My Shingle

October 2005

What I Did Today

October 29, 2005 by Carolyn Elefant

Well, readers, here’s what I did today to fill my stomach:  spent a great fall day at a farm with my girls.  And since I’m posting pictures, I couldn’t resist including the second photo of my other girl, our deaf and shorn Old English Sheepdog puppy Francesca aka Frisky.

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Disbarred Lawyer Fights Back

October 29, 2005 by Carolyn Elefant

We always read those scary stories about lawyers getting suspended or disbarred.  Did you ever wonder what happens to them?  This article, Lawyer Fights Back from Disbarment, NYT (10/30/2005) reports on former solo David Dean who 15 years ago was earning seven figure income as a successful plaintiffs’ attorney.  But when Dean got tied up [...]

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Practicing Law on a Full Stomach

October 29, 2005 by Carolyn Elefant

This month’s issue of GP Solo has a great article, If Esq. Ain’t Happy, Ain’t Nobody Happy by Robin Page West (who I wrote about in The Accidental Practice).  The article makes the point that our clients need us lawyers as much for emotional support as for legal expertise – and if that unless we [...]

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Have We Reached The Solo Practice Tipping Point?

October 29, 2005 by Carolyn Elefant

Macolm Gladwell’s tipping point phenomenon is probably way over-referenced, and yet I can’t help but wonder whether the idea of solo practice is reaching a tipping point in the legal profession.  Indicators abound everywhere.  Consider: the proliferation of solo and small firm blogs (by solos or bar law practice management folks) on small firm practice [...]

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Solutions to Technology Distractions

October 29, 2005 by Carolyn Elefant

Both David Giacalone and Greatest American Lawyer offers some suggestions here and here for minimizing the technology distractions that impede our productivity, which I posted on earlier here.  GAL suggests techniques like blocking off time for working on briefs, taking a break from the computer screen and customizing cell phone messages so that we don’t [...]

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A Reprise on Solo and Small Firm Bloggin

October 25, 2005 by Carolyn Elefant

In honor of Matt Homann’s and Dennis Kennedy’s upcoming Blawg Think, I’m reposting a link to the What Blogs Can Do For Solos and Small Firms that I designed and presented along with Jerry Lawson at the Maryland State Bar Association Solo Day Conference back in November 2003.  Though the presentation is coming up on [...]

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Did You Ever Work All Day And Feel Like You’ve Done Nothing?

October 24, 2005 by Carolyn Elefant

Have you ever left the office feeling exhausted after a hectic day where it seemed as if all you did was talk on the phone and respond to emails?  Whenever that happens to me, I’m inclined to blame myself for lacking the focus or discipline to stick to task.  But truth is, apparently, the difficulty [...]

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Toot Your Own Horn

October 24, 2005 by Carolyn Elefant

You can work round the clock, but it’s not going to help you advance unless your colleagues know what you do.  That’s the message of this article, Bragging is the Key to Getting Ahead (10/2005).  The same is true for law practice.  If you tell prospective referrals what you can do and what you’ve done [...]

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Making Real Money At A Virtual Firm

October 24, 2005 by Carolyn Elefant

This article, Virtual Law Inc. reports on Hawaii shingler Greg Kim, a former biglaw partner who’s now practicing law with his way while still earing the same salary.  So how does Kim’s practice differ from the traditional law firm?  Here’s how: Instead of ranks of associates to do his bidding — and to rack up [...]

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Are You Stuck in A Rut?

October 24, 2005 by Carolyn Elefant

In this article, Clearing the Cobwebs, (Meg Tebo, ABA Journal, October 2005), solos share some ideas on what they do to get unstuck.  Solutions include working the New York Times crossword puzzle, surfing the web, seeing a matinee and restarting the day by eating breakfast.  The last one sound odd, but Barbara Kessler, who recommends [...]

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