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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
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
What I've Learned About Blogging These Past 18 Months
2008-03-28 05:02:00 Coming up on eighteen months of blogging, I realize I have developed some very definite opinions about blogging as it pertains to content, frequency, design and its use as a marketing tool. It has been a learning curve for me, a deliberate decision to start from scratch, literally. It took me five minutes to set up and endless hours to build content and reader loyalty which has converted to a viable (inter)national business. I've paid attention to the experts but also made many of my decisions intuitively based upon my background in marketing, advertising, promotion, sales and interpersonal relationships. And from this experience I can share some perspectives, not as an expert on the subject of blogging, one who designs blogs or teaches about blogging, but from one who has experienced the power of blogging as a blogger...learned what to do and what not to do and achieved a certain level of success I'm comfortable with as my business keeps growing with this platform a... More About: Blogging , Past , Learned , Months
Why Do You Blog?
2008-03-28 05:01:00 (I resurrected this post to compliment the following post: What I've Learned From Blog ging These Past 18 Months) Lorelle von Fossen over at the Blog Herald asks a very interesting question: Why Do You Blog? She is an excellent writer and really nails the question. Also read the comments as they expand upon the content of the post. It's fair to say most lawyers blog to create business for their firms, present authority in a niche. They employ tried and true strategies to work the system for positioning. Yet it is also fair to say there are lawyer bloggers who take their natural desire to write and advocate and use it for personal expression on a myriad of topics that move them beyond the practice of law. This could be in addition to their professional practice-area based blogs. The side benefits of blogging is creating an extended community for ourselves, meeting like-minded people, not so like minded people, make friends, acquaintances, new busines...
The New Face of the Solo Practitioner - Carolyn Elefant
2008-03-27 12:32:00 Hard-earned and well deserved, Carolyn Elefant gets nationally recognized within our profession (recognition normally reserved for BigLaw) for proudly promoting going Solo by Choice. Congratulations, Carolyn! More About: Face
"Passed the Bar (Almost) - Hung A Shingle" - Janus Research, LLC
2008-03-27 05:02:00 This post is a little different then the norm. This is not about one lawyer who has taken the plunge into the solo practice of law. This is about four current law students who have created a legal research business. I was so impressed with these four students who have yet to take the bar that I wanted to introduce them to you. And also to let you know there are many ways to utilize your law degree, hang a shingle and be an entrepreneur. The front man, the writer of this post, is Joseph Jacoby. These students discovered their life plans included creating lives for themselves without the traditional time restraints the actual practice of law requires. And the way to make it work is to pursue their real twin passions, research and writing. And rather than go it alone, they realize entrepreneurship is in their blood but they need the strength of their mutual commitment to their goals and this gave impetus to the creation of Janus Research ...
Keep Up to Date on the Building of Solo Practice University
2008-03-24 05:05:00 Be sure to keep current with the construction progress of Solo Practice University - a revolutionary new web-based educational community for lawyers and law students. More About: Building
Why Solos Can Profit From Public Relations
2008-03-24 05:02:00 This is a colorful story which is also a lesson for the new lawyer (and not so new lawyer). Today, even the new solo needs to understand one of her core competencies must be fundamental knowledge on how to handle a high profile case and the media, why solos need to understand the fundamentals of public relations. This is the story behind the story of how two new solos (just four months after passing the bar) saw the PR value of doing pro bono work on a case which captivated the local media, got hired, then fired, not because they couldn't do the work...but because they didn't have PR experience. This is the case of the 'pink poodle'. Joy Douglas, the owner of Zing beauty salon in Denver, Colarado had a white poodle, Cici, which she stained pink. The stain was perfectly safe, organic beet juice so there is absolutely no harm to the poodle whatsoever. She did this to support breast cancer awareness, pink being the color popularized by the cause, to crea... More About: Public Relations , Public , Profit , Relations , Solos
"Tip of the Week" - Don't Forget to Laugh at the Law
