Back in 1999, seven months pregnant with my younger daughter, I surrendered the Washington D.C. office around the corner from the White House that I’d occupied for half a decade. Though the rent was bargain basement cheap – around $500 including the phone line – I realized that I’d only used the space a dozen
May 2008
Look Who’s Discounting Their Fees
If you’ve ever discounted your fees, either voluntarily to lure a client to your firm or involuntarily because your client ran out of cash, you’re in strong company. As I posted over at Legal Blogwatch, 76 percent of law firms discount their fees. But what’s even more interesting is that 89 percent of the…
Stumbling Into Solo Practice
Some law firms start with fancy business plans and grand visions. Others happen seemingly by accident – and yet if we look back, we can trace the result to a series of choices earlier made. In this nostalgic post, New York Personal Injury Attorney Eric Turkewitz shares how his firm was born out of…
Should I Turn Down A $50k Bonus Clerkship Bonus To Start My Own Practice?
Here’s a question from a reader of this site and Solo by Choice:
I spent two years at a large law firm and now clerk for a federal district court judge. I want to start my own practice after my clerkship concludes, but if I do, I’ll be turning down the $50k starting bonuses…
Real Life Marketing Lesson: Are You Charging Clients Like American Airlines?
Not surprisingly, many American Airlines customers expressed significant outrage over the airline’s recently announced plans to charge passengers additional fees for checking bags and for certain services related to reservations. Indeed, the news may have irked you as well. But before you start venting, ask yourself whether your billing policies “nickel and dime” your clients…
Why You Can Succeed In Starting A Firm Even If You Floundered At Your Job or In Law School
Some lawyers want to start law firms, but fear that they’ll fail either because they floundered at their previous place of employment or performed poorly in law school. If that’s where you find yourself, worry no more. According to new research, a lack of control in a job situation has a fundamental effect on…
If You Just Started a Law Firm, Hire A Summer Associate
OK, so I realize that my headline sounds crazy. After all, you just started a law firm four or six or eight months ago. You’re barely covering your expenses, you still have no idea what you’re doing, you’ve chosen – by design or necessity – to work from home so you don’t have an office…
Still Time to Win A Copy of Solo by Choice
There’s still time to download a copy of an e-book and win a copy of Solo by Choice. The contest closes May 15, 2008 (you have until midnight) and I’ll be drawing two winners on May 16, 2008. I may (or may not) do a public drawing online, but I won’t announce the winners pubicly…
What the Paul Hastings Associate’s Performance Review Shows About Law Practice
Not to draw further attention to the Paul Hastings associate, Shiyung Oh’s termination, but I’m fascinated by the new information about life at large firms that’s emerging as a result of the story. For example, the Wall Street Journal obtained a copy of Oh’s review, which showed that Oh excelled at her work, but…
Burning Bridges, Finding New Ones
In this earlier post, I criticized a Paul Hastings associates for outing the her firm for the circumstances surrounding her firing. I agreed that the firm acted boorishly, but I didn’t believe that was anything new – and felt that the associate may have burned bridges and harmed her chances for future opportunities. And…