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Legal Blogs Now A Part of Guy Kawasaki's Alltop. Check It Out.
2008-04-30 01:07:00 Guy Kawasaki, evangelist extraordinaire, who put Apple on the map, has taken his considerable talents to create Alltop, a constant streaming of popular blogs broken down into categories for easy search, such as China, fashion, economics, adoption, etc. Well, I asked Guy to create a Law:Alltop and he obliged launching Law:Alltop starting with a cross-section of blogs from the ABA Top 100. It's a great beginning for blogging lawyers. In addition, I want to give a shout out to the technological mastermind behind Solo Practice University for helping Guy make the transition so easy. Thanks, Dave. As Guy acknowledged, you definitely go above and beyond. More About: Blogs , Legal , Check , Part
Don't Most Small Businesses Fail?
2008-04-29 06:02:00 I am so often asked, "don't most small businesses fail?", that I was both delighted and dismayed when I read this recent post by Case Western Reserve educator and author Scott Shane on Small Business Trends in an effort to bust myths surrounding statistics on small business successes and failures. Proportion of New Businesses Founded in 1992 Still Alive By Year.These are the averages. There are considerable differences across industry sectors in business failure rates (see Figure 7.1 on page 113 of Illusions of Entrepreneurship), which is pretty interesting and important. But I’ll have to leave a discussion of what those are and why they exist for another blog post.I have not read the book this chart comes from (the post just came out on Monday) but in the comments section I took issue with the implied assumption all businesses which close are considered failures. No, they are closures and for this statistic to have meaning failure needs to be defined with object... More About: Small Businesses
A Great Lesson in Customer Service and Tip for Following Your "Buzz"
2008-04-28 06:02:00 Yesterday's Tip of the Week proved fortuitous. I encouraged my readers to investigate BradsDeals.com and I also cautioned them to check the sales advertised because I was upset a sale alert on Wii wasn't as stated in the daily e-mail notice I received. Within hours of the post I received an e-mail from Brad Wilson, editor-in-chief of HandPicked savings and author of BradsDeals.com (who appears on NBC's The Today Show). He thanked me for posting about his site stating he always thought there was a way for small businesses to take advantage of his alerts and website. He also acknowledged the mistake about the Wii sale indicating the company changed their offer right after the daily e-mail alert (sounds like the company got wind of the alert) and he yanked the mention of the sale from the actual site...but it was too late to change the mention in the e-mail alert. I appreciated his concern for not only the consumer but for me as an evangelist for his services and brand. ... More About: Customer Service , Service , Customer , Buzz , Great
"Tip of the Week" - Save on Office Equipment and More
2008-04-27 21:37:00 I wouldn't normally post about a savings site complete with printable coupons, discounts and more except this particular site also tells you about discounts, coupon codes, rebates, and tricks for purchasing major office equipment like desktop computers, monitors, laptops, copiers, scanners, software, phone systems and more....savings and products all relevant to the solo practitioner. So, check out BradsDeals. And since I am all about savings, I've signed up for the daily alerts and you may want to consider it, too. P.S. Double check some of these 'sales' because when they noted a shipment of Wii for $249.00 with the sports package (my son loves the bowling and baseball) I was very excited until I went to the site and the special price of $249.00 was if you purchased a bundle. Oh, well. Otherwise, get the alerts if you are in need of office equipment. More About: Office , Equipment , Week , Save
"Tip of the Week" - How Many Languages Do You Communicate In?
