"Big Needle"

What is a Special Needs Trust?

2011-01-13T14:49:00.001-05:00

A special needs trust, also referred to as a supplemental needs trust, is designed to answer the single most pressing question for a parent of children with disabilities: “What will happen to my child after I'm gone?” Families are often anxious when considering the care their children will receive after the parents’ death. Understandably, many parents fear that, after their death, their child’s quality of life will suffer due to insufficient resources, the lack of effective advocacy, and the absence of the family home. Most parents, however, do not have the resources to provide quality lifetime care for their child without the assistance of government programs such as social security income (SSI) and Medicaid. While government benefit programs offer substantial services in terms of health care coverage, the available cash benefits are small. The goal, therefore, is to preserve the child’s eligibility for government benefits with additional funds available to supplement these benefits. The Supplemental Needs Trust (also, referred to as the Special Needs Trust) accomplishes this goal.

For more in-depth information, see this Special Needs Trust FAQ. It is written by Attorney Neal Winston, a Massachusetts estate planning attorney who is experienced in creating special needs trusts. Attorney Winston is the current president of the Special Needs Alliance, a national, nonprofit organization composed of attorneys who advise and represent individuals and their families to create and administer special needs trusts.

Add Twitter To Your Law Firm Marketing Mix

2010-04-16T07:37:00.000-04:00

Here's a quick pointer to my article on Amy Campbell's Law Firm Marketing Blog regarding using Twitter as an integral part of your marketing mix. In Making the Case for a Firm-Branded Twitter Presence, 5 of the top reasons to consider embracing Twitter to protect and promote your law firm brand are:

1. Protect your brand. The most important reason to start a Twitter account is to claim your name — so that you own it, not someone else.
2. People are listening. Among the folks that follow Twitter are journalists scouring the site for trends and story ideas for their next pitch meeting.
3. Search engines eat it up. When set up properly, your firm’s Twitter account can contribute to your SEO efforts.
4. The best way to learn it is to do it. Starting a firm-branded Twitter presence is a safe and easy way to start. It is an excellent way for you and your marketing staff to lead by example and to become better able to help your professionals embark on their own Twitter exercises.
5. Build your Twitter infrastructure and network now, for when you need it later.
Read the full article and expanded explanation of benefits here: Twitter for law firms.

Lessons from the Recession for Law Firm Marketers

2010-01-08T20:12:00.000-05:00

A recent survey by the Alterra Group found that despite the sour economy, a number of professional services firms actually held their revenue steady or even increased it in the past 12 months. What separates the firms that thrive? Our research found that these more successful companies had distinctly different marketing practices and priorities than those whose revenues declined in the past year.

Reader the full article at: Lessons from the Recession: How Marketing Practices and Priorities Can Make the Difference.

New Hampshire Attorneys

2009-10-15T21:21:00.004-04:00

New Hampshire law firm Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell has launched a new web site with a new site map and attorney and professional bio indexing. The following list updates the URLs where attorney bios now reside, awaiting a fresh indexing by Google's crawler. Come and get it Google

New Hampshire Attorneys and Professionals at Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell, Concord, NH:

Andrew C. Meyer, Jr. on Social Value of Med Mal

2009-10-14T16:11:00.005-04:00

Today's Boston Globe article on the settlement between and family and Boston hospital regarding a wrongful death lawsuit has an interesting quote by Andrew C. Meyer, Jr. attorney for the plaintiff.

“The settlement was a recognition of the kind of mistakes that happen all too often in our hospitals. “It’s gratifying to see that the family was able to receive exposure for this horrific event — and not to sweep it under the rug — to ensure that policies are changed so that this will not happen again.’’ — Andrew C. Meyer, Jr.

In all the debate over health care reform and limiting medical malpractice awards, this is part of the argument that should not be lost.

The Globe report also states:

"The state Department of Public Health investigated the case in November 2007, determining that the fall led to O’Donnell’s death, and cited deficiencies in procedure. The hospital’s own analysis found that the operating room staff was busy or preoccupied and that the safety belt’s removal was not verbally communicated..."

See full article here.

Nine at GCG Named Best Lawyers (New Hampshire)

2009-09-23T20:01:00.001-04:00

CONCORD, NH — Nine New Hampshire attorneys at the law firm of Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell, P.C. have been named to the 2010 edition of Best Lawyers®, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. Best Lawyers publishes an annual referral guide, The Best Lawyers in America, which includes 39,766 attorneys in 80 specialties, covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia. For a list of the 9 attorneys listed Best Lawyers in New Hampshire, see the firm's press release.

Christine Hamori Cosmetic Surgery Voted Best of South Shore Boston

2009-09-22T13:53:00.003-04:00

Christine Hamori Cosmetic Surgery + Skin Spa, in Duxbury, Massachusetts, has been voted "Best of the South Shore" by South Shore Living magazine. The plastic surgery center and medical spa is selected as best Cosmetic Surgery Office under the category of Health Beauty & Fashion. The annual awards are announced in the September issue. South Shore Living covers lifestyle issues that are special to the communities south of Boston.

Law Firm Business Development and the Recession

2009-09-11T06:32:00.000-04:00

Download a free whitepaper on Law Firm Business Development topics from Amy Campbell's web log. Her latest entry includes a link to a PDF from Law360, which has compiled an 80-page white paper on lessons for law firms from the financial crisis. To download the PDF, click on: Law360 Presents Lessons For Law Firms.

