Attorneys and Responding to Emails

In this post, I explore an ethical controversy that pertains to communication in the legal world. In 2018, email communication has taken over and pushed aside sending letters and faxing. Emailing is the one fastest ways to get in contact with each other besides text messaging and Facetime. In the legal world, emailing is the fastest way to keep in contact with clients. But, creating the perfect email is essential and many attorneys do not take the time to critique the correct email for their clients.

When you're an attorney, conducting an email should be as professional as a written letter to your client. Spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar always apply and you, of course, proofread! You should make use of the subject line and put the subject as the topic you are addressing to your client, so they know exactly what the email is going to be about before opening up the actual email. This gives clients a heads up for what they are about to read. When an email contains confidential information, an attorney may consider sending an email attached with a PDF file that contains the documents that allow the clients to save the PDF file.

A way for an attorney to avoid an "oh no!" moment is to never respond to a client in an "in the moment" type of way. When I say an "in the moment" type of response, I am saying to never respond back to clients when you are angry, upset, or stressed out. Many attorneys make the mistake of responding back to clients emails when they are in a hurry and not thinking as clearly as they normally should. Responding back to a clients email with a "in the moment" attitude to cause you to lose your current client and even result of them leaving a bad review of your law firm of a mistake that could have been easily avoided if you would have replied at a later time where emotions would have done all the talking.

Attorneys often forget to address to clients the risk of emailing legal documents to each other because the risk of a 3rd party can gain access. This can put the attorney's law firm in jeopardy. The attorney should always make it clear to their clients to avoid using a work computer, a work email, and avoid allowing anyone else to access their email account due to confidential information being linked to the email.

Many people hate emails, text messaging, and Facetiming. People still like face to face interaction, or appreciate and like to receive letters to keep a hard copy for their own sake. Because our world has turned to depend so much on technology, I believe using email to communicate with clients is one of the most basic forms of technology and should not be an issue. Emailing is fast and easy to make look formal if you proofread and check your sentences structure, and so on. Yes, there are many pros and cons through sending emails to clients, but it is the quickest and most effective way to get in contact. While emailing clients, your expected to get fast responses and it is more formal to receive an email from your attorney than a text message. Important documents can be sent through an email in a timely manner, rather than driving across town to obtain them and emails can be kept as records with dates and times.

Things To Consider Before Creating a Final Proposal

I had heard of a proposal before throughout college, but I had never formally created one. It wasn't until this fall semester I had to compose one that has ties within my future career. I had absolutely no idea how to start or where to start to make a proposal. After finding more information on how important it is to learn how to conduct a proposal in the legal world, I was thankful I had this challenge presented to me before I actually become an attorney. 

I learned there are many steps to conducting an effective proposal to capture the attention of customers and clients. And, there are many mistakes people make while presenting a proposal and don't realize until it's too late. Here are a few common mistakes people make while creating a proposal.

Word Choices:
One of the many common mistakes people make while conducting a proposal is their word choices. A lot of us feel if we use big fancy words, we will sound more appealing, more professional, and be taken more seriously. Companies and clients want to be able to read proposals easily and effectively. Using professional wording is great, depending on the company it is being presented for. But, the majority of companies what to easily understand the presented proposal and to easily understand the proposal is to break the proposal down in laymen's terms for everyone to understand. Using vocabulary that we would use on a daily basis can help the company see personality and see that our proposal is genuine. No company wants a fluffed proposal that sounds like a robot talking when it's read.

What's Your Value?
Many proposals that are created know exactly who their target audience and company are. They feel they are the right fit because it is in their interest and are always confident. But, what values make you stand out? Why should the company hire you when there are millions of others with the same potential as you? You must be unique and genuine. It is one thing to call yourself original, but calling yourself original doesn't necessarily make you original. To prove you are the right company, you must be willing to do things other companies have never done. Yes, you must meet requirements, but also go the extra mile with being involved with the community, the youth, and creating an opportunity for growth for the people around you, or even being involved with organizations that may not be related to your workforce. Many proposals to companies forget that it is their value that will give them the chance to present their qualities to the target company. Values are valued more when you offer what others cannot.

Have Someone Proofread Your Proposal 
People feel after creating so many proposals, that become blind to their own mistakes. It is always a good idea to have a close friend or professional proofread your final proposal. Constructive criticism should always be wanted when presenting a proposal that will land you a company you've always dreamed of being with. It is better to be corrected with someone who you are comfortable with, rather be denied by a company you wanted to work with and have them tell you why you were not qualified.


Don't Copy and Paste From Old Proposals: 
This is a bad habit a lot of people do. Many companies have rules against copying and pasting from old proposals. It is okay to change up information here and there, but never copy and paste a proposal you made for another company. Different companies have certain needs and want, and if you copy from an old proposal that applies to an entirely different company, it will be obvious. You must create your proposal that fits the companies exact needs and wants. Every company has different expectations and you must live up to them in a proposal made JUST for that company.


Here are some helpful links on what can make your proposal successful: Tips for a Successful Proposal // Different Examples of Proposals For Specific Areas of Careers

Professional Branding in the Legal World

Why is Professional Branding Important in 2018?

