File this story under “What were they thinking?” That was my first reaction when I read this disciplinary decision, Cincinnati Bar Association v. Mullaney, in which three lawyers were sanctioned for partnering up with Foreclosure Solutions, a non-lawyer company which referred the lawyers foreclosure cases (yes, that’s right – cases where folks were about
2009
Handling Biglaw Practice Areas on a Budget
With many biglaw attorneys now considering solo practice, I wanted to list a couple of ideas and resources to procure biglaw practice tools on a budget. For most consumer practice areas, such as family law, bankruptcy, trusts and estates, new solos can find a cornucopia of low cost practice tools, such as pro bono training…
Legal Research for Solos: A Round-Up
Back in the dark ages when I started my firm, the only legal research options available were the library and a $600/month LEXIS subscription service, which actually had a cap on number of searches. Fast forward fifteen years and Lexis costs have declined considerably, though not as much as one might expect in light of…
Shingular Sensation Eugene Lee Vindicates Discharged Doctor With $500,000 Verdict in Employment Discrimination Case Against Kern County
JADWIN v. COUNTY OF KERN, Docket No. 1:07-CV-00026 (ED Calif) may have been Los Angeles, California employment rights solo Eugene Lee’s first jury trial (indeed, his first trial of any kind). But the $500,000+ verdict that Lee won for his client, Dr. David Jadwin — who’d been terminated from his position in retaliation for bringing…
The Lessons of Sotomayor and Associates
Fittingly, it was a solo – Eric Turkewitz – who broke the story of Supreme Court nominee, Sonya_Sotomayor‘s foray into solo practice under the firm name, Sotomayor and Associates –impermissible name under New York ethics rules given that Sotomayor did not have any associates working for her firm. The issue has created enough…
Nolo Releases Plain English Dictionary iPhone App
One of my site sponsors, Nolo has just released a cool new iPhone app – a Plain English Legal dictionary, as described in this Press Release. From the Press Release,a description of the dictionary:
Edited by a team of lawyers with expertise in all the vital areas of the law, Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary…
If Bloggers Must Disclose, Why Shouldn’t the Bar Associations?
According to this CNET post of last month (and as you’ve probably already heard), the Federal Trade Commission is planning to adopt guidelines this summer which would require bloggers to disclose any freebies, payments or other financial benefits that they receive in return for promoting a product. The proposed guidelines are available here. Since…
Boo to Billable Hours, but Hooray for this Freebie
This post at Greatest American Lawyer reminded me that I’d forgotten to announce that John Derrick of California Appeals is making his book, Boo_to_Billable_Hours available free (that’s zero billable hours!) at his site (click on the book link to access it). I reviewed the book here back in February 2008 (by the way, it’s a…
New York Bar Asks What Solos Want and Tries to Deliver
Not sure how I missed this when it first issued, but via Leonard Sienko of the NYSBA General Practice Blog, I learned about the New York State Bar Association’s Solo and Small Firm Report, issued June 18, 2009. I approached the report with some trepidation, fearful that like many others of its kind,…
Walter James, Environmental Counseling and Environmental Litigation
Though you don’t find many solos practicing in areas like environmental law, that’s Walter D. James expertise. Walter focuses his practice primarily on environmental counseling and environmental litigation, which includes civil enforcement and cost recovery litigation, criminal defense and toxic tort/property damage matters. Though the law firm is located in Grapevine, Texas, the Firm’s practice…