Back in December, I had the amazing privilege of sharing a panel at Norwestern’s Fourth Annual Judicial Symposium on Civil Justice Issues with Eugene Volokh and Mark Herrmann, co-founder and former blogger at Drug and Device Law (as an aside, Herrmann’s last word as a blogger came in this article on both the pros
Ideas & Tips
How Good Solos Suffer When the Greedy Sell Out for $125 A Pop
Back in July, I denounced three Cincinnati, Ohio lawyers who shamelessly served as a front for a foreclosure solutions scam. The lawyers never met with clients (who were going to lose their homes!) or did any work on their behalf; they merely signed their name to canned pleadings prepared by a so-called foreclosure solutions company…
Sale of a Law Practice, Interview With Ed Poll & Lawyers at Midlife
Searching for fodder for blog posts, I came across this advertisement posted by a soon to be 70 year old retiring lawyer who is seeking buyers for his law practice located in Syracuse, in Hamilton County, Kansas. According to the ad there are only two other lawyers in the County, thus allowing for a…
Big Ways for Small Firms to Grow Now
A few weeks back, I posted about several innovative business models that might work for small law firms. Along those lines, yesterday’s online issue of Time Magazine offers eight quick and decidedly twenty-first century tricks to grow a business in a down economy. I’ve focused on two below.
Outsource: Outsourcing is a theme…
Solo Blogosphere Round Up
1. Lisa Solomon takes on Westlaw – It shouldn’t take a detective to figure out the answer to one single question: How much will WestlawNext cost? Yet, apparently, it does and so my friend, Lisa Solomon of Legal Research and Writing pro has been investigating. Lisa hasn’t yet figured out the price, but she’s figured…
Help, My Virtual Assistant Is Turning Me Into A Moron!
I’ve always considered myself a “practical technology user,” adept at mastering the latest and greatest on a strictly need to know basis. For example, I still can’t program a Tivo or download a movie on my ipod or operate the family Wii because I have no interest in the activities enabled by those technologies. But…
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…
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…
Law Practice Building Idea: Join a Non-Profit Board
If you’re a solo trying to break into a new practice area, beef up your existing corporate experience or learn new skills, then serving on a non-profit board may be just the ticket. This piece from Fast Company touts the many professional benefits of serving on a non-profit board which include:
1. Learn about an…
What We’ll Be Discussing At the Part Time Practice Teleseminar
As my colleague Julie Tower Pierce and I prepare for our upcoming Part Time Shingle teleseminar August 27 (click link for details and to register), we’ve decided that we’ll cram in a few more topics in addition to those discussed in this description. These include responding to questions such as:
I’m working part time,…