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First Year Associate Leaves Big Law and Gets Former Firm as Client
2007-10-30 05:02:00 Yes, the truth is stranger than fiction but this is a great story and I got it right from the first year associate's mouth. A former student of mine (and we will keep names, etc. out of this) called me... More About: Year , Leaves , Associate , Client , Aves
Why Solos and Small Firms Need Good PR
2007-10-29 11:34:00 Guest Blogger: Paramjit Mahli This is the second part of my series of guest blog posts that Susan has kindly asked me to write on. This blog post will focus on the importance of public relations in law firm marketing.... More About: Small , Good , Solos , Firms
"Tip of the Week" - Back Up Your Blog!
2007-10-28 05:02:00 This week I realized I've never backed up my blog with nearly a year of content and hard work (435 posts!)because, quite frankly, I never thought about it. Now I realize this is no longer an option. If you have... More About: Blog , Back , Week , Back-up
Can Saying "I'm Sorry" to a Client Create More Income For You?
2007-10-26 06:02:00 There was an interesting study conducted relating to income and one's ability to say, "I'm sorry." It showed those who are more inclined to apologize for behaviors when at fault were more likely to earn more income. When Zogby's researchers... More About: Income , Create , Client , Sorry
Another Big Law Defector Goes Solo - Lizz Patrick
2007-10-24 12:25:00 Another Big Law defection for all the right reasons: Lizz Patrick of Georgia goes solo. These excerpts are borrowed liberally from the New York Law Journal On Line (free subscription) but you will get the gist of why this talented... More About: Solo , Goes
Build A Solo Practice - Have You Laid Your Foundation?
2007-10-22 17:41:00 The Greatest American Lawyer has just posted a terrific thinking piece called "What Will You Build On Your Foundation ? When you Build A Solo Practice you must first lay that foundation for the future based upon who you are and... More About: Dati
How Solos Can Grab A Piece of "Chindia" - Guest Blogger, Paramjit Mahli
2007-10-22 06:02:00 At a recent conference I met a stunningly intelligent and thoughtful woman named Paramjit Mahli of Sun Communications Group, native to India, reared in England and now a resident of New York, who works with all sized law firms across... More About: Blogger , Guest , Piece , Grab , Solos
"Tip of the Week" - Target Marketing by Demographics
2007-10-21 06:02:00 I stumbled across a program in beta called Zipskinny which can really help your targeted marketing efforts. Based upon the U.S. Census it will breakdown by zipcode ethnicity, population, income, educational level, gender, marital status and more. Just enter your... More About: Marketing , Week , Target , Demographics , Demographic
Typosquatting & Cybersquatting Can Impact Your Solo Practice and Good N
2007-10-19 06:02:00 Typosquatting is the registering of a domain name with a deliberate typo in it, a common typo, to redirect another's potential visitor to one's own site. Outside the legal realm, a famous typosquatter, one who is sitting in jail for... More About: Practice , Solo , Good , Cybersquatting , Typos
Another Harvard Law Grad Says, "Why Didn't Law School Teach Me How
2007-10-18 06:02:00 I ran across this article in the Harvard Record from new lawyer Ryan Alexander who chose to hang a shingle with two others upon graduation in 2007. He is now officially a partner in the law firm of Alexander, Odunze... More About: Law School , School
How to Close a Client - Getting Them to 'Yes"
2007-10-15 06:02:00 So often we forget the initial consultation with a client is in essence your one-on-one opportunity to 'close the sale.' So, let's step out of our legal shoes for a moment and walk through a successful salesperson's sales call. There... More About: Close , Client
"Tip of the Week" - Update Your Contact List With One Click
2007-10-14 06:02:00 I left the 2nd Annual Solo and Small Firm Conference with so much information from the tech gurus I had to share some of the neat little tips and programs they shared which hopefully will make your life easier. So,... More About: Contact , Click , List , Update , Week
"You Ask...I Answer" - I'm Still In Law School. Should I Be Blogging?