2008-03-23 05:02:00 Sometimes we can take our profession and the law way too seriously. So, for this "Tip of the Week " I recommend you laugh at the law. I stumbled across this great post from 2Spare which lists the craziest laws on the books for each state. Highlights are not mine. (This post takes you the the 'N's...I'm sure Texas has some whoppers but... not here!) Here's a sample:Alabama Dominoes may not be played on Sunday. Incestuous marriages are legal. It is illegal to impersonate a person of the clergy. It is illegal to stab yourself to gain someone's pity. It is illegal to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church. Masks may not be worn in public Men may not spit in front of the opposite sex. Putting salt on a railroad track may be punishable by death. You cannot chain your alligator to a fire hydrant. You may not drive barefooted. You may not have an ice cream cone in your back pocket at any time. Alaska In Alaska it is illegal to whis... More About: Laugh
"Tip of the Week" - Check out ABA Tech Show Summary from Law.com
2008-03-22 14:31:00 I wasn't able to go to the ABA tech show this year but I have every intention of going next year. While many have posted on their experiences this piece from Law.com gives you a good (if not all inclusive) round up as well as the links to many of the speakers and blog postings. You can also find a nice write up from Allison Shields of LegalEase Consulting about the value of attending (the right) conferences to help with connectivity here which includes more links to fellow attendees who are well known in the blogging world for their particular areas of expertise. More About: Tech , Show , Check , Week , Summary
In a Weakening Economy Will Clients Trade Big Law for Innovative Small Firm
2008-03-21 05:02:00 I related to this article, "In a Weakening Economy , Americans Swap Steak for Chicken" because less descretionary income affects all purchases, including legal services. It's called, "Trading Down."Stung by the housing slump, tightening credit terms, and rising inflation, U.S. households are finding ways to cut back, putting a damper on the consumer spending that is the driving force behind the economy. Retail sector analysts call it "trading down" when consumers seek out cheaper alternatives, and it is increasingly evident across chain stores and restaurants. Even gasoline consumption has slowed in recent weeks. "With the burdens of the housing downturn broadening under the weight of tightening financial conditions, coupled with surging energy costs, 'trading down' and 'trading in' behavior should spread, especially as the labor market weakens," But unlike cattle farmers, who will have a hard time trying to become chicken fa... More About: Trade , Small , Clients , Innovative
How To Set and Discuss Fees - Lesson #10
2008-03-17 05:02:00 Now that Solo Practice University E-zine has more than 750 subscribers, I thought I would give you another sampling of the newsletter so you can decide if you would benefit from signing up to receive it or know of others who may. This edition is called "How To Set and Discuss Fees and here is an excerpt." Setting fees for your legal services is a two-fold proposition. It isn't just learning what the going rate for legal services is, developing a standard or creative pricing strategy and then positioning yourself based upon your experience. It is also confidently being able to convey to the client the value of your services.To be competitive in the legal services marketplace you must properly price those services based upon both your demographic area and the practice area. Your fees are basically pre-determined by what the market/clientele can comfortably sustain as well as the education you provide them as to the value of your services. However, there are many sch... More About: Lesson
"Tip of the Week" - Free On-Line Law Library?
2008-03-16 05:02:00 Yes. It was inevitable. Before you spend hundreds on Lexis/Nexis or Westlaw check out Public Library of Law first:Last month, Fastcase launched what it calls the largest free law library on the Internet with the debut of the Public Library of Law(PLoL), which consolidates more than two million pages of cases. The 10-year-old Washington, D.C., company announced in November that it partnered with Public.Resource.Org to make 1.8 million pages of federal cases available in the public domain, including all Supreme Court opinions dating back to the 1757 and all U.S. appeals courts decisions dating back to 1950. That archive was made available in mid-February. The PLoL, which launched days later, includes all of those cases plus an additional 10 years of case law from all 50 states. Of course, not everything that's 'free' is free:The site’s search function works like many popular search engines, by listing the most relevant results at the top. Case citations link to oth... More About: Free , Week , On-line , Line
E-mail is a Dangerous Tool - Beware! Beware! Beware!
