As Richard Ferguson, a lawyer friend of ours says on his email message:
?People may forget what you said?. People may forget what you did?. but people will never forget how you made them feel.?
Despite the fact that we lawyers make our living communicating, many of us don?t take steps to optimize client communications. This is a shame, because highly effective client communications leads to both great case outcomes that satisfy the client?s legal goals and a great lawyer-client relationship that can result in higher work satisfaction and repeat business and referrals. Accordingly, here are our suggested steps to improve client communications:
Find out the client?s preferred means of communication, and use it whenever possible. If you have teenaged kids, you?ve probably learned by now that a short text message will elicit a response much more quickly than an attempt to call or leave a voicemail message. Clients also have preferred means of communication and when you take the time to determine that method and then make it as easy as possible for the client to initiate communication or respond to your request for information, you make your client happy and make it easier to do your job.
Give your clients a structure within which to communicate. Everyone likes to know what to expect, and your clients are no different when it comes to communicating with you. While it?s great to use the client?s preferred means of communicating, you can?t always respond as quickly as the client would like. Prepare a written communications plan that lets your clients know how soon to expect to receive a response from various types of communications and who to contact if you are unable to respond within the stated time due to a trial or other cause.
Have someone in your office return all calls the day they were received.? Study after study has shown that not returning phone calls promptly is a major factor in client dissatisfaction. ?Accordingly, make it a policy in your office that someone?will return all calls they day they were received ? even if it is to say that you are in court and won?t be able to get back to them that day. ?This demonstrates concern for the client ? they understand that you are busy ? we all are!! ? but the act of simply acknowledging their call is an important one. ?Make your clients feel good about having selected you as their lawyer.
AP - Authorities are using a court order to determine if a serial cabin burglar in the southern Utah wilderness is using a cell phone to call his family.
Sony?s PS Vita?has hit the mean streets of the united kingdom, stores around the country opening at the hours of darkness to present eager gamers their chance to seize the subsequent-gen portable, with US sales expected to start within hours. Although early queues for the Vita?had only garnered low numbers earlier this week, by midnight there have been several hundred waiting outside retailer Game?s flagship London store, The Telegraph?reports.
The store itself have been reskinned to mark the Sony console?s launch, with huge PS Vita branding across its windows. First within the queue was Zohaib Ali, who have been waiting since Sunday to pick out up his Vita.
Early enthusiasm is probably going to reassure Sony, in addition to pre-order sales for the console which were happening within the UK and US for some weeks now. Initial deliveries of the PS Vita First bundle began within the US late last week; you will find our hands-on with the 3G variant here.
Still, after the diehard gamers get their fix, it is still seen whether the Vita could be a mass-market success. Sony saw strong initial demand in Japan, where the console launched late last year, but sales slumped afterwards?with a poor choice of titles being some of the reasons blamed.
PS Vita 3G hands-on and unboxing:
If you continue to must arise to PS Vita speed, inspect our full US/Europe launch week rundown?along with our review of Sony?s Vita OS. The platform is tipped to show up on Sony smartphones next, together with other devices, so that you could well be observing the following big step within the company?s try to challenge Apple.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Reuters - The Obama administration on Tuesday threw in the towel on one of its biggest bribery cases in the military equipment business, which it had touted as part of its campaign to crack down on corruption, moving to dismiss charges against 16 defendants.
AP - A Saudi man accused of trying to make a weapon of mass destruction and targeting former President George W. Bush's home in Dallas is mentally competent to stand trial, a federal judge in Texas ruled Tuesday.
Global permafrost zones in high-resolution images on Google EarthPublic release date: 20-Feb-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Stephan Grupber stephan.gruber@geo.uzh.ch 41-446-355-146 University of Zurich
Thawing permafrost will have far-reaching ramifications for populated areas, infrastructure and ecosystems. A geographer from the University of Zurich reveals where it is important to confront the issue based on new permafrost maps -- the most precise global maps around. They depict the global distribution of permafrost in high-resolution images and are available on Google Earth.