What Employers Need To Know About H1F1 Flu Response

2009-09-10T16:25:00.002-04:00

Massachusetts employment lawyer Robert M. Shea writes in his law firm's blog, "As flu season approaches, employers should consider measures to respond to the threats presented by the 2009 H1N1 flu." He points to a guidance released by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) recommending actions that non-healthcare employers should take now to decrease the spread of seasonal flu and 2009 H1N1 flu in the workplace. The blog post lists links to the CDC H1N1 Flu Communication Toolkit. Read the entire post at: Employers Should Consider Steps to Respond to H1N1 Flu Threat.

Plastic Surgeon Massachusetts

2009-07-15T18:52:00.003-04:00

Massachusetts plastic surgeon Christine Hamori has launched a new plastic surgery web site that is integrated with her blog: What's New in Plastic Surgery.

Christine A. Hamori, MD is a board-certified, plastic surgeon who is recognized for her delicate skills in cosmetic enhancements that yield natural-looking results for a healthy, happy lifestyle. She specializes in:

Serving Boston’s South Shore, Cape Cod and Nantucket: With a state-of-the-art surgery suite and attending surgical staff in her Duxbury, Massachusetts office, Dr. Hamori allows you to choose a location that suits your needs—the quiet, confidential setting of her private office, or one of the following hospitals:

South Shore Hospital
Jordan Hospital
Nantucket Cottage Hospital.

Mind the Links

2009-05-05T15:06:00.001-04:00

Notes to self

compete.com
quantcast.com
wordtracker.com
komarketing.com
trellian.com
trustplus.com

New Facebook Pages: A Guide for Social Media Marketers

2009-03-20T11:50:00.002-04:00

New Facebook Pages: A Guide for Social Media Marketers

Posted using ShareThis

Article about how new Facebook changes open new doors for brand experiences...

Law Firm News

2009-03-08T17:55:00.001-04:00

Law Firm News Wiki on Zimbio...

This is a test in progress to gauge the impact of posting articles to Zimbio to improve SEO. Check back here in the future for any conclusions or comments. That's all for now.

Christina Fernandes Joins MBBP as Associate

2008-10-24T16:54:00.000-04:00

WALTHAM, MA — Law firm Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton has announced another new attorney hire — Christina M. Fernandes. According to a news item posted to its law firm web site, Ms. Fernandes was formerly an associate with Goodwin Procter in Boston, MA. She practices general corporate law, representing clients in mergers and acquisitions, corporate financings, fund formations and other corporate matters.

For more law firm news at MBBP, click the link.

Search Engine Positioning Tool

2008-06-25T14:30:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note: Add this handy tool to your SEO toolbelt: Search Engine Keyword Position tool from the folks at SEOChat.

Two Great Tools for Web Marketers

2008-05-09T13:37:00.001-04:00

Check out these two great free tools for web marketers. First is a Google Site Map generator — a handy tool for managing the sitemap.xml file as part of Google's WebMaster Tools. The second is Ping-o-matic for getting the word out on RSS feeds — especially useful if you have any manual RSS feeds.

If you have a favorite tool to share, please comment. Thanks.

Injectables and Facial Fillers Continue To Offer More Non-surgical Alternatives to Anti-aging Treatments

2008-04-29T09:46:00.001-04:00

In her latest plastic surgery blog post, Massachusetts plastic surgeon Christine Hamori, MD, speaks to the uptrend in what is known as the "Radiesse lift." States Hamori, "This non-surgical, mid-facelift really helps smooth out folds around the nose as well as recreate the "apples of the cheeks" that so many patients loose in their 30's and 40's."

In her blog, Hamori often talks about the trends she sees in her cosmetic surgery and skin spa practice as well as introducing new procedures. The board-certified plastic surgeon has been dramatically increasing the number of non-surgical treatments she offers while continuing to maintain a busy surgical practice. For more information, go to her web site at christinehamori.com, which contains many before and after photos.

Boston Malpractice Lawyer RSS Feed

2008-04-29T09:32:00.000-04:00

Keep up with news from Lubin & Meyer, PC: Boston medical malpractice lawyer Lubin & Meyer PC now publishes an RSS feed in conjunction with its medical malpractice web site. To keep abreast of the latest verdicts and settlements and other news accomplished by the innovative leaders in med mal law, you can subscribe to the medical malpractice news feed. Each year the firm leads the way with the most settlements of $1 million or more as tracked by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and has achieved several of the state's largest medical malpractice verdicts. The firm's attorneys are also licensed to practice in New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

Will Binding Arbitration Replace Med-Mal Lawsuits?

2008-02-18T21:01:00.000-05:00

This via Medical Malpractice Law News, which carries daily news headlines — a trend by West Coast physicians to require patients to sign binding arbitration agreements to reduce medical malpractice claims according to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer titled, Arbitration a growing trend in health care.

Social Security Disability Lawyer Gets New Look

2008-02-10T09:26:00.001-05:00

Social Security disability lawyers at Doherty, Cella, Keane & Associates have a new look and new web site to facilititate handling claims for social security disability claimants. With offices in Beverly, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., the firm services disability and beneficiary claimants nationwide. Senior partners Christopher Doherty, Laura Cella-Donovan and Martin Keane are highly experienced and focus their practice exclusively on Social Security law.

