It’s always inspiring to learn about a solo who snags a plum client in a well-publicized case. But the accomplishment is even sweeter when the solo beats out a major law firm that – get this – was willing to work for free.
Though this kind of scenario doesn’t occur as frequently as many solo
Currently, there’s a cross-blog debate raging over the sustainability of the virtual law practice, with Jay Fleishman, Susan Cartier Liebel, Richard Granat of Direct Law (a MyShingle sponsor) and David Bilinsky all weighing in. Take a look at all of the posts to see the wide array of opinions on virtual legal services.
Sometimes, a new concept emerges that’s never been done before because no one ever thought of it. That’s called innovation. But other times, there’s reason that the new concept hasn’t been done before: because it’s a downright stupid idea. Unfortunately, many lawyers can’t tell the difference between innovation and idiocy, which is the only explanation
Last month, I posted this form seeking information on your favorite gifts to give to clients and referral sources, as well as gifts that you’d like to receive. The topic of giving gifts versus sending thank yous generated some healthy discussion in the comments – and in fact, if a written note is your preferred
Typically, the end of the summer brings with it downtime for my practice, as most of the agencies and Congress here in DC shut down and many clients take vacation. Many years, the lull has worried me but after a crazy summer, I’m hopeful for a respite. Plus, it’s given me an opportunity to put
It came in the mail, sometime in July 2008; an innocuous slim envelope bearing the return address of Maryland’s highest court buried in a heaping pile of junk. I’d just paid my bar dues for the year and satisfied my pro bono and IOLTA reporting requirements, so I nearly tossed the letter, expecting that it
You’ve heard all of the advice on setting rates for your services before. Stuff like,
Pricing is an art, not a science.
Don’t charge less than every other lawyer in town.
Price your knowledge, not your time.
All great advice, if you only had benchmarks. But where to find them? You can ask what others
Updated September 20, 2022
Update – Back in 2011, I blogged about a young North Carolina lawyer earning $160k out of the gate in his new practice and asked whether his experience was realistic or rare. More than a decade later, I’m seeing even more new solos with similar results – maybe not a year
Should solo and small firm lawyers refer cases for a fee…or refrain? It’s question largely unique to solos. After all, when lawyers at a firm bring in business that is assigned to or handled by others, they typically receive an origination fee and may continue to collect a percentage of revenue subsequently generated by that
In Part I of this post, I highlighted the kind of unsavory freelance assignment that even struggling solo and small firm lawyers should pass right by. In this second part, I’ll describe some of the red flags that should tip you off to a scam-job.
Is the assignment posted on Craigslist or an online freelance