2008-04-27 06:02:00 If one of your market techniques is publication of free e-zines, white papers, free downloads of e-books, or other educational marketing tools, are you limiting your audience and reach by doing so strictly in English? I don't have a particular opinion on this topic. I am just thinking about the opportunities myself. However, there was a very interesting article called "Free Business Book a Web Sensation" discussing the valuable promotional tool of making e-books downloadable for free (and hopefully you would be collecting e-mail addresses for later use!). What struck me was the following:According to Saturday's statement from Winfrey, more than 1.1 million copies of Orman's financial advice book were downloaded in English, and another 19,000 in Spanish.Most lawyers who market aggressively understand that education sells. These lawyers are preparing materials they either provide in white papers, downloadable e-books or free e-zines. My questio... More About: Languages , Week , Communicate
Word of Mouth Marketing - Dangers & Rules to Consider
2008-04-25 06:02:00 Encouraging deceptive or misleading word of mouth advertising may damage your reputation more than enhance and lawyers are not immune. There is a great post by Andy Sernovitz on Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMMA) which discusses the laws governing word of mouth marketing and how it can impact the company (read lawyer) and those who create buzz deceptively (read other lawyers gaming a rating system or lending false testimonial.)Honest word of mouth marketing is when you inspire your fans to talk about you. It is about earning their respect and recommendation. It always requires full disclosure and total openness, as defined by the WOMMA Ethics Code. It is always safe and legal ... and more honest than most forms of traditional marketing. Why? Because if you can't earn a recommendation with a great product or service, the word of mouth stops. Traditional advertising runs as long as you pay for it, even if the message is less than true. Real word of mouth depends on honest customer lo... More About: Rules
"Passed the Bar - Hung A Shingle" - Jeremy Reed
2008-04-24 06:02:00 This new attorney, Jeremy Reed , graduated law school in Denver, Colorado and knew he wanted to open a solo practice. While in law school he made friends with Matt Margeson. They each committed to a partnership parlaying their individual strengths and weaknesses into a solid team. I invited both Jeremy and Matt to write a guest post for Passed the Bar - Hung a Shingle and this is Jeremy's wisdom. Guest Post - Jeremy Reed In October of 2007, I finally passed the bar. Mind you, I only took it once, but that was more than plenty. After the months of intermittent worry punctuated by bouts of certainty that I had failed, I finally found out that I had passed. And I could start working. I had made the decision to open my own practice during my final semester of law school. One of the reasons that I had enrolled in law school was because I knew that there were many lawyers who ran their own practice and did well. I wanted to work for myself, and although my initial pla...
Solo/Small Firms Win Big Clients on Value - Not Price
2008-04-21 06:02:00 Marcie Shunk of BTI Consulting wrote a powerful article for The Complete Lawyer called, "Welcome to the Age of the Small er Firm" where she discusses how smaller firms are quickly becoming favorites on the short lists of law firms selected by the Fortune 1000. Surveys conducted over the past seven years show clearly that client service is king...not price. Client service is one of the most powerful advantages smaller law firms are using to win over large clients. In an environment rampant with dissatisfaction (just 34.6% of corporate counsel recommend their primary law firm first) smaller firms are distinguishing themselves through superior communication, client focus and value. Each year, BTI asks more than 250 corporate counsel to tell us which law firms stand out as the absolute best in 17 activities that are critical to the law firm-client relationship. Smaller law firms consistently outperform their super-sized peers in the four activities that truly differenti... More About: Clients , Solo , Price , Firms
"Tip of the Week" - Try Not To Let Work Get In the Way of Your Life
2008-04-20 06:02:00 This article by Tejvan Pettinger discusses how to identify whether or not you are a workaholic. It is very easy for the solo practitioner to become a workaholic, trust me on this. I know I can be singularly focused when on a mission and the fallout can be very unhealthy. Pettinger provides the following list of signs that you are a workaholic:Are you A Work aholic? Take a moment to consider the following questions: Is your first thought on waking about work? Is your last thought before sleeping about work? Does work take priority over everything else? Is your social life based around going out with your office colleagues to talk about work? Do you take work home with you at the weekend? Would you struggle to enjoy a 3 week holiday away from work? Is your greatest aim in life to get a promotion and the respect of your work colleagues? If you can honestly answer 'yes' to a number of these you need to consider making some changes and the article offers some ... More About: Life , Week
What Law School Rankings Don't Say ......