In addition to representing disabled persons, the lawyers also provides services to long-term disability carriers in these areas: file review and case recommendations; training staff in Social Security disability practices; recovery of overpayments, via electronic transfer through an attorney escrow account; obtaining status of Social Security claims; filing applications for dependent benefits; providing online accessibility to our database for updated case status and user-driven reports; and preparing specialized reports tailored to insurance company needs.

Medical Malpractice Jury Verdict Rules Against Surgeons

2007-12-08T15:24:00.000-05:00

LOWELL — In what is being called one of the largest jury verdicts in the Merrimack Valley, the estate of a Lowell woman who died 19 days after surgery to remove ovarian cysts, was awarded approximately $2.5 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit against two surgeons. See the full article on this case in the Lowell Sun. The case was handled by Boston medical malpractice lawyers Lubin & Meyer.

Good SEO Research Tool

2007-12-01T09:46:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note on Smart Page Rank, a great tool for researching back links for SEO purposes. Don't know how accurate it is, but I'm assuming it is. Please provide your feedback on this tool... whether you like it, or find problems with it... Or please suggest another, better one! Thanks.

Law Related Blogs

2007-08-19T09:56:00.000-04:00

Two law blogs of note with Massachusetts roots: Massachusetts Consumer Rights Blog and Medical Malpractice Law Blog. The second is a general news and resouces site with special focus on med mal happenings in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Just a note to bookmark and see where these go.

Duplicate Content Got You Down?

2007-07-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

Use this little tool to find out if your web site has duplicate content issues.
Duplicate Content Checker
There is also a link to follow with more details on the duplicate content issue. Every web publisher should be aware of this issue.

GCG Represents Bow Mills in Merger with Merrimack County

2007-06-24T11:58:00.000-04:00

CONCORD, NH – Law Firm Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell, is pleased to announce the merger of Bow Mills Bank and Trust with and into Merrimack County Savings Bank became effective on May 1, 2007. Attorneys W. John Funk, Susan B. Hollinger and Denis J. Maloney represented Bow Mills in the merger with a total transaction value of $22,707,945. The branches will continue to operate independently until the weekend of July 21. Read more on the bank merger.

Pay-per-click Class

2007-06-24T11:28:00.000-04:00

I am enrolled to take a full day class on Google Adwords pay-per-click in Boston and will report back here on the most startling revelations. Personally, I think Google Adwords is an overly complex and hard-to-navigate system with too many variables and too much mystery of the quality of clicks. I'm hoping to learn something valuable from it all that will change my mind. Recently, I have been exploring and experimenting with Google Adword campaigns and find it to be expensive. I prefer working for success in organic search results with tried and true, white hat optimization techniques. Nothing beats hot, fresh, steamy content that is timely and relevant. Quality information that serves humans is the best food for search engines. That's been my experience with professional services web sites... Everything from topics such as greenhouse gas trading, employment and immigration, legislative histories, consumer law, medical malpractice lawyer, etc. I'm getting more and more inquiries from businesses and law firm in Massachusetts (MA), New Hampshire (NH), Rhode Island (RI) and Maine (ME) and beyond, where clients are more aware about SEO but not always willing to pay for it. Google Adwords is still not well understood by mainstream public.

Duplicate Content Trap?

2007-06-14T12:19:00.000-04:00

This tip from Jayde. Can anyone confirm or dispute it?

An easy step that can help avoid potential ranking loss from duplicate content reprimands is to make sure there aren’t four or five different URLs navigating to the same page. Google views these two domains below as separate entities and if the content is exact, they can take punitive measures against the offending site.

mysite.com
http://www.mysite.com

To address potential duplicate content penalties, manipulate your.htaccess file and redirect secondary domains to the preferred listing. This means every time a web user enters the mysite.com address without the preferred prefix, they are redirected to the correct domain.

Add the following code to your .htaccess file (change the "mysite" to your domain):

RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^mysite.com
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.mysite.com/$1 [R=permanent,L]

Basketball Camps Massachusetts - Bill Curley Clinics in Duxbury and Plymouth, MA

2007-05-07T21:52:00.000-04:00

Summer basketball camp dates have been set for Bill Curley Basketball Clinics in Duxbury and Plymouth, Massachusetts for boys and girls of many ages starting in June. Click here for more details at billcurleybasketball.com.

Vermont Personal Injury Attorney Web Site Indexed

2007-04-27T17:17:00.000-04:00

This Vermont personal injury law firm is a big needle in the haystack. Efforts to overcome Google overlooking this site on keyword related searches has worked. No tricks, just straight up, honest, organic search engine optimization here. Results sometimes take a while, especially in the medical malpractice and personal injury world, which is highly competitive. The site may have been in the "sandbox" or being penalized for some optimization techniques used prior to our efforts. Sometimes you never know.

Google site map experience

2006-11-09T09:45:00.000-05:00

I'm having mixed experience with Google's site map function. It's a bit of a cumbersome process and an excruciating waiting game. I'm finding increasing interest from law firm clients in raising their visibility on the web through both organic SEO techniques and dipping their toes into PPC advertising. So far, I see the PPC advertising as in the early mode. Most folks still ignore it, especially when trustworthiness is a big part of the purchase. This vermont personal injury law firm is an example where switching to a new URL has caused a drop in the visibility of their attorneys. Some sites are just not built to be search engine friendly. Once those shortcomings are corrected, and once Google finally makes a good index of the new swiss-cheesy site, then things tend to turn around pretty dramatically. I will report back on this as things go. For more info see this organic SEO article.

