Solo Practice

LEXIS Responds To Earlier Post

Posted on November 09, 2009
A representative from LEXIS responded to my earlier post,LEXIS, You Could Have Had Us Solos At Hello  Unfortunately, I have been experiencing some serious problems with the comments feature of my blog and as a result, have missed many comments.  I would never, ever not post a comment to a site, even if it is critical; any delays are usually a result of problems with the comments feature or my busy schedule...

Second Chance Solo

Posted on November 09, 2009
What would you do if you were exonerated after spending twelve years in prison for a crime you didn't commit?  Would you spend the rest of your days justifiably bitter, complaining about the injustice of a legal system that could convict an innocent man?  Or would you feel gratitude towards those lawyers who helped to vindicate you and decide to become one yourself...

Persecuted Connecticut Lawyers Totally Well Represented on Ethics Charges by Pullman & Comley; Total Attorneys, Not So Much

Posted on November 07, 2009
[NOTE:  POST UPDATED 11/8/09 at 2:30 pm.  Jump to end of post for updates] Turns out that at least three of the five Connecticut lawyers who are the subject of a disciplinary proceeding for their participation in Total Bankruptcy.com's haven't completely been hung out to dry as I described in my earlier post...

Come Meet Me At Avvo's DC and Baltimore Events

Posted on November 04, 2009
I've made no secret of the fact that I'm a fan of Avvo.com, which launched back in 2007.  Though now Avvo has plenty of copycats, when it launched, it was the first service to provide a robust online profile to lawyers for free.  Avvo's generated quite a bit of controversy amongst lawyers, with many like this fellow or the DC Bar wishing that it would go away...

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Why Isn't Anyone Speaking for the Five Solos Targeted by the Connecticut Disciplinary Counsel's Attack on So-Called Referral Services?

Posted on November 03, 2009
So, let's say that a typical consumer - we'll call her Jane Consumer - in Connecticut finds herself hounded by creditors and deeply in debt.  Jane's heard that bankruptcy might help but she doesn't know if it's right for her.  After all, Jane Consumer is no deadbeat...

The Front Row

Posted on October 31, 2009
 This morning, I'll take a seat in the front row in a place where I can't look back.   I've occupied the front row dozens of times over the course of my career, at trials, hearings and appellate arguments - but today is different.  Because today, it's not a client but my daughter who occupies center stage, on the occasion of her Bat Mitzvah...

LEXIS, You Could Have Had Us Solos at Hello

Posted on October 27, 2009
On the surface, this article about Lawyers.com's upcoming television ad campaign, which is intended to attract more consumers to its site, seems like nothing more than business as usual in a down economy.  But there's far more to it than that...

Of Interest to Solos

Posted on October 27, 2009
 Here's a round up of free or low cost events or ideas for solo and small lawyers: 1.  Ari Kaplan is offering a free webinar TOMORROW, Thursday 10/29 from 1 - 1:30 called "5 Easy Ways to Create Opportunity in a Down Economy."  You can register here...

Interested in Foreclosure Law? The Bar Is Interested in You!

Posted on October 26, 2009
With the economy still floundering, foreclosure lawyers remain in demand.  In fact, according to  Time Magazine, eighty six percent of foreclosure defendants go unrepresented.  Yet as far as I can tell, few solo and small firm lawyers are fully exploring this promising practice area...

Nicole Black: New York Criminal Lawyer, Author, Blogger, Law Technology Guru

Posted on October 26, 2009
More than ever, in an online world,  your reputation precedes you.  So how can you ensure that you make the best possible first impression long before you meet a colleague or prospective client face to face?  Why not follow Nicole Black's (@nikiblack) example, and put yourself out there, on your terms...

Should Lawyers Suggest Social Media to Clients As An Alternative to A Pricey Lawsuit?

