With so many different online products and services available for potential use in practice, I generally don’t investigate them until I have a need. Make that a pressing need. I have been known to sign up for and learn to use a service just a couple of hours before I need it, which can wreak
Why Saying “You Didn’t Build That” Stings Start Up and Solo Lawyers
I’m willing to give President Obama the benefit of the doubt that he didn’t intend to trivialize the accomplishments of small business with his controversial you didn’t build that speech. Still, for solo and start up lawyers, the President’s words sting.
While there are plenty of solo lawyers who embraced the concept of hanging
Ohio Lawyer Kathleen Havener Launches Woman2Woman Referral Network
Up until this month, if you were looking to hire or refer a woman lawyer, finding one wouldn’t have been as easy as you might think. At one time, the ABA’s Litigation Section Woman’s Advocate Committee maintained a referral network but no longer does. And as I posted here, NAMWOLF, an association for women
From Quote to Contract: Online Proposal Generators
So, I’ve been thinking and teaching about the 21st Century Retainer Agreement (for those who attended the last event, the ebook is coming soon; for those who missed it, we’re scheduling another webinar in August), specifically ways to streamline the drafting process. Flat fee or one-off retainer agreements aren’t all that tough (my upcoming ebook
Late Nights With Maury [Maurice Sendak]
Today’s NYT Obituary pays tribute to Maurice Sendak as the children’s author who “wrenched the picture book out of the safe, sanitized world of the nursery and plunged it into the dark, terrifying and hauntingly beautiful recesses of the human psyche.” Maybe so from a critical perspective, but not for those of us who listened
Advice on Giving Legal Advice
When does educational marketing cross the line into legal advice?
In an era of increased consumer hunger for information online and the rise of crowdsourced advice sites, understanding what types of communications constitute legal advice is a critical matter — and one which Brian Tannebaum addresses at My Law License. Brian’s post has
How Online Bytes Enhance Offline Bonds
Last week, my older daughter attended her first Sweet Sixteen while my younger one prepared to audition for the school play. Our house was abuzz with giggles and shrieks of excitement and supportive encouragement as my older daughter tried on dresses for her friends and plotted about gifts and gossiped, while my younger one sang
Should You Ever Play the Solo Card?
For solo and small firm lawyers who routinely battle big law, there’s often a temptation to play the solo card. In other words, to seek special dispensation from court rules and practices in light of solos’ more limited time and resources. Some lawyers believe that playing the solo card is justified as a way to
Why Does NAMWOLF, An Association for Women & Minority Lawyers Exclude Solos?
Legal excellence knows no color or gender, reads the tagline for the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF). Unfortunately, NAMWOLF’s egalitarian notion of legal excellence doesn’t extend to size: shockingly, NAMWOLF bars women and minority owned solo and two-attorney practices from even applying for membership .
For an organization that professes
Lessons from Crowdsourced Advice for a Struggling Solo
Ten days ago, in an effort to reply quickly to a struggling solo who’d contacted me for advice, I reached out to readers to crowdsource a response. The post touched off 40 comments, some offering sound advice to a solo in these circumstances, others not so much. The comments also spawned several sub-discussions on what’s