Unstable cable-car and electricity pylons and rock fall Alpine countries like Switzerland have already had first-hand experience of thawing permafrost as a result of climate change. If temperatures continue to rise, the problem will intensify in many places. Permafrost, namely rock or soil with a negative temperature for at least two years, occurs in the subsurface and therefore cannot be mapped directly. The existing maps are thus fraught with major uncertainties that have barely been studied or formulated. Furthermore, due to the different modeling methods used the maps are difficult to compare.
The most precise global permafrost maps
Now, however, glaciologist Stephan Gruber from the University of Zurich has modeled the global permafrost zones for the first time in high resolution and using a consistent method. In his study recently published in The Cryosphere, the scientist estimates the global permafrost regions at 22 million square kilometers a sixth of the world's exposed land surface. With a grid resolution of one square kilometer, Gruber's maps are the most precise permafrost maps in the world..
Approximation of permafrost patchwork
A large proportion of the permafrost zones lie outside the areas that exhibit continuous permafrost in the subsurface. At relatively small distance, permafrost can here occur right next to non-permafrost ground. In other words, the spatial distribution of permafrost resembles a patchwork quilt, which makes it extremely difficult to identify zones with permafrost in such areas. This is where Gruber's innovative permafrost maps come in: They are based on high-resolution air temperature and elevation data. Moreover, they reveal an index that indicates the probability of permafrost. The permafrost areas are depicted in grades from dark blue for near-continuous permafrost to yellow for areas with little permafrost. In contrast to previous permafrost maps, which show clearly defined zones, Gruber's maps also illustrate the uncertainty of the state of research.
The scientist explains his motivation with the urgency of the matter: "As a result of climate change, areas with permafrost have great potential for unpleasant surprises. That is why it is all the more important for politics and the public to be aware of the problem of thawing permafrost. My maps visualize the otherwise barely visible phenomenon of permafrost."
###
Global Permafrost Zonation Index Map: http://www.geo.uzh.ch/microsite/cryodata/pf_global/GlobalPermafrostZonationIndexMap.kmz
Publication: http://www.the-cryosphere.net/6/221/
Literature:
Stephan Gruber. Derivation and analysis of a high-resolution estimate of global permafrost zonation. The Cryosphere 6, 221-233, 2012, doi: 10.5194/tc-6-221-2012
Contact:
Dr. Stephan Gruber
Department of Geography
University of Zurich
Tel.: +41 44 635 51 46
Email: stephan.gruber@geo.uzh.ch
Nathalie Huber
Media Relations
University of Zurich
Tel.: +41 44 634 44 64
Email: nathalie.huber@kommunikation.uzh.ch
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Global permafrost zones in high-resolution images on Google EarthPublic release date: 20-Feb-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Stephan Grupber stephan.gruber@geo.uzh.ch 41-446-355-146 University of Zurich
Thawing permafrost will have far-reaching ramifications for populated areas, infrastructure and ecosystems. A geographer from the University of Zurich reveals where it is important to confront the issue based on new permafrost maps -- the most precise global maps around. They depict the global distribution of permafrost in high-resolution images and are available on Google Earth.
Unstable cable-car and electricity pylons and rock fall Alpine countries like Switzerland have already had first-hand experience of thawing permafrost as a result of climate change. If temperatures continue to rise, the problem will intensify in many places. Permafrost, namely rock or soil with a negative temperature for at least two years, occurs in the subsurface and therefore cannot be mapped directly. The existing maps are thus fraught with major uncertainties that have barely been studied or formulated. Furthermore, due to the different modeling methods used the maps are difficult to compare.
The most precise global permafrost maps
Now, however, glaciologist Stephan Gruber from the University of Zurich has modeled the global permafrost zones for the first time in high resolution and using a consistent method. In his study recently published in The Cryosphere, the scientist estimates the global permafrost regions at 22 million square kilometers a sixth of the world's exposed land surface. With a grid resolution of one square kilometer, Gruber's maps are the most precise permafrost maps in the world..
