• 

  Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Law Journal

  To be accurate, an article I wrote was included in a law journal article published by a law school.

• To be more accurate, I made the Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Journal, written by Ebony Nicholas (Volume 28, Issue 2).
• To be even more accurate, out of 28 pages of legalese and legal citations, I was footnote number 70 (out of 158 footnotes). Hooray! (We all know how important those footnotes can be

For the first time in more than 22 years of law practice, I can now say that something I wrote has been quoted in a scholarly law journal article. But wait…

Let’s look closely at what this 28 page journal article was about. It was titled “A Practical Framework For Preventing Mistrial By Twitter.” In other words, it was a scholarly journal article delving into the details of social networking and the perils of using Twitter in the legal world.

I was fascinated to find that one of my articles was actually contained within a scholarly piece. I took the trouble to locate the article and then to actually read the entire 28 page scholarship. I was even more amazed that the author used my article as a footnote to show a contrarian viewpoint of the whole Twitter thing.

What made this even more interesting was that the article I wrote did not appear on my website, nor in the multiple blogs that I write. Instead, it appeared in my New York injury Times newsletter. My article took the position that all jurors should be allowed to twitter. I gave very specific reasons about the benefits of allowing jurors to twitter and how all lawyers and judges could greatly benefit from learning what the jurors were thinking at any given time.

The footnote to the Journal article states following:

“But at least one New York attorney believes that jurors should be allowed to tweet
during trial: Gerry Oginski, The Law Office Of Gerald Oginski, LLC, Why Jurors in New York
Should Be Allowed to Twitter.”

A contrarian viewpoint on the whole Twitter thing. Nice. A footnote in a scholarly law article. Even nicer. When I was on Moot Court in law school I never understood the whole ‘footnote’ and ‘footnote editor’ thing. Instead, I was happy for receiving a nice plaque for our success during Moot Court competitions.

At least now I can say “I’m a footnote in history!”

“Objection, your honor…he doesn’t know how to create video on his own!”

Lawyers love making objections. Watch the video to learn about a common objection to hiring an experienced video production company and see why their objection is OVERRULED. (And there’s no right of appeal either!)

To get onto video today I urge you to pick up the phone and schedule your free consultation with me at 877-789-9163 or by e-mail at kathleen@lawyersvideostudio.com. I welcome your call.

Corvette

I just don’t get it. I know that our blackberries, iPhones and smart phones encroach upon our personal lives. People use their mobile devices anywhere and everywhere they go. It is not uncommon to see a man standing at the urinal holding his Blackberry checking his e-mail. (Yes, I have seen this.)

Likewise, high-definition video cameras have gotten smaller, more convenient and easier to use. With the advent of the Flip video camera, the Sony Webbie, and the Kodak Zi8, creating good quality video is as simple as pressing the red record button. However, I repeatedly see videos of attorneys who create video while driving. I just don’t get it.

There is a time and place for everything. Most attorneys who are creating video on their own use these small little cameras to hold the video camera with one hand at arms length and start talking. This is the simplest way to create a bear-bones, quick and dirty video. Admittedly, many times the footage is shaky and the production values are often lacking.

But what’s the deal with creating a video while you’re driving? In New York, it is against the law to operate a motor vehicle while using a cell phone, except for emergencies. Hence the advent of hands-free wireless microphones or speakerphones for our cars. Aside from the multitasking that is associated with holding the camera at arm’s length, driving at the same time, observing the flow of traffic and negotiating other cars, you must keep up a stream-of-thought level of consciousness to create your video. The attorneys who create these videos fail to realize that the moving background is incredibly distracting.

These same lawyers argue that if they have some free time while they are commuting from one meeting to the next or from court back to their office, then why shouldn’t they use that time constructively to create an educational video message? Here’s my response: Use that time constructively to listen to marketing CDs from well-known experts. Listen to lectures and seminars on ways to improve your attorney marketing. Don’t create a message that may get you killed because of your multitasking while driving.

When you put that video online, the last thing you want is a distracting background of cars zipping by that takes away from your informational message. It is distracting. If you really want to create a two or three minute video while sitting in your car, then pull into a parking lot, tape your message, and then go about your day. This way you can show people that you’re a busy attorney sitting in your car on the way to some important event.

