My Shingle

December 2007

Make 2008 The Year You Start Your Law Firm

December 27, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

As another year draws to a close, do you find yourself thinking about hanging out your own shingle? Perhaps the thought occurred to you the other night while you were polishing up a brief, wishing that you — not the partner who isn’t at all familiar with the case — were going to argue it. [...]

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A Great Video Ad To End the Year:

December 26, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

I posted on this video here. In my view and for the reasons I described in that post, it’s hands down the best and most effective lawyer ad that I’ve seen this year, rivalling my favorite ad of 2006, by criminal defense attorney Allison Margolin, that I wrote about here. Lights, camera, action – are [...]

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This Solo Has No Problem With Avvo

December 25, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

For a few days now, the blogosphere has been abuzz with news of the dismissal of a class action lawsuit against lawyer directory and rating service, Avvo and the subsequent Wall Street Journal’s endorsement of Avvo. These events evoked an impassioned post by respected solo-centric blogger Susan Cartier Liebel, who argues that Avvo’s rating system [...]

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Lawyers Appreciate…Passion, Baby, Passion!

December 24, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

Yes, you read my headline correctly – lawyers appreciate passion. At least, that’s my official response to the Second Annual what do lawyers appreciate meme , for which I’ve been tagged by my friend Sheryl Schelin. My answer may surprise you. After all, we generally, we don’t associate staid lawyers with passion – unless it’s [...]

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Another Contest: Law Is Stranger Than Fiction

December 22, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

My sister sent me this notice about a legal fiction writing contest sponsored by SEAK, a company that provides seminars and training for expert witnesses, lawyers and medical professionals. Either short stories or a novel excerpt of 2500 words or less qualify for submission. Entries are due March 31, 2008.

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Get Yourself Noticed: Go Forth and Comment!

December 22, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

So, guess who won the Wall Street Journal Law Blog’s Lawyer of the Year contest? No, it wasn’t Alberto Gonzales (the ABA’s first choice , until it changed its mind, or Clarence Thomas or even the overly litigious Roy Pearson who spawned dozens of bad puns about lawyers suing the pants off businesses. Nope. As [...]

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A Round Up of Opportunities for Solo and Small Firms

December 22, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

Here’s a quick round up of some opportunities for solo and small firm lawyers. Check out Susan Cartier-Liebel’s contest, So You Want to Fly Solo. The contest, which is open to all lawyers – “newly minted or well seasoned,” and current and/or wannabe solos, offers a two hour consult (value: priceless) with Susan as the [...]

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Talk About Hypocrisy: Doesn’t the Bar Have Anything Better To Do Than Go After a $35/Hr. Contract Attorney?

December 22, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

With billing fraud rampant at major law firms, guess who the Illinois disciplinary committee decided to prosecute? Was it the the partners at a Chicago office of a national firm, whose own colleague shined a light on overbilling? Nah – that’s too large a target. Why not go after the smallest possible potato instead – [...]

Read more Ethics & Malpractice Issues 13 comments

Lombardi’s Response to My Post on Listserves

December 17, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

Earlier today in this post, I described my disagreement with Iowa personal injury attorney Steve Lombardi’s complaints about misuse of listserves. Lombardi has now weighed in with a responsehere. Lombardi raises one issue to which I gave short shrift: that lawyers should not blindly rely on advice offered on listserves without conducting their own independent [...]

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…and this is how it looks….

December 17, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

It’s not going to be available until January 7, 2008, but you can preorder and get some more details here. In the meantime, this is how it looks!

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