How NOT to hold a "Damage Control" Press Conference

We had an earlier post about the Pike chapter at Tennessee, where a member ended up in the ER after apparently butt-chugging a bag of wine. The chapter has been suspended by both the University and the National Fraternity.

Undaunted, the chapter members found a lawyer, and had a press conference where they proceeded to deny everything - thereby assuring themselves of being in a few more news cycles. Watch the video. Is this the way you would want a lawyer to help you deal with an "unfortunate incident"?

Oh, and in case you are interested, the article has a copy of the police report after the videos. Seriously, you do not want this kind of publicity.

The LinkedIn (SigEp) Lawyer

Last week I was contacted by Raymond Waid, an attorney in New Orleans and a member of the LinkedIn SigEp Group. He wanted to know if he could set up a subgroup there for SigEp lawyers. He told me that of the 12,000 members in the group at least 500 are in the legal profession and he believed there would be interest in forming a group where they could network and have discussions about topics that might not be in the general interest.

I was happy to help him set up a "SigEp Lawyers" subgroup and install him as the manager. He got right to work and started canvassing the main group for those who might be interested:

The new SigEp Lawyers subgroup is up and running.

There are over 500 members of this group who are lawyers of various geography, experience, and specialty. Our goal in forming this subgroup is to create a forum where these SigEps can share their experience and expertise in both the law, and their local legal market. My hope is that this new subgroup will be an asset to our members' practice.

Obviously, it will take some time before the subgroup reaches its full potential, so please be patient as the forum slowly develops. That said, we're off to a good start. In just three days the subgroup roster has grown to over 75 members.

We are accepting SigEp lawyers, paralegals, law students, and professionals in associated areas such as insurance claims, compliance, and contracting. For now we are not accepting undergraduates, but we may expand membership in the future once we've built a strong foundation of industry members.

Here is the link to the subgroup: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=4363284

Just a few days later the group is very close to breaking 100 members. Thanks, Raymond, for running with your idea. I have every confidence this will be an active addition to our LinkedIn group.

If you are a SigEp and in the legal field, or are preparing to be, why not join Ray and the other SigEp Lawyers? You will need 3 things to join the group;
1) Be a member of LinkedIn.com (free to join - You should already be a member);
2) Request membership in the SigEp LinkedIn Group (also free - and recommended, but you will need to request membership and you should provide your school and chapter name); and
3) Request membership in the "SigEp Lawyers" subgroup (again, no charge).

What are you waiting for? There are ambulances to be chased, wills to be contested, and excessive hours to be billed!