#Law Firm marketing Plan

[psm-marketing]

The Evolution of Law Firm Marketing: How PSM Marketing Helps Firms Stay Ahead

The Changing Landscape of Law Firm Marketing

Law firm marketing has undergone significant transformations over the past few decades. To remain competitive, law firms must continuously evolve from traditional print advertisements to digital strategies. PSM Marketing has been at the forefront of these changes, helping legal professionals leverage modern marketing tactics to enhance visibility and attract more clients.

The Early Days: Traditional Marketing for Law Firms

Before the Internet, law firm marketing relied heavily on word-of-mouth, referrals, and print advertising in legal directories. While these methods were effective, they limited a firm’s ability to reach a wider audience. The rise of television and radio advertising provided some expansion, but these channels required significant financial investment, making them inaccessible to smaller firms.

The Digital Shift: A New Era of Marketing

With the advent of the Internet, law firms began exploring digital marketing strategies. Websites became essential, and firms started using email marketing and online directories to connect with potential clients. However, simply having an online presence was not enough. The real game-changer came with the rise of search engine optimization (SEO) and social media marketing, allowing firms to reach their target audience more effectively.

The Role of a Law Firm SEO Expert

A Law Firm SEO Expert understands the complexities of search engine algorithms and how to optimize content for better rankings. By implementing keyword strategies, improving website structure, and creating high-quality content, SEO experts ensure that law firms appear at the top of search results for relevant queries. PSM Marketing specializes in law firm SEO, helping attorneys rank higher in Google searches and attract organic traffic.

How PSM Marketing Supports Law Firms

1. Comprehensive Digital Marketing Strategies

PSM Marketing offers a range of law firm marketing solutions, from website design and content creation to SEO and social media management. Their tailored approach ensures that each law firm receives a customized strategy that aligns with its goals and target audience.

2. SEO Optimization for Maximum Visibility

Through advanced SEO techniques, PSM Marketing helps law firms enhance their online presence. This includes keyword optimization, backlink building, and local SEO strategies to ensure law firms are found by clients in their geographic area.

3. Content Marketing to Establish Authority

Content is king in digital marketing, and law firms need well-researched, informative content to showcase their expertise. PSM Marketing develops high-quality blog posts, legal guides, and articles that engage readers and improve SEO rankings.

4. Social Media and Paid Advertising

Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter provide law firms with opportunities to connect with potential clients. PSM Marketing helps firms build strong social media profiles and execute targeted ad campaigns for increased client engagement.

5. Website Design and Optimization

A law firm’s website is its digital storefront. PSM Marketing ensures that law firm websites are not only visually appealing but also optimized for performance, mobile responsiveness, and user experience.

The Future of Law Firm Marketing

As technology continues to evolve, Law Firm Marketing will also see new advancements. Artificial intelligence (AI), voice search optimization, and video marketing are set to play crucial roles in future strategies. Law firms that stay ahead of these trends will have a competitive advantage, and working with a law firm SEO expert like PSM Marketing can make all the difference.

Conclusion

The history of law firm marketing shows a clear evolution from traditional methods to digital dominance. Today, firms that invest in SEO, content marketing, and social media see greater success in attracting and retaining clients. PSM Marketing remains a trusted partner for law firms looking to navigate this ever-changing landscape. Whether through SEO optimization, website design, or targeted advertising, PSM Marketing helps legal professionals stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market.

Visit Us: https://howinsights.com/how-a-law-firm-seo-expert-can-help-you-outrank-competitors/

https://bestdailyinfos.net/the-power-of-online-reviews-for-law-firms-how-to-get-more-5-star-ratings/

[reda-marketing]

Effective Strategies for Personal Injury Lead Generation: Your Complete Guide

Discover Proven Tactics for Personal Injury Lead Generation in Our Comprehensive Guide - Boost Your Outreach and Client Base with Effective Strategies!

[adsmarketingstrategies]

SEO timelines for Realistic Marketing Plans

Optimize your marketing strategy with a realistic SEO timeline. Unlock the secrets to improving online presence and driving more leads.

Creating a successful SEO strategy takes time and effort. It’s important to know how long it takes to see results. A good SEO timeline helps businesses set goals, plan resources, and track progress1. Knowing about SEO timelines is key to setting realistic goals. It helps in making a marketing plan that includes SEO2. Since SEO improvements take at least a year, especially for big websites2,…

[usamarketerss]

SEO for Lawyers: Boosting Online Visibility for Legal Practices

SEO for lawyers explained

SEO is among the most critical digital marketing strategies for lawyers and attorney firms who need to acquire more clients through online searches. As more competition arises in the legal field, a properly applied SEO strategy could mean increased search engine rankings for your practice, organic traffic, and credibility.

Key SEO Elements for Law Firms

Keyword Research and Optimization

SEO must establish a proper foundation by understanding the client’s needs. Proper keyword research will help in keyword alignment by identifying terms such as “personal injury lawyer,” “divorce attorney,” or “criminal defense lawyer.” Keep in mind high-volume keywords and long-tail terms to capture targeted queries; optimization of website pages should show these terms organically in headings, body text, and meta descriptions.

Local SEO

Since legal services are location-based, lawyers should invest in local SEO. Complete and optimize your Google Business Profile with accurate, consistent, and updated contact information. This may boost the visibility of your law firm for the local search pack based on intent searches, such as “lawyer near me” or “best-rated attorney in [City].” Gaining the trust of clients by getting them to review your firm on Google and other directories helps build more trust and even further boosts visibility.

Content Creation and Blogging

Valuable, informative content positions your law firm as a trusted authority. Blogging about relevant legal matters, frequently asked questions, and case studies will help raise your search rankings and inform your potential clients who have questions about certain legal matters. The aim should be to create content that speaks to common concerns the clients have and showcases expertise in an easy-to-understand manner.

Technical SEO and Site Performance

A fast and mobile-friendly website is very essential for retaining visitors. Technical SEO elements like site speed optimization, SSL certification, and enhancement of a website’s responsiveness on mobile have much relevance when it comes to ranking. It ensures that your site performs fine by regular auditing and fixing the technical issues, thereby making the search engines reward such websites with increased rankings.

Benefits of SEO to Legal Practices

The most important advantage that SEO will provide for your law firm is that it brings organic, high-intent traffic to your website over the long term. A strong web presence can confer authority and credibility on your firm, potentially encouraging clients to reach out. When you continually optimize your site for the latest emerging techniques and best practices in SEO, the competition in your legal market will always be one step behind.

FAQ

1. Why is SEO important for a law firm?

SEO helps a law firm appear in search engine results any time a prospect is looking online for legal services. Accordingly, SEO can ensure through optimizing relevant keywords and improving local visibility that quality organic traffic easily targets your website, hence boosting your firm’s clientele.

2. How does SEO take for lawyers to produce results?

SEO is a long-term approach and may take up to 3–6 months for noticeable results to appear, depending on the level of competition the difficulty of your keywords, and the consistency of effort. Results tend to be somewhat sustainable and can improve based on ongoing optimization.

3. What are the best keywords for law firm SEO?

Examples of effective search terms for lawyer SEO could be “personal injury lawyer,” “divorce attorney near me,” or “[City] criminal defense lawyer.” Keyword research should target high-traffic terms down to long-tail keywords representative of particular legal services a client might look for.