Posted on October 23, 2009
Whenever I get a call from a client who has a matter too small to justify my rates or referral to another attorney service, I'll try to suggest alternatives.  In fact, like many lawyers, I keep a list of contact information and websites for legal aid and pro bono groups, law school clinics, small claims court, the Better Business Bureau so that I can offer a client a bunch of different low bono and pro se options...

Lawyers: Fear Ye Not the Freeloader, for I Myself Have Been One

Posted on September 29, 2009
Surely you're familiar with the freeloader, that ne'er do well who stands as an obstacle to change in the practice of law.   The freeloader is the reason why most lawyers won't offer free consultations (those freeloading prospects just want advice, they don't want to pay to hire me) or comp short phone calls (what happens if a freeloading client keeps calling and calling?) or charge flat fees (my client wants me to organize all his paper work for discovery which is going to break the flat fee budget)...

Don't Settle for Second Place When Starting Your Law Firm

Posted on September 25, 2009
As I've written here previously, I'm an ardent admirer of Michelle Obama, particularly her ability to make the seamless life seem so easy.   This upcoming book on the Obamas by Chris Anderson, which is intended to portray Mrs. Obama as an insolent, money-hungry shrew of a wife, makes me like her even more...

One False Move Can Cost You Your Practice...And How You Can Avoid It

Posted on September 23, 2009
This week's news brings a couple of stories of solo and small firm lawyers who may not be practicing law much longer.  First up is Rochester, New York solo Melissa Mahler, who is the subject of  insider trading charges by the SEC.  Back in 2004, when Mahler worked as an associate at Nixon Peabody, she drafted a letter for a client regarding an impending merger which made her privy to confidential inside information about the deal...

Self-Employed Lawyers Are Happiest

Posted on September 21, 2009
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported on a recent Gallup Poll which showed that even in this recession, business owners outrank ten other occupations in overall well being.  The reasons aren't surprising -- they reflect the importance of freedom to choose the work you do and how you do it, say psychologists who commented on the study...

WTF? GoSoloEsq.com Is Selling MyShingle.com Resources for $29/Month!

Posted on September 17, 2009
A few weeks back, someone on one of my listserves inquired about a new site for solos, Go Solo Esq.com, which bills itself as a "virtual law office center for solos."  Apparently tossed up in an effort to capitalize on the number of attorneys now considering solo practice in a weak job market, the site thus far offers only the $29/month membership which includes law office resources and law office tools (link broken)...

Happy Double Digits to My Mira

Posted on September 15, 2009
A decade ago today, I gave birth to my second daughter and as it happened, my last child, Mira Justine Israel.  I remember wondering before she arrived whether I could possibly love her as much as her older sister.  But the second I held Mira in my arms, I discovered, as all parents do, that you don't divide your heart between your children but instead, you grow another heart each time a new baby comes along and each fills to bursting...

Can you find cash for your clients?

Posted on September 15, 2009
Are there cases that you'd avid to handle but your client can't pay your fees?  Before you send the client packing, consider whether there are ways to cover the costs of the case. I'm not talking about litigation finance companies which can fund personal injury matters but come with their own set of perils...

Should You Warn Your Client About Hacked Email Services?

Posted on September 14, 2009
After posting last night about the trade-off between confidentiality and client communication, I came across Joe Hodnicki's post at the Law Librarian's Blog about the rise of services like Yourhackerz.com which enables users to buy a password to another anyone's online email accounts like AOL, Yahoo, gmail or social networking sites like Facebook for one hundred dollars...

Client Confidentiality Is Paramount, But Communication Matters More

Posted on September 13, 2009
Back in the day when I started my law firm and handled court appointed criminal cases, my first meeting with my clients usually took place in the noisy, cramped holding cell behind the courtrooms.  On warm days especially, the cells teemed with waiting defendants and I'd have to yell my client's name loudly so they'd hear me above the fray and come to the front of the cell, where I'd try to shake hands between the cell bars...

