Today, one of my lawyer buddies, Bob Kraft of Kraft & Associates announced on one of our mutual listserves that today marks his firm’s thirtieth anniversary. Bob could have boasted about how he’s grown his firm from a solo practice to a larger practice of around seven lawyers and more staff or how he’s kept
PartTime Shingle Ebook and Recording Ready for Release!
Julie Tower-Pierce and I are happy to announce that we’ve finally completed our 50 page ebook, The Part Time Shingle: Why Starting a Part Time Practice Can Be Done and How to Make It Work. Here’s some of the topics that the e-book covers:
-Is starting a part time shingle really feasible? [p. 2-3]
-Will
A Happy Ending to the $50K Question, Should I Solo Now?
In May 2008, I discussed a tantalizing question posed by reader who at the time was employed in a federal clerkship, after having spent two years at biglaw. He asked do I go solo now and forfeit the $50,000 clerkship signing bonus from a large firm, or take the leap into solo practice immediately after
Biglaw is Selling Connections. Can You?
In the past, I’ve recommended Meetup.com as a resource for solo and small firm lawyers seeking speaking engagements. Meetup.com makes it easy to find one of thousands of groups that meet locally and which might have an interest in hosting a legal speaker on a relevant topic.
Though I know of many solo and
Do Legal Flat Fees Encourage Freeloading?
Updated September 1, 2022
When I posted this a dozen years ago, many lawyers feared flat fees because they assumed that freeloading clients would take advantage. But there are ways to guard against that with some of the information provided in The Legal ClauseIt . But there’s another issue too: lawyers also exaggerate the freeloader
Don’t Settle for Second Place When Starting Your Law Firm
As I’ve written here previously, I’m an ardent admirer of Michelle Obama, particularly her ability to make the seamless life seem so easy. This upcoming book on the Obamas by Chris Anderson, which is intended to portray Mrs. Obama as an insolent, money-hungry shrew of a wife, makes me like her even more.
One False Move Can Cost You Your Practice…And How You Can Avoid It
This week’s news brings a couple of stories of solo and small firm lawyers who may not be practicing law much longer. First up is Rochester, New York solo Melissa Mahler, who is the subject of insider trading charges by the SEC. Back in 2004, when Mahler worked as an associate at Nixon Peabody, she
Self-Employed Lawyers Are Happiest
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported on a recent Gallup Poll which showed that even in this recession, business owners outrank ten other occupations in overall well being. The reasons aren’t surprising — they reflect the importance of freedom to choose the work you do and how you do it, say psychologists who commented
WTF? GoSoloEsq.com Is Selling MyShingle.com Resources for $29/Month!
A few weeks back, someone on one of my listserves inquired about a new site for solos, Go Solo Esq.com, which bills itself as a "virtual law office center for solos." Apparently tossed up in an effort to capitalize on the number of attorneys now considering solo practice in a weak job market, the
Can you find cash for your clients?
Are there cases that you’d avid to handle but your client can’t pay your fees? Before you send the client packing, consider whether there are ways to cover the costs of the case.
I’m not talking about litigation finance companies which can fund personal injury matters but come with their own set of perils.