4. What is the role of local SEO in this context?

Local SEO focuses on geographic-specific searches, helping lawyers appear in local search results. The optimization of your Google Business Profile, combined with acquiring reviews, will enhance your chances of showing up in the “lawyer near me” kind of search and make your practice more discoverable to potential clients in your vicinity.

5. How can an attorney optimize their website for SEO?

This would be accomplished by practicing a variety of strategies, such as keyword research, the creation of information-heavy content, optimization for local search, and ensuring that the technical factors are sound. Regular blogging, answering frequently asked questions, and having a fast website that is friendly to mobile users are all important ways to do this.

Conclusion

Attorney SEO is one of the most powerful tools available for law firms looking to enhance their presence online and gain new clients. With proper keywording, local optimization, and quality content techniques in place, your firm will rise in the rankings and, eventually, in business.

[one400info]

ONE400 Legal Subscription Services: Your Gateway to Streamlined Legal Support

Explore ONE400's innovative legal subscription services designed to enhance your legal practice's efficiency and effectiveness. With our comprehensive offerings, you can access a range of legal resources, marketing solutions, and expert guidance to propel your firm to new heights. Subscribe to ONE400 and experience a seamless blend of technology, strategy, and support for your legal business.

[robertreich]

How Wall Street Priced You Out of a Home

Rent is skyrocketing and home buying is out of reach for millions. One big reason why? Wall Street.

Hedge funds and private equity firms have been buying up hundreds of thousands of homes that would otherwise be purchased by people. Wall Street’s appetite for housing ramped up after the 2008 financial crisis. As you’ll recall, the Street’s excessive greed created a housing bubble that burst. Millions of people lost their homes to foreclosure.

Did the Street learn a lesson? Of course not. It got bailed out. Then it began picking off the scraps of the housing market it had just destroyed, gobbling up foreclosed homes at fire-sale prices — which it then sold or rented for big profits.

Investor purchases hit their peak in 2022, accounting for around 28% of all home sales in America.

Home buyers frequently reported being outbid by cash offers made by investors. So called “iBuyers” used algorithms to instantly buy homes before offers could even be made by actual humans.

If the present trend continues, by 2030, Wall Street investors may control 40% of U.S. single-family rental homes.

Partly as a result, homeownership — a cornerstone of generational wealth and a big part of the American dream — is increasingly out of reach for a large number of Americans, especially young people.

Now, Wall Street’s feasting has slowed recently due to rising home prices — even the wolves of Wall Street are falling victim to sticker shock. But that hasn’t stopped them from specifically targeting more modestly priced homes — buying up a record share of the country’s most affordable homes at the end of 2023.

They’ve also been most active in bigger cities, particularly in the Sun Belt, which has become an increasingly expensive place to live. And they’re pointedly going after neighborhoods that are home to communities of color.

For example, in one diverse neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wall Street-backed investors bought half of the homes that sold in 2021 and 2022. On a single block, investors bought every house but one, and turned them into rentals.

Folks, it’s a vicious cycle: First you’re outbid by investors, then you may be stuck renting from them at excessive prices that leave you with even less money to put up for a new home. Rinse. Repeat.

Now I want to be clear: This is just one part of the problem with housing in America. The lack of supply is considered the biggest reason why home prices and rents have soared — and are outpacing recent wage gains. But Wall Street sinking its teeth into whatever is left on the market is making the supply problem even worse.

So what can we do about this? Start by getting Wall Street out of our homes.

Democrats have introduced a bill in both houses of Congress to ban hedge funds and private equity firms from buying or owning single-family homes.

If signed into law, this could increase the supply of homes available to individual buyers — thereby making housing more affordable.

President Biden has also made it a priority to tackle the housing crisis, proposing billions in funding to increase the supply of homes and tax credits to help actual people buy them.

Now I have no delusions that any of this will be easy to get done. But these plans provide a roadmap of where the country could head — under the right leadership.

So many Americans I meet these days are cynical about the country. I understand their cynicism. But cynicism can be a self-fulfilling prophecy if it means giving up the fight.

The captains of American industry and Wall Street would like nothing better than for the rest of us to give up that fight, so they can take it all.

I say we keep fighting.

[blueiscoool]

Beginnings of Roman London Discovered in Office Basement

A discovery underneath the basement of an office block has been described as one of the most important pieces of Roman history unearthed in the city of London.

Archaeologists have found a substantial piece of the ancient city's first basilica - a 2,000 year old public building where major political, economic and administrative decisions were made.

The excavation has so far revealed sections of stone wall that formed the base of the basilica, which would have been two-and-a-half storeys high.

The site, which will eventually be opened to the public, sheds light on the city's beginnings.

"This is so significant - this is the heart of Roman London," said Sophie Jackson, from the Museum of London Archaeology (Mola), who revealed the new find exclusively to BBC News.

"This building will tell us so much about the origins of London, why London grew and why it was chosen as the capital of Britain. It's just amazing."

The site was discovered at 85 Gracechurch Street, an office building that's about to be demolished and redeveloped.

Earlier archaeological investigations revealed the ancient basilica's approximate location, so the team created several small test pits to see what was hidden beneath the concrete floor.

On the third attempt, digging between the filing cabinets, they struck lucky.

"You can see a huge chunk of Roman masonry, and it's incredible that it survives this well. We're absolutely thrilled that there's so much of it here," said Sophie Jackson.

The wall is made from a type of limestone from Kent, and formed an imposing building - the basilica would have been about 40m long, 20m wide and 12m high.

A tile is stamped and the three lines next to it are the finger marks of the tile maker

Other artefacts have been found too, including a roof tile imprinted with the stamp of an official from the ancient city.

The basilica was part of London's forum, a social and commercial hub with a courtyard that was about the size of a football pitch.

"The basilica is the town hall, and then in front of it was a big open market square with a range of shops and offices around the outside," explained Ms Jackson.

"It's the place you came to do business, to get your court case sorted out, it's where laws were made, and it's where decisions were made about London, but also about the rest of the country."

It was built around 80 AD, just a few decades after the Romans invaded Britain and founded Londinium - the Roman name for the city.

But the first basilica and forum were only in use for about 20 years. They were replaced by a much larger second forum, perhaps reflecting how quickly the city was growing in size and importance.

The discovery has meant a change of plans for the building's owners, Hertshten Properties.

The basilica sits at the back of the Roman forum, which had an open courtyard

The Roman remains, which will now be fully excavated, are to be incorporated into the new offices - pending planning approval - and opened up to the public.

For the architects, redesigning a building around an archaeological site has had some technical challenges.

"The scheme has been comprehensively adjusted," explained James Taylor from architecture firm Woods Bagot.

"Simple things like the columns have had to literally move position, so you're not destroying all these special stones that we found in the ground."

And so as not to disturb what's there, fewer lifts can now be installed - and this has meant that the team has had to reduce the height of the building.

But Mr Taylor said the effort will be worth it.

"To actually see people using and enjoying the space, moving through the public hall and down to see the remains, will be absolutely incredible."