Approximation of permafrost patchwork
A large proportion of the permafrost zones lie outside the areas that exhibit continuous permafrost in the subsurface. At relatively small distance, permafrost can here occur right next to non-permafrost ground. In other words, the spatial distribution of permafrost resembles a patchwork quilt, which makes it extremely difficult to identify zones with permafrost in such areas. This is where Gruber's innovative permafrost maps come in: They are based on high-resolution air temperature and elevation data. Moreover, they reveal an index that indicates the probability of permafrost. The permafrost areas are depicted in grades from dark blue for near-continuous permafrost to yellow for areas with little permafrost. In contrast to previous permafrost maps, which show clearly defined zones, Gruber's maps also illustrate the uncertainty of the state of research.
The scientist explains his motivation with the urgency of the matter: "As a result of climate change, areas with permafrost have great potential for unpleasant surprises. That is why it is all the more important for politics and the public to be aware of the problem of thawing permafrost. My maps visualize the otherwise barely visible phenomenon of permafrost."
###
Global Permafrost Zonation Index Map: http://www.geo.uzh.ch/microsite/cryodata/pf_global/GlobalPermafrostZonationIndexMap.kmz
Publication: http://www.the-cryosphere.net/6/221/
Literature:
Stephan Gruber. Derivation and analysis of a high-resolution estimate of global permafrost zonation. The Cryosphere 6, 221-233, 2012, doi: 10.5194/tc-6-221-2012
Contact:
Dr. Stephan Gruber
Department of Geography
University of Zurich
Tel.: +41 44 635 51 46
Email: stephan.gruber@geo.uzh.ch
Nathalie Huber
Media Relations
University of Zurich
Tel.: +41 44 634 44 64
Email: nathalie.huber@kommunikation.uzh.ch
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
How to cook: TOMATO SALAD IN A SAVOURY TUILE BASKET TOPPED WITH A BASIL SORBET
Ingredients:
25g (scant 1oz) basil leaves, plus extra shredded leaves to garnish 7-8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 32 red cherry tomatoes 16 yellow cherry tomatoes
FOR THE SORBET
100g (31/2 oz) caster sugar small bunch of basil leaves squeeze of lemon juice
FOR THE BASKETS
1 small garlic clove coarse sea salt 50g (13/4 oz) unsalted butter 30g (1oz) plain flour 2 tbsp caster sugar 1 large egg, white only 100g (31/2 oz) Parmesan cheese, finely grated 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
Directions:
To create the sorbet, dissolve the sugar in 200ml (7fl oz) drinking water more than moderate warmth. Stir in the basil and lemon juice. Blend inside a foodstuff processor, then pass through a fine sieve. Line a second sieve with muslin and set more than a bowl. Pour inside the basil syrup and leave to drain.
Pour the syrup into an maker and churn for one hour. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Using two dessert spoons condition quenelles of sorbet, location around the tray, and freeze.
To generate the baskets, preheat the oven to 200/C (400/F/Gas 6) and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment. Grease the outsides of eight medium dariole moulds and sit them upturned on yet another baking sheet. Crush and mince the garlic to a great paste with the sea salt using the back again of the knife. Conquer the butter until finally pale then defeat during the flour, sugar, and garlic. Gradually conquer within the egg white and Parmesan to kind a sticky paste.
Draw four 12cm (5in) circles on each and every sheet of baking parchment, nicely spaced apart. Dollop 2-3 spoonfuls with the combination into every single circle and thinly pass on that has a palette knife to fill the circle. Sprinkle over some rosemary and bake for 6-8 minutes or till tinged brown throughout the edges. Drape about the moulds, and return to your oven for 3-4 minutes. Neat to get a couple of seconds, then launch through the moulds and depart to chill.
For the salad, blend the basil with 5-6 tbsp of the oil. Pour by way of a sieve set above a bowl. Peel the tomatoes (see left) and put into a bowl. Season with salt and a splash of olive oil.
To serve, cautiously set a tuile basket on each and every plate and divide the cherry tomatoes between each. Place a quenelle of sorbet on leading and garnish using the shredded basil leaves.
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Public release date: 20-Feb-2012
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