Solo Practice

Do You Read Blog Archives?

Posted on January 27, 2008
Having blogged for over five years now, I've amassed a considerable body of archives, both here and here (pre 11/2004).  But does anyone read archives?  With so much currently available information, do blog readers ever re-visit the past? I don't want my older posts to fall into obscurity, so please let me know (1) whether you read archives and (2) in what situations you tend to read them...

Why You Get As Much As You Give When It Comes to Testimonials

Posted on January 23, 2008
Most of the time, we give testimonials because we believe in the person who has solicited our recommendation and because it's a nice thing to do.  But if that's not enough incentive to give a testimonial, then consider this benefit:  testimonials can also make you look good! For example, let's say that you've used a virtual assistant who asks for a testimonial for her website...

Big News (NOT): Starting A Firm Helps Work Life Balance

Posted on January 23, 2008
Nearly two years ago, I posted here about a panel addressing the issue of gender equality in the legal profession.  Strikingly absent from the panel, however, were solo female lawyers.  A month later, I wondered why we should care whether women reach the top at large firms, given that many voluntarily chose a better option - to start their own firms...

Shingular Sensations Series: Small Firm Lawyer Andy Simpson Wins Half Million Dollar Verdict Against Nation's Biggest Law Firm, USDOJ

Posted on January 21, 2008
With this post, I'm inaugurating MyShingle's new "Shingular Sensations" series.  Every week or two, I hope to interview a solo or a small firm lawyer who in one way or another represents the best that this genre has to offer.   But let me be clear - Singular Sensations is not a "self-promotional" series -- through my interviews, I intend to glean solid advice from my subjects that will benefit all lawyers...

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Ipods for Clients

Posted on January 21, 2008
Here's a neat law firm business development idea reported in Scotsman.com, that initially struck me as a bit high end, but is actually quite feasible even for smaller operations.  The story reports that Pinsent Masons, an international law firm with offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow have launched a service to keep clients up to date on developments in employment law...

Welcome to MyShingle's Beautiful New Lexblog!

Posted on January 17, 2008
Readers, Welcome to the new and improved face of My Shingle.com, where we've been inspiring solo and small firm lawyers, and those who yearn to start a firm, since December 2002.  I should add that this new face is more than skin deep; for the third time in our history, MyShingle has changed blogging platforms...

I'm Moderating A Star Studded Panel on Practicing Law in the e-Court of Public Opinion: Teleconference Option Available

Posted on January 17, 2008
I'm moderating a star studded event on a very hot and timely topic:  Practicing Law in the E-Court of Public Opinion: How the Internet Can Make or Break a Lawyer’s Reputation.  The program will take place on January 24, 2008, noon- 1:30 pm at the DC Bar...

Letter to A New Lawyer

Posted on January 12, 2008
What advice do I have for a new lawyer?  That's the money question from my friend and colleague, Susan Cartier Liebel who's preparing this week's Blawg Review #142 on that very topic.  To start, I asked myself what kind of advice I would have found useful two decades ago when I was a new lawyer...

More Lawyer Videos, From Beverly Hills IP Solo Michael Cohen

Posted on January 07, 2008
As my regular readers know, I'm a major fan of videos - and I've been tracking solos' use of videos for marketing in posts here and here. And I see today that my Third Wave colleague Chuck Newton has posted on the topic as well. More and more solos are using videos to convey their message...

Book Trailer for Solo By Choice: Proof of Concept and Work in Progress

Posted on January 01, 2008
Here's a video trailer that I created for my upcoming book, Solo by Choice: How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be. It's a proof of concept in learning how to use my iMac software. Unfortunately, I'm still learning how to use the editing tools, so the transitions aren't entirely smooth and there's a very, very long dead space at the end, because I couldn't figure out how to cut the audio clip...

Make 2008 The Year You Start Your Law Firm

Posted on December 27, 2007
As another year draws to a close, do you find yourself thinking about hanging out your own shingle? Perhaps the thought occurred to you the other night while you were polishing up a brief, wishing that you -- not the partner who isn't at all familiar with the case -- were going to argue it...

A Great Video Ad To End the Year:

Posted on December 26, 2007
I posted on this video here. In my view and for the reasons I described in that post, it's hands down the best and most effective lawyer ad that I've seen this year, rivalling my favorite ad of 2006, by criminal defense attorney Allison Margolin, that I wrote about here...

This Solo Has No Problem With Avvo

Posted on December 25, 2007
For a few days now, the blogosphere has been abuzz with news of the dismissal of a class action lawsuit against lawyer directory and rating service, Avvo and the subsequent Wall Street Journal's endorsement of Avvo. These events evoked an impassioned post by respected solo-centric blogger Susan Cartier Liebel, who argues that Avvo's rating system harms solos, does not help consumers and unfairly generates investor profits off the backs of lawyers who never asked for a ratings system...

Lawyers Appreciate...Passion, Baby, Passion!