This is the latest piece of Roman history to be discovered lying beneath the streets of London's Square Mile. And there's a growing effort to find innovative ways to show these sites to the public.

An artist's impression of what the public will eventually be able to see

Parts of an amphitheatre are on display under a glass floor at the Guildhall Art Gallery, and at Bloomberg's offices, people can visit the Temple of Mithras, which has been brought to life with an immersive sound and light installation.

Chris Hayward from the City of London Corporation says he wants more people to experience the link between the past and the present.

"The fact that Roman London is beneath your feet is, frankly, quite a remarkable emotion to experience," he said.

"You can actually see and visualise how Roman London would have been in those times. And then you can walk outside and you can say, 'now look at the skyscrapers, now look at the office blocks', this is progress, but at the same time, progress combined with preservation."

By Rebecca Morelle and Alison Francis.

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.221 Left field

I got a chance to teach a yoga class today, and the turnout was pretty good at half full. Chi Chi and our neighbors, whom we haven't seen since we moved in, were there. The house yoga instructor was there too, so I assumed he was early and waited for his session time. My neighbors were obviously beginners and sat out half of the routine, but what surprised me most was how badly Chi Chi performed. I thought she was better than that, given she's a professional athlete and all. But thinking about it, she mostly attends my meditation sessions, not yoga. I went to talk to her afterward, and she high-fived me.

"You still got it, friend! I haven't done yoga since you did it outside that one time. I figured since I'm getting old it might be a good idea to start again, ha ha!"

"Wooow that was so long ago! It's never too late."

"That's what I always say! Anyhoo, I gotta go. Got a lunch date with an old acquaintance. Toodles!"

The instructor settled onto the mat—my cue to leave. At midday, it was far too early to return home, so I started a meditation session. I'm not sure if I'm getting more efficient with my time or what, but usually when I do two sessions, I don't make it home before Desi. But today, I did. Or at least I arrived shortly after. On the way home, I got a weird call from someone saying I was going to inherit money and heirlooms from her, and she suggested I write a will so that when I die, no one is fighting over my stuff. At first, I thought it sounded like a scam and told her I wasn't interested. But as she went on and on about the will and inheritance, I thought maybe this was an elaborate and clever marketing ploy to drum up business for her law firm. The call irked me, yet I admired its creativity. No matter how sketchy it sounded, she had a point with the will. My parents didn't have an official will, but they left us instructions on how they wanted to be celebrated and what both of us should receive. I only have one child, so it wouldn't be that complicated, but still. It's better to have a plan at the ready for when the situation calls for it. I definitely needed to talk to an inheritance lawyer; just not that lawyer, heh.

As I approached the house, I saw Sophia outside. When she spotted me, she ran over to greet me, almost knocking me down just like when we met, but in reverse. Her voice was frantic with excitement, and she rambled on even faster than Chi Chi. I couldn't make out what she said and asked her to take a breath and slow down.

"I WON THE LOTTERY!!!"

"You WHAT???"

"A million simoleons! I won a million simoleons!!"

"A mi-WHAT???"

"I KNOW!!!"

"The lottery?!"

"Yup!!"

"You WON?!?!?"

"YES!!! Isn't it wonderful??? I don't usually play, but...I don't know!! I just bought a ticket on a whim! I never thought I'd actually WIN!! Just think! You have all the money you need now to do everything you want for our family!"

I can't lie. I could have broke down crying right there on the street. She's ALWAYS thinking about me and my plans! Even the plans I've abandoned. She's been this way ever since the beginning, but I still find it amazing how sweet and selfless she can be. I couldn't speak, so I just kissed her. Everything was a blur after that.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Union pensions are funding private equity attacks on workers

On October 7–8, I'm in Milan to keynote Wired Nextfest.

If end-stage capitalism has a motto, it's this: "Stop hitting yourself." The great failure of "voting with your wallet" is that you're casting ballots in a one party system (The Capitalism Party), and the people with the thickest wallets get the most votes.

During the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese state would bill the families of executed dissidents for the ammunition used to execute their loved ones:

https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-the-Chinese-government-makes-the-families-of-executed-people-pay-for-the-cost-of-bullets

In end-stage capitalism, the dollars we spend to feed ourselves are used to capture the food supply and corrupt our political process:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/04/dont-let-your-meat-loaf/#meaty-beaty-big-and-bouncy

And the dollars we save for retirement are flushed into the stock market casino, a game that is rigged against us, where we are always the suckers at the table:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/25/derechos-humanos/#are-there-no-poorhouses

Everywhere and always, we are financing our own destruction. It's quite a Mr Gotcha moment:

https://thenib.com/mister-gotcha/

Now, anything that can't go on forever will eventually stop. We are living through a broad, multi-front counter-revolution to Reaganomics and neoliberal Democratic Party sellouts. The FTC and DOJ Antitrust Division are dragging Big Tech and Big Meat and Big Publishing into court. We're seeing bans on noncompete clauses, and high-profile government enforcers are publicly pledging never to work for corporate law-firms when they quit public service:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/09/nein-nein/#everything-is-miscellaneous

And of course, there's the reinvigoration of the labor movement! Hot Labor Summer is now Perpetual Labor September, with 75,000 Kaiser workers walking out alongside the UAW, SAG-AFTRA and 2,350 other groups of workers picketing, striking or protesting:

https://striketracker.ilr.cornell.edu/

But capitalism still gets a lick in. Union pension plans are some of the most important investors in private equity funds. Your union pension dollars are probably funding the union-busting, child-labor-employing, civilization-destroying Gordon Gecko LARPers who are also evicting you from the rental they bought and turned into a slum, and will then murder you in a hospice that they bought and turned into a slaughterhouse:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/26/death-panels/#what-the-heck-is-going-on-with-CMS

Writing for The American Prospect, Rachel Phua rounds up the past, present and future of union pension funds backing private equity monsters:

https://prospect.org/labor/2023-10-04-workers-funding-misery-private-equity-pension-funds/

Private equity and hedge funds have destroyed 1.3 million US jobs:

https://united4respect.org/press-release/people-who-work-at-walmart-sears-amazon-formerly-toys-r-us-more-join-forces-together-as-united-for-respect-2-2-2-2-5-3/

They buy companies and then illegally staff them with children:

https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20230217-1

They lobby against the minimum wage:

https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Insire-Brands-memo-on-15-wage.pdf

They illegally retaliate against workers seeking to unionize their jobsite:

https://www.hoteldive.com/news/dc-hotel-workers-enlist-us-representatives-to-fight-sofitel-union-busting/650396/

And they couldn't do it without union pension funds. Public service union pensions have invested $650 million with PE funds. In 2001, the share of public union pensions invested in PE was 3.5%; today, it's 13%:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1B0vv26VEFmwtfw5ur6dSDMY8NftvZKij/

Giant public union funds like CalPERS are planning massive increases in their contributions to PE:

https://www.calpers.ca.gov/page/newsroom/calpers-news/2023/calpers-preliminary-investment-return-fiscal-year-2022-23

This results in some ghastly and ironic situations. Aramark used funds from a custodian's union to bid against that union's members for contracts, in an attempt to break the union and force the workers to take a paycut to $11/hour:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-11-20/pension-fund-gains-mean-worker-pain-as-aramark-cuts-pay

Blackstone's investors include the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS). The PE ghouls who sucked Toys R Us dry were funded by Texas teachers.