2008-04-16 13:20:00 This is a very interesting article from Law.com discussing what law school rankings don't say about this life altering and very expensive decision.During the last three decades, the size and geographic dispersion of the global economy has dramatically increased the demand for sophisticated corporate legal services. In contrast, the demand for personal-services legal work -- wills and estates, personal injury, family law, simple business contracts, etc. -- has grown at roughly the rate of population growth. These dynamics have resulted in a "bimodal" income distribution, in which there is a heavy concentration of salaries in two distinct ranges, based on salary figures provided by NALP. At the high end are the large corporate firm starting salaries that so interest the media. In 2006, salaries in the largest firms in major markets jumped from $125,000 to $135,000 to $145,000. Thus out of 22,684 starting salaries reported for 2006, 4,809, or 21.2 percent, were in the $125... More About: Law School , School
Mid-Week "Tip of the Week" - On-line Certified Mail
2008-04-15 22:45:00 Hat tip to Chuck Newton for alerting me to On-Line Certified Mail If you have a practice where you are sending certified mail quite frequently, yet trying to maintain a paperless office, this can be added to your on-line arsenal as a paper saver and a time-saver. Yes, other companies have tried and failed, but maybe this one is here to stay. Check it out. More About: Week , On-line , On Line
Going Solo? Give Yourself the Freedom to Fail
2008-04-14 06:02:00 This seemed like an appropriate post given the time of year, many law students looking forward to graduation yet dreading taking the bar, not knowing if they will be employed or secretly coveting the idea of going solo but afraid. I'm often asked, "Don't most businesses fail? Shouldn't I be concerned I will fail at building a solo practice? Why don't you tell us stories about people who didn't succeed?" No, I don't think you should be overly concerned you will fail and I can't tell you about people who did not succeed at solo practice because I don't consider closing a solo practice a 'failure.' This terrific article from Lifehackers called Welcome Failure basically requires you to have preliminary failures in order to meet with great success and it comes pretty close to explaining my attitude.Many great successes started out as failures. Columbus failed when he set out to find a new route to India. He found America instead (and because he thought ... More About: Freedom , Solo , Give
"Tip of the Week" - What Every Lawyer Needs to Know About Representing Disa
2008-04-13 17:45:00 This is a fascinating read in the Oregon State Bar Journal. We don't think, or rather we don't think enough about disabled clients, even if their disability just comes as a natural result of getting older. But under the ADA, you MUST think about this when selecting your office space, even if you meet clients at home.What does the Americans With Disabilities Act (the ADA) require in terms of physical access to a lawyer’s office? Since 1992, the ADA has barred places of public accommodation — including law offices — from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. "The ADA is read very narrowly by the federal courts," says Bob Joondeph, executive director of the Oregon Advocacy Center, which provides free legal services to persons with disabilities. "It’s usually pretty clear if your client is covered by the ADA. For a general practitioner, it may be someone in a wheelchair. If they’re hard of hearing to the point of being covered by the A... More About: Lawyer , Week
If An Elephant Can Paint A Self-Portrait Why Can't We Learn How to Say 'Ple
2008-04-12 20:28:00 Yes, this is a real video of an elephant painting a self-portrait. Legitimate. And my point remains, if elephants are intelligent enough to learn how to paint a self-portrait, why can't today's youth learn manners? Why am I ranting on my own site? Because as I drill my 4 year old on the importance of saying, 'please' and 'thank you', teaching him to respect others, I see young people in customer service who don't know the words, don't know when to use them, alienating customers...and this translates to the most basic courtesies we offer to our own clients on the telephone, in our initial consultations, the courtroom, follow up upon a legal matter's conclusion and more. I had read about a year ago how Big Law firms were bringing in etiquette consultants to educate their associates on the most basic manners. What is happening to our society? OK. What set me off? I've been noticing it more and more recently and it's been irking me.&... More About: Portrait , Self Portrait , Learn , Elephant , Paint
"You Ask...I Answer" - I Know I Want To Go Solo. What Can I Do To Prepare W
