As another year draws to a close, do you find yourself thinking about hanging out your own shingle? Perhaps the thought occurred to you the other night while you were polishing up a brief, wishing that you — not the partner who isn’t at all familiar with the case — were going to argue it.
This Solo Has No Problem With Avvo
For a few days now, the blogosphere has been abuzz with news of the dismissal of a class action lawsuit against lawyer directory and rating service, Avvo and the subsequent Wall Street Journal’s endorsement of Avvo. These events evoked an impassioned post by respected solo-centric blogger Susan Cartier Liebel, who argues that Avvo’s rating
Another Contest: Law Is Stranger Than Fiction
My sister sent me this notice about a legal fiction writing contest sponsored by SEAK, a company that provides seminars and training for expert witnesses, lawyers and medical professionals. Either short stories or a novel excerpt of 2500 words or less qualify for submission. Entries are due March 31, 2008.
Get Yourself Noticed: Go Forth and Comment!
So, guess who won the Wall Street Journal Law Blog’s Lawyer of the Year contest? No, it wasn’t Alberto Gonzales (the ABA’s first choice , until it changed its mind, or Clarence Thomas or even the overly litigious Roy Pearson who spawned dozens of bad puns about lawyers suing the pants off businesses. Nope. As
A Round Up of Opportunities for Solo and Small Firms
Here’s a quick round up of some opportunities for solo and small firm lawyers.
Check out Susan Cartier-Liebel’s contest, So You Want to Fly Solo. The contest, which is open to all lawyers – “newly minted or well seasoned,” and current and/or wannabe solos, offers a two hour consult (value: priceless) with Susan as
Talk About Hypocrisy: Doesn’t the Bar Have Anything Better To Do Than Go After a $35/Hr. Contract Attorney?
With billing fraud rampant at major law firms, guess who the Illinois disciplinary committee decided to prosecute? Was it the the partners at a
Chicago office of a national firm, whose own colleague shined a light on overbilling? Nah – that’s too large a target. Why not go after the smallest possible potato
Lombardi’s Response to My Post on Listserves
Earlier today in this post, I described my disagreement with Iowa personal injury attorney Steve Lombardi’s complaints about misuse of listserves. Lombardi has now weighed in with a responsehere.
Lombardi raises one issue to which I gave short shrift: that lawyers should not blindly rely on advice offered on listserves without
…and this is how it looks….
It’s not going to be available until January 7, 2008, but you can preorder and get some more details here. In the meantime, this is how it looks!
Listserves: The Problem or the Solution For Improving Lawyer Competency?
When I’m asked to list the resources that have helped improve my competency as a lawyer, I’d place blogs and listserves high on the list. In particular, the guidance that I’ve received from that mother-of-all-solo-listserves, Solosez has helped me tackle issues far more effectively than I could have on my own, while other feedback has
I Hope That This Hillman Article on Client Choice Isn’t Intended to Create More Hurdles for Shinglers-to-Be
Under legal ethics principles, a clients’ right to the attorney of their choosing trumps even the economic interest of the firm representing the client. For that reason, firms cannot force lawyers to enter into non-compete agreements or impose onerous restrictions that would prevent a client from following a departing attorney to another firm or to