Vermont Personal Injury Attorney Gets New URL

2006-10-30T16:09:00.000-05:00

Vermont personal injury law firm Sylvester & Maley, Inc. recently changed the URL for its web site. The new web site is located at www.sylvestermaley.com. Vermont personal injury attorneys practicing there include:
Alan Sylvester
John Maley
Michael Brow
Amy Sylvester
Christopher Maley

The Vermont law firm handles personal injury, automobile accident, medical malpractice and products liability claims arising throughout the state of Vermont. This includes representation of out-of-state residents who were harmed while in Vermont, traveling, vacationing, attending college, or who have received medical treatment at one of the state's health care facilities. We also represent Vermont residents for claims arising from injuries or deaths which occur outside the state.

SEO Tips

2006-10-19T19:50:00.000-04:00

A long overdue pointer to this article titled Top Ten Ways to Improve Your Web Site's Search Engine Ranking.
That's it for now.

Law Links | Health Links Gets New URL

2006-09-22T12:58:00.000-04:00

Law Links | Health Links, a web log connecting legal, health and marketing news and resources with a New England focus, is now being published under a new URL. The site is now located at http://lawlinkshealthlinks.blogspot.com/. Please update your links.

The original blog was hacked into by someone who cracked the login/password, and replaced the entire content of the blog with meaningless stuff. Blogger beware.

Bill Curley Basketball Camp Dates for 2006

2006-04-08T23:01:00.000-04:00

Bill Curley Basketball Camp / Clinic dates for the summer of 2006 are as follows:

Plymouth, MA camp:
June 26 – 29, 2006 - Plymouth South Middle School
Monday thru Thursday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
488 Long Pond Road, Plymouth, MA 02360

Duxbury, MA camp:
July 24– 28: Duxbury High, Middle and Alden Schools
Monday thru Friday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
130 St George Street, Duxbury, MA 02332-3871

Ages 10-18.

Skills + Will weekly clinic:
June 7 – July 26
Boys Tuesdays 5 - 7 P.M. Girls Wednesdays 5 - 7 P.M.
FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE PLAYERS ONLY
A weekly Clinic designed to work on Basketball Fundamentals, Functional Training, and Game Time Performance. Structured games will be a part of each session to allow the player to build upon newly developed skills.

See web site for more information on basketball camps and clinics
Bill Curley Basketball Clinic.

Who Links To You?

2005-08-30T14:25:00.000-04:00

Ever notice how Google's "link:" command doesn't return comprehensive results for those pages that link to the page you enter? For instance, say I want to know which web pages are linking to my web site. I enter [link:http://www.infoworks1.com/] and it says there are 25 pages that link to my site, and it displays about 20 of them as some are repetitive. However, I know that there are other links from other sites that link to me (legitimate sites and legitimate links). A better way to find out who links to you is to use the same query on alltheweb.com. In this case, entering the query [link:http://www.infoworks1.com/] reveals there are 218 pages linking to my site and it shows 34 of them -- including those links I expect to see from sites I know link to me. Can anyone shed light on this? Is there are reason Google is ignoring some of the sites?

Best Small Law Firm Web Sites

2005-07-01T22:01:00.000-04:00

What makes a good small law firm web site? Check out these links for some answers:

Infoworks! Client Chosen As Best Law Firm Web Site - Small Firm; Best Law Firm Web Sites; Law firm web trends in sales and service era; more to come...

Looking for info on drug abuse? addiction? alcoholism?

2005-06-28T21:01:00.000-04:00

There's a new web site for kids, teens and adults in Charlestown, Massachusetts that is gathering information about drugs, alcohol, addiction, treatment, intervention and prevention. It's a project of the Charlestown Substance Abuse Coalition. Learn more at csac-chad.org.

Charlestown Substance Abuse Coalition Launches Web Site

2005-06-28T20:55:00.000-04:00

The Charlestown Substance Abuse Coalition (CSAC) and Charlestown Against Drugs (CHAD) are putting together a web site of information and resources around the prevention, intervention and treatment of alcohol and substance abuse for residents of Charlestown, Massachusetts. It includes a Substance Abuse Treatment Resource guide outlining local treatment options.
www.csac-chad.org.

Jury Awards $23.8 Million in Cerebral Palsy Medical Malpractice Suit

2005-05-11T12:59:00.000-04:00

Lubin & Meyer's web site has the story of another big win... a $24 million jury award, believed to be one the largest in the history of Massachusetts. There is also an article in the Boston Herald, Jury: Doctors Botched Delivery.

Breast Augmentation - Submuscular Preferred Placement

2005-02-09T09:04:00.000-05:00

Dr. Christine Hamori notes in her plastic surgery blog her preference for breast implants... "For breast augmentation, I prefer FDA-approved round smooth saline implants placed beneath the muscle. This procedure may cause a bit more discomfort postoperatively, but I believe the pectoralis major muscle helps support the long-term shape and position of the implant." See her breast procedures page on her web site, and her before-and-after photo gallery on Breast Implants 411.

Healthcare Management Trends Through 2010

2005-01-06T17:25:00.000-05:00

Applied Management Systems, Inc. (AMS), healthcare management consultants with offices in Burlington, Massachusetts and Columbia, Maryland, has released its Top Ten Healthcare Trends for 2010, which identifies major pressure points for healthcare executives and how healthcare management dollars can be most wisely spent for organizational success. Read the Top 10 Trends in press release form, or download a PDF that compares the top ten healthcare trends today with the top ten healthcare trends of the future.