My advice: skip the moving car video and pull over. The last thing you want is a police officer to pull you over and tell you that you were driving under the influence of videotaping. That would surely make the front page news.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

Want to learn how to use video to market your law practice today? Spend the next 58 seconds watching this video to learn more.

Have a great day!

What’s more important to you? Accumulating CLE credits or learning how to improve your bottom line and convert online viewers into callers?

Don’t get me wrong. I like listening to boring CLE lectures as much as the next attorney. I’m required to rack up a certain number of CLE credits each year, just like you.  I like having the same speakers talk about the same trial tactics seminars I’ve been listening to for more than 21 years. Don’t get me wrong…I’ve learned a lot from these attorneys. I’ve also gone to ‘marketing’ seminars put on by the bar associations with these same personal injury and medical malpractice lawyers. I honestly can say that I have not learned much there. I wish someone had instead directed me to Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer (direct response marketers that teach other people how improve their bottom line).

Over the last year, as I began to fine-tuned my total online video solution for attorneys, I wanted to get the word out to fellow attorneys who could benefit from video marketing that was making my phone ring. I have lectured to attorneys at the New York City Bar Association in Manhattan about medical malpractice law. I have created CLE approved lectures both in person and on video, discussing medical malpractice in New York. I have also been invited back to lecture on the same topic. In fact, I am lecturing to attorneys this month, July 15, 2010, at the NYC Bar Association about medical malpractice law. Thinking that I could offer attorneys useful information about video marketing, I approached the New York City Bar Association and the NYS Trial Lawyers Association.

Each has a committee that vets topics deemed worthy. That’s understandable. They don’t want their attorneys to be inundated and bored to death with topics they can’t use or relate to. Also, they have to be able to offer CLE credit to their members and there are various requirements needed to justify approving CLE credits. Also understandable.

When I suggested that I present a seminar about video marketing for attorneys and have other legal marketing experts talk to attorneys about how to market their practice, the response was eye-opening. The NYC Bar was quite clear. They said they do not want a seminar where attorneys or marketers are pitching or selling their services to their members. Not even if the material was educational and informational only. “Hmmm,” I thought. Rejected. Ok. Maybe the NYS trial lawyers would have a different take on it.

I was wrong. The seminar topics were selected two years in advance and they didn’t see a need for topics on attorney marketing. However, they did offer an alternative. They said I could become a preferred vendor and appear outside each of the seminars in order to promote my service. “No thanks,” I replied.

I finally realized that the bar associations didn’t want to run marketing seminars since they could not justify giving CLE credit. That’s understandable. I finally realized that attorneys who want to learn about my services and how they can benefit from video marketing can learn tons of useful stuff from my online webinars, live seminars, video blog articles, my video coaching group for attorneys (the only video coaching group for lawyers in the country) and my Total Online Video Solution for Attorneys. Oh yes, they can also contact any one of the attorneys who have used my services and ask them personally what they thought.

You can be sure that the next time you hear me speak about video marketing for attorneys at a seminar, that my content has never been given to any bar association for CLE credit. What’s more important to you? Accumulating CLE credits or learning how to improve your bottom line and convert online viewers into callers?

The decision, as always, is yours. Choose wisely.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog!

Gerry

Ask yourself what type of person would fly from California to Long Island, New York just to shoot video with me?

The answer is, a really smart personal injury trial lawyer who recognizes how important it is to have a trial lawyer as your video producer.

John Burns was an airline pilot flying wide-bodied jets before he decided to become a personal injury trial lawyer in Southern California. When he decided to create educational video to market his law practice he recognized that there were no video production companies that had a trial lawyer who he could connect with, that understood the type of law he practiced. Until he found me.

He found what I offered so compelling that rather than have him shoot video with a videographer that I personally trained, he decided to fly across the entire country and come to my office so I could direct and produce his videos. Talk about an ego boost! What he learned during our video shoot confirmed his belief that it was vitally important to have a trial lawyer as his video producer. In a few weeks, you’re going to hear John, in his own words on video, describe why he flew cross-country to shoot video with me in the Lawyers Video Studio here on Long Island.

