Solo practice can be a risky business. Even a three month suspension by a Grievance Committee wreaks damage far beyond the duration of the penalty. Once suspended, solos must inform clients of their status and pass their files on to colleagues. They cannot market and they cannot work on legal matters for other lawyers. When
Ethics & Malpractice Issues
Why I Won’t Change My “Specialties” Listing on Linked-In
This past month, both Eric Mazzone, North Carolina’s law practice management expert and blogger at Law Practice Matters and the Illinois State Bar Association advise lawyers against filling in the “specialties” box on Linked-In without including some nerdy little caveat like “My state bar does not recognize specializations” or “I am not a certified specialist”…
The Other Side of the Story on The Lawyer Who Represented Himself
Last week, I posted here about Denver lawyer, Mark Brennan, harshly criticizing him for representing himself in a before a disciplinary board that is threatening to pull Brennan’s license for doing nothing more than zealously representing his client and achieving an outstanding result. In the post, I agreed that the Board’s complaint was unjustified, but…
Why Is This Lawyer Representing Himself At A Disciplinary Proceeding?
IMPORTANT – POST UPDATED HERE –The Other Side of the Story
By all accounts, Denver lawyer Mark Brennan was treated badly. Last year, he won a verdict for his client in federal court, only to have it snatched away by the judge, as a sanction for Brennan’s inappropriate and outrageous conduct during the trial. Though…
Why the Devil’s in the Details of Ethics Rules When You Start A Law Firm and Why That Needs To Change
I’d love to be able to share the specifics about how to start and run a law firm for every jurisdiction in the country. In part, that was the reason behind MyShingle’s The Bars, Reviewed which summarizes the benefits for solos and small firms offered by the 50 bars and the ABA and provides quick…
Is Biglaw Planning on Changing the Rules of The Game?
Boo-hoo for biglaw. Unable to cope with the economic downturn, biglaw may now try to change the rules of the game. Over at Ideoblog, Professor Larry Ribstein faults ethics rules such as the prohibition on non-compete agreements and non-lawyer investment in law firms and conflicts of interest requirements. For example, Ribstein says that because…
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…
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…
Should the Law Marketing Message Fit the Medium?
Lawyers sell advice and legal services. So should lawyer marketing focus on, or educate clients about what lawyers provide – or try to identify ways to get in front of prospective clients for any reason. That’s the question that law marketer Russ Lawson considers in this post which discusses a 99 cent/gallon gas promotion by…
If It Sounds Too Good To Be True….
For Robyn Glassman-Katz, the gig with lemon law firm, Kimmel and Silverman must have seemed like nirvana; an opportunity for a lawyer with limited consumer law experience to run a branch office of a nationally known law firm. Likewise, Kimmel and Silverman must have believed that it hit the jackpot when it found Glassman-Katz, a…