 A Note from the CEO...To Solicit or Not To Solicit
By: Joel Stern, NAMWOLF
What I like most about this position is having the opportunity to talk to in-house legal groups around the United States sharing my experiences with NAMWOLF first as in-house and now in this role. While each meeting is a bit different, a recurring question is, "How can I find law firms that can do our work in practice areas and cities where I need legal help?" While there are many answers to this question, what has surprised me a bit is how helpful it is to in-house counsel to have NAMWOLF help find member attorneys through the anonymous solicitation process we have increasingly used over the past year. In this edition of the Newsletter, I would like to explore the anonymous solicitation process and why it has proven beneficial for both our law firms and in-house counsel. (Click here to keep reading)
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Marketing Corner...Top 5 Tips for a Successful Law Firm Expo Experience
By: Kyle Weigand, Firm Administrator, Thacker Martinsek LPA, Cleveland, OH
You're new to NAMWOLF and have no idea what to expect at this "Expo" you've been reading about; or you've been to the Law Firm Expo several times and notice your firm's booth just doesn't seem to get as much traffic as others; or you've done this 10 times and can't think of anything new or fresh for this year in Hollywood - don't panic! There are some tried-and-true ways to be successful at the expo, along with a few unique ideas to explore in order to stand out from the rest. Soon, you'll be an old pro at the Law Firm Expo with a line 10-deep of the audience you intended to target!
- Know the legal needs of the corporate members. Understand what your potential corporate clients are looking for (use the list of attendees sent prior to the conference to thoroughly research attendees) and focus your marketing materials on the strengths, uniqueness and value you can add to the relationship as their partner. Be sure all in-house attendees leave your table with high-quality materials about your firm and a clear, concise message about why their company and your firm would be a good match. (Click here to keep reading)
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Enjoy Hollywood Like A Celebrity When You Attend the Annual Meeting
By: Amir A. Amini - Sanchez & Amador, LLP, Los Angeles, CA
This year the annual NAMWOLF conference is in sunny Hollywood, California. Hollywood is a vibrant city that offers its visitors so many options for dining, activities, and sightseeing that it will make even the seasoned visitor's head spin. I have lived here for over twelve years and have only scratched the surface of everything this wonderful city has to offer. That said, I have experienced more of Los Angeles than most people I've met. Based on that experience, I hope to offer you some guidance to sift through the plethora of options you have to choose from during your short visit. Welcome to Hollywood! (Click here to keep reading)
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Spotlight Member Firm: Parks Wood LLC, Atlanta, Georgia and Washington, D.C.
By: Susan Koval -- Nemeth Law, P.C., Detroit, Michigan
Parks Wood is an intellectual property boutique focused exclusively on securing and protecting its clients' intellectual property assets. To that end, the firm's attorneys are skilled and experienced in patent and trademark law, as well as in counseling, dispute resolution, portfolio management and licensing.
1. When was the firm founded?
Parks Wood (formerly Parks IP Law and Parks Knowlton) was founded in 2004, and was immediately retained by its first corporate client. Since its founding, the firm has gone on to represent a number of Fortune 500� and Fortune Global 500� pace-setting organizations, along with universities, and mid-size and smaller companies. The firm lives its core values of respect for one another and for clients, professional fulfillment, integrity, and expertise. These values have served us well, as the firm has earned the position of preferred counsel for multi-national corporations with considerable intellectual property holdings and highly active portfolios. Today the firm has ten attorneys, a patent agent, a technical specialist (Bioengineering Ph.D.), and a dedicated staff. In the Fall of 2014, the firm celebrated its 10th anniversary and was renamed Parks Wood. (Click to keep reading)
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Vendor Spotlight: U.S. Legal Support, Inc.
