Solo Practice

More News on Solo by Choice

Posted on March 22, 2008
Here's a quick update on my book, Solo by Choice.  First, a huge public thank you to all of the blogs and online publications that have reviewed the book and helped get the word out to others.  I know that reviewing a 300 page book is a daunting task, so I'm appreciative of those who actually took it on...

ABA TechShow - Technolawyer Summary of My Panel, Technology for the StartU[

Posted on March 22, 2008
Even if you missed the ABA TechShow 2008, you can find a terrific series of extremely comprehensive summaries of various panels here, courtesy of the Technolawyer Trade Show Reports, authored by Technolawyer's intrepid reporter, Mazyar "Crazy Mazy" Hedayat...

From Little Shingles, Big Law Firms Grow

Posted on March 22, 2008
Everyone starts somewhere, law firms included.  Consider this story from Forbes about Jere Beasley, one of the nation's most successful personal injury lawyer who's secured multimillion dollar settlements and verdicts against some of the largest corporations in the country...

ABA TechShow - Technolawyer Summary of My Panel, Technology for the StartUp

Posted on March 22, 2008
Even if you missed the ABA TechShow 2008, you can find a terrific series of extremely comprehensive summaries of various panels here, courtesy of the Technolawyer Trade Show Reports, authored by Technolawyer's intrepid reporter, Mazyar "Crazy Mazy" Hedayat...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

It's Easy Being Green...If You're A Solo

Posted on March 18, 2008
What do large law firms have in common with Sesame Street's Kermit the Frog?  For both, it's not easy being green.  Take a look at the hoops that mega-firm Reed Smith had to jump through when its clients started inquiring about the firm's green initiatives...

How Dr. Doolittle's Pushmi-pullyu Can Help You Attract and Keep Clients

Posted on March 18, 2008
Remember the two headed Pushmi-pullyu from the children's classic, Doctor Dolittle?  What you probably didn't realize back then is that the Pushmi-pullyu serves as an apt paradigm for providing information to your clients.  I unveiled this concept last week in my presentation at the ABA Tech Show 2008 on "Using Technology to Retain Clients...

ABA Tech Show 2008 - How Technology Is Redefining the Attorney Client Relationship

Posted on March 18, 2008
The most important thing that I took away from the ABA Tech Show doesn't have anything to do with a gee-whiz gadget or gizmo that will increase productivity or help lawyers work less and earn more.  Instead, what I want to share are some of the trends that have taken hold of the profession and are changing not just the form of how we do business, but the substance of how we relate to other lawyers and most importantly, our clients...

Live Blogging ABA Tech Show, Post 1

Posted on March 14, 2008
In theory, I like the idea of live blogging - at least when someone else is doing it.  When I read through a live-blogged, play-by-play entry, it's almost as good as being at the conference myself.  Plus, even if I actually attended the event, it's interesting to read about it from someone else's perspective...

Solo by Choice: Where to Find It

Posted on March 11, 2008
Last Friday's New York Law Journal carried this story (subscription req'd.) about me and my book Solo by Choice.  The story apparently contributed to an increase in book sales, so once again, Solo by Choice is not currently available on Amazon (that's of this morning, 3/11/08)...

Solo'ing Out of Law School - Pros and Cons

Posted on March 09, 2008
Should you start your own law firm straight out of law school?  Personally, I don't think that there's a right answer to this question; it simply depends upon a variety of factors, ranging from what you want to do to what your other options are.  That's why I devoted an entire chapter to this topic in Solo by Choice, and also included a lengthy Q&A written by South Carolina Trial Lawyer David Swanner as an example of a successful attorney who went solo right after graduating law school...

What's A Solo?

Posted on March 07, 2008
After learning that he's one of the 83 percent majority of lawyers in New York who practice as solos, Eric Turkewitz asks just what does that mean anyway?  Specifically, Eric wonders whether the term "solo" as used in these kinds of surveys means just one lawyer, one lawyer with support staff or one lawyer with a few associates but 100 percent of the equity...

Hope to Meet You At ABA Tech Show

Posted on March 04, 2008
I know that I have blogging to thank for my invitation to speak at this year's ABA Tech Show and I am incredibly excited.  I consider myself fortunate because I'm really a practical technologist at heart, rather than a gadgety person.  I choose technology in a practical manner, based strictly on how much it costs and what it can do to help me right now...

Solo Practice Doesn't Mean Forever

Posted on March 04, 2008
Just like goodbye doesn't mean forever, solo practice doesn't either - or at least, it shouldn't.   Some lawyers who start their own practices are committed to building and running a firm for the long haul.  Others view solo practice not as a permanent end in itself, but as a transition - a way to ride out recessionary times after a lay-off, to develop a new practice area or establish a reputation in a niche market or get courtroom experience or re-entering the profession after time spent raising family...

Start a Law Firm...In North Carolina?

Posted on February 27, 2008
Go east, young lawyer if you want to start a law firm.  As this article reports, a recent study released by the Pope Center for Higher Education shows that North Carolina needs more lawyer in light of recent population growth and a strong economy...

