Check out our latest posts from our legal blog!

Employee Resignation Without Notice: Is This Legal in Australia?

Employee resignation without noticeEmployee retention is critical for your company’s success. Several companies have adopted employee retention strategies that keep their best talents around for as long as possible. But what if your best talents decide to leave without notice? Of course, that would hurt any employer. 

Is employee notice essential according to the law? Can you sue for employee resignation without notice? 

The aim of this article is to examine the legal landscape of resignation without notice and answer all the confusing questions. 

What is a Notice Period? 

Notice period means the period of time an employee gives before the end of an employment or job. It means the length of time you inform your employer of your intention to leave before you actually leave the job. The notice period required for different jobs differs. But you can find the required notice period in the following documents: 

  • Enterprise Agreements 
  • Employment Agreements 
  • Modern Awards
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Should You Sue? What to Consider Before You Sue 

should you sueA court case seems to be the defense at any sight of discomfort. The statement “I’ll sue you” has become more famous than the king of pop’s classic songs. Before you threaten a lawsuit, always ask, “Should I sue?” Because a lawsuit isn’t always the solution. 

Sometimes, it isn’t even a solution, and you may find other ways to address an issue.

Before you file a lawsuit to break the record as the world’s most litigious human, consider these factors. 

1. Cause of Action

By cause of action, we mean having a case. The fact that you have a grievance doesn’t mean you have a legal claim. In civil cases, the burden of proof rests on the plaintiff. For instance, the fact that you got injured while on a job doesn’t mean you have a course of action. 

Or the fact that you got hit by a car doesn’t mean the driver will be liable to pay damages. 

In personal injury cases like this, you must prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant is responsible for the injury. You’ll need medical reports and witnesses. The defendants will also try to prove that they are not directly responsible for your medical predicament. 

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5 Mind-blowing Law Firm Blog Post Ideas to Attract New Clients

Blow firm blog ideas Often overlooked in the legal world, blogging is an aspect of SEO that can bring an influx of new clients to your firm. Blogging yields unending results, even for a law firm. Not utilizing the ability to create content is one of the greatest mistakes any law firm can make in this digital world. 

However, blogging needs to be done right to generate the best results. What does this mean? When you create unique blog posts that clients find interesting, you can bet it will keep them coming! 

We’ll expose the excellent law firm blog ideas that will attract a steady flow of new clients to your law firm. Keep reading for more.   

1. The Ultimate Guide to Local Legislation Changes

The law keeps evolving. In fact, laws that were valid a few years back could be obsolete today. When the law changes, the public should be informed, especially when it relates to a topic that interests several people. 

The tricky part about such articles is that you won’t be the only firm to write about them. So, speed is essential. Wanna know what’s even more important? Details, accuracy, and quality. 

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Is it Legal to Sign on Someone Else’s Behalf?

It’s a familiar story, and it often starts like this. Your boss is indisposed and unable to make it to the office. Unfortunately, an essential document that requires their immediate approval arrives at your desk. And everyone expects you to sign on your boss’s behalf. 

It’s a pretty tough dilemma, especially if you always love to be on the right side of the law. 

You may need to sign in place of someone else for several reasons. However, it’s great to understand what the law says about such situations to avoid being guilty of forgery. 

In this article, we’ll answer the question: is it legal to sign on someone else’s behalf?” in detail. 

Keep scrolling. 

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5 Great Marketing Tips to Improve Your Law Firm’s Online Visibility

Law Firm Marketing

Every job company in today’s world needs digital marketing tips. As a lawyer, internet marketing propels your visibility and helps you meet the online needs of your potential customers. 

Before people make crucial decisions like hiring a lawyer, they do a quick search. Hence, improving your digital strategy boosts your customer acquisition and engagement. With your potential clients’ behavior evolving daily, your first encounter with them would most likely be online! 

It simply means you have to double up your digital marketing efforts to hasten your business development. In this article, we’ll tell you how to do just that. 

1. Optimize Your Website for SEO

Your website is a digital representation of your law firm. To remain competitive in the digital world, you need a solid website that serves your potential and existing clients. Since most of your clients are locals, your website should display your services and provide high-quality content. 

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Succeeding as a Solo Lawyer: The Ultimate Guide

You strive to work hard each day– winning high-value cases or drafting a summary judgment motion only to get underpaid. Or you put in your all daily only to endure a jerky, ungrateful boss. 

That sucks. And maybe it’s time to go solo. 

But this decision begs the question, “How do you get your first client as a solo lawyer?” Or better still, “What do you need to set out as a solo lawyer?” 

Luckily, law is a profession that requires little or nothing to get going. There are some tips, however, that guarantee that you will succeed as a solo lawyer. Because taking on a dual role as an entrepreneur and a lawyer isn’t a walk in the park without proper guidance. We’ll discuss each tip in this full guide. 

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9 Essential Questions To Ask Your Potential Lawyer

essential questions to ask your potential lawyerYour first meeting with a lawyer is like an interview; you are the main interviewer. That’s when you should decide whether to hire the lawyer in question. Even if you don’t know the details of your case, asking some important questions will help you understand if the legal representative is appropriate for you. 