Then there's KKR, one of the most rapacious predators of the PE world. Half of the investors in KKR's Global Infrastructure Investors IV fund are public sector pension funds. Those workers' money were spent to buy up Refresco (Arizona Iced Tea, Tropicana juices, etc), a transaction that immediately precipitated a huge spike in on-the-job accidents as KKR cut safety and increased tempo:

https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=1675674.015

Petsmart is the poster-child for PE predation. The company uses TRAPs ("TrainingRepaymentAgreementProvision") clauses to recreate indentured servitude, forcing workers to pay thousands of dollars to quit their jobs:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/08/04/its-a-trap/#a-little-on-the-nose

Why would a Petsmart employee want to quit? Petsmart's PE owner is BC Partners, and under BC's management, workers have been forced to work impossible hours while overseeing cruel animal abuse, including starving sick animals to death rather than euthanizing them, and then being made to sneak them into dumpsters on the way home from work so Petsmart doesn't have to pay for cremation. 24 of BC Partners' backers are public pension funds, including CalSTRS and the NYC Employees' Retirement System:

https://prospect.org/culture/books/2023-06-02-days-of-plunder-morgenson-rosner-ballou-review/

PE buyouts are immediately followed by layoffs. One in five PE acquisitions goes bankrupt. Unions should not be investing in PE. But the managers of these funds defend the practice, saying they "facilitate dialog" with the PE bosses on workers' behalf.

This isn't total nonsense. Once upon a time, public pension fund managers put pressure on investees to force them to divest from Apartheid South Africa and tobacco companies. Even today, public pensions have successfully applied leverage to get fund managers to drop Russian investments after the invasion of Ukraine. And public pensions pulled out of the private prison sector, tanking the valuation of some of the largest players.

But there's no evidence that this leverage is being applied to pensions' PE billions. It's not like PE is a great deal for these pensions. PE funds don't reliably outperform the market, especially after PE bosses' sky-high fees are clawed back:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3623820

Pension funds could match or beat their PE returns by sticking the money in a low-load Vanguard index tracker. What's more, PE is getting worse, pioneering new scams like inflating the value of companies after they buy and strip-mine them, even though there's no reason to think anyone would buy these hollow companies at the price that the PE companies assign to them for bookkeeping purposes:

https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/2bstqfcskz9o72ospzlds/opinion/why-does-private-equity-get-to-play-make-believe-with-prices

To inject a little verisimilitude into this obvious fantasy, PE companies sell their portfolio companies to themselves at inflated prices, in a patently fraudulent shell-game:

https://www.ft.com/content/646d00f4-af5d-4267-a436-54fb3bc1697b

What's more, PE funds aren't just bad bosses, they're also bad landlords. PE-backed funds have scooped up an appreciable fraction of America's housing stock, transforming good rentals into slums:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/01/27/extraordinary-popular-delusions/#wall-street-slumlords

PE is really pioneering a literal cradle-to-grave immiseration strategy. First, they gouge you on your kids' birth:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/27/crossing-a-line/#zero-fucks-given

Then, they slash your wages and steal from your paycheck:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3465723

Then, they evict you from your home:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/05/vulture-capitalism/#distressed-assets

And then they murder you as part of a scam they're running on Medicare:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/05/any-metric-becomes-a-target/#hca

As the labor movement flexes its muscle, it needs to break this connection. Workers should not be paying for the bullet that their bosses put through their skulls.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/05/mr-gotcha/#no-ethical-consumption-under-capitalism

My next novel is The Lost Cause, a hopeful novel of the climate emergency. Amazon won't sell the audiobook, so I made my own and I'm pre-selling it on Kickstarter!

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

July 6, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JUL 7, 2023

The payroll processing firm ADP said today that private sector jobs jumped by 497,000 in June, far higher than the Dow Jones consensus estimate predicted. The big gains were in leisure and hospitality, which added 232,000 new hires; construction with 97,000; and trade, transportation and utilities with 90,000. Annual pay rose at a rate of 6.4%. Most of the jobs came from companies with fewer than 50 employees. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is a way to measure the stock market by aggregating certain stocks, dropped 372 points as the strong labor market made traders afraid that the Fed would raise interest rates again to cool the economy. Higher interest rates make borrowing more expensive, slowing investment. 

Today, as the Washington Post’s climate reporter Scott Dance warned that the sudden surge of broken heat records around the globe is raising alarm among scientists, Bloomberg’s Cailley LaPara reported that the incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act for emerging technologies to address climate change have long-term as well as short-term benefits. 

Dance noted that temperatures in the North Atlantic are already close to their typical annual peak although we are early in the season, sea ice levels around Antarctica are terribly low, and Monday was the Earth’s hottest day in at least 125,000 years and Tuesday was hotter. LaPara noted that while much attention has been paid to the short-term solar, EV, and wind industries in the U.S., emerging technologies for industries that can’t be electrified—technologies like sustainable aviation fuel, clean hydrogen, and direct air capture, which pulls carbon dioxide out of the air—offer huge potential to reduce emissions by 2030. 

This news was the backdrop today as President Biden was in South Carolina to talk about Bidenomics. After touting the huge investments of both public and private capital that are bringing new businesses and repaired infrastructure to that state, Biden noted that analysts have said that the new laws Democrats have passed will do more for Republican-dominated states than for Democratic ones. “Well, that’s okay with me,” Biden said, “because we’re all Americans. Because my view is: Wherever the need is most, that’s the place we should be helping. And that’s what we’re doing. Because the way I look at it, the progress we’re making is good for all Americans, all of America.”

On Air Force One on the way to the event, deputy press secretary Andrew Bates began his remarks to the press: “President Biden promised that he would be a president for all Americans, regardless of where they live and regardless of whether they voted for him or not. He also promised to rebuild the middle class. The fact that Bidenomics has now galvanized over $500 billion in job-creating private sector investment is the newest testament to how seriously he takes fulfilling those promises.”

Bates listed all the economic accomplishments of the administration and then added: “the most powerful endorsement of Bidenomics is this: Every signature economic law this President has signed, congressional Republicans who voted “no” and attacked it on Fox News then went home to their district and hailed its benefits.” He noted that “Senator Lindsey Graham called the Inflation Reduction Act ‘a nightmare for South Carolina,’” then, “[j]ust two months later, he called BMW’s electric vehicles announcement ‘one of the most consequential announcements in the history of the state of South Carolina.’” “Representative Joe Wilson blasted the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law but later announced, ‘I welcome Scout Motors’ plans to invest $2 billion and create up to 4,000 jobs in South Carolina.’ Nancy Mace called Bidenomics legislation a…‘disaster,’ then welcomed a RAISE grant to Charleston.” 

“[W]hat could speak to the effectiveness of Bidenomics more than these conversions?” Bates asked.

While Biden is trying to sell Americans on an economic vision for the future, the Republican leadership is doubling down on dislike of President Biden and the Democrats. Early on the morning of July 2, Trump, who remains the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, shared a meme of President Biden that included a flag reading: “F*CK BIDEN AND F*CK YOU FOR VOTING FOR HIM!” The next morning, in all caps, he railed against what he called “massive prosecutorial conduct” and “the weaponization of law enforcement,” asking: “Do the people of this once great nation even have a choice but to protest the potential doom of the United States of America??? 2024!!!”