During one of John’s videos he mentioned an area of law that I felt needed to be changed. I stopped him and he corrected the important point he was making. He immediately told me that if this was being done with a regular videographer, there was no way this important nuance would have been picked up, and would likely have been misinterpreted by someone listening to it.

We shot over 40 video clips in one day. A long and very productive day. Congratulations to John Burns and watch for previews of his videos and behind the scenes photos- one of which is posted here.

If you’re interested in the only video coaching group for lawyers in the country, then click here to learn more. If you want to start creating compelling video that will convert online viewers into callers, like John did today, I encourage you to click here to learn more.

Gerry

Kelly Spradley from Impirus legal websites just profiled all the work I do with creating videos, my websites and blogs. Pretty cool article. Take a look.

Have a great day!

Gerry

Attorney Steve Gacovino handles mass-tort, defective drug litigation and personal injury cases in New York. He and his partner Ed Lake strive to improve the lives of injured victims with their knowledge and experience. Both of these attorneys recognize that the traditional forms of attorney advertising fail to set one attorney apart from another and that it is increasingly difficult for a consumer to make an educated decision about which attorney to choose.

Michael Serres and Michael Pyrros are two of the hardest-working, New York workers-compensation attorneys I know. They spend their days helping injured workers with their claims.

Both Steve and Ed (Gacovino & Lake & Associates), and Michael and Michael (Pyrros & Serres) realize that the future of attorney marketing is with video. Video allows you to establish a bond, create trust and distinguish yourself from every other lawyer out there. These attorneys are clearly ahead of the curve and will benefit greatly from creating video now instead of two years from now when most attorneys will wake up and realize they are so far behind the eight ball.

I’m pleased to say that both of these fine law firms have joined my total online video solution for lawyers.  In preparation for today’s video shoot, I met with Steve last week for a mastermind strategy session that mapped out the content that he would be talking about during his video shoot. I met with Michael Pyrros and Michael Serres two weeks earlier for a mastermind planning session.

During this meeting, we established a blueprint for the type of content they would be discussing in the future when they creates his own video. They will be creating their own video with the equipment that we purchased for them. This is the same video equipment that we professionally shot their videos with today, and taught him them to use. I can’t wait to show you their new video channels that will showcase all of the new videos on their websites.

What was so cool was that Steve is a natural on camera. Michael Pyrros and Michael Serres each had something specific and important to talk about, since they were literally talking to their ideal clients in their videos.

As my production team repeatedly tells me, any video producer or videographer can simply press the record button to record your video. However, it takes an experienced video producer who’s also an experienced trial attorney to know what content will compel a viewer to (1) click on your video and (2) watch the video in its entirety.

Keep an eye out for Gacovino & Lake’s videos, and Pyrros & Serres’ videos over the next few weeks;  you’ll see them here in the Lawyer’s Video Studio as well as on YouTube and other video sharing sites.

To learn how you can create attorney video without having to learn anything technical, at an affordable price, click here to read about Gerry’s Total Online Video Solution for Attorneys.

THE COST TO CREATE VIDEO

There are video companies who charge attorneys $5000 to create a one minute video. There are some very big well-known website companies that will charge you anywhere from $2,500 all the way up to $35,000 to create video for you. There are wedding videographers who will charge you $500 for a  30 second video that is nothing more than a template for a commercial. The problem with different video companies is comparing apples to apples. Each video production company offers you certain benefits and features that make it difficult to compare with other video companies.

I AM IN THE PROCESS OF CREATING A COMPARISON CHART FOR 30 VIDEO PRODUCTION COMPANIES THAT IN MY OPINION, CREATE GOOD QUALITY VIDEO.

That comparison chart will be available to attorneys who join my coaching program, which is being set up as I write this blog post.