2008-04-10 06:02:00 Question: I will be starting law school in Atlanta this fall. I'll be 34 when I start law school, and 37 when I pass the bar. I'm going to law school to become a criminal defense attorney, and want to start my own firm upon passing the bar. I already subscribe to Solo Practice University E-zine. What, if anything, can I do between now and the time school starts? Could I start on my business plan? Start a blog? Twiddle my thumbs?First, congratulations on your pre-law school decision to go solo. Given you wll be a non-traditional law student you clearly have some background behind you from the work world so I'm assuming you went to law school with your eyes wide open. But not fully knowing your background I wonder if your career counseling office has given you any advice about how to navigate through law school given your solo ambitions? We'd all be curious to know if you got any direction and/or advice and what it was. That being said, there are many things ... More About: Answer
Solos Should Not Be Mandated to Have Malpractice Insurance..nor Disclose Th
2008-04-09 17:33:00 Ed Poll of LawBizManagement and I share concerns about mandatory malpractice insurance as well as mandatory disclosure if you do not have malpractice insurance as it will disproportionately hurt the solo practitioner as well as the public the mandate purports to protect. You can read his passionate post here as it relates to the ongoing debate in California.Lawyers will be hurt; that is, those estimated 30,000 lawyers (without reference to those in professional corporations) who currently do not have malpractice insurance will be hurt. And if they are hurt, their clients, typically the people who cannot afford the large law firms, will be hurt. Here’s the rub: How does this provide greater access to the legal help the public needs?In addition, Ed takes on the assertions made by the head of the California Bar Association, Bleich, that their mission is solely to address the needs of the public. When Bleich says,“The work of the State Bar ultimately is to protect ... More About: Insurance , Disclose , Solos
Your Inbound Client Call Deserves Premium Attention
2008-04-09 16:24:00 This post from Seth Godin, marketing genius extraordinaire, reminds us how far away we've gotten from paying attention to the client who takes the time to contact us on the telephone:An inbound phone call is the ultimate in short-term permission. The customer or prospect is taking the time to call you. She's focused, interested, paying attention and willing to trust you. Think for a minute about how much you spend (and how high up in the organization the discussions go) when it's time for a new logo or a new Super Bowl ad. And yet, even though the rules have changed, the lowest-paid, least-respected, highest-turnover jobs in the organization now do the most important marketing work.While the way we market has changed, the principles never change. We are marketing/advertising/leveraging to bring in business. Business means we are reaching out to potential consumers with real problems. When someone calls your office, made the decision to contact you, differenti... More About: Call , Attention , Premium , Client
I'm Officially 'Twittering. ' Come Join the Fun
2008-04-09 06:02:00 There is a lot of social networking sites out there, Facebook, LinkedIn, Naymz, Tagged, Pulse and on and on. I'm on some of them and I enjoy the connections I've made but I know I have not fully utilized all of their potential. But for some reason, they all seem like a chore to me. Don't get me wrong. I'm not knocking their potential. I do have trouble, however, with all the parlor games on Facebook....sheep throwing, etc. I only have so much time in the day and by not being able to participate fully I'm sure I come across as aloof or snobby and that defeats the purpose of Facebook. I'm officially apologizing to all my connections on Facebook. However, Twitter is very different. And I've been twittering now for almost two weeks. It's fast, easy and fun and I find I'm on it quite a bit. It's kind of like really cool idiot-proof instant messaging to those who feel like 'following' your thoughts but not necessarily in real ti... More About: Join
Lawyers Are Still Despised. How Do You Respond?
2008-04-07 23:50:00 My friend, Scott Greenfield, unleashed a firestorm of 'public' response on his blog Simple Justice when he criticized John Stossel's 20/20 report about a young couple in New York City (happened to be lawyers) who felt compelled to sue their next door neighbor for smoking and/or not preventing smoke from getting into their hallway and other common areas in their apartment building. They were concerned for the well-being of their four year old as it related to the toxic nature of second-hand smoke. He didn't like Stossel's condemnation of the lawyers and said so here. Scott was assailed by commenters denigrating lawyers, particularly these lawyers as plaintiffs, and this then turned into a mantra, 'lawyers are a plague on society." (And Scott doesn't take anything from anybody and his responses to commenters reflect this. So, make sure you read the comments.) I don't choose to enter the fray, but it begs a very important issue new lawyers face: What do you ... More About: Lawyers
Lawyers Are Still Despised. How Do You Respond?