2007-10-12 04:01:00 This question fresh in from a law student who wonders the following: What if you're not practicing yet? I'll be taking the bar in Feb, and although I kinda like the idea of a blog (I just started one, but... More About: Law School , Answer , Blogging , School
2nd Annual Solo & Small Firm Conference Was a Success
2007-10-10 21:42:00 Boy, did I have fun in Philadelphia at the 2nd Annual Solo and Small Firm Conference . It was great to meet so many wonderful solo lawyers, consultants, students who were so generous with their knowledge and time. Amazingly absent were... More About: Success
The Billable Hour "Cockroach" is Being Exterminated....One Law Fi
2007-10-09 01:50:00 (UPDATE: 10/9/07 Meet Jay Shepherd, who authors the Gruntled Employee and read his post on how since he abandoned the billable hour his revenues have doubled!) A Boston based law firm has taken the unusual step of banning the billable... More About: Hour , Term , Nate , Mina
Win a Free Blawgging Course from "Blawg for Profit"
2007-10-08 02:38:00 The long awaited Blawg for Profit products and services are kicking off with a bang as you can win a free Blawg For Profit package just by leaving a comment on the Blawg For Profit website by Thursday October 11th... More About: Free
"Tip of the Week" - Learn How Your Website Ranks
2007-10-07 06:02:00 I found a neat little website called Marketleap. This website lets you know where website ranks with your competition, how your key search words are or are not working and if your site is placed within the top three pages... More About: Website , Week , Learn , Ranks
Going Solo is Challenging, Not Impossible
2007-10-05 06:02:00 I've recently had a slew of e-mails from soon-to-be lawyers or new lawyers who want to create their own solo practice and are just looking for advice. Most e-mails contain stories of not being in the top tier, they are... More About: Solo , Impossible , Going , Goin , Halle
Hi Ho, Hi Ho...It's Off to Philly I Go!!
2007-10-03 17:21:00 I've been looking forward to the ABA GP/Solo Convention, 2nd National Solo and Small Firm Conference in Philadelphia this Thursday, Friday and Saturday just to meet so many of those I have become friendly with this past year as a... More About: Philly
If You Are An Expert Should You Advertise You Are?
2007-10-01 17:41:00 Are you an expert? And if you are, is it self-proclaimed or do others acknowledge you as such? I recently was engaged in a listserv conversation regarding expert status and whether you should advertise you are an expert. I personally... More About: Expert , Advertise , Vert , Pert
"Tip of the Week" - Speaking Slowly To Be Perceived As More Intel
2007-09-30 06:02:00 "We have alot to say and only a short time in which to say it. The natural tendency is to try to pack in as much as we can. But communication is not about the number of things we say, it's about the number of things that are understood. Good speakers master a practice that is simple but powerful: they speak more slowly than others." David Niven, Ph.D.Many of us, in a bid to attract more clients, have attempted to put on seminars targeted to our defined prospective clientele. We also rush through our presentations to potential clients during the initial interview, trying to impress and persuade with our expertise. But not all of us understand how to speak to an audience or client. We are nervous, feel it is about getting out tons of information in a finite period of time in order to impress these prospects with how much we know. Actually, it's not. Speaking is about engaging the audience/client, relating to this audience/client... More About: Intel , Week
Law Student Bloggers - You Can Earn $10,000 Scholarship
2007-09-28 19:14:00 If you are in Law School, run don't walk to a blogging platform and start blogging! You could be eligible for a $10,000 Scholar ship . Details here. And of course, hat tip to my favorite Ed. at Blawg Review. More About: Student , Earn , Bloggers
"You Ask...I Answer - Should I Hire Law Students?
