Originally published on February 14, 2011 in our free SmallLaw newsletter. Instead of reading SmallLaw here after the fact, sign up now to receive future issues in realtime.
TechnoScore: 4.5
1 = Lowest Possible Score; 5 = Highest Possible Score
California attorney David Allen seeks to educate consumers about different types of law throughout the country. He does an excellent job of explaining and educating. He's clearly well-prepared when talking about each case he discusses on his videos each week. In today's video clip he discusses a New York case to demonstrate how plaintiffs can make damaging admissions on Facebook, MySpace, and other social networks.
His goal when creating these videos is to educate you about different types of cases throughout the country. He has an excellent delivery. He is smooth, polished, and extremely credible. He knows how to drill down to the heart of the case in very easy-to-understand ordinary language. Toward the end of the video he gives you that nugget of information that the viewer needs to know — "What can you learn from all this?"
Kudos to David Allen for a great job teaching online consumers about the law.
Tip #1: Practice Makes Perfect
You must practice whatever you plan to talk about on video. The best trial lawyers rehearse to make their delivery appear natural and easy. Approach your videos as you would a trial.
Tip #2: Talk About an Interesting Topic on Which You Have or Can Develop Expertise
Here, Allen focuses on a hot topic — social networks. if you choose a topic that people aren't interested in, people simply will not watch your video.
I watched some of this lawyer's other videos and was pleasantly surprised to see how well-versed he is on every topic he discusses. These diverse topics range from worker's compensation to accidents to sexual harassment to same-sex divorces.
Most lawyers today focus on one particular legal specialty. If you are going to discuss and report cases with which you have no personal experience, then you must become fluent not only with the case you are discussing but also immerse yourself with as much detailed information as you can learn about that particular area of law.
Tip #3: Beware the Green Screen
Allen shoots his videos in front of a green screen. That means that his video editor can place any image he wants behind him. But a poor green screen can turn an excellent video into mediocre video. If you are not proficient with green screens, don't use them. Green screen editing is time-consuming and technically difficult. Not only do you have to make sure the green screen is well lit, but the actual editing task of substituting an image takes lots of practice.
In this video, the green screen effect is not as good as it should be. You notice the edges of Allen's outline tend to blur and fade into the background. If you look closely, the edges of of his head, arms and suit are not as crisp as they should be. Allen also stands in front of a tall podium that is hidden, which explains why it appears as if he is resting his elbows on a platform.
Conclusion
Allen has not search engine optimized this video. He fails to even include his Web site URL address, phone number or contact information. However, he displays a graphic that runs throughout the video with his URL.
In my opinion, this video warrants a TechnoScore of 5.0 for its content, but I deducted half a point for the lack of searchable information in the sidebar and the slightly blurry green screen effect. But overall, it's an excellent video that lawyers should emulate when educating potential clients.
Till next time, see you on video!
The Back Bench
Certified Family Law Specialist and online video producer Kelly Chang Rickert says: "David Allen is a wonderful story-teller. He captures his audience by telling a very interesting story about Facebook. I actually enjoyed my morning cup of tea watching him. He gets an A+ for presentation skills — which probably means he is also very good in court. However, after watching 3:30 minutes, I am unclear what type of lawyer he is. Tip #1: Distinguish between a purely marketing video, and a video marketing your services. The former is "All That Jazz," but no substance. The latter — what people should strive for — hones in on your legal skills, your practice area, etc. At least he included a Web site throughout the video — should you spend time researching him. Tip #2: Assume your audience is busy and your video is all the time they have."
TechnoLawyer publisher and online video producer Neil Squillante says: "I wish David Allen had taught at my law school. He explains admissions better than most law professors. But he fails to close the deal by discussing his expertise (I presume he's a litigator of some sort). David, you're smart and explain complex topics using plain English, but what kind of cases can you handle? All the same, David is so engaging that I'd visit his Web site to see if he could help me."
Written by Gerry Oginski of The Lawyers' Video Studio.
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