Prosecutors have told U.S. district judge Aileen Cannon that they want to begin Trump’s trial on 37 federal charges for keeping and hiding classified national security documents, and as his legal trouble heats up, Trump appears to be calling for violence against Democrats. On June 29 he posted what he claimed was the address of former president Barack Obama, inspiring a man who had been at the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to repost the address and to warn, “We got these losers surrounded! See you in hell,…Obama’s [sic].” Taylor Tarranto then headed there with firearms and ammunition, as well as a machete, in his van. Secret Service agents arrested him. 

Indeed, those crossing the law for the former president are not faring well. More than 1,000 people have been arrested for their participation in the events of January 6, and those higher up the ladder are starting to feel the heat as well. Trump lawyer Lin Wood, who pushed Trump’s 2020 election lies, was permitted to “retire” his law license on Tuesday rather than be disbarred. Trump lawyer John Eastman is facing disbarment in California for trying to overturn the 2020 election with his “fake elector” scheme, a ploy whose legitimacy the Supreme Court rejected last week. And today, Trump aide Walt Nauta pleaded not guilty to federal charges of withholding documents and conspiring to obstruct justice for allegedly helping Trump hide the classified documents he had at Mar-a-Lago. 

Trump Republicans—MAGA Republicans—are cementing their identity by fanning fears based on cultural issues, but it is becoming clear those are no longer as powerful as they used to be as the reality of Republican extremism becomes clear. 

Yesterday the man who raped and impregnated a then-9-year-old Ohio girl was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison. Last year, after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision recognizing the constitutional right to abortion, President Biden used her case to argue for the need for abortion access. Republican lawmakers, who had criminalized all abortions after 6 weeks, before most people know they’re pregnant, publicly doubted that the case was real (Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told the Fox News Channel there was “not a damn scintilla of evidence” to support the story). Unable to receive an abortion in Ohio, the girl, who had since turned 10, had to travel to Indiana, where Dr. Caitlin Bernard performed the procedure.

Republican Indiana attorney general Todd Rokita complained—inaccurately—that Bernard had not reported child abuse and that she had violated privacy laws by talking to a reporter, although she did not identify the patient and her employer said she acted properly. Bernard was nonetheless reprimanded for her handling of privacy issues and fined by the Indiana licensing board. Her employer disagreed.

As Republican-dominated states have dramatically restricted abortion, they have fueled such a backlash that party members are either trying to avoid talking about it or are now replacing the phrase “national ban” with “national consensus” or “national standard,” although as feminist writer Jessica Valenti, who studies this language, notes, they still mean strict antiabortion measures. In the House, some newly-elected and swing-district Republicans have blocked abortion measures from coming to a vote out of concern they will lose their seats in 2024. 

But it is not at all clear the issue will go away. Yesterday, those committed to protecting abortion rights in Ohio turned in 70% more signatures than they needed to get a measure amending the constitution to protect that access on the ballot this November. In August, though, antiabortion forces will use a special election to try to change the threshold for constitutional amendments, requiring 60% of voters rather than a majority.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[usamarketerss]

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐚𝐰 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠?

Introduction

With today’s competitive legal market, estate planning law firms should know how to digitally reach prospects effectively. Strategic marketing not only increases visibility but helps build trust in individuals who are active in seeking estate planning services.

Understanding Your Target Audience

Knowing your target audience means understanding the needs and insecurities of your particular audience. Ideally, middle-aged to older clients who try to stabilise their financial future and protect the assets of their family. Knowing this, firms can build quality content to resonate with such concerns and demonstrate empathy and knowledge within the field.

Some Key Digital Marketing Strategies

1. SEO and Local Optimization

SEO is very important in an estate planning firm. The majority of clients initiate online searches. So, making your website keyword optimally rich with phrases like “estate planning attorney near me” or “California estate planning lawyer” will improve your ranking for search queries. Moreover, being listed in Google My Business and other local directories will increase the local SEO so that local customers can find you much more easily.

2. Content Marketing

Content marketing has been extremely effective in educating clients about the issues surrounding estate planning. By publishing blogs, guides, and frequently asked questions about wills, trusts, and probate among other estate planning issues regularly, your firm could be branded as a knowledgeable authority. Useful content creates trust with readers and invites them to contact your firm when professional assistance is needed.

3. Social Media Marketing

Utilizing other popular platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn can help estate planning firms build their presence and reach potential clients more effectively. Share relevant content, point out excellent questions, and participate in discussions on estate planning this way, your firm will be perceived as a valuable resource.

4. Email Marketing

Email marketing is a great method to nurture leads and keep clients abreast of updates in estate planning laws or services. Monthly newsletters or educationally added-value emails keep the client informed and your firm top of mind.

Building Trust with Reviews and Testimonials

Especially for law firms, client testimonials and reviews give every reason to create credibility and build trust. Ask your happy clients to review you on platforms like Google or Avvo, and post them on your site so that it may act as a testament to the good name of your firm.

FAQs: Marketing for Estate Planning Law Firms

Why does an estate planning law firm need digital marketing?

With digital marketing, this firm will reach more audiences, gain trust, and remain competitive by attracting clients who seek services online.

What is the most effective SEO strategy for an estate planning law firm?

This can be greatly helped by utilising specific keywords, such as “estate planning attorney near me,” along with making sure your local search is optimised through Google My Business.

How does content marketing help an estate planning law firm?

Content marketing educates potential clients about the firm’s expertise in estate planning topics and builds trust in the firm for its good information.

Which social media platforms are more effective in estate planning marketing?

Facebook and LinkedIn are potent means because firms can target a mature audience and publish useful content that will have meaning to potential clients.

What type of content should estate planning firms post on social media?

The firms should post informative content, such as some tips about wills and trusts, some updates about estate planning laws, and frequently asked questions being answered.

Does email marketing work for estate planning law firms?

Yes, email marketing keeps clients informed and engaged, and firms can communicate updates, newsletters, and other relevant legal information directly with their audience.

How can estate planning firms encourage clients to leave reviews?

Firms can ask satisfied clients to leave reviews on platforms like Google or Avvo. Guide how to leave reviews to make the process easy.

How often should estate planning firms post blogs?

The general trend is that blog posting once or twice a month is effective, but again, quality trumps quantity.

What’s in it for Google My Business when it comes to estate planning firms?

Google My Business enhances local visibility so that clients around the firm can easily locate them and reach them directly from the search results.

How long will it take to see results from the digital marketing effort?

Results vary, but with regular SEO, content, and social media efforts, firms can start to see improvement in a few months.

Conclusion

Marketing for an estate planning law firm involves a mix of SEO, content marketing, social media, and email outreach. If estate planning firms implement these strategies, they can grow their clientele, establish trust, and make them a developing practice within the competitive market.

[breakingb4tz]

"Rules are Rules"

— SmokeStrike oneshot (oc x canon)

Once a year, a special winter island becomes a safe haven for all to celebrate the holidays, even pirates and Marines. The people worked hard to maintain the balance so that everyone can enjoy Christmas in harmony without causing any trouble. Well, that is if they comply.