New Site for Solos - JD Supra

Posted on February 27, 2008
Yesterday marked the launch of JD Supra, a document database and attorney listing site that's important for solo and small firm lawyers for two reasons.  First, JD Supra gives practitioners access to an enormous database of filings, newsletters and memoranda prepared by other law firms...

Starting a Law Firm: The Time of Your Life

Posted on February 25, 2008
Terrifying. Scary. Frightening. Those words describe horror movies, but you've probably heard them quite frequently from others in reference to what it feels like to start a law firm. And in part, that's true. Because  starting a firm is scary --  particularly when you don't have a single client, you don't know whether you'll make any money, can't figure out what practice areas you want to handle or you have no idea how to draft a complaint or how to get a motion on the court calendar...

test

Posted on February 23, 2008

Boo to the Billable Hour: A Book Review

Posted on February 18, 2008
I finished lawyer John Derrick's engaging and well written book, Boo to the Billable Hour several weeks ago (and in one sitting), but I'm just getting around to posting my review now.  As I'll describe in more detail below, Boo to the Billable Hour offers a great primer for lawyers who haven't even thought about getting rid of the billable hour as well as those who recognize some of the drawbacks but can't come up with a viable alternative...

Marketing on A Shoestring

Posted on February 18, 2008
My friend and colleague, Allison Shields of Legal Ease Blog is starting the next round of her course Lawyer Marketing on A Shoestring, which she teaches with Paramjit Mahli, of the Sun Communcations Group.  I haven't taken the course, but the syllabus shows that it's value packed...

Tech Round Up for Solos

Posted on February 14, 2008
I don't cover technology here much at MyShingle.  It's not that I don't recognize its importance to solos - in fact, more than any other tool, technology has shattered barriers to entry.   It's just that others like Future Lawyer, Ross Kodner, Victor Medina, or Greatest American Lawyer cover technology so much better that I ever could - those sites discuss new applications and also describe how they use them in their practice...

Lessons from a Mouse and Hamster - Marketing Is All About Context

Posted on February 13, 2008
I'm not squeamish about rodents.  As a youngster, I raised several dozen pet mice and even now, as an adult I find my daughter's Chinese dwarf hamster, Puck completely irresistable  Yet this morning, while out walking the dog, I screamed with fright when a tiny little field mouse scurried across my path...

Author's Cut: Solo Practice - Looking Back, Looking Forward

Posted on February 10, 2008
When I sat down to write Solo by Choice, the context mattered most.  One of the my goals in starting MyShingle was to discuss solo pratice not so much as a category of law practice unto itself , but rather to view the role of, and opportunities for, solo and small firm practitioners in the broader legal profession...

In House Counsel Looking for Deals...Why Not With Solos?

Posted on February 10, 2008
If you thought that large corporations had deep enough pockets to pay whatever fees their outside counsel demanded, you'd be wrong.  Turns out that corporate counsel are positively simmering over the way that many large law firms are ripping off clients with exorbitant mark-ups on contract law attorneys...

Q&A About Solo By Choice: Why Did You Call It That, and How Can I Order It?

Posted on February 07, 2008
In this latest installment of my Author's Cut/Pocket Part series, I'm going to address two of the questions about the book that I've been frequently asked this month: 1.  Why did you call the book Solo by Choice, particularly when so many people don't voluntarily choose solo practice? When I started the writing process, my publisher cautioned that choosing a book title would prove a difficult task, and he was right...

Interviewed by Cole Silver for Raindancing Expert Audio

Posted on February 07, 2008
I'm a little late in posting this here, but I was incredibly flattered to be included in the list of experts (including many fellow bloggers) interviewed by veteran lawyer/marketing consultant Cole Silver  for his incomparable Raindancing Expert Audio Series...

Taking Online Networking Off the Grid

Posted on February 07, 2008
Like most of my solo and small firm colleagues,  I'm a fan of online networking, i.e., building meaningful and trusted relationships through listserves, Linkedin.com and Facebook.com and blogs.  Not only do these online tools help us find clients or share our knowlege and expertise with others and improve the quality of the profession at large, but they also mitigate against sense of isolation that many solos otherwise experience...

Would you take a minute to take a survey?

Posted on February 04, 2008
Now that Solo by Choice is completed, I'm playing around with a couple of different ideas to continue to provide value to solos and solos to be.  Would you mind taking a few minutes to give me some feedback  here. Thanks!

The $25 NYC-DC Bus: Another Real Life Marketing Lesson

Posted on February 03, 2008
This coming Tuesday, I'll drop my daughters off at school, return to my house, pick up my trial bag (which doubles as a suitcase and computer case for short trips) and walk 15 minutes to the $25 bus that runs from Bethesda, Maryland, where I live to Penn Station in New York...

A Global Law Firm of Solos

Posted on February 01, 2008
Who says a solo has to work alone?  Over 3000 solos, myself included, are part of a global virtual law firm, Solosez.net.  If you're interested in learning more about the history of Solosez and what makes it such a special place, check out this article from law...

Solo by Choice: First Author's Cut: My Solo Epiphany

Posted on February 01, 2008
If you haven't seen them already, the blogosphere reviews of Solo by Choice are starting to come in.  Also, as promised, here's the first "Author's Cut," i.e., material that didn't make the book.  This excerpt was my original prologue, the piece that got me started after weeks of writer's block...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.