Applied Management Systems provides healthcare management services in three divisions: Systems Engineering, Accounts Receivable Management and Health Information Services. They provide the healthcare industry with operational consulting in benchmarking, revenue cycle management, supply chain management, strategic planning, and health information management.See the AMS web site at http://www.aboutams.com.

New Hampshire Evaluates Wastewater Options in Seacoast Region

2004-09-28T13:29:00.000-04:00

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) and The Great Bay Estuary Commission recently announced a study of future options to address the region’s wastewater management needs. Managing the increasing volume of treated wastewater and determining how to dispose of septage is one of the biggest challenges facing the Seacoast region over the next decade, according to State Senator Russell Prescott, who sponsored Senate Bill 70 and chairs the Great Bay Estuary Commission. “As a result of the forward thinking of the Strafford Regional Planning Commission and other local groups, this study will ensure that we review the issues involved and that citizens of this area have an understanding of the financial and environmental impacts of addressing the region’s future needs,” Prescott added. For more information, see the project web site at www.coastalclear.org.

Boston Medical Malpractice Attorney - Andrew C. Meyer, Jr.

2004-08-31T13:43:00.000-04:00

Recognized by Boston Magazine as one of Boston’s top lawyers, Andrew C. Meyer, Jr. has consistently achieved record-setting verdicts, including the largest personal injury award in Massachusetts’ history, $30 million dollars including interest for a medical malpractice case involving an infant's brain damage at birth. His compelling influence on the field of medical malpractice won him the distinction of being named one of the most influential lawyers in the state by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. Martindale-Hubbell’s well-respected national directory of lawyers has awarded Meyer its highest rating for legal ability and its highest rating for ethical standards. He has been selected for inclusion in the widely recognized “Best Lawyers in America.” Meyers cases are often cited for their novel and precedent-setting issues. Meyers is a founding partner of the firm Lubin & Meyer, PC, and has been named among Boston Magazine's Best of Boston lawyers in the personal injury category. Learn more at the Lubin & Meyer web site. File under: Medical malpractice lawyer Boston

Robert M. Higgins, Medical Malpractice Attorney

2004-08-26T00:23:00.000-04:00

Robert M. Higgins has been an attorney with Lubin & Meyer since 1994. During that time, he has been involved in numerous multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts, including the largest jury award in Plymouth County (Massachusetts) — $19.8 million for failure to diagnose cervical cancer — and a $7.2 million jury award in Middlesex County for failure to diagnose breast cancer. Attorney Higgins handles all types of personal injury cases including medical malpractice, product liability and general negligence. Learn more at Lubin & Meyer, PC.
More attorneys at this firm

William J. Thompson, Medical Malpractice Attorney

2004-08-26T00:15:00.000-04:00

William Thompson is a trial lawyer with more than 13 years of experience who specializes in medical negligence cases. He has represented victims of medical malpractice in hundreds of cases throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. Attorney Thompson also handles product liability and wrongful death claims and has vast experience before judges and juries in all types of personal injury cases. He has been successful in obtaining numerous multi-million dollar awards for victims of medical and other negligence, including the largest jury verdict in Massachusetts for a stillborn baby ($2.7 million). Learn more at Lubin & Meyer, PC
Attorneys admitted in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.

Free Thermage Seminar Offered South of Boston

2004-08-23T11:25:00.000-04:00

DUXBURY, MA — Christine Hamori Cosmetic Surgery + Skin Spa will offer a free seminar on "non-surgical facelifts" in its Duxbury, Massachusetts Skin Spa featuring Thermacool lift by Thermage. It will be held September 29, 2004. See blog entry on What's New In Plastic Surgery? for more information.

Saved Search Project on DirectoryNE

2004-08-13T16:43:00.001-04:00

The saved search project is underway at Directory NE

What's New In Plastic Surgery?

2004-07-26T15:26:00.000-04:00

Nip, Tuck and Blog. Massachusetts plastic surgeon Christine Hamori has started a web log to offer information, observations and comments on plastic surgery. Nice to see professionals getting into blogging. Hamori's weblog, What's New In Plastic Surgery? is one of many health care blogs listed in Yahoo's Directory of Health and Medicine blogs.

Lawyers as Salesmen?

2004-06-27T22:14:00.000-04:00

As law firm mergers and competition in the legal services arena heats up, the move toward corporate sales and service models are taking root. See reporting on the recent Legal Sales and Service Organziation's Raindance Conference 2004 in Boston by Amy Campbell and Larry Bodine.

Government & Regulatory Review

2004-06-04T15:39:00.000-04:00

New Hampshire law firm Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell's June issue of Government & Regulatory Review is out with the following articles published.

Employee Benefits: Health Savings Accounts
Providers and businesses may fall in line with the Bush administration's recently enacted Health Savings Accounts, but the jury is still out on whether they will catch on with the public.

Employment Law: FACT Eliminates Employee Written Consent Requirement for Investigations
The newly enacted Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act exempts employers from needing written employee consent for third-party investigations of alleged employee misconduct.

Employee Seminar: The U.S. DOL White Collar Exemptions Final Regulations
The United States Department of Labor's new rules are scheduled to go into effect on August 23, 2004 — are you ready? More information on topics and registration for this free seminar on Wednesday, June 23, 2004.

