Miller Johnson, a Michigan law firm with more than 90 attorneys in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, lists 68 issues/topics on its media resource list. The attorneys who handle the respective issue/topic are listed under each category. Along with obvious resource areas there are also specialized mentions (Church Law, Embezzlement, Life Sciences—Development, Office Furniture Industry, Vacation Home Planning).

The firm’s tag line is Down to earth. Down to business. An example of the tag line in action is the media resource list, which makes it easy for journalists to find Miller Johnson resources available through individual topics and attorneys.

How does your firm get down to business?

Earlier this month we reported that legal employment finally took a turn for the better in April. Will the news again be good when the May jobs numbers come out next week? Based on various reports in the past week that point to greater opportunities for lawyers, we’d argue that the upward trend might continue.

Am Law Daily sibling publication The National Law Journal reported on Tuesday that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has multiple attorney openings, and has turned to a headhunter, Futurestep, to help fill the jobs. The NLJ notes that turning to outside help to manage the hiring process is less common for federal agencies than for private law firms. But given the number of openings, the job of filling them is a big one.

Overall, the SEC will soon be hiring anywhere from entry-level attorney advisers to division chief counsel positions. The agency has seen an increase in work since the Dodd-Frank Act went into effect last July, and is looking to put to use a $70 million funding injection earmarked for new talent that must be used before the end of the fiscal year, according to the NLJ.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Business Journal reported on Friday that many Texas firms are looking to expand their ranks by adding new partners, associates, summer interns, and support staff.

Among those firms is Hunton & Williams. The firm’s administrative partner in Dallas, Curtis Carlson, told the DBJ that Hunton plans to add as many as 30 lawyers in Dallas over the next two years, which would bring the total attorney headcount in the office closer to pre-recession levels. (According to the latest NLJ 250 ranking of the largest law firms by headcount, Hunton’s Dallas office has 95 attorneys–it’s the firm’s third-largest office.)

Legal hiring boosts also can be found north of the U.S. border, as Canadian publication The Lawyers Weekly reports. The improved employment numbers for the legal profession in the U.S. should carry over to Canada, the report notes. Lawyers Weekly spoke to Warren Bongard, of ZSA Legal Recruitment in Toronto, who said that the last six months in particular have seen a flurry of hiring activity. John Ohnjec, of Robert Half Legal, told the publication that the field is finally seeing growth after two or three tight years.

According to Lawyers Weekly, hiring statistics in Canada are difficult to track down, so U.S. numbers help drive speculation. The publication cites a recent Robert Half Legal Hiring Index as being among the reasons for U.S. and Canadian lawyers alike to be optimistic. The index predicts that U.S. legal hiring will remain strong in this year’s second quarter as 29 percent of lawyers interviewed said they would add staff in the next three months and none planned job cuts.

The Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a former University of Idaho student who was held in jail for 16 days by the federal government as a so-called “material witness” in a terror investigation.

Lavoni Kidd was a football player for the U of I when he converted to Islam, changing his name to Abdullah al-Kidd. He began volunteering at an Islamic charity led by a person being investigated for possible terrorism ties. In 2003, al-Kidd was pulled from a plane headed for Saudi Arabia and held in prisons in Virginia, Oklahoma and Idaho. He was released after surrendering his passport and agreeing to restricted travel conditions.

In a lawsuit, al-Kidd held Bush administration officials personally liable for what he called wrongful arrest and detention. Represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, his lawyers said the government had “warped the law” to allow open-ended arrests and confinement.

But in a unanimous vote, the Supreme Court said al-Kidd could not hold Bush officials, and in particular former Attorney General John Ashcroft, liable.

In the opinion, Justice Antonin Saclia wrote, “The constitutional question in this case falls far short of that threshold.”

al-Kidd currently teaches English to college students in Saudi Arabia. He still has claims pending against the FBI.

