This past weekend, I came across four articles about lawyers – mostly those who’ve started their own practices – who’ve found success but nevertheless left the law for non-legal careers. There’s Noah Lippman, a 45 year old criminal defense attorney on Wall Street with his own lucrative practice who’s now a high school history
2004
Solo, But Never Alone
When you start your own practice, you may be solo but you’re never alone. You can’t be – or you won’t succeed. This article, No Lawyer Is An Island, Guy Harrison, Small Firm Business (11/29/04) highlights the necessity for solo and small firm lawyers to build relationships with others – from attorneys to support…
Jay Foonberg’s Famous Holiday Cards
Most of us solos know Jay Foonberg as the author of the solo bible, How to Start and Build a Law Practice. Who could have guessed that he’s also a purveyor of the kind of "hey, look-at-me!" holiday cards (e.g., pictures with the Pope, at the South Pole) described in this article, Holiday Card…
My Shingle Now Part of Law.com Network
As of today, My Shingle joins our fellow bloggers listed here an official member of the Law.com Blog Network. Unfortunately, we’re off to a bit of a rocky start due to server problems over on our home machine. As our regular readers can see, the current site offers only a fraction of the content…
Should NY Ban Targeted Mailings?
After last year’s Staten Island Ferry crash, lawyer ads targeting potential clients proliferated in the local news media within hours. Though banning newspaper ads would likely violate the First Amendment, New York is now considering a more narrow ban on targeted solicitations mailed to potential plaintiffs within thirty days of an incident as reported in…
Working from Home – A Viable Choice
Many lawyers resist working from home, worrying primarily about image, as in this article here. But a professional home based office is possible, as demonstrated by Nina Kallen and Lisa Solomon, the two sucessful attorneys profiled in Home Alone, Margaret Graham Tebo, ABA Journal (November 2004).
YES, YOU TOO CAN SLAY GOLIATH
Biglaw firms want clients to believe that they have the resources and brainpower to outgun smaller opponents – but that’s not always the case as reported in Want to Beat a Big Firm in Litigation? Turn its Tactics to Your Advantage, Meg Tebo, ABA Journal (November 2004). But why doesn’t more manpower necessarily translate…
DO YOU RECOGNIZE AT LEAST ONE OF THESE CLIENT-TYPES
What kind of client is your personal pleasure? Hands on or hands off? A lawyer client? A client in denial about prospects of success? Or of course, the crazy (truly crazy!) client? Those are the five types of client identified solo Kim Fanady’s recent article for Small Firm Business, entitled, Close Encounters of the…
IF YOU’RE GOING TO FORCE PRO BONO, DON’T MAKE IT EQUITABLE
For various reasons, I do not endorse mandatory pro bono requirements, even as I, personally, have made a point of taking on several pro bono matters each year during my sixteen years of practice. I just don’t think the bar can force attorneys to undertake what is a personal moral obligation. But to the extent…