Accused of murder by a TikTok tarot reader

2027 starts in 11 weeks. If you want revenue to climb next year, the groundwork starts now. We’ll help you find where that money will come from and spot the budgeting assumptions that cost you. If that means beefing up your marketing, you might want to take a look at Substack. If it means improving the client experience, make sure your clients know how to safely use their phone as a scanner. And speaking of new seasons, The Housewives are back, and we’ve got a podcast rec that turns each episode of that and other reality shows into a legal learning experience.

Coming soon, “shadow AI” is a threat to your firm. Tuesday’s Q&A will shed some light on it.

But first, the debate over the legality of MMA-style fights between humans and robots is heating up.

The Lorax could not be reached for comment.
The Trump admin cut down hundreds of trees over the holiday weekend, and we’re not sure who’s more upset, Judge Ana Reyes or the r/treelaw subreddit.

Pulled the fool card.
After being accused of murder by a TikTok tarot card reader, Idaho Professor Rebecca Scofield argues Section 230 needs reform.

What year is it?
Trump is asking SCOTUS to revive the frivolous lawsuit he filed against Hillary Clinton over the 2016 election.

Attorney vs. Lawyer vs. Press Secretary
Forget Nikki Montlick’s viral video that’s got everyone arguing whether the terms attorney and lawyer are interchangeable. The real question is if Press Secretary Katie Zacharia is either.

Suspend criminal law… and forget civil liability exists.
The Purge is always a good choice for spooky season if you can ignore the legal loopholes attorney Tom Kherkher has identified.

Growth at a small firm comes down to relationships, from the referral you thank to the prospect you follow up with before they call someone else. Salesforce Starter Suite is built for small businesses and puts sales, service and marketing tools in one place:

Build the relationships that grow your firm with Salesforce.

If you want to increase your firm’s revenue in 2027, now is the time to start laying the groundwork for that growth. While this article doubles as a sales pitch for SkillBench’s outsourced accounting and virtual CFO services, it’s a solid place to start when you aren’t sure where that extra money is going to come from. (Rate increases, new matters, added capacity, or tighter billing?)

It also covers some of the mistaken assumptions firms make when budgeting so you can look out for them.

Why this Matters: Skip the sales pitch but keep the number crunching. Before you book a call with any vendor, check with your bar association. Many state and local bars run practice management programs that offer members free budget worksheets and a meeting or two with a law firm financial guru. (SkillBench)

Being able to scan documents on the go isn’t just convenient; it’s basically a necessity. That’s likely why the iPhone allows users to scan, crop and save documents as PDFs within the built-in Notes and Files apps. On Android, the Google Drive app does the same.

If you want to stick with your phone camera as your scanner, but you need whatever you are scanning to be searchable, editable, or signable, Adobe Scan is your best bet. It does optical character recognition (OCR), which turns what you are scanning into an actual digital document instead of a picture disguised as a PDF.

All three of these options allow you to keep scans secure, unlike some random scanners from the app store, which are less than forthcoming about where your files are stored on their end. 

Why this Matters: Even if you already knew all this, you likely have a client who doesn’t. If you are asking them for any sort of scans, make sure they don’t think they need to buy a home scanner or visit a copy shop to get you what you need. (Apple / Google / Adobe Scan)

The fall seasons of your favorite reality tv shows are just getting underway, which makes it the perfect time to tune into The Bravo Docket. Hosted by attorneys Cesie Alvarez and Angela Angotti, this podcast does an in-depth analysis of the legal issues facing your favorite Housewives and other reality stars.

Why this Matters: The facts may be tabloid fodder, but the legal commentary is not. (The Bravo Docket)

If you are wondering whether your firm should start a Substack, you aren’t alone. As members of the legal commentariat have embraced the platform (think One First by Steve Vladeck, Civil Discourse by Joyce Vance, and Original Jurisdiction by David Lat) firms are wondering if they should do the same. 

While not geared specifically toward law firms, this piece from Simon Cox at Wildings breaks down the pros and cons of Substack and goes through how to decide between it and a traditional blog. 

If you’re committed to doing more of the sort of direct-to-inbox marketing that Substack allows, but you aren’t a fan of the platform itself, Jerry Lawson and Matthew Timko round-up a list of alternatives.

Why this Matters: Connecting directly with interested readers is more efficient than hoping the algorithm will send your content to them, but starting a Substack is not a silver bullet. (Wildings / New Strategies In Legal Technology LLC)

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