John McGown, Jr., Of Counsel to Hawley Troxell in Boise, Idaho, reported that he has a long-term charitable client who regularly contacts him with questions. John wrote, “Once every few years I’ll volunteer to go to their business and spend a morning (or afternoon) answering any questions they might have. I don’t bill for the time, but do list it on the bill as ‘no charge to client.’ I give advance notice and we work out a time that works for them…. The client feedback is very positive.”

How do you offer extra attention to your clients?

Thanks to John McGown for suggesting his tip may be useful to other law firms.

To contact Merilee directly click here.

BOISE – A federal jury in Boise has found an Idaho attorney guilty of hiring a hitman to kill his wife and mother-in-law.

Edgar J. Steele has represented unpopular clients in the past, including the white supremacist group the Aryan Nations. His supporters maintain he’s been framed by the government, partly because he represented the group.

But federal prosecutors say Steele hired a man named Larry Fairfax to kill his wife, Cyndi Steele, and her mother-in-law because he wanted insurance money and he wanted to be free to pursue another woman. Fairfax told federal investigators about the alleged plot and testified against Edgar Steele in Boise’s U.S. District Court.

Steele faces more than 30 years in prison. Jury deliberations began Wednesday afternoon.

The email server showed a recent pop-up for www.maslynlaw.com <http://www.maslynlaw.com> . Curious because of the rhythmic tag line “the savvy solution to franchise confusion,” I visited the site and found simple and effective content.

Self-described as a franchise and distribution law firm based in Richmond, Virginia, this apparently solo practitioner firm has useful website components:

· Call to action for a free one-hour initial consultation
· Credibility through Chambers USA national ranking
· Frequently Asked Questions/Answers for new franchisors
· Fee Philosophy, including a Success Fee (a premium fee is charged if the firm achieves the client’s desired result)
· Separate tabs with information for franchisors, manufacturers, and small business.

The pop-up marketing was the hook. How do you entice your prospects to learn about you?

To contact Merilee directly click here.

Despite the lack of compelling evidence that mandatory continuing legal education meaningfully contributes to lawyer competency, it’s now embraced by 45 of the 50 states. Over the past three years, provinces or law societies in Canada have also hopped aboard the mandatory CLE express.

The question is no longer why mandatory CLE?

The accelerated adoption rate of CLE rules has shifted the conversation from the usefulness of a mandatory requirement to the quality, cost and delivery (formats) of accredited programs. It includes the onerous accreditation and reporting process and the burdensome, even punitive lawyer compliance rules.

To read the rest of the article click here.

Idaho Women Lawyers is a proud sponsor of The White House Project, bringing “Go Lead Idaho” to Boise on May 21, 2011.

The White House Project brings its award-winning Go Lead Training to Idaho. Led by regional experts, this nonpartisan intense one-day seminar offers insight, skills and trainings in public speaking, leadership development and board/commission appointments to empower Idaho’s women to take on stronger leadership roles in their communities. Join Us. Go Lead Idaho.

Where: BSU Student Union
When: May 21, 2011 (9am-5pm)
Cost: $50
Register: WWW.GOLEADIDAHO.ORG

Anne Wilde, an IWL member, is pleased to share the opening of a specialized practice: The HR & Benefits Advisor, PLLC.

The focus of The HR & Benefits Advisor is HR counseling on employment laws and ERISA. With respect to the employment practice, the firm will help employers develop and implement preventive strategies in the workplace to reduce legal and financial risk. The firm provides supervisor and employee training on critical employment law topics, such as discrimination in the workplace, ADAAA disability accommodations in the workplace, wage and hour laws, effective employee leave administration and other topics. The firm’s employee benefits practice focuses on employer-sponsored health and welfare benefit plans, with a present emphasis on advising employers/plan sponsors on ERISA, including significant health care reform compliance obligations.

Feel free to visit the firm’s website for a list of services The HR & Benefits Advisor offers its client employer groups, providing employment and benefits counsel to employer clients with a focus on cost-effective compliance solutions: www.TheHRandBenefitsAdvisor.com.