In a nutshell, here are the 19 key questions to ask when choosing a video production company:

1. “Who is your video producer?”
2. “Does your video producer know who my ideal client is without me having to tell them?”
3. “Is your video producer an experienced trial attorney?
4. “What content will compel a website viewer to pick up the phone and call me from my video instead of my competitor?”
5. “Do you recommend that I talk about my credentials in a video?”
6. “How many videos do I get for my money?”
7. “How long will each of my videos be?”
8. “Do you physically put my video onto my website or blog?”
9. “Do you create a custom video channel for me that gets integrated into my website?”
10. “Do you upload my video to the major video sharing sites?”
11. “Do you create a blog post for each of my new videos?”
12. “Do you use Facebook to promote each of my new videos?”
13. “Do you use Twitter and Linkedin to promote each of my new videos?”
14. “Do you purchase video equipment for me including a high definition video camera, tripod, professional lights and wireless lavalier microphone?”
15. “If you buy video equipment for me, do you teach me how to use it?”
16. “Do you have a system that allows me to shoot my own video and then send it to you, so you edit it and upload it to my website and video sharing sites?”
17. “If I create six months of video using your company, will it cost me only $526 per video?”
18. “Will I have 38 video clips lasting 2-3 minutes each after six months of creating video with your company?”
19. “If I create 12 months of videos, will I have 68 video clips lasting 2-3 minutes each, if I use your company?”

The answers to those questions will be eye opening for you.

It wasn’t until yesterday that I realized that the total cost per video to participate in my Total Online Video Solution for Attorneys for a six month period of time is only $526 per video. I was shocked that the cost was so low. I had not calculated the cost per video before.

When I figured out the total cost for creating 12 months worth of video with my Total Online Video Solution for Attorneys, the cost dropped dramatically to $426 per video! This is absolutely unheard of. My post production team said it would be impossible to continue to provide what I’m offering to attorneys for this price. Frankly I agree with them. Even if I increase the cost to create video by $10,000, each video would only be $723. That’s still unheard of.

I want you to know that I have been studying and researching other video production companies for the last two years. There are no video production companies anywhere that I am aware of that will create video for you and include all of the benefits and features that I offer for a total cost of $526 per video for a six month commitment.

Benefits and Features

• You get a one-hour personal consultation with me, the attorney video guru, that maps out your content for your initial videos and all your future videos,
• You get a custom video channel for that gets integrated into your website,
• Each video that you create on your own, with the video equipment that we buy for you, and teach you how to use it, is personally reviewed and critiqued by me before it gets uploaded,
• Six months worth of video creation will get you 38 video clips, with each clip lasting 2-3 minutes each,
• 12 months worth of video creation will get you a total of 68 video clips, each lasting 2-3 minutes each,
• You get brand-new video equipment that we buy for you and we teach you how to use your video equipment so that you can create video anytime of the day or night.

There is no other video production company anywhere that offers the same value for your hard-earned marketing dollars. If you know of another video company that will create your video and offer everything that we offer for $526 per video then I strongly encourage you to let me know because I want to hire them to create my videos.

To learn more about how I am able to compete with the biggest law firms in Manhattan and how video will help convert your website viewers to callers, I encourage you to take a look at my Total Online Video Solution for Attorneys.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Have a great day!

Gerry

_____________

Mark Merenda, CEO of SmartMarketing for attorneys says “My clients love the fact that he’s a lawyer and not just some wedding photographer with a video camera.”

Gerry’s videos are great! Aside from turning out technically superb pictures, he understands the legal marketing field, the right questions to ask, and the concerns attorneys have about their professional image. That means his subjects relax and convey an authenticity that could never be achieved by reading from a script. I highly recommend Gerry’s services to any lawyer who wants to create an instant bond with potential clients.

Mark Merenda, CEO SmartMarketingNow.com Naples, Florida 239-403-7755

______________

Gerry on location during video shoot in the Carribean

To learn how one lawyer has taken the legal community by storm and provides the only online video solution for attorneys, you need to explore Gerry’s Total Online Video Solution for Lawyers.

In case you didn’t know, Gerry is the only video producer who is also a medical malpractice trial lawyer who has created almost 300 educational videos to market his own law practice. He created the Lawyers’ Video Studio because there were no lawyers helping other lawyers getting onto video today.

Give Gerry a call today at 516-487-8207 or send him an email at Gerry@lawyersvideostudio.com. He welcomes your call.