2007-09-27 06:02:00 This question has come from a gainfully employed lawyer who is looking to start his/her own practice soon so I will not disclose his/her name. They write:Hi Susan, You may have blogged about this in the past, but I was wondering what your thoughts are about using law students as part-time help (either paid or unpaid) for a solo practice? Of course, it depends on the quality and commitment of the particular law student. But, in general, do you think this could be an effective way to get help with cases (especially investigation, research, and document discovery) before one's practice has grown enough to be able to hire a full-time paralegal or associate? Any thoughts and reactions would be very much appreciated.This is a great question for many reaons. First, from an experiential perspective for students, I would like to see more solos and small firms step up and look to these soon-to-be lawyers as a resource. You develop a mentor/mentee re... More About: Hire , Students , Answer
Law School Not A Ticket To Printing Money
2007-09-24 04:05:00 Here is a very sobering article from the Wall Street Journal's Emir Efrati which finally exposes through real numbers that law school graduates are not getting the promised jobs, the six-figure incomes or the professional prestige once associated with law school. Law school is a low cost, high-return money maker for universities and they are luring students in with promises and not delivering the goods..except for the top few at the top tier schools. On the supply end, more lawyers are entering the work force, thanks in part to the accreditation of new law schools and an influx of applicants after the dot-com implosion earlier this decade. In the 2005-06 academic year, 43,883 Juris Doctor degrees were awarded, up from 37,909 for 2001-02, according to the American Bar Association. Universities are starting up more law schools in part for prestige but also because they are money makers. Costs are low compared with other graduate schools and classrooms can be large. Since ... More About: Law School , Money , School , Ticket , Printing
"Tip of the Week" - Furnishing Your Office from Freecycle.org
2007-09-23 06:02:00 Furnishing your office doesn't have to cost you much at all...possibly nothing. If you haven't heard of freecycle.org you are missing out on one of life's best kept secrets. Freecycle.org is an organization which has exploded, thanks to the internet, with more than 4000 groups/chapters and nearly 4 million members worldwide. You've heard the cliche, 'one man's trash is another mans' treasure?" Freecycle.org recognized you could have a perfectly good desk you are replacing, don't want to put the old desk on e-bay, or advertise it in the paper, or transport it yourself to your ungrateful sister who probably doesn't want it anyway. But you don't know what to do with it. It's got to go. Well, post it on freecycle.org as an OFFER through your local chapters and you will get many other freecyclers ready and willing and able to take it off your hands...basically 'free' - recycling of good quality merchandise. The rules of the game: ... More About: Office , Week , Nish
Going Solo; Confessions and Inspirations - Tessa Shepperson
2007-09-21 06:02:00 This week in we have a solo practitioner from Norwich, England, UK who caught my eye several months ago when she wrote this blogpost. Knowing she was a solo practitioner I knew she would tell a great story...and we learn the issues and feelings of working in Big Law and the emotional motivations to become a solo practitioner are not limited to lawyers in the United States. And she has also successfully parlayed her expertise into 'membership only' income with her unique skill set. So, I introduce you to Tessa Shepperson, solicitor. Hi, my name is Tessa Shepperson. I am a solicitor and sole practitioner across the pond in Norwich, England, UK. Here is my story. I qualified in 1990 after doing the practical stage of my training (then called articles) in a medium sized firm in Norwich, and was asked to stay on in their litigation department. It is a lovely firm and initially I was very happy. However gradually I began to feel dissatisfied, although I was not really su... More About: Confessions , Solo , Going , Goin
If You Are Considering A Home Office - One More Reason to Say, "Yes!"
2007-09-19 13:46:00 The average American wastes nearly 40 hours per year stuck in traffic (that's not the normal commute...this is in addition to the commute!) and that's just to work...not optional driving.The nation's drivers languished in traffic delays for a total of... More About: Office , Home , Reason , Home Office , Consider
Lacking Confidence As a Solo? Sing Opera
2007-09-18 06:02:00 I have often heard the phrase, "Get your clients to expect less then 'wow' them with so much more." While I understand underselling expectations and then blowing them away with your skills and five star customer service, part of me... More About: Opera , Solo , Confidence , Sing , Lack
What Do New Lawyers Earn?
2007-09-17 21:16:00 It's the eternal question. Hat tip to Law Student.tv for bringing us the NALP report showing salaries from 1992 to 2006 from firms of 2-10 up to 500+ with salaries ranging from $50,000 to $135,000. Of course, noticeably absent are... More About: Lawyers , Earn
Blawg Review #126 - Reminding Us As A Solo Practitioner You are Running a S
More articles from this author:2007-09-17 20:55:00 Anita Campbell over at Small Business Trends gets down to business with Blawg Review #126. Why is a business site hosting a law blog roundup? I’ve expressed my opinion before that “businesspeople can be better at business by learning more... More About: Running , Solo , Remi 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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