Real Estate / Resort Law: Outsourcing Resort Management
Is your organization best suited to manage with its own staff and resources, or could a resort management specialist bring economies of scale and expertise to do the job better?

Law Links | Health Links Gains Ground

2004-05-18T21:55:00.000-04:00

Law Links | Health Links has a snazzy new look using the new Blogger templates, and is starting to amass a useful resource of information at the intersection of legal, health and marketing professions. Props!

Breast Augmentation

2004-04-03T18:57:00.000-05:00

Starting another quick test: Google search for breast enhancement massachusetts returns
Breast Augementation, Breast Reduction, Breast Lift Procedures ... in 41st position. Let's see how that stands over time. A Google search for breast augmentation massachusetts returns the same page in position #74. Benchmark established.

Success Stories, Best of the Best

2004-04-02T18:45:00.001-05:00

Some ongoing successes. Many #1s, all Top Tens... check these phrases yourself on google.

new hampshire law firm - Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell, PA
boston's best lawyer medical malpractice - Lubin & Meyer, PC - Andrew Meyer
boston's best lawyers - Andrew C. Meyer, Jr.
best lawyers in new hampshire - Eight Attorneys at Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell
best lawyers in new hampshire - Andrea K. Johnstone
Best Lawyers in America - New Hampshire Attorneys at Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell
new hampshire employment lawyer - Anne G. Scheer
plastic surgeon south shore - Christine A. Hamori, MD
plastic surgery south shore boston - Christine A. Hamori, MD
cosmetic surgery south shore boston - Christine Hamori Cosmetic Surgery + Skin Spa
cosmetic surgery nantucket - Christine A. Hamori, MD
thermalift boston - Plastic Surgery - Christine Hamori, MD - Boston, Cape Cod, South ...
Thermage Thermalift - Christine Hamori Cosmetic Surgery + Skin Spa - skin treatments
Thermage Thermalift - Christine Hamori Cosmetic Surgery + Skin Spa - face procedures
medical malpractice boston

And then on MSN, thermage massachusetts returns
Thermage ThermaLift, and Intense Pulsed Light Photo Rejuvenation Now Available as number one, and Plastic Surgery - Christine Hamori, MD - Boston, Cape Cod, South ... as number 2. While the same search on Google doesn't show www.christinehamori.com for pages. hmmm.... algorithms!

Supply Chain Management 2004

2004-03-30T14:38:00.001-05:00

Supply Chain Management 2004 is a senior healthcare executive forum designed for COOs, VPs of clinical and supports services, CFOs and supply chain administrators. When? Tuesday, May 4, 2004 at the Marriott Burlington Hotel in Burlington, Massachusetts. Sponsored by healthcare management consultanting firm Applied Management Systems, Inc.. Presentations include money-saving strategies and cases from leading medical centers nationwide. For more information, download a brochure and registration materials here.

Consumer WebWatch Research: Consumers Often Confused by Paid Search Results on Search Engines

2004-03-26T10:59:00.000-05:00

Consumer WebWatch Research: Consumers Often Confused by Paid Search Results on Search Engines

Soople -- Easy Search-it-all Table via Google

2004-03-26T10:52:00.000-05:00

Soople, a Dutch site that simplifies advanced Google search functions.

Health Information Management and Healthcare Law — Can We Master Both?

2004-03-03T08:19:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, April 7, 2004, healthcare consulting firm Applied Management Systems, Inc. will host a day of education and idea exchange designed for directors of health information services, compliance officers, privacy officers, and c-level health care executives. Speakers include HIM experts and healthcare leaders: Linda Kloss, president of American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA); Jennifer Cox, head of the Pepe & Hazard, LLP health law department; Thomas Barker, acting deputy general counsel for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; James Conway, EVP and CEO of Dana-Farbe Cancer Institute; and Harry Rhodes, director of HIM products and services for AHIMA, and editor of security/confidentiality newsletter, In Confidence. Registration materials are available at www.aboutams.com.

Thermage ThermaLift, and Intense Pulsed Light Photo Rejuvenation Now Available

2004-02-24T20:25:00.000-05:00

More new stuff at Christine Hamori Cosmetic Surgery + Skin Spa. Dr. Hamori likes to keep up to date with the best and latest equipment and technology for cosmetic surgery and skin rejuvenation. The latest? Thermage ThermaLift, for what's being called the "non-surgical face lift." Using radio waves it helps tighten skin is supposed to actually promote collagen production. Hamori is using the ThermaCool TC Tissue Contraction System. It's the latest. Thermage ThermaLift, and Intense Pulsed Light Photo Rejuvenation Now Available

Medical Malpractice Attorney Adam Satin Featured in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

2004-02-24T20:16:00.000-05:00

This article, which appeared in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, is available on Boston law firm Lubin & Meyer's web site...Success Comes Early for Med-Mal Lawyer

Ever Wonder What Pages Has Google Indexed?

2004-01-25T17:39:00.000-05:00

Just try this search syntax: site:yourdomain.com and Google will return all indexed pages. Found this tip via ResearchBuzz

Event Horizon - Baltic Yacht 51

2004-01-17T12:39:00.000-05:00

Find Paul and Sonya's boat web site here: Event Horizon - Baltic Yacht 51. Links and resources to all things Event Horizon, Baltic and Narragansett... (Make a mental note for the future, the url is www.eventhorizon.cc NOT .com. (Think sailing on the sea-sea - cc - get it?)