By: Joshua Brown, Lee & Kinder LLC, Denver, Colorado
U.S. Legal Support, Inc. was founded in 1996 and remains a privately held company with over 60 offices located across the United States. As one of the leading providers of litigation services, it is the only litigation support company that provides court reporting, record retrieval, eDiscovery and trial services to major insurance companies, corporations and law firms nationwide. With over 60 offices located across the United States, the Company's specialists are positioned across the country in order to provide law firms with national resources and local expertise. (Click here to keep reading)
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NAMWOLF Development Committee News and Update
By: John Murdock, Benton Potter & Murdock, P.C
We are more than half-way to our Sponsorship target for this year thanks to the tremendous efforts of the NAMWOLF staff team members Yolanda Coly and Jane Kalata, and dedicated law firm and in-house counsel members of the National Development Committee who have reached out to or sought to make contacts at potential corporate and vendor sponsors. A big thanks to the corporations, vendors, and NAMWOLF law firms that have already agreed to be sponsors this year! (Click here to keep reading)
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Syndicated Loan and Loan Participations
By: Lisa D. Love, Esq., Partner, Love and Long, L.L.P. |Submitted on behalf of the Transactional PAC
Loan syndications and loan participations continue to grow in commercial finance as lenders seek to expand beyond their traditional sources of revenue, enter new or developing markets and industries, maintain acceptable levels of diversification of its investments, and share development risks and credit risks with respect to particular or complex projects, borrowers or industries. Loan syndications and participations also permit lenders to reduce capital weight and provide financial accommodations to valuable clients whose credit needs exceed a lender's credit exposure limits. These arrangements allow lenders to engage in transactions which might otherwise be prohibited by their lending policies and guidelines. In addition, these arrangements permit lenders to access expertise, business relationships and deal-flow of the arranging lender without having to invest large amounts for marketing costs and administrative capabilities. Although there are benefits to these lending relationship, lenders within a syndicate group give up the day-to-day routine decision making to the lead lender and the flexibility to make decisions independently and take unilateral actions with respect to the loan in favor of group decision making based upon agreed levels of consent. However, the relationship between syndicate lenders and the borrower and participant lenders and the borrower are usually very different. (Click here to keep reading)
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Updated California Family Rights Act Regulations Will Take Effect on July 1, 2015 By Carolyn Rashby, Miller Law Group - San Francisco, CA | Submitted on behalf of the Labor and Employment PAC The California Fair Employment and Housing Council recently finalized updates to the California Family Rights Act ("CFRA") regulations, and the updated rules have now been approved and will take effect on July 1, 2015. The amended regulations clarify a number of CFRA provisions and align the CFRA more closely with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA"), although important differences still remain between the two laws, both of which apply to employers with 50 or more employees. Here is an overview of the updates. (Click here to keep reading) |
Rules in the Workplace: So You Think You Know the NLRB
By David H. Ganz, Partner, Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan LLP -- New Jersey/New York City Regional Offices | Submitted on behalf of the Labor and Employment PAC
Which, if any, of the following employer rules does the NLRB consider unlawful?
1. Misuse or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information not otherwise available to persons or firms outside the company is cause for disciplinary action, including termination.
2. If something is not public information, you must not share it.
3. Be respectful of others and the Company.
4. Do not make fun of, denigrate, or defame your co-workers, customers, franchisees, suppliers, the Company, or our competitors.
5. Do not make statements that damage the company or the company's reputation or that disrupt or damage the company's business relationships.(Click here to keep reading)
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A Letter From the Editors....
Dear NAMWOLF Members -
Please find our second quarter 2015 NAMWOLF Newsletter. Please remember to circulate this email to all the members of your firm. We are so pleased to have added a number of new firms and contributors to our newsletter family. You will see their bylines in the articles above.
Our hard-working Newsletter staff consists of: Angela France (PCT Law Group, PLLC, Alexandria, Virginia), Crystal Vanderputten (The Livingston Law Firm, Walnut Creek, CA), Oscar Lizardi/Pat Lopez/Tim Reckart (all of Rusing Lopez & Lizardi, Tucson, AZ), Keely Herrick (Parks Wood Law, Atlanta, Georgia), Amy Kurson (Reyes Kurson, Chicago, IL), Susan D. Koval (Nemeth Law, Detroit, MI) and Joshua Brown (Lee + Kinder, Denver, CO) and of course, Jane Kalata (NAMWOLF).
Please feel free to share your comments and suggestions.
Co-Editors:
Sonjui L. Kumar
Kumar, Prabhu, Patel & Banerjee, LLC - Atlanta, GA
[email protected]
Jamie Rudman
Sanchez & Amador, LLC - Oakland, CA
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