My Shingle

November 2007

$42 Million Fee – Inherently Unreasonable? That Depends, But Here, It Was

November 30, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

Over at Legal Blog Watch, I’ve posted my view on the $42 million fee collected by a law firm in a multi-million dollar estate matter. Basically, the lawyers originally had a fee agreement with the client; when she found her legal fees mounting (to the tune of $1 million per quarter), she asked her lawyers [...]

Read more Ethics & Malpractice Issues 1 comment

MyShingle Named in ABA’s Blawg 100

November 28, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

MyShingle has been named as one of the ABA Journal’s Top 100 Blawgs. I’ve placed my badge of honor in the sidebar to the left. My blog is included the in the category of Lawyer’s Toolkit, whatever that means, and if you’re so inclined, you can click on this link to vote for my blog. [...]

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What With Biglaw Layoffs and Rate Hikes, 2008 Will Be A Banner Year for Solos

November 28, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

Two factors are conspiring to make 2008 a break out year for starting a law firm. Factor 1: rapidly weakening credit and financial markets are causing law firms like McKee Nelson to offer voluntary severance packages to associates and leading other firms Thacher Profitt to give notice of impending layoffs. Factor 2: rapidly increasing hourly [...]

Read more Big Law/Small Law 0 comments

UPDATE – CONF. CALL # NOW AVAILABLE: – Come Celebrate With Me…Join My Business Building Accountability Club

November 26, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

As 2007 draws to a close, I’m anticipating my 5th Anniversary of blogging at MyShingle and the long awaited release of my book, Solo by Choice: How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be. Yet, while I’m in the mood to celebrate, at the same time, I find that I still have a [...]

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What Does A Sample Invoice Look Like?

November 26, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

I realize that these days, alternative billing is all the rage – and I too am a proponent of alternatives to the billable hour. Still, there are times when you have to resort to the billable hour, either at the insistence of a client, or under some of the guidelines for submitting a fee petition [...]

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The Rich Choose Solo and Small Firm Lawyers

November 20, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

Worth Magazine just published a list of the top hundred lawyers who serve some of the nation’s wealthiest individuals, with net worths ranging from $2 million to $200 million. (H/T ABA Journal News). The wealth of these lawyers’ clients ranges from In particular, the editors sought out “lawyers with great tact, discretion and stellar interpersonal [...]

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Blogging for the Long Haul

November 16, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

My buddy Kevin O’Keefe is raising a toast to America’s blogging lawyers and their “dedication to learn, exchange information, and market themselves in an upbeat and professional way.” But there’s another part of Kevin’s post that caught my eye – the line where he adds that “Blogging lawyers, age 35, are going to be blogging [...]

Read more Legal Profession Trends 6 comments

Using Law Students to Power Your Blog: Win-Win for Everyone

November 16, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

When it comes to ghostwriting law blogs, the majority view within the blawgosphere is “don’t.” (For the precedent on this, see these selected opinions at Death and Taxes; f/k/a; Georgia Bankruptcy Blog; Home Office Lawyer and Simple Justice). At the same time, we all recognize that content makes a blog valuable to readers. So what [...]

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Hey, McKee Nelson Associates – There’ll Never Be A Better Opportunity Than Now to Start Your Own Law Firm

November 13, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

Thanks to a lemon of a credit market, associates at McKee Nelsonhave the opportunity to make a huge vat of life-changing lemonade. Above the Law’s David Lat is reporting here that NY/DC based McKee Nelson, in an effort to avoid economically-induced, forced associate layoffs, is offering associates two options: (1) a full bonus, plus four [...]

Read more Big Law/Small Law 4 comments

Score By Using SCORE For Your Practice

November 13, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

This week, Duct Tape Marketing features a post about SCORE, a non-profit association dedicated to entrepreneur formation, growth and education. Among its many services, SCORE can match you up with a counselor who can help with your business plan or advise on other issues related to getting a business off the ground. What most lawyers [...]

Read more Marketing & Making Money 2 comments

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