These are basically interview questions, and you have every right to interview your potential lawyer. Because you’d be paying hundreds of dollars for their service. Several people feel intimidated on their first visit and forget to ask essential questions. 

Well, you shouldn’t be. Here are simple questions to ask your potential lawyer at the interview stage!

1. How Long Have They Practiced? 

The length of practice isn’t proof of proficiency. However, asking the lawyer how long they’ve practiced is a great ice-breaker. It sets things in play and could ease you into the conversation, making you less nervous. From here, you can delve into simple questions like the school they attended. 

Sometimes, new lawyers have way more experience than people who have been in the profession for years. 

But from here, you’ll get into more profound questions like: 

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3 Simple LinkedIn Best Practices For Lawyers

People who ignore social media in this world are gradually being left behind. Social media is vital for lawyers to stay relevant in the legal scene. One social media platform that an attorney will benefit significantly from is LinkedIn. 

The professional setting exposes your brand to relationships that could benefit you in the long run. But you need to position yourself well to reap these benefits. Most lawyers open a social media account and do little or nothing to grow it. 

Well, if that’s your idea of growing your law firm, you are not better than someone who doesn’t have an account. 

How can you use LinkedIn like a pro to build your Law brand? We’ll explore some LinkedIn best practices for Lawyers. Keep reading for simple tips that will make a big difference. 

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Next Steps To Take When Workers’ Compensation Claims are Denied

Law Firm Marketing

You just got denied workers’ compensation. What next? This fact leaves you confused with health issues and financial strain. All these take a toll on your mental health, and no one deserves that. 

Workers compensation is a safety net that provides medical and financial support to employees injured at work. However, it’s not always as easy as it sounds. Work compensation insurance companies often deny worker comp claims. 

But if you genuinely deserve it, you shouldn’t relent until you get what you deserve. Keep reading for better insights into why compensation claims get denied and the next point of action when it does. 

Why Do Claims Get Denied?

Common factors that lead to denied workers’ compensation claims are as follows: 

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Divorce Mediation vs. Litigation: Which Perfect Is For You?

Law Firm Marketing

Deciding to get a divorce exposes you to chains of issues. You’ll need to make several decisions off the bat. Some easy. Some tricky. Yet this phase comes with its fair share of emotional baggage. 

However, the chief decision is to choose between mediation and litigation while getting a divorce. 

This is one of the tricky decisions because it influences your emotional well-being or future relations with your ex-spouse. 

Litigation is a formal process in which a judge imposes orders through court judgments and resolves disputes. On the other hand, divorce mediation involves a third party who facilitates dialogue to help estranged couples reach a mutual separation agreement.

What’s your best bet while separating? When should you opt for either of the options? Well, keep reading. We’ll walk you through what you should know about litigation and mediation. 

What is Divorce Mediation?

It’s an interactive process where an impartial, neutral party resolves conflicts between estranged couples. The third party involves negotiation and communication techniques. 

Mediation is an alternative dispute resolution method to resolve differences and reach a mutually beneficial consensus. What are the perks of divorce mediation? 

One benefit is that it’s less expensive than actual litigation. You only have to pay court filing fees and the mediator’s fee. Typically, the parties split the mediator’s fee, reducing the financial burden on each party. 

Another benefit is the private mediation sessions and quick resolution times. This privacy means you can separate without airing your dirty linens outside. 

Since you’ll reach a mutual agreement with your partner, meditation preserves a healthy post-divorce relationship. Most times, the children enjoy the best parent-child relationship possible after a divorce.

Put simply, opt for meditation if you are open to compromise and wish to pursue negotiations in good faith. 

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To Be Or Not To Be A Sole Trader

General LegalLegal Advice To Be Or Not To Be A Sole Trader

When you are starting a business there is a multitude of decisions that you need to make with everything from the company name to your choice of commercial lawyer on the list of options that you need to finalise.

Another decision you need to make is exactly what sort of business entity you are going to operate as. By business entity, we are not referring to the business sector or niche you are going into but rather the legal status of the business you are creating. Depending on the size of the business you are creating and the initial capital you are investing you have a number of choices.

These include a corporation for larger-scale businesses, a limited company, a partnership, or it could be that you setting out in one of the simplest forms of business you can start and that is as a sole trader.

Starting as a sole trader has its pros and cons and it is by weighing these up that you can decide whether it would be the most appropriate for your situation or not. Obviously, we would recommend you speak to your commercial lawyers for more detailed advice, but for now here are some of the basics you need to know about running a business as a sole trader in Australia.

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How To Prepare For Your First Meeting With Your Divorce Lawyer

General LegalLegal Advice How To Prepare For Your First Meeting With Your Divorce Lawyer

Going through a divorce can be a highly emotional and stressful experience, however, there are several ways you can reduce the angst. One of those is hiring an experienced and accomplished divorce lawyer and helping them as much as you can to make the best possible case they can for you throughout the negotiations, and at court, if the need arises.

