A recent article in The Atlantic asks: Is There Such a Thing as an Affordable Lawyer?. A provocative title, but how accurate is it? And how useful are most of the suggested solutions —- which involve automating services or forcing solos and smalls to offer reduced rates and eliminating the “guild mentality” which of
2014
Summer Session: Paid Back Up Writing Gig At MyShingle
I’ll be away from MyShingle from mid-June through July 4 weekend. But I can’t let the blog lie fallow for that long a period. So I’m looking for between one and three writers to help fill the gap while I’m gone.
I’m interested in writings on all topics related to solo and small firm practice:…
Unethical Conduct, But Fee Splitting Is the Least of It
A recent Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Committee (ARDC), reported here misses the point. The ARDC charged a solo estate planning attorney with ethics violations for splitting fees with a non-lawyer financial planner over a five year period between 2007 and 2012. During that time, the financial planner hosted six seminars each year, referring approximately…
Is Your Jurisdiction Wasting Money to Make the Ethics of the Cloud Clear?
Last week, Bob Ambrogi posted an updated roundup of state ethics decisions — 17 to date – that clear the cloud for use by lawyers. But while I appreciate the bars’ efforts, they’re a poor use of resources.
For starters, every one of those 17 ethics decisions says roughly the same thing. Lawyers can use…
Want to Lower the Cost of Legal Services? Let’s Ditch Trust Accounts.
Last month over at Attorney at Work, practice management consultant Peggy Gruenke shared her Mini-Checklist for Trust Account Management. Gruenke’s list is an exhaustive compilation of the do’s and don’ts and best practices for trust account management and therein lies the problem. Because in a digital age when most firms accept electronic payments…
Does Doing Work That’s Hard Work for Solos Seeking to Grow?
Marketing god Seth Godin recently urged his audience to take up the challenge of doing what’s hard:
In an industrial setting, the obvious plan is to seek out the easy work. You’re more likely to get it done with less effort and then move on[…] Today, though, it’s the difficult work that’s worth doing. It’s…
Planning for the Unexpected
Today, MyShingle is pleased to host this guest post by Roy Ginsburg. Other posts authored by Roy at MyShingle are available here.
A frequent complaint of solo practitioners is that since they are alone and in charge, it is difficult to get away for a vacation. But somehow, most seem to manage by…
Lessons for Small Firms From Mom-and-Pop Retailers on How to Beat Big Competitors
Last week, I wrote about how the rise of large health networks in the medical profession is making it harder for independent doctors to compete – and pondered whether solos and smalls might face the same fate potentially from the growth of branded lawyer networks. Of course, that’s not the only source of competition for…
Ideas for Complying With the Legal Professional Code From Computer Coders
A couple of weeks ago, I embarked on the long journey of learning and mastering computer code for several reasons. First, as I approach a milestone birthday (and work through the concomitant midlife crisis), I’ve felt compelled to try something new. Second, since I so frequently criticize many of the legal tech startups for not…
Tips For Solo Lawyers, Courtesy of Our Freelance Cousins
In many respects, we solo and small firm lawyers have more in common with freelancers than the big firm attorneys who set the bar associations’ agendas. Frequently, when foraging for blog fodder, I find the advice, tips and trends covered at freelance or tech start-up sites are more compelling and relevant than what’s available at…