Lots of exciting things are happening at AAJ. Now Section Newsletters are online, making the articles even more accessible via the AAJ Web site and more easily distributed to members via e-mail. This means:
• Increased capability for hyperlinking the source materials and documents, such as briefs, forms, exhibits, statutes, and decisions
• No page limitations
• Lower printing and distribution costs
• Ease of cross-posting on author Web sites, blogs, and other electronic media
• More opportunities to discover innovative theories and effective strategies
• Networking, brainstorming, and gaining recognition for your expertise is even easier
We can more easily share tips, publicize our success stories, generate novel approaches to litigation, and increase the ratings of our Web site. When an attorney is ranked by an online service, they are graded heavily on the individual attorney’s leadership in a bar association and the number of published articles. By going electronic, the Section Newsletters offer a forum for members to write and publish articles that can help them gain public visibility and recognition.
The AAJ Section Newsletters are also cited as one of the most useful tools provided to Section members and one of the main reasons why people join Sections. It can now be used together with the Section List Server, Document Library, and personal contacts to make your practice more effective.
The Section Leaders Council (SLC) formed the Publications Subcommittee to look into how these changes would affect the membership and recommend modifications to the existing policy. However, we have yet to come across problems associated with this change as the copyright laws protect both AAJ and its author/members.
Under the current rules, the Section Newsletters list all contributors by their name and law firm/company, and provide additional contact information. The published material remains the property of AAJ, but permission to reprint articles is freely given to the authors. No fees are charged for Section Newsletter articles.
Now that attorneys are marketing their practices on the Internet, having electronic publications that are well-written and timely is more important than ever. We want to encourage you to draft articles for your Section’s Newsletter. David Ciesla, the Section and Litigation Group Legal Content Editor, and other AAJ staff make this a breeze. Once you complete your article, professional editors in consultation with the newsletter editor for your Section will work diligently to make your writing and your article even better.
We strongly encourage you to get involved and share your expertise. Even if you have only practiced law for a few years, think about raising your visibility in AAJ. Now is the perfect time to step up to the plate. At the San Francisco Convention in July, the new Section Officers and Newsletter Editors began their year in office. Bring them your ideas for the Newsletter. And if you have questions or concerns, share them with the Subcommittee, so we can iron them out.