2008-04-07 23:48:00 My friend, Scott Greenfield, unleashed a firestorm of 'public' response on his blog Simple Justice when he criticized John Stossel's 20/20 report about a young couple in New York City (happened to be lawyers) who felt compelled to sue their next door neighbor for smoking and/or not preventing smoke from getting into their hallway and other common areas in their apartment building. They were concerned for the well-being of their four year old as it related to the toxic nature of second-hand smoke. He didn't like Stossel's condemnation of the lawyers and said so here. (And Scott doesn't take anything from anybody and his responses to commenters reflect this. So, make sure you read the comments.) Scott was assailed by commenters denigrating lawyers, particularly these lawyers as plaintiffs, and this then turned into a mantra, 'lawyers are a plague on society." I don't choose to enter the fray, but it begs a very important issue new lawyers face: What do you s... More About: Lawyers
Want a Hot Niche? Think Fido
2008-04-07 21:59:00 Texas solo Yolanda Eisenstein has created a nice little niche for herself in that every type of matter she handles has one thing in common: animals. You can read the article here. But more importantly learn how this lawyer differentiated herself from the pack (pun intended.)While Eisenstein is a vegetarian who believes animals should be treated under the law as more than property, her law practice involves a diverse medley of real-world issues involving pets. For example, Eisenstein gives presentations to neighborhood associations, animal rescue groups and other nonprofits on how to comply with federal, state and local animal control laws. She represents people "wrongfully accused of animal cruelty" and brings nuisance suits on behalf of neighbors fed up with barking dogs. And she can set up pet trusts, which are valid in Texas, to provide for animals upon their owners' deaths. "My goal is to protect animals and help people be more responsible p... More About: Niche
Big Law(yers) Starting Own Firms Very Successfully
2008-04-07 13:01:00 They may face new challenges, like not having pens magically appear on their desk when they need one or having to figure out payroll, but this Law.com article provides many links to Big Law(yers) who have jumped ship and didn't sink. More About: Firms
The First Sneak Peek at Solo Practice University
2008-04-07 06:02:00 More than 400 have already signed up to follow the construction progress of Solo Practice University - the 'practice of law' school. And I thank you. For those who have not, here is your first sneak peak into the curriculum:Thanks for joining us as we continue construction on Solo Practice University. So, what is the promise of Solo Practice University? Solo Practice University is a revolutionary, state of the art web-based educational community and networking forum for lawyers and law students unlike anything you may have seen. This sounds like a tall order but we are going to deliver. Imagine the following: You are part of an on-line continuing legal educational community devoted to the solo practitioner where you can learn (in no particular order) how to: create a virtual law office (vlo) conduct a deposition build a family law practice buy the best software and hardware that’s right for your practice today and tomorrow market your services overseas selec... More About: Sneak Peek , Peek
"Tip of the Week" - 5 Cheap Long Distance Options
2008-04-06 06:02:00 With more work at home warriors and technology advancing by warp speed, it is almost antiquated and expensive to stay within the limits of traditional land lines to conduct business. If your mantra is cutting overhead and freeing yourself from brick and mortar confines here are 5 cheap and easy long distance options for you to investigate: (Skype offers a still-cheaper alternative, but even its monthly charges can seem expensive compared with newer Internet services. Plus, you need to download Skype's software and buy extra gear to use standard phones.) These are simpler, cheaper services that offer good voice quality using standard phones. • Jajah — No new equipment needed. You don't even need broadband. Simply go to jajah.com and type in the number you want to call. Jajah calls your landline or cell number first, you answer the phone and Jajah then dials the number you're calling. Free calls to other Jajah users or pay 3 cents a minute to others in the U.S., with i... More About: Options , Week , Long , Cheap , Long Distance
Big Law Preparing For Hottest Practice Area - Bankruptcy
2008-04-05 13:59:00 Very often I get e-mails from young lawyers asking what practice areas they should pursue. Invariably, I suggest they learn bankruptcy. I'm ususally met with, "I'm really not interested in that...or the laws are too tricky." Well, quite often when you are starting out you have to go where the opportunities are to leverage yourself for those areas you ultimately do want to practice. In this article from the ABA Journal, Big Law declares bankruptcy is going to be 'hot' this year. It feels awkward to declare financial failures as the 'hot' new practice area but if you've been reading this blog for any length of time you know I have been strongly suggesting new lawyers get into bankruptcy as far back as November 2006. The reason: to encourage you to get in front of the wave so you had some expertise when the tsunami hits. And it's hitting. When the bankruptcy laws changed many lawyers got out because they didn't want to ada... More About: Practice , Bankruptcy , Area