ATTORNEY MARKETING COMPARISON

1. A ¾ page yellow pages ad or a video channel with educational video?

My question is “Why would you ever bother with the yellow pages anymore?” Since it’s a money-losing proposition and most people don’t use the yellow pages anymore, why would you throw away all of your marketing dollars on a static ¾ page in a competitive market? A consumer searching for an attorney will have to wade through 20 full page ads (in New York) to find a personal injury attorney. Then they’ll get to the ¾ page ads, then the ½ page ads and on and on.

Some lawyers say that if they use the YP as an educational tool and direct them to a website or phone number they stand a better chance of getting a call from another source. Makes sense, right? Yes, but only if the other 20 lawyers before you have rejected that person’s case. You get the rejects that nobody wants.

If that’s what you want to spent your $20,000 on, then good luck to you. I personally think it’s a mistake, but what do I know? You might prove me wrong. The only person you should be worrying about is whether that $20,000 will produce a great return on your investment; not just that one client will pay for the ad- you want to generate a profit from the ad and have the ad continue producing quality, pre-qualified clients for you. Do you really think the yellow pages is the way to do that anymore?

2. TV ad or create online video?

It’s unlikely you’ll be able to create a series of TV ads and have them play frequently for any significant time on TV for $20,000. Your ‘branding’ message with a TV ad is an expensive proposition. It’s unlikely someone needing your services will be watching that particular show, at that particular time slot on only a few days of the week. Unless you have a huge marketing budget, TV ads will not generate the calls to your office in the way that some other media can.

My advice? Skip the TV ad genre. They’re too similar and fail to explain to a viewer why they should call any one particular attorney over another.

3. Radio ads or online video?

When was the last time you called someone after listening to something on the radio? I’ve never done it. I’m sure others have. Radio messages are transient and fleeting. After those 15-30 seconds, your marketing dollars disappear into the radio waves, never to return.

How many radio ads do you need to create to establish frequent broadcasting to your audience? Many each day; each week and continue to do so. Will it work? Sure it will- over time; using a catchy ’1-800-I-SUE-FOR-YOU’ phone number. The key is knowing whether it will pay off and is a worthwhile return on your investment.

Compare that to online video. Create your video once and have it played 10 times, 100 times, 10,000 times or more, all for the same exact price of…NOTHING!

What other media allows you have your marketing message available to you any time of day or night, exactly when someone wants to know the information that you have to offer in your video? Nothing else compares.

4. Classified ads or online video?

You’re kidding right? You are still using classifieds to market your services? You think you’ll attract quality paying clients using Craigslist with the following type ad? “Injured? Call me. I can help.” Very original. Very informative. Certainly stands out from all other attorney ads. I’m being facetious in case you couldn’t tell.

Skip the classifieds and start creating your attorney video.

5. Display ads or online video?

Some attorneys love to use display ads. They offer seminars; they create advertorials; they try to stand out using a display ad. That’s good marketing. However, in order to get the best rate, you need to publish your ad often and over a period of months. That will become cost prohibitive. Also, unless you can track your calls from your ad, you’re wasting your money.

What happens when that newspaper is finished and gets thrown in the garbage? You see your marketing dollars going down the drain as well. It doesn’t work for you while you sleep. It’s not found by someone searching for your services; only if they were reading that newspaper and read up to the point where your ad appears.

When you create informative online video, after your initial cost to create and upload it, it works for you ALL the time and it costs you zero dollars. There is nothing better anywhere.

6. Direct mail or online video?

If you’re a trial attorney like I am and handle personal injury and medical malpractice cases, you can’t use direct mail for the general public. You can’t send direct mail to patients in a hospital emergency room or even in an orthopedist’s waiting room (but I bet a lot of attorneys fantasize about being able to do that!). You can’t send direct mail to people who don’t need your services at that time; that’s a waste of money.

If you have a targeted list, then you can use direct mail to your advantage and you should. However, without a list of potential clients who will need your services, you have to have an alternative. CAVEAT: THERE ARE MANY ETHICS RULES THAT PROHIBIT DIRECT SOLICITATION OF POTENTIAL CLIENTS. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR LOCAL RULES ARE BEFORE ENGAGING IN DIRECT MAIL.

