A Week of Publicity
I’m going to be in the middle of a good bit of publicity this week.
First, as you may or may not know, I’ve filed suit against the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board in the Fall to 2008 to challenge the constitutionality of their new regulations of attorney advertisements.
We argue that the regulations go too far in the restrictions they impose on attorneys who use the internet to communicate…and advertise. We created an entire blog dedicated to tracking its progress, which you can visit at http://www.protectspeech.com.
- On Monday, we’ll be filing our Motion for Summary Judgment in the federal suit against the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board. We’ll post a copy on our JDSupra page.
- On Thursday, I’ll be among the faculty for an American Bar Association legal ethics teleconference (with CLE credit) titled: Ethical Implications of Marketing in a Web 2.0 World: From Facebook to LinkedIn, Websites to Blogs. More information on the teleconference (including how to sign up) here.
Second, Chinese Drywall is rampant in the news these days, and our firm has tried to lead legal discussion on the topic with our Chinese Drywall Blog. We’ll be discussing the Chinese Drywall situation, and the status of Chinese Drywall litigation in two venues:
- On Wednesday, I’ll join the Legal Talk Network in their Lawyer2Lawyer podcast to discuss the status of Chinese Drywall litigation.
- On July 31st, Doug Reiser & I will co-present at the Chinese Drywall seminar in New Orleans, LA, put on by Half Moon Seminars.
Interview on New Orleans’ Fox 8 about Chinese Drywall
Chinese Drywall is a big story in the Louisiana and Florida construction industry, as well as in the construction law practice area. According to stories from CNN and Time Magazine, thousands of homeowners are complaining about Chinese Drywall producing a foul odor in their home, ruining their air conditioning systems and electrical wiring, and even causing damage to the home’s building elements.
This is worrying contractors and building suppliers across the country, who may be implicated in the inevitable litigation.
As a construction attorney in New Orleans, LA, Scott was interviewed by Fox 8 news about how contractors and suppliers are implicated in the crisis. Here is the video:
Launch Day For New Wolfe Law Internet Presence
It’s an exciting day online for Wolfe Law Group, a construction law firm in Seattle, WA and New Orleans, LA.
Today, the firm announced the launch of its new blog, and all around Internet presence overhaul.
The firm’s has a new website (http://www.wolfelaw.com), a new public and client relations page (http://www.wolfelawrocks.com), and a new blog (http://www.constructionlawmonitor.com).
The new blog is published through the LexBlog platform, and will commentate and provide insight on construction law issues in Washington and Louisiana.
The firm first began blogging in early 2006, and has since published over 100 blog posts about construction law and the legal issues facing the construction industry.
Although on a new platform and featuring a new user-friendly design, posts and articles from the old blog are still accessible in the new site’s archives.
Scott Wolfe, the firm’s found member, commented on the new page:
“From day one, Wolfe Law Group has tried to present to our clients and the public free useful information about construction law. This new blog allows us to deliver that information through a better design and format, and with LexBlog’s powerful blogging engine.”
For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release, contact Jessica Hunter or visit Wolfe Law Group’s new media page: http://media.wolfelaw.com.
About Wolfe Law Group:
Founded in post-Katrina New Orleans in 2005, Wolfe Law Group is a boutique construction law practice with offices in Seattle, Washington and New Orleans, Louisiana. The firm operates a blog on construction law matters titled the Construction Law Monitor, and prides itself on thinking different in the legal profession.
Contact
Jessica Hunter, director of public relations
Wolfe Law Group, L.L.C.
206-801-1600
http://www.wolfelaw.com
Press Links:
Media Center: http://media.wolfelaw.com
Press Releases RSS Feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/wlgmedia
Firm Site: http://www.wolfelaw.com
Scott Wolfe on This Week in Law podcast
Scott Wolfe was a featured guest on the 19th episode of the This Week in Law podcast. The podcast title, “Getting in Trouble on the Internets” discusses Obama’s BlackBerry issues, blogging vs. advertising, the MySpace suicide case, and more.
You can listen to the podcast, and subscribe to TWiL at: http://twit.tv/twil19
Talking points for the podcast are here: http://delicious.com/thisweekinlaw/19.
Scott was invited to speak about Wolfe Law Group’s federal suit against the Louisiana State Bar Association, challenging the new lawyer advertising rules as unconstitutional. Read more about this suit at http://www.protectspeech.com.
Scott Wolfe featured in National Law Journal Article
New Orleans, LA (WolfeLaw.com) December 1, 2008 — Wolfe Law Group and Scott Wolfe Jr. was spotlighted in a National Law Journal article entitled ” La Attorney Fights Rules that Limit ‘New Media’ Use.“
The article discusses the lawsuit filed this week by the firm in federal court challenging the constitutionality of the new Louisiana lawyer advertising rules. The suit, captioned Scott G. Wolfe, Jr., et al. v. Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, et al., argues that the new lawyer advertising rules restrict the firm’s ability to advertise online and participate in certain online social media.