The Blackout Pirates docked at the island, intending to stay in the chilly area for a while. Most of the crew wanted to get the Gale ready for a celebration, but their ever bold captain had other plans.

Valor had spotted a familiar ship on the other side, and he had a hunch he knew who it belonged to. He liked Christmas, but liked it even more when there was something interesting going on, particularly by his hand. Today he had a special target in mind.

With a little bit of sleuthing and charm, he found out Captain Smoker was stationed to oversee law enforcement for a few days. Valor couldn't resist. He strolled through the busy streets of markets and bright lights, messing with the inside of his pocket.

Finally, he found himself in the colorful town square where a festival was being held. Lo and behold, the Marine was walking nearby, his cigars puffing as his stern gaze scanned the area. However, he didn't seem to notice as Valor creeped up behind him, eyes gleaming with mischievous intent.

“Smokey!” Valor called out with a grin, making him stop in his tracks.

He turned, a scowl already forming at the familiar voice… “Valor. What the hell are you doing here?”

“I'm just taking a walk,” he replied defensively, “It's Christmas after all, have to see all the sights.”

Smoker eyed him, “If you're trying to cause trouble…”

“Trouble? Me? Never.” With every word Valor stepped a little closer, “Maybe I'm just making sure you're celebrating properly. Not just wandering around like a loner on Christmas Eve.”

“I'm fine,” Smoker’s eyes narrowing even further.

“Really? Because I think you might've missed something…” The pirate pointed up with his other hand, “Riiight above your head.”

Smoker's gaze flickered upwards, his expression immediately hardening as he saw the mistletoe hanging right above them, held by Valor.

“No.” His response was practically a low growl, but Valor only chuckled.

“Yes,” Valor’s grin widened, borderlining on smug. “It's tradition,” He gestured towards the small plant again, “You know what has to be done under a mistletoe, right?”

A red hue was almost visible on the Marines face, “I'm not kissing you, pirate.”

“I didn't say anything about kissing,” he shrugged innocently, though his smirk gave him away. “But I mean, rules are rules.”

Muttering something under his breath, Smoker took a step back, and turned to walk away from the hopeless pirate. But of course, Valor wasn't one to give up so easily.

“Leaving so soon?” He followed behind him closely, still holding up the mistletoe. “You can't be so cold-hearted on a holiday like this!”

“I’ll throw your ass into the sea if you don't stop.”

“If you're gentle about it I might let you.”

Smoker growled but found himself halting. He steadily looked around, realizing the festive cheers seemed farther away than before. No one was watching, everyone was far too preoccupied with their own celebrations.

He turned to face Valor, who was already staring right at him. “You think I'm going to fall for this stupid trick, huh?” The annoyance dripped from his tone.

“Well,” Valor said with a wink, “You're not exactly running away from it.”

Before he could get another word in, Smoker stepped forward in one swift motion, grabbing onto Valors shirt and pulling him in. In a split second, he removed the cigars hanging from his mouth, and he pressed a quick but firm kiss to Valor's cheek.

“There. Happy now?” Smoker put the cigars back in and gritted his teeth, clearly flustered but determined not to show it.

Valor stood frozen, his face flushed slightly from the unexpected move. It was the last thing he’d expected Smoker to do, and for a split second, he was at a loss for words. Hell, he didn't know if that actually happened. But he was pretty sure he smelled the faint scent of smoke, so it must have.

“...Wow Smokey. I didn't know you had it in you.” His voice returned to its usual teasing manner, though with a certain warmth to it. “I guess you can play along.”

“That's enough from you tonight.” Smoker exhaled, trying to regain composure. “And put that stupid thing down.”

Valor realized he was still holding up the mistletoe… He laughed it off and put it back into his pocket, for remembrance.

Smoker wordlessly turned to walk away again, his shoulders still tense and a subtle flush coloring his face. But like always, the pirate seemed to come running, catching up to walk beside him.

“You know, my crew's throwing a feast to celebrate the occasion. You're welcome to join us,” Valor said with a smile, Smoker could tell he was genuine.

“Who would want to cause trouble on a day like this anyway?”

“You tell me.”

[meret118]

While it hasn't yet been approved, Musk has already threatened government workers on his social media site, X, which has led to online bullying. Now he's talking about targeting the agency that enforces laws that protect Americans from banks, mortgage lenders and other financial markets.

. . .

One person suggested it was akin to defunding the corporate police.

. . .

Since its founding, the bureau "secured more than $19 billion in consumer relief, while penalizing large financial institutions and technology firms for allegedly mishandling Americans’ money," the Post reported. "Its oversight often has stoked the ire of the nation’s biggest banks, credit card companies and other lenders, which have sued the bureau repeatedly over charges of regulatory overreach."

[mariacallous]

What’s fascinating about former U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to the White House is that he is both replicating former President Grover Cleveland’s rare feat of two nonconsecutive terms and is doing so on a tariff policy that would make Cleveland’s final successor, William McKinley, blush. The world may still be getting its bearings after Trump’s landslide victory, but historians of the 19th century are in fine fettle.

Trump, who took tariffs to new depths in his first term, has promised to make them the centerpiece of his second-term economic agenda—alongside tax cuts, a bigger deficit, possible cuts to the safety net, and a reversal of everything outgoing President Joe Biden has done.

The questions about Trump’s tariff plans boil down to: How big, how soon, how, why, and what happens next?

The “how big” is tricky. Trump talked about a 20 percent tariff on all trading partners and 60 percent on China. He also mentioned tariffs as high as 200 percent, and whether that’s for individual firms (such as John Deere’s foreign imports) or countries that cross him, who knows? Economic modelers do not yet have a way to peer into Trump’s mind.

The “how soon” is also hard to answer, because that depends on the why and how. In his first term, Trump was able to levy tariffs—to be clear, those are effectively taxes on imports paid by U.S. consumers and businesses—on everything from Chinese appliances to German steel. There were, and are, statutory means to do so, notably Section 301 of U.S. trade law that allows for tariffs on countries that compete unfairly, as China has manifestly done since it joined the World Trade Organization a quarter century ago. Imports assessed by the U.S. government to undermine national security, such as Turkish rebar used to hold up buildings, can be hit with tariffs under Section 232 of the 1974 National Trade Act.

Not everyone believes that the White House can hijack trade policy, since trade is technically still in the purview of Congress. But there is a lot of leeway for presidential action under numerated sections of old trade policy and the devolved authority that comes from having the courts side with the executive branch. He could do it all again or face lengthy fights in the courts, in which case it would be a while before his tariffs hit full swing. Nobody knows.

The “why” remains puzzling. Trump himself has mooted tariffs as a replacement for income taxes—an homage to McKinley. His supporters, on the other hand, say the proposed tariffs are only negotiating leverage to get trade partners to play ball. Play ball how? Trump’s “greatest deal ever” with China resulted in few U.S. exports and zero change in China’s manipulation of loans, laws, and subsidies to finance its export workshop to the world. U.S. tariff rates are now higher than those of most trading partners. If the United States has a gaping trade deficit—which it does, and it only grew larger under Trump—and if that deficit mattered at all, how would strong-arming trading partners redress that? Nobody knows.

