Have you read these?

A smattering of insightful and important posts from the blawgosphere and beyond.

• “How Essential is a CMO?” from AmLaw Daily. This is what I do, so it’s not surprising that I have a viewpoint on this question (first thought: this isn’t the right question to ask). But that’s not why you need to read this article. You need to read it because your own answer to the question should provide the foundation for your marketing plan, for the initiatives, budget and scope of how you market your practice. You also need to read the responses it has sparked, including those from Heather Milligan in The Legal Watercooler, “How Essential is a CMO? Depends,” Mark Beese in Leadership for Lawyers, “How Essential is a CMO?,” and Tim Corcoran in Corcoran’s Business of Law Blog, “Law Firm Leaders and Law Firm CMOs: Stop Whining and Get On With It,” and Jordan Furlong in Law21.ca, “Trust and the marketing department.”
  
  
• “Testing Marketing Competence” from Branding Strategy Insider. This post fits well with the ongoing discussion about the necessity of law firm CMOs. Why? Because these are the types of questions lawyers should be asking when talking to law firm marketers. And legal marketers should be articulating what they do, how they do it, and why it works or doesn’t work, in these terms. That’s how your clients do it.
  
  
• “Twitter – New Opportunities and Headaches for Companies” from Howard Rice. This is a client alert written by Howard Rice attorneys that takes a broad (and cursory) look at legal issues raised by blogs, Facebook and Twitter. Lawyers: whether or not you are directly involved in social media and social networking, your clients are. This isn’t going away, and the risks are only going to increase. You need to know this stuff. Really well.
  
  
• “Graduating into a recession” from Law21.ca. I ask lawyers what advice they have for law students when I interview them on 22 Tweets. So when I saw that Jordan Furlong had answered the same question, in a blog post, I had to read it. And recommend you read it too. It’s not by accident that I regularly feature his work on this blog: his analyses are thoughtful, comprehensive and insightful. And this one rises to the top: in the course of advising student, Furlong provides an in-depth examination of how the legal profession is evolving, and how lawyers must evolve to survive in the world. Read it.  
  
  
• “Tough times, tougher questions” from legalweek.com. Still trying to figure out what to do in today’s economic climate? You’re not the only one. This article captures a recent debate on the future of the legal profession (sponsored by Legal Week). In the process, it gives us valuable insight how this very diverse group of legal professionals see the profession and where it is going. The bonus? Reading what your peers and colleagues think the profession is doing right (and not so right).