Don't Tarnish Your Fresh Start With A Rotten Ending

Posted on September 11, 2009
Opening a law firm by choice or by circumstance offers a chance at a fresh start.  However, it's all too easy to tarnish that bright, shiny new beginning with a nasty ending at your former position.   That is what appears to have happened with Jim Driscoll's departure from St...

Law Practice Building Idea: Join a Non-Profit Board

Posted on September 10, 2009
If you're a solo trying to break into a new practice area, beef up your existing corporate experience or learn new skills, then serving on a non-profit board may be just the ticket.  This piece from Fast Company touts the many professional benefits of serving on a non-profit board which include:     1...

Why I Won't Change My "Specialties" Listing on Linked-In

Posted on September 09, 2009
This past month, both Eric Mazzone, North Carolina's law practice management expert and blogger at Law Practice Matters and the Illinois State Bar Association advise lawyers against filling in the "specialties" box on Linked-In without including some nerdy little caveat like "My state bar does not recognize specializations" or "I am not a certified specialist" BUT I focus on the following...

MyShingle Virtual Videos with Sam Glover, Minnesota Consumer Lawyer

Posted on September 08, 2009
MyShingle Virtual Videos from Carolyn Elefant on Vimeo. I'm proud to present the launch of the MyShingle Virtual Video series, which will have a permanent home and dedicated page when my site re-lauches in the next few weeks. As video gains traction, I realized that many solo and small firm lawyers would like to incorporate video on their websites but can't figure out how to do so conveniently or inexpensively...

Off They Go

Posted on September 01, 2009
Another September, another school year begins begins for my daughters and me.  This year, my almost-ten year old enters fifth grade while my almost teenager goes on to eight grade, the last before high school.  Today, we officially dispensed with the tradition of my dropping them off at school on the first day and instead, they boarded the bus, excited to see friends and learn their new schedule and teachers...

What Does the "Good Enough" Phenomenon Mean for Solos?

Posted on September 01, 2009
There's been a discernible silence in the legal blogosphere over Robert Capps' recent article, The Good Enough Revolution:  When Cheap and Simple Is Just Fine from Wired.com.  Perhaps it's because uber-trendspotter Jordan Furlong wrote about the Good Enough trend a full year ago and the topic is already yesterday's news...

What We'll Be Discussing At the Part Time Practice Teleseminar

Posted on August 24, 2009
As my colleague Julie Tower Pierce and I prepare for our upcoming Part Time Shingle teleseminar August 27 (click link for details and to register), we've decided that we'll cram in a few more topics in addition to those discussed in this description.  These include responding to questions such as: I'm working part time, but no one takes me seriously - they think that I'm just dabbling in the law...

Are Technology and Efficiency Narrowing Our Horizons as Lawyers?

Posted on August 23, 2009
Two weeks ago, while paging through a hard copy of the New York Times, I stumbled across this interesting controversy reported in the about casting director Daryl Eisenberg's use of Twitter to comment on performers as they were auditioning for her.  Though Eisenberg didn't identify any performers by name, her tweets included comments like: "If we wanted to hear it a different way, don't worry, we'll ask,' or 'If you are going to sing about getting on your knees, might as well do it and crawl towards us ...

Twitter: Legal Yes, But Always Appropriate?

Posted on August 23, 2009
Two weeks ago, while paging through a hard copy of the New York Times, I stumbled across this interesting controversy reported in the about casting director Daryl Eisenberg's use of Twitter to comment on performers as they were auditioning for her.  Though Eisenberg didn't identify any performers by name, her tweets included comments like: "If we wanted to hear it a different way, don't worry, we'll ask,' or 'If you are going to sing about getting on your knees, might as well do it and crawl towards us ...

True Solos Have True Grit, But Law School Rewards the Ephemeral

Posted on August 21, 2009
Got grit?  You do if you're making a go of it as a solo.  As much as many of the law practice gurus tell you that earning gobs of money as a solo is easy as pie (particularly if you're using their thousand dollar "recipes"), the truth is that success comes from doggedness, a bit of desperation and grit...

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