Answering what happens next is perhaps easier: a trade war. Europe has already manned the ramparts; those poor souls in France who ride Harleys and drink Jim Beam will rue the day. China will let the yuan slide until its amphibious ships are ready to restore order. Emerging markets are buying sand for sandbags, only it has all gotten pricier overnight.

Europe, in the form of both European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and bigwigs such as French President Emmanuel Macron, has already tendered an olive branch, fearing what it knows is in store.

[analogwriting]

It Comes in Waves

Chapter 6: Tidal Waves

Trafalgar Law x gn!reader word count: 2.7k first|prev|next

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Law turned to look at you and, in that moment, it hit you just how close the two of you were sitting. He took you in, concern spreading across his face. “You’re really pale for just a few scratches on the face,” he said. You shrugged. “I’m fine.” Then your door swung open and you were yanked out of the car. “Ack!”

“Y/n!”

You were met with a pissed commander. The world was spinning slightly, but you pushed it down. You were going to relish in this moment. “Good afternoon, commander,” you said with a sly smile. The same kind the commander loved to use. You saw the fury in his eyes and he tossed you into the car.

You stumbled, expecting to feel the cool metal of the car but was met with Law’s firm chest instead. “Oh, hello. Didn’t see you there,” you mumbled, a little delirious from bloodloss. You were fine. It was fine. “Holy shit, y/n. Why didn’t you tell me you were stabbed this bad?” Law looked at the gash in your side and you shrugged. “Had to win. Didn’t want you to worry. ‘S fine. Just need some food n’ water.”

Law held you up with a sigh. “You’re impossible.” You snorted. “I thought I was incredible.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” the commander piped in. You looked over at him. “Oh right. You’re still here.”

“What is the meaning of this?” he spat. You looked at him. “Meaning of what?” Commander Lindsay was seething. “You winning. There’s no way in hell that you won. Not with your time restraint.” You just shrugged, smiling lazily as you leaned heavily into the doctor next to you.

“You must have cheated.” The commander stepped towards you and Law stepped in between the two of you. “They didn’t cheat. There’s no way we could’ve cheated. We won fair and square. I’d even say with the odds against us.”

“Then how did you win? You're pirates? You've never driven before!”

You groaned. “What is with everyone and assuming I’ve never seen a fucking car before? For ocean’s sake. Like, I’m not even really a pirate. I just travel a lot.” You left it at that, couldn’t go airing out your own laundry now. 

“So you lied.” The commander was not letting this go. 

“Not my fault you played the assumption game and lost.” The look in the commander’s eyes, you could tell he was fighting the urge to absolutely kick your ass but you were right. You had won fair and square.

A devious smile spread across his face as he surely thought of pulling the wool over your eyes. “Alright. However…there are two of you. Which isn’t fair. We’ll let y/n make the decision. You both get your freedom but-”

“His ship and crew.” You didn't hesitate. You knew what he was going to say. You knew he was going to pull that shit from the beginning. He was a textbook bad guy - easy to read and predict. You’d been thinking about it since he had first told you about it. Law's head snapped in your direction. “Y/n.” You held a hand up to silence him but kept your eye on the commander. You pushed off of Law, standing on your own. The world was spinning but you weren’t letting it get to you.

 Kemel’s face fell. “B-But we have your necklace.”

You blinked. “And?”

“It's your people's prized possession.” 

“My people? I don't believe I know what you're talking about.”

“The necklaces are sacred among your people. An extension of yourself.” How the fuck did he know so much?

“Listen. I don't know what the hell you think I am. Or where you heard all that mumbo jumbo but it was just a random necklace I found at a market.”

The commander was angry again. “That bastard,” he mumbled. You were honestly panicking on the inside, but you had a feeling from the beginning that something like this happened. You’d been planning on playing it off then you can sneak in later and get it. If they thought it was nothing, then they wouldn’t guard it as much, right?

“Seems someone fed you the wrong info, huh?” You just wanted to know who the hell gave him the info.

“Well, we're still keeping it. Just in case you're trying to lie.”

You shrugged. “Keep it. Throw it away. I don't care. Give us his ship and crew.”

The commander sulked off, but there was a fire in his eye that claimed he was about to kill someone. At least it wasn't you guys. “At least he’s a man of his word,” you mumbled.

You looked to Law. “Well, that was fun.” You felt yourself grow woozy again and Law stepped forward, catching you as you almost fell. You thanked him, standing up again. He frowned as he looked at you, clearly worried.

He opened his mouth to say something when suddenly-

“CAPTAIN!!!” “BOSS!” “Y/N?!” 

You looked over to see the crew rushing towards the both of you. You barely had time to process what was happening before you were pulled into a group hug. A flash of white came across your vision as your wound was pressed into and you almost passed out.

“Careful! Y/n is injured!” Law started pushing his crew members away from you and you felt yourself beginning to fall before Law caught you. A marine came over and Penguin held you up while Law’s cuffs were undone. He rubbed his wrists and sighed. You looked at the marks they left on his wrists and frowned deeply. “My eyes are up here,” Law’s voice brought you back before you had the chance to spiral. How did he know?

“You’re bleeding!” Bepo’s voice rang out, concern spreading across his face. “I’m-”

“I swear, y/n, if you say you’re fine one more time, I’m going to let you die.” Law suddenly lifted you up in his arms and you yelped in surprise. “Let’s head back before they decide to lock us up again. I’m sure there’s a grace period.” He was back to sounding like a captain again. He probably also had more energy now that those damn cuffs weren’t on him.

Once boarded on the Polar Tang again, it was immediately submerged. Law wanted to put as much distance between the island and the submarine as possible. 

However, you were antsy about that. You still needed to go back for your necklace. The commander was right. It was so important to you. It was sacred. It contained something that you can't exactly live without. Not effectively anyway. Not without losing your humanity.

Right now, he was currently stitching you up with the help of Bepo. You already had bandages on your cheek and the bridge of your nose.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Bepo said after Law finished up. They had also given you a snack and some water, so you were feeling much better and the color was returning to your skin. You looked towards the polar bear, guilt creeping into your chest. That’s right…Law mentioned he cried after you left. That he was worried about you.

“I’m sorry for disappearing on you like that, Bepo,” you said softly, frowning. You took his large paws in your hands. “I won’t do that again, okay? I’ll always make sure to say goodbye first,” you said. He looked at you and nodded. “O-Okay!” He smiled widely at you.

That night, they threw a party - a celebration for surviving and for winning. Once you entered the room where it was being held, the iconic duo immediately came to your side, pulling you in. They apparently had a bunch of things to catch you up on.

While you had been in recovery the last time, they had taken turns reading a romance novel to you. Which you didn't remember because you weren't conscious but as soon as they spoke about it, you remembered. Comas were weird. They were telling you what happened in the next book. It was very juicy to say the least.

Eventually, the anxiety began to eat away at you. The further you ventured from the island, the more you worried about the success rate of retrieving your necklace.

“Y/n.” You looked up as Law said your name. Then he nodded towards the hallway, signaling he needed to talk to you. You simply nodded, dismissed yourself from Shachi and Penguin, and headed towards the hallway.

