🗒️ (Citation modified)

We’re halfway through the year and headed into a long weekend, which means now is a perfect time to refresh your professional image. This week you’ll find a guide to updating your website bio and an interview with a Texas personal injury lawyer doing some innovative community marketing this 4th of July.

We’ve also got a link to an AI video quiz if you want to test your tech savvy during your downtime. And there’s a quick rundown of what’s new in the latest Bluebook update—because nothing says summer fun like cleaning up some citations. 

This makes me want a hot dog real bad. Sausage giants sue one another over trade secrets.

Wedding season secrets. Take a peek at some of the terms included in high-profile prenups.

Legal version of the Streisand effect. Costco leggings are flying off the shelves after Lululemon accuses them of selling illegal knockoffs.

Don't click that button. Looks like @GodLitigation figured out why your case is taking so long to resolve.

Channeling Nicolas Cage. Researching how the Declaration of Independence is stored, and listening to the speech Supreme Court Chief Justice Vinson gave when it was moved to the National Archives. 

Red, white and vroom

Every year, the Fourth of July brings us parades, fireworks and—unfortunately—a spike in drunk-driving accidents. Houston-based personal injury attorney Max “The Axe” Paderewski is tackling that risk head-on, handing out free Lyft rides to keep people safe during the holiday weekend. Part marketing move, part genuine community service, this campaign reminds us that sometimes the best way to serve your clients is to keep them from ever needing you. —Emily Kelchen

What gave you the idea to give out Lyft vouchers for the 4th of July?
The 4th of July is one of the most dangerous holidays for drunk driving accidents. As someone who witnesses the aftermath of these tragedies far too often, I wanted to take proactive steps. 

By offering free Lyft rides, we give people a safer alternative and hopefully prevent crashes, injuries and DUIs before they happen. It’s a small step that can make a big difference. We run similar campaigns around other high-risk holidays like New Year’s, St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween.

Is this more about public safety or marketing, or are those goals aligned in your view?
This is about public safety first and foremost. We’d rather prevent an accident than represent someone after one has occurred. That said, we believe doing the right thing naturally aligns with building trust. Lone Star Injury Attorneys is a firm built on people and community. If our efforts to keep folks safe also help them remember who we are, that’s a bonus, not the goal.

How do you promote the campaign? Is it digital, community-based or something else?
We use a mix of digital and community-based outreach. That includes social media, email marketing, press releases, word of mouth, local event sites and traditional media outreach. We want as many people as possible to know about the program because every ride taken is a potentially life-saving decision.

How do you measure whether this actually helps your practice?
If someone makes it home safely because they used one of our free Lyft rides instead of driving under the influence, that’s a win. If someone decides not to get behind the wheel after a few drinks just because they saw our campaign, that’s a success.

That said, of course, we look at engagement. We track the number of people who sign up for the ride vouchers, the number of vouchers that are actually used and the number of people who share or interact with our online messaging. Those numbers help us understand reach and impact. Every year, we’ve seen that grow. More people are applying, more rides are taken and more conversations are started. That tells us we’re making a difference.

Do you think lawyers should be doing more creative community engagement like this? 
As lawyers, especially in personal injury, we see the aftermath of preventable tragedies every day. We understand the real-world consequences of things like drunk driving or distracted driving, and that gives us a responsibility to do more than just represent clients after the fact. 

Not (cleaned up)

The latest version of the Bluebook is out, and it officially blesses the practice of altering quotations in order to make them more readable. But here’s the deal: instead of saying (cleaned up) like a growing number of attorneys and judges were doing at Jack Metzler’s suggestion, the Bluebook editors want you to say (citation modified). The backstory behind the decision to adopt (cleaned up) as a practice without adopting the exact phrase is detailed in a forthcoming law review article you can read on SSRN if you really want to get into the weeds.

Why this matters: As each hallucinated case from ChatGPT reminds us, citations matter. This addition to the Bluebook should provide some clarity around a practice that is gaining in popularity. (Bluebook Wednesday from Melanie Kalmanson)

Can you spot the fake?

Videos created by artificial intelligence are getting more difficult to detect. This quiz will put you to the test as you try and figure out how many of the 10 videos shown feature actual humans. It’s not an easy task—and that's going to have serious implications for the legal world.

Why this matters: Attorneys need to realize just how easy it is to produce a realistic video using AI. This quiz is an excellent example of just how good the tech has gotten. (New York Times)

Con Law 101

Even seasoned attorneys can benefit from circling back to the fundamentals, and that’s exactly what the “We The People Podcast” from the National Constitution Center offers. Hosted by center president and CEO Jeffrey Rosen, the show brings together leading scholars and advocates to dissect today’s major constitutional debates and explore significant historical questions.

Why this matters: When you spend your days answering emails and redlining documents, it's easy to lose track of what cases are making headlines. Listening in is a way to keep up with all the hot-button issues and remind yourself why you chose this work in the first place. (We The People Podcast)

• North Carolina may divert IOLTA funding away from civil causes 
  
• Law360 sending all its news stories through AI bias detector
  
• Florida National Guard members to serve as immigration judges at “Alligator Alcatraz”
  
• Deep dive on the legality of the Iran strike
  
• Former Texas AGs accuse colleagues of witness tampering

Half-year housekeeping

We are halfway through 2025, which means it is time to make updates to one of your most visible yet often neglected marketing tools: your online bio. It’s easy to let your bio sit untouched for years, but potential clients, referral sources and even opposing counsel often judge you first by what they see online. Taking a few minutes to add a recent success story, a new credential or even a refreshed headshot can make a big difference.

Why this matters: An outdated bio—one that doesn’t include new cases, honors, speaking engagements, or areas of focus—can quietly undercut the credibility you’ve worked hard to build. A midyear check-in helps keep your bio aligned with your current goals, not those you set five years ago. (Wix)

You're all caught up!

 Thanks for reading today's edition! You can reach the newsletter team at raisethebar@mynewsletter.co. We enjoy hearing from you.

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 Raise the Bar is written and curated by Emily Kelchen and edited by Bianca Prieto.