Law Links | Health Links - Top Referrals

2004-01-10T10:45:00.000-05:00

Law Links | Health Links - Top Referrals

Been Gazumped by Google? Trying to make Sense of the "Florida" Update

2003-12-03T20:55:00.000-05:00

Will be doing some testing of page ranks to see if the latest Google update has had an impact on any big needles in the haystack. Stand by for a brief report. Been Gazumped by Google? Trying to make Sense of the "Florida" Update!

Referral links test

2003-11-26T21:28:00.001-05:00

All the Web referrals

AltaVista

MSN

Referrals

2003-11-26T21:28:00.000-05:00

Click here for Lubin & Meyer referrals

Medical Malpractice Attorney Referral Rate

2003-11-20T15:13:00.000-05:00

Ads by Boston-based personal injury law firm Lubin & Meyer, PC are using lawyer referral rate as a marketing metric. Their ad, which runs in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, states "80 percent of our cases are referrals from other attorneys because of our record of outstanding results." Lubin & Meyer, PC and founding partner Andrew C. Meyer have a record of success obtaining large jury verdicts and settlements. A recent example is a $3.25 million settlement in a medical malpractice case resulting in severe infant brain damage during delivery (see Mass. Lawyers Weekly's Verditcs & Settlements section, Sept. 22 issue). The firm's attorneys are admitted in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

Law Firms Learning to Listen

2003-11-08T13:26:00.000-05:00

For one person's view on the Legal Marketing Association New England Chapter conference, see the recent series of posts on Amy Campbell's Web Log.

Massachusetts Medical Malpractice Attorneys at Lubin & Meyer, PC - Boston, Massachusetts

2003-10-30T15:10:00.000-05:00

Improvements to the web site for the highly regarded law firm Lubin & Meyer, PC, specializing in personal injury and medical malpractice cases (attorneys admitted in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island), have been implemented. Most noteably, making the site more accessible to search engine spiders through the home page. We'll be tracking the success of the changes here.

Massachusetts Hospitals: What Does the Future Hold?

2003-10-30T10:13:00.000-05:00

The Healthcare Management Association of Massachusetts has posted the agenda and registration materials for it's forum in collaboration with the Massachusetts Hospital Association for January 16, 2004. The program, Massachusetts Hospitals: What Does the Future Hold?, will provide a venue for professionals across the spectrum of health care management to discuss how health care delivery institutions will be shaped in the future. What are the trends and transformations that await us in the coming years? How are we going to merge technology, management, and medicine into a workable and economically feasible combination? What are the barriers that we shall certainly encounter, and how can we overcome them?

Google Lubin & Meyer, PC

2003-10-18T07:02:00.000-04:00

This headline is both a wish and a topic. Getting Google to spider a web site can be a frustrating waiting game. For instance, changes made to Boston law firm Lubin & Meyer, PC's web site at http://www.lubinandmeyer.com include adding text links, interlinking, title tags, metatags, site map, etc.

While Google has spidered some of the pages (as evidenced by title tags showing up as the search result link for some of the pages ) many still have not reflected recent changes. An example of a page that has been linked:

Try Googling "Boston's best lawyer personal injury" and you get:
"Boston's Best" Lawyers - Andrew Meyer Jr - Personal Injury" (reflecting the new title tag)

Try Googling "Boston's best lawyer" and you get:
"Lubin & Meyer" (which does not reflect the new metatags)

Actually, here's a better way to see what Google knows about your site. Google search it. Use Google's ability to search any site by using this search syntax in the search box:

meyer site:www.lubinandmeyer.com. Click on this link and you'll see it currently returns 40 results, and only 9 that reflect updated title tags.

Certainly, it takes time, and referring links can help make this happen. Thus this post. Also, soon more home page text and contextually relevant hyperlinks from the homepage will aid in this process as we try to empower relevant keywords such as "medical malpractice" "verdicts" "settlements" for not only Massachusetts, but also for New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

Patience.

GCG's Government & Regulatory Review - October 2003 Issue

2003-10-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell's e-newsletter, Government & Regulatory Review, has been published for October. Even though it has an RSS feed, I thought I'd give it an extra push here on big needle.

Register Now for Legal Marketing Association New England Chapter's Annual Conference

2003-09-25T13:22:00.000-04:00

Perfect Pitch: Thinking Like a Listener is the intriguing topic of this year's LMA New England Regional Conference to be held Friday, November 7 at the Warren Conference Center in Ashland, Massachusetts.

TOPICS + SPEAKERS:

COMMUNICATING LEADERSHIP
Barbara B. Miller, Barbara Miller Communications

FIRM STRATEGY—MANAGING FOR SUCCESS
Diane E. Hamlin, Chief Strategic Officer, Fenwick & West LLP

MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIAGNOSTICS
Darryl Cross, Chief Marketing Officer, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP

TURN UP THE VOLUME—THE MARKETPLACE IS TALKING
Developing Competitive Intelligence About Your Cilents and Prospects
Ann Lee Gibson, Ph.D., Ann Lee Gibson Consulting

BUILDING A SALES FOCUS AT YOUR FIRM
Silvia L. Coulter, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Scott Cotie, CPA, Chief Financial Officer, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Adam Stock, Director of Sales, Western Region and Asia, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Beth Cuzzone,Director of Business Development, Goulston & Storrs

Best Law Firm Web Sites

2003-09-25T12:51:00.000-04:00

The editors of Law Office Computing magazine have announced the winners of the 5th Annual Best Law Office Web Site Contest highlighting "firms whose approach to utilization of the Internet stands at the forefront of innovation and value-added content."

