
Sorry for the silence here at My Shingle – I’ve been on a long awaited vacation this week (and here’s the proof!). I know that many bloggers often leave a stock of blog posts to auto-post while they’re away, but I prefer real time postings (anything else is too much like a newspaper article to
Ideas & Tips
The ABA Gets It Right
Under the leadership of reasonably new ABA Journal editor Ed Abrams, the ABA has finally provided a really useful product with the newly launched, online ABA Journal. The site makes ABA Journal articles and legal news available, and also contains one of the best topical blawg directories that I’ve ever seen. I realize…
How NOT to Handle a Mistake
It’s something that all of us practicing lawyers dread: we file a case, and it’s lost or somehow misplaced at the court, resulting in a missed statute of limitations. So if you find yourself in this situation, do you (a) try to appeal the dismissal of the case, arguing that the clerk erred; (b) ‘fess…
The Asking Bird Catches the Worm, er, Client
I’m not sure how I overlooked this gem that Dan Hull of What About Clients which asks why are lawyers so shy when it comes to asking for work. In Hull’s experience, his pitch to clients, which concludes with “we’d love to work with you. How can I win or earn your business” typically wins…
Summary of Ms.JD at Susan Cartier-Liebel’s Site
I can’t add anything except a big “me too!” to Susan Cartier-Liebel’s exhaustive summary of the recent Ms. JD conference held at Yale Law School yesterday. The conference gave me a chance to finally meet Susan and reconnect with Lisa Solomon, Brandy Karl and, briefly, Cathy Kirkman whom I’d met previously.
[Update] Lisa Solomon…
If I solo out of school, do I pick the cheaper law school?
Q: I’m only applying to law school now, but I am hoping to open up my own general practice as soon as I graduate. Here is my situation: I am fairly sure that I will be admitted to a law school in the city where I am intent on living and opening my firm (School…
Even the Best Lawyers Have Bad Days – But They Know How To Cover When They Do
Perhaps the greatest fear that I hear from most shinglers-to-be is the fear making mistakes. For example, many lawyers contemplating solo practice, whether fresh out of school or after a tenure at biglaw, have never argued a motion, filed a complaint or taken a deposition (sometimes they’ve never even observed others doing it). They’re afraid…
Good Tip From A New Solo Blogger
There’s a new solo blogger on the block – Susan Cartier-Liebel and today, she offers a simple, but important tip – don’t quit if you want your practice to succeed.
The best time to start….
Seth Godin has some great advice on the best time to start a firm: maybe last year, maybe never. But the second best time is now. So go for it (and read Godin’s entire post).
The Best Reason Not To Believe The “Experts”
Over at Lex Blog, Kevin O’Keefe posts about some of the negative reaction to his earlier discussion about how younger lawyers are using MySpace for advertising. Seems that some marketing experts don’t find MySpace a sufficiently dignified or suitable marketing tool.
While I find much value in the advice that practice management advisors and…