Founding partner of the firm, Scott Wolfe, is quoted in the piece:
The rules require that a lawyer send a copy of a proposed ad to the Louisiana State Bar Association, which charges a $175 evaluation fee to determine compliance, Wolfe said. Those requirements are particularly troublesome, he said, given the definition of “computer-accessed communications” in the rules. The rules define those communications as “information regarding a lawyer’s or law firm’s services that is read, viewed or heard directly through the use of a computer.”
Read the full article at law.com.
Scott Wolfe and WLG File Federal Lawsuit to Say: Blogging is Speaking
NEW ORLEANS, LA (PRWEB.Com) November 24, 2008 — This morning, Scott Wolfe Jr. and Wolfe Law Group, L.L.C. filed a suit in federal court challenging the constitutionality of Louisiana’s new rules governing lawyer advertising.
The lawsuit seeks to prevent the enforcement of Louisiana’s new advertising rules, scheduled to take effect on April 1, 2009. The Louisiana advertising rules are some of the most aggressive in the nation, and Wolfe Law Group’s suit argues that the rules go too far and restrict an attorney’s right to freely speak about its trade.
Wolfe Law Group argues that the new rules effectively prevent a lawyer from advertising its services through online mediums, such as Google’s Adwords, as the rules also restrict an attorney’s ability to engage in discourse with colleagues, clients and the public through online bulletin boards, blogs, twitter, and other online communities and forums.
The law firm that practices in the area of construction law out of its offices in New Orleans, Louisiana and Seattle, Washington, is actively engaged in the Internet marketplace, posting daily on sites like wolfelaw.com, Twitter, Facebook, Avvo.com, and similar web 2.0 services.
The suit argues that Louisiana’s new advertising rules would subject each of the firm’s posts to an “evaluation” by the Louisiana State Bar Association, with an evaluation fee of $175.00.
According to a letter sent to Wolfe Law Group’s colleagues and clients, “the new rules would stifle our firm’s ability to continue talking with you about the legal profession, the construction industry and the evolution of construction law across the nation.”
To continue commenting upon the progress of the action, the firm launched a blog titled “Blogging is Speaking,” at the web address http://www.protectspeech.com.
For a copy of the lawsuit, click here.
Find the cause on Facebook here.
Wolfe Law Group, L.L.C. is a construction law firm with offices in Seattle, Washington and New Orleans, Louisiana. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Louisiana, Case No. 08-4994, Section F, Magistrate 2.
Scott Publishes Contractor’s Collections Toolkit
Through Wolfe Law Group, and Scott’s new publishing company, Two Cities Publishing, L.L.C., Scott Wolfe recently published the Contractor’s Collections Toolkit for Louisiana contractors, suppliers and construction professionals.
The book is currently available through LuLu.com, but within 6-8 weeks it will be distributed through Amazon.Com, Barnes and Nobles, Borders and other mainstream retail outlets. The publication is $69.00 for the ebook in pdf format and $139.00 for a print book.
The Collections Toolkit is part of an upcoming series of toolkits being published by Wolfe Law Group and Two Cities, which will include a Contracting Toolkit, Liening Toolkit, and more.
You can view the Collections Toolkit’s description, table of contents, introduction and a preview all by clicking here. You can also order the book here.
Office Photos
Check out our office photos through the above slide show. Also, you can visit the Wolfe Law Group Photo Gallery by going to the following URL:
http://picasaweb.google.com/wlgphotos
Scott Wolfe Publishes Construction Lien Legal Guides on Avvo.com
Wolfe Law Group founding member, Scott G. Wolfe, Jr., published two Legal Guides this week with the lawyer rating service, Avvo.com.
The two guides relate to construction lien law in Washington state.
The first article, Construction Liens in Washington State, presents a general overview of the lien law landscape in Washington.
The second article, Filing a Construction Lien in Washington State, specifically discusses the lien filing process in that jurisdiction.
Both articles are great resources for any Washington contractor to learn a little more about construction liens and its legal requirements. Remember also that Wolfe Law Group’s blog has multiple articles in common parlance related to construction liens and the prelien requirements in Washington and Louisiana…just visit our Construction Liens page by clicking here.
The Avvo.Com Legal Guides“provide basic, important information about everyday legal issues. Written by qualified attorneys and Avvo staff writers, Legal Guides help you understand your legal situation better and know what to do about it.”
Publication Recognizes WLG as 2008 Largest Law Firm
New Orleans City Business Magazine has recognized Wolfe Law Group, L.L.C. as one of the largest law firms in the New Orleans metro area in 2008.
