this increase in the legal needs of people presents an opportunity for law firms.

Several law firms with whom I consult list conservatorships as a practice area including Mark Boykin - Woodland Hills & Michele Mann - Santa Clarita. Having worked closely with these attorneys for some time now- I know the level of commitment they provide to clients. When browsing their respective web sites - you'll find information about the personal level of detail that these attorneys provide that goes beyond expectations that people have of their lawyers. This is especially important in casesinvolving family member's ability to make sound decisions.

Dedicated Foreclosure, Loan Modification, & Real Estate Sales Website

2009-05-20T00:18:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Brifman Law Offices on the success of their dedicated foreclosure, loan modification, & real estate sales web site. A very compelling design with functional contact forms provides great information for Southern California homeowners in need of help.

This is the second website for Mark Brifman, the firm's founder. The original website was also upgraded recently - it does detail Business, Real Estate and Insurance, and Construction issues- including litigation.

Hydroxycut Recall - Internet Allows for a Fast Response

2009-05-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

On May 1st, 2009 the FDA announced that the distributors of Hydroxycut are recalling 14 products. Several news stories are covering this, LA Times is one for example, as people affected by these supplements will turn to the Internet for information.

Several attorney web sites are listing information about the recall, and the effects of the dietary supplements. One site is Owen, Patterson, & Owen - a Los Angeles law firm with a proven track record of helping the victims of dangerous drugs. Check out the page detailing the Hydroxycut recall. Easily recognizable, strong imagery, and informative - created within days of the recall.

Robert Gantman - California Family Law and Estate Planning

2009-04-30T22:22:00.000-07:00

Robert Gantman is a Family Law and Estate Planning Attorney, with an office in Encino, CA. His legal background goes far beyond practicing law and his education - he comes from a family of attorneys including his father and two uncles. Essentially, he was surrounded by the profession form an early age, and it shows!

I've been working with him for the last 6 months, and it's been a pleasure since day one. His initial website focused on child custody, but we are now is the process of growing the site to include multiple aspects of family law and estate planning -including a great concept regarding "fact v. fiction". The site design has been progressing nicely, and before long I'll be posting about the release of the site.

Southern California Real Estate & Business Litigation Web Site launch

2009-04-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Douglas S. Draper on the launch of his site at www.draper-law.com. A compact format details his two main practice areas: California Real Estate and Business Law.

Douglas is quite an experienced and accomplished attorney. With more than 30 years of practice, he focuses on litigation and enjoys the highest peer-reviewed rating from M-H.

The site is personalized with a photo of the Warner Center in Woodland Hills, where his office resides, and a nice shot of Attorney Draper at his desk. These types of details are great - they help the site stand out when people are looking for attorneys and legal information.

California Construction, Real Estate, & Business Law

2009-04-22T17:54:00.000-07:00

"We Represent California" is displayed on the web site for Baker & Associates, a recently launched site for real estate, construction, and business legal issues. A neat photo of downtown Los Angeles, with a backdrop of snow-capped mountains adds to the tagline.

But what really works for this site is the depth and relevance of the content. Construction law, real estate, and business formation and business litigation custom content with the added information center about business litigation tie topics together well.

Valencia Estate / Trust Planning and Litigation Law Firm

2009-04-05T12:23:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to the Law Firm of Mehta & Mann on the launch of their web site at http://www.mehtamann.com/.

The design is a template site, with a digital composition for the main image. The image adds to the site and is a great way to include information to help make the firm stand out and and help potential clients as the image on their web site is the building just of Valencia Blvd. where their office is located.

Check out the site for the above image and for the pages with custom content about Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning, Trust Litigation, Probate, & Business Representation.

Websites on Mobile Devices - Designs that work.

2009-04-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

Website design goes beyond personal computers - iPhones, Blackberrys, Treo's, & many cell phones can browse the internet. When sites are designed, coded, and written to today's best practice standards, the sites are easily viewed in a variety of devices.

Check out the example - Greg Pedrick's Family Law site. Both devices are able to properly format the sites for viewing, but this isn't always the case with all websites.

Another important best practice is to make sure wesbites have coding for browsers set for users with visual disabilities. The use of alt image tags and text-to-speech contingencies help greatly.

Employment Law - Website Design for a Diverse Audience

2009-04-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

The Law Office of Joseph M. Lovretovich, Los Angeles Employment Lawyers, has just launched their newly developed website. Congratulations!

This design is great because the imagery of the person standing out in the crowd works well with the tagline "committed to the representation of the rights of the individual". Instantly, website visitors know what the content is about.

The office handles a variety of employment matters: discrimination, severance, wage & hour, disability and insurance issues.

Did you know? Mr. Lovretovich served as principal counsel in the case of Colmenares v. Braemar Country Club, which expanded the definition of disability in California. It was quite a case!