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Solo Practice

Solo In Chicago

Empowering the Second City's entrepreneurial legal community.
By Peter Olson

Post Frequency: 2.2/day

Last Entry: March 13, 2009 at 12:21:00

A Belated Happy Third Birthday to...

Posted on April 01, 2008
The Olson Law Firm, LLC of course. I think March 31, 2005 was actually the effective date according to the IL Secretary of State. Well, we haven't quite made our first million yet, but I do believe we've helped hundreds of people throughout Chicagoland deal with pressing legal matters and hopefully eased their concerns during often traumatic and life-changing circumstances...

In-House Counsel Downsides...

Posted on April 01, 2008
So the dream's dead...even In-House positions aren't "all that." He's the article from ABA and the five downsides:She says the myths are: Better hours and a better lifestyle await. Cannon worked anywhere from 10 to 14 hours a day in-house and never had any downtime...

Say it With a T-Shirt

Posted on April 01, 2008
Why more blogs including this one aren't selling t-shirts I don't know? It seems kinda stupid but those highly personalized t-shirt places are exploding and they're all over the 'Net...here's the recent piece that got me thinking.

Cook Domestic Relations Court Appointments - Update

Posted on April 01, 2008
Just a little update on the above as we've previously written about here. After several months of scant court appointments I was appointed to 5 clients last week. These aren't going to be huge $$ cases but I'd expect nearly $1,000 each...it adds up. Why the uptick? Oh, slowing economy has more people behind in child support with contempt of court looming...

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Self-Employed Health Insurance "Tool"

Posted on March 27, 2008
Thanks to the Times for alerting us to this new health insurance resource for the self-employed: healthinsuranceinfo.netThe site, maintained by the Georgetown Health Policy Institute, shows a map of the country and after clicking on a state, a document is downloaded that covers everything from what kinds of programs are available to small-business owners to whether there is a high-risk pool available for those who have been rejected by insurance providers...

Solo/Small Firm Media Bias

Posted on March 27, 2008
Saw this nice overview today of our old friend Carolyn Elefant. And it's an inspiring story and very much part of the solo practice and blogging lore on the 'Net by now.What I don't like is the author's bias and what seem to be attempts to diminish and downgrade solo practice...

What Does Your Firm Look Like When You're Out??

Posted on March 27, 2008
So I had two experiences yesterday that got me thinking...First, just another judge-not-on-the-bench court appearance that's often frustrating. This was at Daley so it's usually not as bad as the suburban courts since there are enough judges down there and you usually just get sent to another courtroom or one of the floater judges handles the absent judges call...

10 Cheap Ways to Promote Your Business

Posted on March 24, 2008
Here's an abbreviated list:Promote yourself as a speaker. Offer a VIP discount card. Start a blog. Ask for referrals. Write articles in your area of expertise. Offer a free seminar or workshop. Start a newsletter. Write a press release. Use your vehicle as a billboard...

Building a Better Profession

Posted on March 24, 2008
Saw this piece in the Sunday Trib. about Building a Better Legal Profession, a group of law school students aimed at forcing change in the hiring and promotion of young lawyers. Nothing too original in terms of the issues they're pushing...and the blog isn't exactly update daily...

High Growth/Demand Areas of Practice

Posted on March 19, 2008
Once in a while I do actually read some other blogs...thanks to Build a Solo Practice, LLC for tipping us off to this one over at Law is Cool (I thought it was Law is Fun??). A nice variety of opinions from lawyers about the next "hot" practice area.

Cross-Selling v. Upselling

Posted on March 19, 2008
Cross-Selling vs. Upselling for lawyers from our friends over at Technolawyer:Cross-Selling v. UpsellingTom Rowe's post, wherein he equates cross-selling of legal services to upselling, compares apples and oranges. Upselling occurs when a vendor attempts to tack on extras or upgrades when a buyer comes in to buy a specific item, often because the advertised item won't do the job that the customer expects, or tries to sell "extras" that the client doesn't really need...

"I Love Referrals"

Posted on March 19, 2008
Says Chuck Newton. So do I!Here's Chuck's take on...10 Low Costs Ways To Market To Referral SourcesAbsolutely the truth for us small firmers out there. I don't think you can bring in sustainable rates of business w/o referral sources, particularly early in your businesses history...

The Ideal Reference

Posted on March 19, 2008
Saw the piece here entitled, How to Pick the Ideal Reference.The author's opinion...So, here they are, my must-have qualities for the perfect reference: People who you are certain think highly of you.People who will take the request seriously and be prepared and thoughtful in their answers, even if you don?t have time to brief them beforehand (though building in time for a thorough briefing is a wise idea)...

Boot These Five Dumb Practices...

Posted on March 19, 2008
Here's the full piece and a listing of the 5:E-mail: a tree's worst nightmare. In one particular case, I have more than 700 e-mails waiting to be entered into the electronic database. After entering them, I must print them all and place them in correspondence folders...

