Law Technology News Editorial Guidelines

Thank you for your inquiry about Law Technology News' editorial policies. We hope these brief guidelines will assist you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via e-mail at lawtech@amlaw.com.

To reach us:

By mail: 105 Madison Ave. 7th floor, New York, N.Y., 10016.
By e-mail: Press releases: lawtech@amlaw.com
Art: lawtechart@amlaw.com
By phone: 800-537-2128 x 9081.
Our Web site: www.lawtechnews.com
Please note: We do not accept press releases via fax.

Our staff:
Monica Bay, Editor-in-Chief
Shane DeLeers, Managing Editor
Richard Peck, Assistant Editor
Roberto Jimenez, Art Director

PRESS RELEASES

The basics: All press releases should contain a clear and thorough description of the product or service. Please tell us exactly what the product/service does. If it is not a legal-specific product, it is helpful to tell us how the product/service is applicable to legal environments. If your release is an upgrade of an existing product, please be certain to provide information about the underlying product, as well as advise us about key features of the upgrade.

Less is not more: If you don't give us enough details, you may get less coverage than you deserve. (However, don't snow us with piles of material, either, please). Our standard announcements run approximately three to five paragraphs. Please be sure you have provided sufficient detail about your product so that we will have adequate information to write the announcements. Although it is helpful to have a referral to your Web site, please do not expect us to go to the Web site to find your press release or to get basic information about your product. It is always better to include too much rather than not enough information in your release.

Our quirks: Every publication has specific information they always run, and we're no exception. LTN always needs to know the release date of the product/service; the headquarter city of the company, contact persons with their phone numbers, and Web site URLs. Please do not make us hunt for this info on your Web site, it can result in your item not getting into the issue. As a general rule, we do not publish pricing information in LTN. For "People" items, always include a color photo, and it is helpful to include the individual's prior job(s) and educational background.

Don't be sneaky: If you are a distributor, please be careful to clearly identify the manufacturer of the product, and the headquarters of both the distributor and the manufacturer. Please do not attempt to disguise the relationship, it will only backfire and undermine your credibility. (Besides, I hate making mistakes and having to run corrections!)

Pet peeves: Want to reallllly annoy the editor? LOAD your release with industry acronyms, jargon and cliches. Describe your product as a "solution" and never state what it actually is or does.

Other words to avoid: Deploy (this isn't the military); robust (nor is it food reviews); mission-critical (what's the mission?); enterprise (this isn't the Starfleet); seamless (are we in sewing class?) and the "i" words: implement and initiative. Jargon undermines the credibility of your release and really irritates the editor-in-chief, who will not allow the word "solution" to appear in LTN unless it is the name of a company.

We'll call you: Please do not routinely call us to ask if we have received your press release. We get about 500-1,000 releases per month. It's embarrassing to have to tell you that we don't remember, off the top of our head, your product. However, if there is a special circumstance, or if you have reason to believe there has been a problem receiving your release, we are happy to assist you.

Also, please resist the temptation to flag your press releases as "high priority" or "important" unless we have asked you to for some reason. We appreciate that the releases are VERY important to you, but it really is presumptuous and annoying to flag them when you send them to editors. Don't dilute the value of flags.

E-mail Tips: Please be sure that if you are sending a press release as an e-mail attachment that it is properly labeled, as the attachments frequently get separated from the cover letters. It's best if you label your e-mail with "PRESS RELEASE" and your company name.

ART REQUIREMENTS

• We must have accompanying color art (graphics/photos) for all releases. If you are e-mailing art, be sure that it is at least 300 dpi, .tiff, jpeg, gif file, or some other format that can be opened via Adobe PhotoShop 5.0. Please be sure the file is small. Please call us first if you have any questions about format.
• Art normally runs no larger than 2 inches. As a general rule, screen shots are not effective; a box shot or logo is preferable. Be sure to label the art with your company (and product) name, as we get hundred of files and they are filed separately from the press releases.
• If you send us hard copy art by mail or overnight, be sure to label the photographs or slides with your company name and contact number, the product name and date.

BYLINED ARTICLES

If you are interested in submitting an article for LTN, please e-mail a brief query letter to mbay@amlaw.com. We have an editorial calendar and specific guidelines for bylined articles, and would be happy to send them to you. Simply e-mail lawtech@amlaw.com for a copy.

PRESIDENT'S CORNER / PAGE 1

We normally make the first "cut" of candidates for President's Corner about two weeks before press date. At that time, we contact the vendors and ask them to submit appropriate art for the feature.

If you have a product that you believe merits consideration for page 1 or President's Corner, you should be sure to get us the media kit at least six weeks ahead of the cover date of the next issue. It is helpful to include a cover letter detailing how your product will affect the legal profession, and why you think it merits cover treatment. Tip: Don't routinely ask for President's Corner everytime you have a maintenance release. It undermines your credibility.

We have specific guidelines for page 1 and president's corner submissions, and would be happy to e-mail them to you. Please forward your request to lawtech@amlaw.com

Thank you for your interest in Law Technology News. Please do not hesitate to e-mail us at lawtech@amlaw.com if you have further questions.

Monica Bay
Editor-in-Chief

revised 4/29/01