2008-03-13 16:02:00 Law is Cool discusses the ridiculous behavior of inexperienced and experienced lawyers (I have no doubt it extends to all professions) when it comes to the inappropriate use of e-mail in this post "Legally Rude Jerks of the Web". In this e-mail exchange, a law job recipient chooses to decline a job offer via e-mail and the exchange is incredibly embarassing on both parts. What's worse? I think the new lawyer declined the offer to go solo and this introduction to the legal community is digitzed in perpetuity. Not a way to enter the legal world in general, certainly not as a solo. You can read my thoughts on the perils of e-mail here and here. More About: Mail , Tool , E-Mail , Beware , Dangerous
High Demand and Growth Areas In the Law - Opinions
2008-03-12 14:11:00 From Law is Cool comes this blog post of opinions from Big Law to solos as to the growth practice areas for the future. Much turns on the aging of our society and technology and energy. A very nice collection of insights. Here are my thoughts on the subject if you are interested. More About: Opinions , Growth , High , Demand
The Building of Solo Practice University Continues - The Madness is Upon Me
2008-03-12 05:02:00 My Fortune Cookie told me: A few hours grace before the madness begins....again. The building of Solo Practice University is coming along very nicely. And if you are interested in learning more about Solo Practice University as well as receive progress reports you can e-mail subscribe to or RSS the construction site. But now it is time for me to take a well-deserved break from blogging before the real heavy lifting begins. So, while I may not be posting regularly over the next week or so I will be responding to e-mails and comments, just not as quickly as the norm. Also, this month is my writing debut for The Complete Lawyer (which currently has an on-line readership of more than 400,000 and growing). The March/April edition focuses on women in the law and I will be their main contributor on all matters solo. You can read my article here. I feel very privileged to be writing for this publication and to be in such esteemed and talented company. Enjoy...and I... More About: Building , Madness
Wallet Mouth? How You Spend Speaks to How You Want To Be Seen
2008-03-10 05:02:00 The title of this really cool blog Wallet Mouth and it's tag, "Your Wallet Is A Mouth. When You Spend Money, You Tell The World How You Want It To Be" speaks volumes about how and why we spend the way we spend. But more importantly, for the solo practitioner it speaks to how they want to be seen by their clients and their colleagues, friends and family and reflects their own self-image. And because being a solo practitioner is all about creating something from nothing, they get the huge bonus of really defining their presentation and image. When you work for another, you are accepting or adapting to your employer's creation and their 'image' based upon the way their wallet speaks. For instance, I've dealt with clients who intellectually understand the value of low overhead but emotionally need to go the more traditional route and will take on the associated expenses of creating a second wave law office for very sound personal reasons which have not...
Eric Turkewitz asks "What is a Solo?"
2008-03-09 06:02:00 After my recent post discussing more than 80% of private practice attorneys in New York are solos (the actual number is 83% - confession...I'm actually on vacation right now and retrieved the numbers from my memory banks) it spurred Eric Turkewitz of the New York Personal Injury Lawyer to ask the question: "What is a solo?" Eric asks: Does this mean one lawyer, and one lawyer only (along with support staff)?Or does solo mean that there may be a few associates, but 100% of the equity (and responsibility and liability) of the firm sits with one person?What definitions are used to create these stats, and what definition should be used?I'm not going to pretend I know what the "right" answer is, though I think that the element of 100% of the risk is more important than 100% of the work. This is especially true given that many solos may outsource some work when times get busy, creating a vast gray area of per diem, "of counsel," and part-time lawyers... More About: Solo
Is it the Worst Time To Be A Lawyer?