Productivity Tips for Life - Adaptable to the Solo Lawyer
2008-04-04 06:02:00 (Hat Tip to Jim Calloway for finding this jewel.) Once in a great while a list is written which is filled with relatable wisdom. This particular list addresses, fear of failure, use of time, giving first in order to receive and more, all relevant to the decision to build a solo practice, marketing, networking and time management...as well as living a quality life. Here are the first six from: 16 Things I Wish They Had Taught Me In School1. The 80/20 rule. This is one of the best ways to make better use of your time. The 80/20 rule – also known as The Pareto Principle – basically says that 80 percent of the value you will receive will come from 20 percent of your activities. You can just drop – or vastly decrease the time you spend on – a whole bunch of things. And if you do that you will have more time and energy to spend on those things that really brings your value, happiness, fulfilment and so on. 2. Parkinson’s Law. You can do things quicker than yo... More About: Life , Lawyer , Tips , Productivity , Solo
A Lesson In Bad PR Practices
2008-04-03 16:46:00 This is a request from a reporter who is looking to do a piece on a federally funded program called Legal Services Corporation: (Really terrible website visually and operationally, too.)Summary: Legal Services CorporationName: Casey Clark NeyEmail: ccborntofly@earthlink.netTitle: Freelance WriterMedia Outlet/Publication: Divorce360.comAnonymous? NoDeadline: 12:00 PM MOUNTAIN - April 15Query:"I am trying to write an article regarding the Legal ServicesCorporation. However, I can't get anyone from their communicationsdepartment to call me back (five phone calls in two months -nothing). The article is a simple informative piece about theorganization and its services. If you can help, please e-mail me atccborntofly@earthlink.net."What is wrong with these people? I can tell you. Either they don't understand the value of what is being presented to them or don't care or they have no plan in place to deal with publicity. Whatever the reason, they should addres... More About: Lesson
All-in-One SaaS Solution for Solos - Rocket Matter
2008-04-02 06:02:00 ( Periodically I post about products or have guest posts about products or services or books I believe are intriguing and worth exploring by solos. I derive no financial benefit for doing so. Nor do I do paid advertising on Build A Solo Practice for an important reason (although I am solicited constantly). I only want to discuss the concept of these products or services I think would be really beneficial to new solos, different, exciting, cost-effective and forward thinking so readers can explore on their own and make the best decision for themselves.) What I find intriguing about Rocket Matter is its time and cost-efficiency for the solo. Instead of patching together different products, accounting software, time management software, file management software, the training on each, the different customer support departments for each, etc...this is one service and product which does it all, one training, one customer service department. This saves... More About: Solution , SAAS , Solos
The New Marketing Buzz Word - "Authenticity"
2008-03-31 06:02:00 Actually, it's "synthetic authenticity"...back to buying real products or services, or at least ones that fake it well.In Authenticity (Harvard Business School Press written by legendary business consultants James Gilmore and Joseph Pine II), they argue that the virtualization of life (friends aren't friends unless you 'confirm' them on Facebook; reporters are now all bloggers, and vice versa) has led to a deep consumer yearing for the authentic. America has "toxic levels of inauthenticity, " Gilmore and Pine argue: most of the e-mail we get is fake. It's so difficult to reach a real person via an 800 number that we had to invent a heretofore unnecessary locution - real person - to describe the entity we are trying to reach." (Time Magazine, March 24th 2008> ************************* Standard economic theory assumes that buyers are rational creatures who observe supply-and-demand laws. For centuries, this model worked pretty... More About: Marketing , Word , Buzz
"Tip of the Week" - Foreclosure Fairs
More articles from this author:2008-03-30 06:02:00 This is a quick tip for those who practice bankruptcy or are investigating foreclosures. Consider participating in the new foreclosure fairs...fairs designed to help people prevent foreclosure and populated with lenders, realtors, accountants, counselors and lawyers. What a great way to meet potential clients for not just foreclosure, but bankruptcy and real estate.More and more family friendly foreclosure fairs, where mortgage lenders and counselors offer advice to desperate homeowners, are taking place in Miami, Philadelphia, Boston, Columbus, Ohio, and other hard-hit cities and towns across the country. This month began a series of "Homeownership Preservation Forums" sponsored by HOPE NOW, a collaboration of non-profit, corporate and government partners, including the Housing and Urban Development. The fairs help homeowners who may be too paralyzed with fear to pick up a phone and call their lender as they fall behind in their mortgage payments and risk for... More About: Foreclosure , Week , Fairs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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