South Carolina Family Law Blog : Spartanburg Divorce Lawyer & Attorney : Stevens-MacPhail Law Firm : South Carolina Family Law Serving Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Hilton Head Island

Earlier this week, I discussed temporary hearings and explained how issues are presented as being "black" or "white".  Every document prepared for the temporary hearing (including the pleadings drafted by the attorney and the Affidavits drafted by the client and witnesses with the attorney's guidance) should be written with the goal of persuading the Judge to decide in your favor.

Allison Shields recently listed several tips for persuasive writing on her blog, and I believe that they are particularly relevant in the context of preparing documents for temporary hearings.  Consider the following:

• Keep the client's (or judge's) point of view in mind and tell a compelling story - stories allow people to persuade themselves.
• To make an impression, name your 'characters' - don't keep using 'plaintiff' and 'defendant.'
• Anticipiate and address common or known objections (or problems) head-on.
• Remember that organization and sentence structure are important in persuasive writing.
• Write in plain English, use positive rather than negative language, and write in the active voice.
• Don't over-state. Be accurate. Don't use hyperbole.
• Social proof works - testimonials are powerful when used correctly.
• Your conclusion is your "call to action." Let the judge know what relief you're seeking.

These tips were collected from a session by Lisa Solomon and the Hon. Gerald Lebovits at this year's ABA National Solo and Small Firm Conference. You can (and should) read much more about this subject at Allison's Legal Ease Blog by clicking here.

Source:  "ABA National Solo and Small Firm Conference 2009 Recap - Persuasive Writing" by Allison Shields, published at her Legal Ease Blog.

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As my readers know, I spoke last week at "Hot Tips from the Coolest Domestic Law Practitioners" presented by theSouth Carolina Bar.  I also provided live coverage of this seminar via Twitter, and if you were not able to attend the seminar, you can check out the Twitter-cast by clicking HERE. Thanks to my friends, Melissa Brown and Vance Stricklin, for organizing and presenting such a great seminar again this year.

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Today, I am speaking at "Hot Tips from the Coolest Domestic Law Practitioners" presented by the South Carolina Bar.  This annual seminar features some of South Carolina ’s most experienced and talented Family Court trial attorneys and judges, and I am honored to be presenting the "10 Best Websites for Family Court Attorneys":

1. ISP List – This site contains addresses for the legal departments for virtually all cell phone carriers, internet service providers, social media services, and similar companies to assist in the service of Subpoenas, Court Orders, and other legal documents.
2. MeetWays – This resource that helps people easily find a halfway point between two locations.  You simply enter the addresses and a point of interest, and MeetWays does the rest, providing both the halfway point and places of interest in that vicinity.
3. United States Postal Service – The USPS website’s Zip Code Lookup feature enables you to quickly verify the County in which any address is located.  Simply insert the address, and then click on “Mailing Industry Information” to get the County information.
4. Store, Organize, and Share Information Online
   
   • Drop.io – This service allows you to send and share files with clients and others quickly, securely, and privately.  You select the data to upload, set the password, and share with your desired recipients.  By doing so, you can collaborate via web, phone, email, mobile, & more.
   • Evernote – This free service enables you to easily capture, organize, and store information using whatever device or platform you find most convenient, and it makes the information accessible and searchable at any time from anywhere.
5. Online Valuation Tools
   • Real Estate:  Online services like Zillow and RealEstate ABC list sales prices for comparable properties and make adjustments for different characteristics to estimate a property’s market value.  While not admissible in Court, these services can be helpful in getting an idea of the value of a given parcel of real property.
   • Vehicles:  Many websites help determine the value of any make or model of automobile, truck, etc., taking into consideration its mileage, condition, and specific options.  Some of the leading sites include Edmunds, Kelly Blue Book,  and NADA.
6. Pipl – This online people search engine enables you to look up information by name, email address, username, or phone number, and it pulls all of the information together into a nice report.  Search engines for many other types of data can be found at LifeHacker.    
7. Time and Date Calculator – This site has many useful functions for family law attorneys.  For instance, you can easily calculate dates in the future (or past), which can be helpful in determining when documents are due.  It also allows you to determine the number of days between certain dates.  You can also print calendars in many standard and customizable formats.      
8. FOIA Letter Generator – This website from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press automatically creates letters to all federal and most state government agencies for information available pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act.
9. South Carolina Judicial Department – Past, present, and future terms of Family Court are available here, including the name of each Judge’s Court Reporter for any given day.  (Note:  Some Counties include their trial dockets online, including Beaufort, Charleston, Georgetown, Greenville, Horry, Richland, and Spartanburg.)
10. DSS Child Support Calculator – For those times that you don’t have access to Tom Traxler’s Child Support Calculator, the Department of Social Services maintains an online version on their website.

Bonus:  Directory of State-Specific Family Law Blogs – This resource is a great starting point if you need to research any legal issues or locate a family law attorney in another state.  Almost every state is listed here, and these sites contain a wealth of information to both attorneys and clients alike.

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This post is aimed at practicing attorneys, particularly those who want to have a paperless office. This month's Law Practice Today webzine from the ABA Law Practice Management Section focuses on how to implement and utilize paperless strategies in law offices.  I had the pleasure of serving as the editor for this issue, and I am pleased with how it turned out.  You can read the following articles at the links provided below:

• Some Thoughts on Becoming Paperless by Ernest Svenson
• Going Paperless for the Law Office: A Practical Guide by Michael J. Morse
• The Document Naming System in Our Paperless Office by Donna Neff and Natalie Sanna
• Less Paper Does Not Equal Less Training (at first!) by Adriana Linares
• The Paperless Office as a Risk Management Enterprise by Jim Calloway

As many readers of my legal technology blog already know, my family law practice is not paper-based, as all of our documents are scanned and stored digitally.  Not only does this make my practice more efficient, I can access all of the documents in all my clients' files from anywhere, which enables me to work and/or send information to them at any time, no matter where I am.  If you want to learn more about how I utilize technology in my practice, I am speaking about this topic at the upcoming MILOfest 2009 seminar, which is being held in Orlando, Florida from November 5 – 7, 2009.  You can learn much more about this seminar by clicking here.

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