The concept of personal branding is extremely important in 2018 because of the many social media platforms there are around us. Not many people walk outside to their driveway to pick up the newspaper to read what's going on in the world because they're able to find out during the 6 am news or find out the latest buzz through news source apps. We literally have the world in the palm of our hands because of cell phones (an amazingly resourceful device if used properly). We are able to pick up our phones and google every question we could possibly think of and find the craziest answers. Sometimes, when we are searching for something, in particular, we stubbled across adds. Adds that include attorney offices offering legal counseling, the nearest doctors in your area, or local store sells that may be going on online from a website you frequently visit. Well, the importance of personal branding is everywhere and we sometimes don't realize it because we are so busy with our personal lives. We may have same an add pop up and not paid much attention to it, but when it comes up again on our phones, we are well aware of what that add is advertising and convincing us to do until we actually need a specific type of attorney, a doctor that specializes in certain areas, or a store that sells exactly what we've been needing for our home. The importance of personal branding is how we present yourself to the world around us and what we have to offer to. It may come with a well-known logo, specific colors that catch the eye of potential clients and pertains to a certain audience. Since I've been wanting to become an attorney for some time now, I have realized the importance of networking in building a personal brand before I am officially an attorney. It is never a bad idea to get ahead of your competitors nor a bad idea to make a name for yourself even if you change your career choice down the line, at least people will know your intentions and purpose. People will recognize your name when you are able to connect with them on a personal level and they know that you are genuinely there to help and make a difference in their lives through your profession. There are many ways attorneys go about personal branding. Most the time here in Texas, attorneys make 30-second commercials or, you can see many billboards across town with attorneys advertising what type of law they are specialized in. I personally feel that this is a great way to present yourself to the world, but I also feel more attorneys should have social media platforms for the younger generation that is so tech savvy. Rather it is Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or Facebook. All these social media platforms make it easier to get in contact with a professional or get a glance into their every life. Most importantly, I believe it would allow clients and potential clients to come in contact easier. I have yet to come across an attorney in my city that has all the social media's I mentioned (or maybe I haven't searched far enough). I feel it would greatly impact the community to get an insight of what a attorneys life looks like on the daily. To be able to get an inside looking in view, I feel people would be less intimated by the person who is in the legal profession. Personal branding for an attorney can make or break their entire career. Attorneys are a public figure and word of mouth travels fast, and even faster when social media is involved. It seems nearly impossible for an attorney to make it out their success in their career without having a personal blog with legal advice, a website that links to their law firm, or be in the top of Google search when a client is searching up "top attorneys in Texas."


Here are two helpful links to display multiple examples showing personal branding is being done in the legal profession in 2018: https://brandyourself.com/blog/guide/personal-branding-for-attorneys-and-lawyers/ and https://beyondbillables.com/kickstart-personal-brand-as-a-lawyer/

Hello and welcome. It's a pleasure to meet you!

About Me
My name is Natalie Reyes, I'm 23 years young living in the heart of Texas. I share my home with my 2-year-old white German Shepherd named Mylo and my best friend, who is my mother.

I have a big heart and an ambitious outlook on life. I always tell people who I meet that I don't think I would be half the woman I am if it wasn't for my mother. I think she's the person I get my big and forgiving heart from, but I am also a person who tends to wear their heart of their sleeve a majority of the time (maybe it's a Gemini thing).

In August 2014, I graduated from high school with goals of going to a well-known university. Rather it was in Texas, or out of state, I did not care. I was anxious to be next in line after my mother to attend college to take advantage of my time still being under the age of twenty. 

I started at a community college due to personal finances near my home and received my associate's degree in English in 2017. I then transferred to a 4-year university during fall 2017 to complete my degree in English and minor in legal studies. I am currently a senior at my university and will walk the stage May 2019. I am in a time of my life where my heart is filled with gratitude from being near to obtaining my bachelor's degree, but I am also terrified in finishing undergrad school because that means law school is around right the corner! (Yikes!)

Preparing for law school has not been easy and I always feel when I'm lying down in bed that I am forgetting to do something. But isn't that every college student? I had tried many times to venture away from wanting to be an attorney due to law school being overpriced and the workload that comes with being an attorney. I thought about becoming a police woman, a firefighter, EMT, and a personal trainer. But after getting accepted into a pre-law program at my university with courses that I will come across in law school, I loved the idea of wanting to become an attorney and knew that it was a career I would not mind dedicating my life to because I loved a challenge and serving the community. The areas of laws attorneys can practice is very diverse and fascinating to me. The fact that there is such a diversity of areas of law that can be practiced in the legal professional lead to opportunities being endless (which I love the most).

About The Journey to Becoming
The Journey to Becoming is a blog to share opinions, advice, and research with any future or current law students. My goal is to blog weekly for the next 10 weeks about topics that relate to a career in the legal field and current issues in the legal profession.

If you'd like to say hello, need advice, or have advice, please do not hesitate.

Best,
Natalie R