“You look troubled,” he said once you were down the hall a bit. How was he able to read you so easily? It’s like he always knew what you were thinking before you even finished a thought.

“When are we surfacing?”

“Eager you leave?” Law scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Can't stand us that much, huh?”

“It's not that!” You looked at him in somewhat of a panic and guilt appeared on his face. He knew how much you cared about the crew now. He hadn’t forgotten what you said to him in the cell those few days ago. It was meant to be a light joke, but his voice didn’t carry the sarcasm like he meant for it to.

“I know. I know.” His voice softened. “You need to go back, don't you?”

You nodded, looking at your feet. 

“The necklace is important, isn't it?” You nodded again. “So what he was saying was true.” A nod. 

“I just don't know how he got that information. How did he know who I was?” Your voice was soft and there was a hint of fear. You were terrified. If people were starting to catch on to who you were, it was only a matter of time before they put your face to your bounty. You wouldn't be a secret anymore. And everyone around you would be in that much more danger. You just hoped that this little fiasco would throw them off your trail.

“What's so important about the necklace?”

You looked towards him. “Well, when we're born, a necklace is forged using stones from deep below the ocean. Not exactly sea prism but another kind of rock that only is found near my island. We are known as friends of the sea. Our people have a very deep relationship with the sea.” You pause, not wanting to bore the doctor. 

“Anyway. Each necklace is embedded with a sort of…magic. We can place things inside and draw them out at will. But only us. And I don't mean my people. Only I can access my own necklace. Mostly because in order to withdraw, it has to be me touching it and I have to imagine what I want to withdraw.” At this point, you were just talking and rambling. You weren’t sure if things were making much sense, but you couldn’t stop the word vomit coming out of your mouth.

You glanced at Law, expecting him to look bored, but he looked the opposite. 

“A-anyway. Long story, short. There are some very important items in there. And something vital. I can't survive right without it.”

Law nodded. “Tell me. Does it look like this?”

Lo and fucking behold, he pulls your necklace out of his own hoodie. He takes it off and holds it out. You stare for a long moment in disbelief. You looked from the necklace to Law to the necklace again. You slowly took it in your hand. The stone glowed slightly as you put it over your head. The glow grew brighter, spreading over your chest before it the light seemed to disappear into your chest. Law watched with bewilderment. “Amazing,” he mumbled.

You felt a wave of calm wash over you as you stabilized once more. Only for emotion to take over and you threw your arms around the man before you. “Thank you! Thank you so much!” Your voice cracked as tears welled in your eyes and you sniffled. “You have no idea what this means to me.”

You pull away, wiping away your tears. “Sorry, sorry. I'm all over the place. When I’m without it for a while and then get it back, my emotions run rampant.” 

It took Law a moment to process what happened and he cleared his throat. “Don't say sorry, it's not your mistake.” 

You paused, looking at him. You opened your mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. Did he just…use your own words against you? Had you said it to him before? You don’t remember but…you hadn’t heard someone else say those words to you in so long. After all, it was something your father told you. You sniffled, wiping your eyes.

“Y-Yeah…” Your voice was barely audible. You didn't know what to say. You looked at your necklace, recollecting yourself a little. Then you realized. “How did you?”

He shrugged. “Snatched it up when we were being shuffled from the workstation to the track. Someone just carelessly left it on a desk.” You blinked, staring at him. “Couldn't find a good time to tell you.”

You stared at him in disbelief. “But I could've picked the necklace instead of the crew.” 

He shrugged. “I said I trusted you, did I not?”

“I forced you to say that. You were ly-”

“Who said I was lying? Who is the one assuming things now?” He smirked at you, a cocky grin that usually you wanted to punch him for, but not at this moment.

This time he shut you up. You looked from him to your necklace to him again. You smiled at him. A warm, genuine smile that he had never seen before. “Thank you, Trafalgar Law. You've done more for me than you know.”

He stared at you for a long moment before his brain seemed to turn back on. “Y-You’re welcome, y/n.” 

He looked at you for another long moment but you were busy looking down at the necklace that donned your chest once again. “Join my crew.”

“What?” You blinked, looking at him - eyes wide. 

“Join my crew.” 

You stared at him. You wanted to accept. You wanted nothing more than to stay with Law and see what happened. To explore with him. To figure out why you felt the way you did. The familiar, faint memories that seemed to tease you from time to time.

“I can't…” You still had some loose ends to tie up. You still had things to take care of. Just like Luffy, you were also working on becoming stronger. There was something you had discovered that you needed to practice with. You were on a hunt for answers right now.

“If you're worried about us getting hurt, you don't have to worry. We can take care of ourselves.”

“I know that but…”

You thought for a moment. “I'll tell you what. The next time I see you, ask me again. I will take it as the fates telling me to join you.” Honestly, you knew the fates were telling you to join him now. What were the odds you kept running into him after that fateful day at Sabaody? That he saved your life and you saved his. That there was this pull you felt to him and a familiar tingle that tickled the back of your mind every once and a while.

But, you weren't ready yet. You had some things to figure out. Some things to confront. 

Law looked at you and nodded. “I'll take it. But know, the next time I lay my eyes on you once more out there, I won't be letting you go so easy.” You blinked at his words, feeling your heart race. Did he mean to say it like that? Was he aware of how he was sounding right now? 

He seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in, backing away and towards the door. “Someone with your jack of all trades of skills would prove quite useful.”

You looked at him, blinking. Well, that was a 180. Was he trying to seduce you to get you to join and decided to drop the act now that you had somewhat agreed? You never know with this guy. He was a puzzle himself. You scoffed, rolling your eyes. 

Asshole. 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say to help yourself sleep at night.”

“Let's get back to the party. Don't want to worry everyone.” You nodded, following Law back to where everyone else was. 

[darkmaga-returns]

An electric bus manufacturer heavily funded by government programs, including millions in U.S. taxpayer dollars from the Biden administration, is now on the brink of financial collapse, according to a new report from Bloomberg.

Key Facts:

– Lion Electric Co., based in Quebec, is seeking creditor protection after its credit arrangements expired. – The company received about $38 million in U.S. taxpayer funds to supply 97 electric school buses in Texas and Louisiana. – It carried $392 million in debt while reporting a steep drop in sales, from $80 million last year to $31 million this year. – The firm’s workforce fell from 1,400 employees to around 300, and its market value plummeted from $4.2 billion to about $57 million. – Quebec and Canadian federal investments totaling over C$200 million are now at risk.

The Rest of The Story:

Lion Electric initially gained attention as part of a broader push toward green energy in North America.

The Quebec government poured in significant sums, and the company secured additional funds from the U.S. to supply electric school buses, hoping to tap into growing climate-focused transportation policies.

Yet, as expansion costs piled up, sales tumbled, and no new investors emerged.

With deadlines passed and creditors unwilling to extend further, Lion Electric now plans to file for bankruptcy under Canadian law.

Its once-ambitious facilities, including a bus plant in Illinois and a battery assembly site in Quebec, stalled as the firm shed jobs and sold assets.

As other Quebec-based EV ventures also struggle, these developments raise difficult questions about the viability of government-backed green projects that fail to find a stable foothold in the marketplace.