Does Anyone Pay for Legal Research Anymore??

Posted on March 18, 2008
Do you even know of anyone who does? For me: no & no...seriously. I think the last time I used a paid legal research provider was working at a large Loop firm at a summer job during law school in 2001.Here's an overview of the "opening" of the legal research field...

Small Firm Lobbyist?

Posted on March 17, 2008
Saw this piece about lobbying as a booming practice area...looks like mostly big firms. Obviously on the "top ten" lists it's going to be all big firms primarily representing the big corporate players. But I've known some folks who make a pretty penny in smaller firms doing lobbying work...

Build This Type of Referral Arrangement

Posted on March 17, 2008
I've heard about this set-up enough now that it's "post" worthy.The idea is for you as solo or small firm to set-up a direct referral relationship with another solo or small firm in your respective specialty area. For example, firm #1 specializes in family law which likely includes a large divorce chunk...

Thanks AGAIN Loyola School of Law

Posted on March 17, 2008
Saw another free CLE offering from the folks over at Loyola:Tax Law in a Liberal Democracy: Exploring the Relationship betweenTax and Good GovernanceI attended their last one on the Chicago Residential Landlord/Tenant Ordinance...good stuff. Hey they're #1 on the Chicago free CLE meter.

Cook's "Filing" Problem

Posted on March 13, 2008
Just to add to my personal experience to what's been reported here and here about the Cook County Circuit Clerk's antiquated filing system, I was up in Daley 802 reviewing an old dissolution of marriage file a couple days back and lo-and-behold a big bunch of pleadings from a different case were in this case file...

Have You Considered a Masters in Fine Arts??

Posted on March 13, 2008
I saw this little nugget from ABA yesterday: This month, the American Bar Association Law Student Division will launch a mental health initiative with the goal of helping law students who are battling depression and anxiety. "It's something that no one talks about," said Suvor, a third-year student at George Washington University School of Law and chairman of the 51,500-member group...

A "Personal" Board of Advisors

Posted on March 06, 2008
Saw this piece of advise in the NYTimes' Shifting Careers blog (it's worth a read...written by a former lawyer). Michael Melcher (another former lawyer I believe) and author of The Creative Lawyer (is there such a thing) is today's guest poster. His take is career-focused, i...

I Don't Want to Serve on a Jury!!

Posted on March 06, 2008
Instead I'll phone in a bomb threat, or at least that's what happened out at the DuPage County Courthouse in Wheaton yesterday. Toby Owhoka, 48, of the 900 block of College Boulevard was charged Tuesday with felony disorderly conduct, according to a news release from the DuPage County sheriff's office...

A Solo's Advice on Going Solo

Posted on March 06, 2008
What to my wondering eyes would appear but a little free publicity about yours truly in the March ISBA Bar Journal. One of their staff writers summarized a longer article that I've previously written about here. It's in the Lawpulse section. I almost didn't feel right about it when the author contacted me...

Been There; Done That; Here's How

Posted on March 05, 2008
Here's the article advising entrepreneurs. Some rules to get started:First, act more like an entrepreneur at your current job. Find a mentor. Team up with a partner. Exceed expectations. Never be defensive. Study successful entrepreneurs. Get in people?s faces...

USLaw's Blog Directory

Posted on March 05, 2008
Add yours to the list.

Staying Afloat

Posted on March 05, 2008
A nice piece over at Law.com entitled, How Law Firms Can Stay Afloat When a Recession Strikes. The author's 4 highlights:Do we have the right business model? Are we diversified enough in our offerings? Where can we cut costs or reduce overhead?Are lawyers properly deployed in the correct business sectors?Join the chorus.

$!?**$#!@! Client!!

Posted on March 05, 2008
That might be one lawyer's thoughts after being sanctioned to the tune of $29,000 for a client's behavior at a deposition. I guess there's more to defending a dep. than I thought.During a 12-hour deposition, the client "used the word 'fuck' and variants thereof no less than 73 times...

The Boston Tea Party and Palatine

Posted on March 05, 2008
Well the quiet northwest 'burb of Palatine appears ready to join the distinguished list of protesting secessionists everywhere...the 13 colonies, The Confederate States of America, AND Palatine, Illinois. Stroger's 1% sales tax hike approved last week has Palatine ready to bolt Cook County...

Build Your "Platform" Through Blogging

Posted on March 05, 2008
The Anti 9 to 5 Guide had a helpful list regarding building a platform to sell a book idea through blogging. I think every thing's applicable to any potential blog topic: Nixon Presidency, Triathlons, Chicagoland Golf or Law Practice Management. **Sign up for a free blog account with Blogger, TypePad, or WordPress...

A Heart-Warming Tale of Blog Development

Posted on March 04, 2008
We can do big things! He did.

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