@vbalasubramani
March 17th, 2009
Principal of Balasubramani Law
Owner of online spices store, Nataraja Spices
Author / publisher of Spam Notes
Member, Board of Directors, South Asian Bar Association of Washington
Today, we’re tweeting with tech/internet lawyer @VBalasubramani, Seattle-based IP disputes lawyer & author of the blog “Spam Notes”
- Thank you for joining us today on Twitter. Tell us: who is the person behind @VBalasubramani?
a low-key/hard working lawyer in Seattle who sits at his dining table for the bulk of the day, and spends too much time on Twitter
- Don’t we all…. Tell us about your law practice.
internet-related disputes (copyright/TM disputes/domain name disputes)..a fun case I’m working on atm http://tinyurl.com/c5af9n
- What type of clients do you represent?
businesses/individuals who conduct a significant portion of their activity on the internet; a good amt of pro bono clients also
- What is the most important legal issue affecting your clients?
the internet = regulator’s paradise..DMCA/sec. 230; rules dealing with privacy/advertising loom large, but the landscape changes
- What do you tell every new client before you start working for them?
litigation is expensive (rarely “civil”), emotionally draining, and diverts your energy. If there’s a business solution, seize it.
- What was the most significant client representation you’ve had?
represented an immigrant family (bz) who entered into an unconscionable lease/credit transaction agreement with a large company
- Why was it significant?
faith in the US legal system (from immigrants) is great to see..also, people who could not afford a lawyer were represented
- Why do your clients hire you?
top-notch work product, but I also tend to have a less than conventional way of approaching things (off-beat clients like this)
- What has been your greatest professional accomplishment?
I took a fun (but tough) First Amendment case to the Washington Supreme Court (Rickert v. PDC: http://tinyurl.com/dbt33f
- How do you sell your practice?
the old referral ntwk..hope to do more as far as writing white papers, giving presentations, contributing to @jdtwitt and @avvoblog
- How much time do you spend each day developing / enhancing your brand?
oh!..you have to actually develop/enhance your brand? I thought it was enough to do good work :) [answer: not enough time!]
- You publish a blog, Spam Notes (http://bit.ly/TPvTU). How would you describe it? Why do you write it?
it covers issues related to spam/mktg, privacy, data protection; I enjoy writing, hashing out ideas, and connecting w/others
- What benefits have you realized in blogging?
increased exposure/cred. (see http://tinyurl.com/86bjvd), contact with other thinkers/journos/academics in the space
- When and why did you join Twitter?
@internetcases (widely cited/read law blogger) left a comment on my blog – thanks for that @internetcases !
- What are your thoughts on Twitter and social media as business development tools?
great way to connect with people–I’ve made interesting connections [you, for example]–but it’s not a cure-all & takes time
- What is the most significant issue currently facing the legal profession?
from the pub standpoint a loss of confidence in the system; internally, burnout, leverage, time-based billing, client revolt
- Big issues to resolve…. Switching gears somewhat, what has been your greatest personal accomplishment?
probably being the favored grandchild of all four of my grandparents :D
- We only get 22 tweets but would love to learn about THAT story! What would you do if you weren’t a lawyer?
that’s an easy one :), I’d open up a gourmet pickle and spice shop (or online store ?_? http://natarajaspices.foodzie.com/
- How do you want to be remembered?
isn’t it a little early to think about that? Seriously, as someone who contributed, and gave more than took - Good point…. What do you do when you’re not working?
travel/get out of dodge a couple of times a year..swimming + Yoga when I can, both are great for the stressed out lawyer
- What languages do you speak?
legalese for starters :) (kidding) Malayalam and Tamil, two dialects from South India..my Spanish is passable
- Final question: what advice do you have for people going to law school today?
put in 110% percent, but realize there’s much more to life than law..also, don’t listen to the crowd/echo chamber
Good advice indeed. Thank you so very much, @VBalasubramani, for tweeting with 22 Tweets and answering our questions today
I really enjoyed that < http://twitterfall.com/22twts >- thanks for taking the time!
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