I’ve finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers which argues that a variety of factors, such as luck, era of birth or family support account as much for success as sheer talent. After all, what explains the break out success of certain individuals with innate talent in comparison to the mediocre performance of those equally endowed?
If
Free E-book From Biglaw to Yourlaw & Free Teleconference, December 30, 2008
UPDATE – ENCORE TELECONFERENCE from Biglaw to Yourlaw – JANUARY 9, 2009 (Thursday) at 3 pm EST. Sign up below. IF YOU HAVE ALREADY SIGNED UP YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVE INFORMATION ON THE CALL VIA EMAIL.
Given that 1762 lawyers lost their jobs in 2008 according to the Law Shucks Layoff Tracker, I decided
No Security Beats False Security Any Day: Free Teleseminar on Why Biglaw Lawyers Should Start A Firm
And so, another biglaw firm — this time, 150 year-old New York based Thacher, Profitt — comes tumbling down. But though the names may change (think Heller, Ehrman, Thelen and Brobeck.com) the circumstances are virtually identical:
Step 1: Each firm suffers some kind of economic crisis.
Step 2: Rainmaking partners panic and begin
Does Being A Lawyer Make You Want to Dance A Jig? Maybe It Will If You Start Your Own Firm?
I’ve been reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, which explores those factors that contribute to extraordinary success. Though I’m not quite finished with the book, I’ve already found so many nuggets that help explain why some lawyers who start a law firm experience wild success while others flounder. I’ll share some of these reasons after I’ve
Looking for a New Practice Area…Just Pick Up the Newspaper
May you live in interesting times… — Chinese Proverb
No doubt, today we live in interesting times, where 250 lawyer firms vanish overnight, where the legal trade press goes from an obsession with PPP (partners per profits) to LPL layoffs per law firm, and where top lawyers are pounding the pavement for work.
Lessons for Solos from Dreier LLP: If It Sounds Too Good To Be True…
With the law firm of Dreier LLP on the brink of collapse as the result of founder and sole equity partner Marc Dreier’s multi-million dollar criminal fraud, the firm’s lawyers are learning first hand that if a work situation sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Not only will many Dreier
Celebrate MyShingle’s 6th Birthday With Two Great Contests
Close to midnight six years ago, I pushed a button and with this post, launched MyShingle into cyberspace. I didn’t have a grand plan or scheme — to be honest, I hardly qualified to write a blog about solo and small firm practice. Back in 2002, Foonberg dominated solo-land as the only game in
Complete v. Cobble v. Cutting Edge: Law Practice Management in the 21st Century
[Note – post has been updated as of 12/8/08] Via Twitter, I discovered this extensive list of law office practice management and technology tools at Practicing Law in the 21st Century, the joint production of the ubiquitous Niki Black, as well as Greg Bell and Matthew Lerner. Perusing the list, I wondered: with
An Interesting Technique for Getting Legal Fees Paid: Shouldn’t Lawyers Be Better Than Mobsters?
Peter Olson’s Solo in Chicago is another one of those great, unsung blogs that’s been running for years, seamlessly marrying tips on starting a practice with Olson’s own experiences. A few days ago, Olson posted a link to an article by legal consutant Ellen Freedman from the ISBA journal (not publicly available) entitled Don’t be
Another Pitch for the Niche
I’ve posted before on the value of a niche practice to a successful law practice, but two items in today’s news make me realize that it’s time for an encore. First up, this Los Angeles Times story describes a 26 year old biglaw associate who heads a team of lawyers at a large firm —