2008-03-07 06:02:00 On a listserv I frequent there was a recent question and answer session regarding whether or not it is the worst time to be a lawyer, given the economy, glut of lawyers and more. This was one response I felt compelled to answer: Worst time to be a lawyer? Not if you are in Biglaw.Now if you are planning on opening a solo practice or if you go to a marginal school, well, sure it's a bad time to be a lawyer.... But that would be the case even in the best of times.(This was my response:)Solos comprise more than 50% of all private practice attorneys in the country. In some states, like New York, they are as high as 81%. In the best of times they do well by their own standards which include, but are not limited to gross income. In the worst of times they have to rewrite their business model, consider shifting practice areas, just like BigLaw.However, they never have to worry about a pink slip at an inopportune time, (have you read the news lately) being de... More About: Lawyer , Time
"Passed the Bar - Hung A Shingle" - Gabriel Cheong
2008-03-06 06:02:00 I really love what I do! This solo, I believe, is very representative of many new lawyers, the passion, the commitment and the circumstances of today's new law graduate. Gabriel is emminently relatable. Let's cheer him on! (Note: his site will be live the week of March 10, but I wanted to give him a running start.) Guest Blogger - Gabriel Cheong, Esq. Susan, I've been reading your blog, "Passed the Bar - Hung a Shingle" and was inspired to tell you my story. I graduated law school May, 2007 and passed the MA bar on November, 2007. I opened up my solo practice the day after I passed the bar exam. This decision came out of both necessity and determination. I went to law school at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, MA. They really helped to prepare me for my solo practice work through their mandated coop program. Their coop program is an internship program that is worked into their 3-year curriculum. ...
Understanding the Psychology of the Successful Solo Practitioner
2008-03-03 06:02:00 The Financial Post has a wonderful piece titled, " Understanding the Psychology of the Successful" in which it explains the traits and characteristics unique to the individual who becomes a successful solo entrepreneur and these traits and characteristics clearly translate to the lawyer who starts her own solo practice.A recent finding of interest is that contrary to the popular conception of successful entrepreneurs being solely independent, single-minded and devoted to their unique passions, they are also characterized by high levels of social competence and social intelligence, with an ability to build relationships and to connect with others on a social and interpersonal level. As well, early research has indicated that successful entrepreneurs seem to think a bit differently from the rest of us, viewing the world and the potential risks in it through a different lens. For example, they often have a unique ability to see opportunities others fail to recognize. Or they... More About: Solo
"Tip of the Week" - Don't Join Bar Associations to Get Clients
2008-03-02 06:01:00 When I talk to new lawyers the first thing they say is, "I've signed up for 1, 2 10 bar associations so I can network, meet other lawyers, get some referrals going." Right? Wrong. Same thing for Chambers of Commerce. Do you want to try and catch a fish where all the fishermen are, drinking and eating, learning about fishing, socializing, comparing bait and giving awards for the nicest rod and reel? Or if someone catches one fish and it's too small for them or not what they normally eat, you have ten lawyers fighting for this little fish to be referred out while the referring lawyer may still keep a small piece for themself. Or do you want to go fishing where the fish are big and abundant and the fishermen scarce? If you are looking for your ideal client you want to go where the clients are many, the attorneys few. Lisa Landy of Akerman Senterfitt, a 500 lawyer firm states: Best Practice: Focus on organizations that attract and appeal to yo... More About: Join , Clients , Week , Associations
Inspiration Like Nothing I've Read - Carol Simpson
2008-03-01 02:30:00 Attorney Carol Simpson went to law school after her son died. And then she's opted to open her solo practice. This is an excerpt from her story as posted on Ms. JD.Some of this change may also go back to how I got to attend law school. Just at the time I was preparing to take the LSAT, my younger son, then 24, became ill. After three weeks in the hospital, and a few more at home, he died. Losing a child is the most horrible thing that can happen to a parent, but the day was surreal that the insurance agent came to my home to deliver a check for the proceeds of the life insurance policy I had on each of my children. What can you do with that sort of money? You certainly can’t take a vacation, or buy a car. The check sat on the coffee table for over a week. I had to recruit a friend to help me get the check in the bank before my cat chewed it up. The money sat in my bank account, an obscene reminder that a parent should never have to bury a child. I followed through that fal... More About: Inspiration , Read
Jordan Furlong - Great Information on E-Mails in the Workplace
More articles from this author:2008-02-29 21:35:00 Jordan Furlong, current Editor-in-Chief of the National Magazine of the Canadian Bar Assocation, authors an independent blog called Law21 in which he has this great post titled "The Last Days of E-mail." It is chock full of great links, too. Check it out. More About: Information , Workplace , Great , Jordan 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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