Now, it is unlikely that you will have kept a divorce lawyer ‘on hold’ as it were and paid them a retainer just in case your marriage ever went awry…at least we hope you didn’t. It can seem like a cynical world sometimes, so we assume you wanted your marriage to work, rather than expecting it would not, by having a divorce lawyer on standby.

Once you hire a divorce lawyer, one of the most important meetings you will have with them is the first one. This is important for several reasons, but one that is key is that it will confirm, or not, that you are comfortable discussing your marriage and other aspects of your personal life with this particular divorce lawyer.

Depending on how amicable or not the split is, or how likely or not a negotiated settlement might be, there is always the possibility that the divorce will end up in court. If it does, your ex-partner’s lawyer will quite rightly do all they can to make their case, and that could involve bringing up elements of your personal life that you might find uncomfortable.

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3 Reasons Why You Should Always Consult An SEO Expert

SEO For Legal Firms

Search engine optimisation (SEO) can be tricky, especially when it comes to competitive fields and industries. Lawyers and law firms throughout the world spend huge amounts of money every year in an attempt to maximise the online presence and visibility. However, inefficient practices mean that they don’t always get the best return on their money.

Hiring a professional SEO consultant can help you get much better returns on your SEO investment. An experienced consultant will know what they are doing, will be able to make the small changes necessary to boost your website up the search engine rankings and should be able to drive a lot more organic traffic to your firm’s website.

My top 3 reasons why you should always use an SEO expert include:

  1. They Will Do Things Right

SEO mistakes can have severe negative impacts on your law firm’s organic search engine rankings. Unfortunately, it’s possible to make large SEO mistakes without even realising it, especially if you don’t have a lot of training or experience in the field. This often happens when lawyers attempt to take control of their site’s SEO.

Hiring a professional SEO consultant will help make sure that your SEO is done right – the first time. They will follow all best practices, and won’t waste time doing things that won’t have any effects on your overall rankings.

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Benefits Of Using A Social Media Specialist To Manage Your Law Firm Profiles

Social Media Marketing

Social media should be an important component of any law firm or lawyer’s digital strategy. A huge percentage of the world’s population uses social media in some form or another, and you would be stupid not to take advantage of it.

Sure, most people don’t jump on Facebook to look at a law firm’s page or content, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get through to them with well planned, cleverly constructed content. Some people manage their company’s social media profiles by themselves, but I would recommend using a social media specialist.

A few of the benefits associated with using an experienced social media manager to look after your law firm profiles include:

They Know What Sort Of Content People Want To See

As a lawyer, you will be able to create and post content which is correct, valuable and informative. However, you might have a bit of trouble turning it into something that people can really connect with and relate to.

A social media specialist should understand exactly how to interact with people and how to create content that will have the biggest impact. This means that more people will be interacting with your different profiles or pages, which in turn means that more people should be visiting your website. In the end, that’s the ultimate goal of social media marketing.

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What Does ‘Local SEO’ Mean And Why Is It Important?

SEO For Legal Firms

SEO for lawyers and law firms can be complicated and difficult. There is a lot of competition between firms, especially in larger cities and more populated regions. It is therefore important to make sure that you get on top of all aspects of SEO for your law firm to make sure that your organic search ranking is as good as possible.

Local SEO is a huge part of law firm SEO in general. A lot of people don’t understand the difference between local and general SEO, and this negatively impacts their optimisation efforts.

What Is Local SEO?

Basically, local SEO refers to optimisation with location based searches in mind. Searches with a physical address or location allow people to find law firms and other services in their area. If you run a relatively small firm that works in a specific geographical area, then you need to make sure you put plenty of time and effort into your local SEO efforts.

Why Is Local SEO So Important?

A huge percentage of people use Google or another search engine to find local businesses offering the services that they want. It has been estimated that over 50% of local customers who search for a local business – such as a law firm in their area – will visit a store the same day. Surely you can see how boosting your organic ranking using local SEO could have a positive impact on your store.

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SEO Secrets For Lawyers To Boost Your Traffic

SEO For Legal Firms

SEO for lawyers and law firms can get competitive. It’s fine to spend thousands of dollars on things like guest posting and content creation, but did you know that there’s a lot of small things that can boost your website straight up the organic search rankings?

Google looks at over 200 ranking factors when crawling your law firm website. Some of these are more important than others, but they all count. Unfortunately, a lot of lawyers ignore some of the easiest ranking factors. The following law firm SEO secrets should help you get the most out of your optimisation efforts:

Make Sure You Maintain A Local Focus

No one cares if you hit the top of the search engine rankings in another part of the world. Your SEO efforts need to be focused on searches that are happening within the area that you work in. This means that you need to identify local keywords and build your content around these.

Make sure that your address and contact details are listed properly in as many online directories as possible, and make sure that you’re using a free Google My Business account. Working on your local SEO efforts can lead to huge short-medium term increases in the amount of traffic arriving on your website, so it’s worth doing.

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