I am still shocked that a large number of attorneys don’t see the value in  having their own internet domanin name to use for their email address. Even if you don’t have a website yet, you need to find a domain name that ties in with your branding efforts, register it and get at least an email account that uses it.

While some people don’t mind sending email to an AOL, GMAIL or HotMail account, it lacks a sense of professionalism and indicates to the world that you don’t take modern communication practices seriously (and we won’t even get into the privacy/confidentiality concerns many of us have with the services) . If you can afford it, register a number of domain names that are descriptive of your practice such as www.rockfordrealestatelawyer.com and www.rockfordrealestatelaw.com.

I also encourage you to read posts such as these from the H6 Webgeek blog on Choosing the Right Domain Name – Brand vs. Keywords or this post from Brand Autopsy on Master Your Domain. or this post from Jim Calloway’s Law Practice TIps Blog  on Online Reputation Management: First Rule  is to Avoid Self-Inflicted Wounds .