Posted on December 24, 2007
Yes, you read my headline correctly - lawyers appreciate passion. At least, that's my official response to the Second Annual what do lawyers appreciate meme , for which I've been tagged by my friend Sheryl Schelin. My answer may surprise you. After all, we generally, we don't associate staid lawyers with passion - unless it's kind of carnal passion like thisthat keeps bar disciplinary committees in business...

Another Contest: Law Is Stranger Than Fiction

Posted on December 22, 2007
My sister sent me this notice about a legal fiction writing contest sponsored by SEAK, a company that provides seminars and training for expert witnesses, lawyers and medical professionals. Either short stories or a novel excerpt of 2500 words or less qualify for submission...

Get Yourself Noticed: Go Forth and Comment!

Posted on December 22, 2007
So, guess who won the Wall Street Journal Law Blog's Lawyer of the Year contest? No, it wasn't Alberto Gonzales (the ABA's first choice , until it changed its mind, or Clarence Thomas or even the overly litigious Roy Pearson who spawned dozens of bad puns about lawyers suing the pants off businesses...

A Round Up of Opportunities for Solo and Small Firms

Posted on December 22, 2007
Here's a quick round up of some opportunities for solo and small firm lawyers. Check out Susan Cartier-Liebel's contest, So You Want to Fly Solo. The contest, which is open to all lawyers - "newly minted or well seasoned," and current and/or wannabe solos, offers a two hour consult (value: priceless) with Susan as the grand prize...

Talk About Hypocrisy: Doesn't the Bar Have Anything Better To Do Than Go After a $35/Hr. Contract Attorney?

Posted on December 22, 2007
With billing fraud rampant at major law firms, guess who the Illinois disciplinary committee decided to prosecute? Was it the the partners at a Chicago office of a national firm, whose own colleague shined a light on overbilling? Nah - that's too large a target...

Lombardi's Response to My Post on Listserves

Posted on December 17, 2007
Earlier today in this post, I described my disagreement with Iowa personal injury attorney Steve Lombardi's complaints about misuse of listserves. Lombardi has now weighed in with a responsehere. Lombardi raises one issue to which I gave short shrift: that lawyers should not blindly rely on advice offered on listserves without conducting their own independent verification...

...and this is how it looks....

Posted on December 17, 2007
It's not going to be available until January 7, 2008, but you can preorder and get some more details here. In the meantime, this is how it looks!

Listserves: The Problem or the Solution For Improving Lawyer Competency?

Posted on December 17, 2007
When I'm asked to list the resources that have helped improve my competency as a lawyer, I'd place blogs and listserves high on the list. In particular, the guidance that I've received from that mother-of-all-solo-listserves, Solosez has helped me tackle issues far more effectively than I could have on my own, while other feedback has enabled me to avert unwanted conflicts and difficult clients...

I Hope That This Hillman Article on Client Choice Isn't Intended to Create More Hurdles for Shinglers-to-Be

Posted on December 16, 2007
Under legal ethics principles, a clients' right to the attorney of their choosing trumps even the economic interest of the firm representing the client. For that reason, firms cannot force lawyers to enter into non-compete agreements or impose onerous restrictions that would prevent a client from following a departing attorney to another firm or to his own practice...

Reach Out And Make A Connection

Posted on December 16, 2007
Arnie Herz at Legal Sanity offers a great tip, echoed by What About Clients: reconnect with your business network so that you can continue to nurture and reinforce the trusted relationships that produce not only business referrals, but personal fulfillment...

Google Yourself...For Fun and Necessity

Posted on December 16, 2007
AP is reporting here on a recent study by Pew Internet and American Life Project that found that 47 percent of US adult internet users have searched for information about themselves through Google or some other search engine. That's double the percentage of users who did so in 2002...

Some Disparate Thoughts on Empowerment and Creating Opportunities Through Blogging

Posted on December 16, 2007
Many of us who decide to start a law firm do so to gain autonmy and take charge of our careers; to "own, not loan" our talent. So it's no wonder that so many solo and small firm lawyers have an affinity towards blogging, which is just as empowering as starting a law firm...

Real Progress: Biglaw Commits Malpractice Also

Posted on December 10, 2007
When I started this blog, to read the mainstream legal media, you'd have thought that solos were the only lawyers to ever miss deadlines, violate ethics rules or commit malpractice. But I've always believed that all lawyers, from those at ginormous firms to those who practice alone, are all equally prone to making mistakes and committing malpractice...

Happy Fifth Anniversary, MyShingle [Updated Post]

Posted on December 09, 2007
Five years ago, I launched MyShingle.com with this Welcome Message, proclaiming my vision. Here's an excerpt: What we'd like to convey here in this welcome message is our vision of MyShingle.com as a site which captures and reflects the innovative, pioneering and "can do" spirit of solo and small firm practice and gives voice, presence and respectability to solo and small firm lawyers who represent a majority of lawyers in the United States and around the world...

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