Large Firms
Jones Day (winner)
Kirkpatrick & Lockhart (finalist)
Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox (finalist)
Porter Wright Morris & Arthur (finalist)

Small Firms
Zupkus & Angell (winner)
Wolf Greenfield & Sacks (finalist)
Gorberg, Gorberg and Zuber (finalist)
Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell (finalist) <--- my client!
For more on gcglaw.com's award, see this press release and this one.

For complete details, please see the October/November 2003 Law Office Computing.

This is a repeat post from Amy Campbell's Weblog.

Infoworks! Client Featured as Tech-Savvy Law Firm

2003-09-23T11:33:00.000-04:00

In its current issue, Law Office Computing magazine features Infoworks! client, Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell, for its use of technology in servicing clients and marketing the law firm. It includes these enticing quotes for search-engine optimizer wanna-be's ... "Google has fallen in love with the site because of all the content" ...and “Advertising doesn’t go very far on the Internet, but information does.” Download the article reprint for the whole story.

'Thumbs Up' for Search Engine 'AlltheWeb'

2003-09-18T16:28:00.000-04:00

I've added AlltheWeb to my favorite web research tools list. While I've been a big fan of Google (and continue to be), AlltheWeb returns excellent results and tops Google when searching for incoming links to your web site. Try [link:http://www.yourwebsiteurl.com] on both and see what you get. I think it's safe to say it's a 2 search engine town again.

Lawyers' Favorite Search Engines

2003-09-09T19:58:00.000-04:00

More than half (52%) of lawyers prefers Google for general-purpose Internet searches. The other half prefers Yahoo! (23%), MSN Search (13%) and AOL Search (5%). This is according to the recently released 2002 ABA Legal Technology Resource Center Survey Report.

86% of those surveyed perform legal-specific research online, with 46% prefering to start with a fee-based online resource, 32% a free, legal-specific search engine or directory, and 18% searching the open internet.

Learn more about the "who, what and where" in the report's 8-page executive summary on the ABA web site.

Government and Regulatory Review - Legal Articles Online

2003-09-09T10:21:00.000-04:00

The latest issue of GCG's Government and Regulatory Review from law firm Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell is out. It includes a piece by Andrea Johnstone on the New Hampshire Supreme Court Decides First Sexual Harrassment Case. You can also access past issues in the e-newsletter archive or search by keyword in the Resources section.

Legal Marketing Awards

2003-08-30T09:18:00.000-04:00

If you're a law firm marketer who is proud of your recent efforts in promoting your law firm, check out the Legal Marketing Association New England Chapter's 2003 Your Honor Awards. Find out more on the LMA NE web site.

Web logs in your marketing mix?

2003-08-30T09:11:00.000-04:00

This entry on Why You Should Include Blogs in Your Marketing Mix on Amy Campbell's Web Log gives you some insight into what these experiments are all about here on Big Needle.

Law Firm Search Engine Successes

2003-08-29T22:26:00.000-04:00

Law firm Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell continues to pull well on Google. Our big needle strategy is on track. Here's a few phrases that all returned the top rank in March as well as today... (that's both #1 AND #2 spots!)
- resort law
- new hampshire lobbyist
- new hampshire law firm
- new hampshire utilities law
No tricks or schemes here, just straight up relevant content served fresh and often with a dash of secret sauce. The result of a 4 year commitment and careful attention to detail. More success stories to come.

Blogs and Law Marketing

2003-08-21T19:00:00.000-04:00

Just found out that this article I wrote for the June issue of Strategies (the journal of the Legal Marketing Association) was posted on its web site as well. Here it is: Blogs Rising: An Important New Web Trend with Law Marketing Potential. A list of links for additional resources on this topic are available on my Infoworks! web site.

Thanks Law Office Computing

2003-08-21T16:50:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Sandy Rolph at Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell, I've finally seen the issue of Law Office Computing that quotes me as part of the article on using technology to market law firms. Worth repeating here are: "By publishing information of value, we were able to differentiate the firm and the attorneys. It worked beyond our expectations. Google has fallen in love with the site because of all the content we have." Also: "Advertising doesn't go very far on the Internet, but information does." Will eventually post a link to the article as promised.

Using Technology to Market Law Firms

2003-08-18T14:42:00.000-04:00

I'm pleased to report that my client, Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell, is featured in the current issue (August/September 2003) of Law Office Computing magazine in an article on law firms using technology to market their services. A big part of the firm's efforts involves their content-rich web site that I developed and help them manage, as well as their monthly e-newsletter. While the firm is smallish in size, they get a big bang for the buck through their investment in technology to improve their ability to keep in touch with their clients. And, of course, Google also loves their content-rich, optimized web site! I'll post a link to the article when available.

The Experiment Continues...

2003-08-18T14:25:00.000-04:00

Now that I've got Blogger Pro going with RSS feeds, I've started this new web log for purely selfish reasons of learning through experimentation with linking and rss feeds, etc. Snake oil salesman-type stuff I wasn't comfortable to post on my Harvard-branded blog.

2003-07-19T16:05:00.000-04:00

Big Needle Is Born
Stay tuned for news, experiments and success stories related to internet marketing and how to get your message to rise to the top of the information heap.