tom ciesielka

Does a Prostitute Belong at Your Honeymoon?

Here’s a real winner: a man was arrested on his honeymoon for soliciting a prostitute. I can understand why that Chicago Sun-Timesstory, “Suburban man arrested for soliciting prostitute on his honeymoon,” by Jon Seidel and Stefano Esposito, has become so popular. On what was supposed to be a very special day, his wife noticed he’d…

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Attorneys Make Terrible Horror Movie Directors

Attorneys know that they have to be careful about what they put online, and they usually use social media sparingly, if at all. I’ve noticed that attorneys limit their social media activity to LinkedIn because they think it’s the safest. However, everyone has to be careful, no matter how professional a website might seem. One

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Can a Press Release Become the News?

Cashing in on press releases that generate negative publicity is simply goofy. I saw an article in the Chicago Sun-Times, “State Sen. Sandoval’s $68,400 side gig: translating news releases,” by Dan Mihalopoulos, Steve Warmbir, and Dave McKinney about how a politician is making a great living by being a consultant for the Town of Cicero,

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Facebook – A Hairy Liability for Lawyers Working with the Media?

I read some good advice on the Slaw blog about a partner of a law firm who was “friends” with a reporter on Facebook. The reporter wanted a good picture of the attorney, and dug through Facebook to find one. Luckily, the photo wasn’t embarrassing, but can you imagine if it were? Not only would

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Saturday Night Live is Still Dead

As you know, “laughs” is a part of my blog’s title, so it’s obvious that I love comedy. I’ve been a clown, have done stand up, and have also taken Second City classes (which have helped my speaking engagements, too). I’m always looking to have a laugh after a long workweek, and I used to

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Give PR Professionals some RESPECT

One of my favorite public relations professionals is Joan Stewart, who has a business called The Publicity Hound that helps other public relations professionals do better work. Her blog has this post: How to work with a PR firm: 15 do’s and 8 don’ts, and I’d like to add look at a few of the “don’ts” more closely:

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Social Networking for Lawyers: Legal Marketing Tool or Faster Way to Chase an Ambulance?

A few weeks back, the Wall Street Journal ran an article titled: Using Social Networking as Legal Tool. It features lessons and case studies from law firms that represent plaintiffs in personal injury and disasters (think Life of a Trial Lawyer: Boots down for BP Oil Spill Lawyer). A New York-based firm set up the website

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