With video, it’s online and available at all hours of the night or day. It will show up when a viewer is actively looking for your specialty. Optimize the chance that your video will be found and you stand a much greater chance that your viewer will call you for information instead of your competitor.

My advice: Get started creating online video today.

About Gerry

Gerry Oginski is a New York medical malpractice trial lawyer who created The Total Online Video Solution for Lawyers to help lawyers get onto video.

We make it so simple, fun and easy for you to create your attorney video. We shoot your video, create a custom video channel for you and we give you the equipment we just shot your video with. This way you can create video any time you like. You just turn on your equipment, create your video and then send us the memory card and we do the rest. My team of post-production specialists edit your video and before uploading it, I personally review each one. Then, before you know it, your videos are online. The hardest thing you had to do was drop that memory card in our pre-paid Fedex mailer. That’s it.

There is no other video production company that offers this much value for the money. None. That’s how I stand out. I’m different and it shows.

So what are you going to spend your marketing dollars on this year? The same old tired way of hoping to get new clients, or a proven way that is the best return on your investment? How do I know it’s the best ROI? Because I’m living proof it works.

I encourage you to call me at 516-487-8208 or send me an email at Gerry@lawyersvideostudio.com. I welcome your call. To learn more, go to The Total Online Video Solution for Lawyers.

It was a video of the inside of my heart, and I’m very pleased to tell you that it was still inside my body when I was watching it!

I went for an echocardiogram this morning, which is a test that uses high frequency sound waves to image the heart. What I saw was nothing less than amazing. I watched my mitral valve move as blood was pumping through the different chambers of my heart. There is also a setting called color Doppler flow which analyzes the blood flow through the heart. You can actually see on the computer screen in real time what blood flow through your heart looks like. Watching the different parts of my heart beat on the monitor was absolutely fascinating.

However, don’t expect to find this video on YouTube anytime soon. You might ask “What does this have to do with creating attorney video?” If you’re a longtime follower of my blog posts you’ll know that it has everything to do with creating attorney video.

What made this video so compelling to watch? The fact that it was in real time. The fact that it was of something I never would have ordinarily been able to visualize without very expensive high-tech equipment that I clearly was not qualified to operate or interpret. The fact that I got an inside look at the inner workings of my body, beyond the standard EKG or x-ray was simply incredible. So how can you translate that into creating content for your attorney video?

Think about my comments above and what a viewer looks for when searching for an attorney online. What would make them have that “Aha” moment and say “Wow!” that was amazing. “How do I get more of that information?”

You have to be creative when deciding what content to put online. I can’t spoon feed you your content unless you sign up for my coaching program or sign up for my total online video solution where we create video for you.

I am still amazed at what I saw this morning on this video and I can’t wait to start creating new video content in the next few weeks that will incorporate today’s observations. If you have thoughts about how you can use this technique to create content, leave me a message in the comments section below; I’d love to hear it.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog post!

Gerry

__________________

“Gerry’s advice regarding Attorney Video Marketing is spot on.  You cannot afford not to listen to him.  As a pioneer, he has blazed the trail for us all.

Our firm would not trust outsourcing our legal marketing to just anyone.  It is critical that any vendors we use in marketing our law firm be owned or at least managed by an attorney as there are too many ethical pitfalls that a non-attorney marketer may fall into.”

Emery Brett Ledger, Personal Injury Attorney, Newport Beach, California
www.ledgerlaw.com

800.300.0001

___________________

About Gerry

Gerry is a veteran New York medical malpractice and personal injury trial lawyer and is the only video producer who is also a seasoned trial lawyer. He has produced and created over 250 educational videos to promote his own law firm using his New York Medical Malpractice Video Blog.

Gerry created the Lawyers’ Video Studio to help get other lawyers get onto video. Gerry offers an all-in-one, ‘we-do-it-all for you’ system where he does everything for you except appear on camera. Learn more in the Lawyers’ Video Studio.

You can reach Gerry personally at 516-487-8207 or by e-mail at Gerry@lawyersvideostudio.com. He welcomes your call.