My Shingle

October 2008

Why Not Outsource Innovation to Solo and Small Firms?

October 28, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

I’m still fascinated by the concept of  outsourcing innovation that I referenced in passing in this post from earlier today.  According to this Business Week article, countries like India and China paying American corporations to develop products, or put another way, they are outsourcing innovation. So I got to thinking…why couldn’t large law firms outsource [...]

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From Biglaw to Yourlaw

October 28, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

Law may be governed by precedent, but oh how soon we forget.  Once upon, the behemoth law firm Skadden, Arps, Meagher & Flom was just a trio of fellows named Marshall, John and Les who had the crazy idea to hang out their own shingle.  Yet now, forty years later, as the economy tanks and [...]

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Start Your Law Firm by 2009: More Information On Six Weeks Til Solo Practice

October 27, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

So, do you want to get your law firm up and running by the end of 2008?  What’s holding you back?  You know, even if you’re starting your own firm, you don’t have to go it alone.  Why not join with a group of like minded people to cross over into solo practice together.  You’ll [...]

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The Rituals of Oral Argument – Please Share Yours!

October 26, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

Ever since I advanced, rather surprisingly, through the rounds of my first year Moot Court competition, I’ve adhered rigorously to certain rituals of oral argument.  Back then, my rituals involved meditating in front of a candle and listening to this James Taylor album over and over again.  These days, I memorize case citations and JA [...]

Read more Litigation & Courts: Policy and Practice 6 comments

The Path Not Intended

October 26, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

One thing that you probably don’t know about me is that when it comes to driving, I’m hopelessly and completely directionally impaired.  On foot or bike, I can navigate easily virtually anywhere under the sun, but somehow, finding my way to a new location while driving at high speeds and trying to avoid an accident [...]

Read more Encouragement 4 comments

Hey Lawyers – What Ever Happened to Value Billing For Legal Services?

October 20, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

About four years ago, one of my very favorite bloggers, David Giacalone wrote this provocative post, Value Billing versus Value Bilking, arguing that in many instances, value billing represented just another way for lawyers to extract more money from clients when the billable hour didn’t yield as much.  Back then, I didn’t completely agree with [...]

Read more Legal Profession Trends 10 comments

Don’t Negotiate, Do Accommodate

October 18, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

Last season, my daughters and I became fans of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice.  While my girls enjoyed  the show for the recognizable products that were often the subject of the challenge, I watched for marketing lessons.  And one of the lessons that’s remained with me now, even several months later, was gleaned from a competition [...]

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How Cutting Costs Make A Difference in Your Bottom Line

October 17, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

Most solos realize that cutting overhead can sustantially increase our bottom line.  That’s why increasingly, many solos favor virtual offices over costly downtown space, or prefer to outsource projects to deal with short term work spurts to avoid adding new staff. But if you’re still not convinced that cutting costs can make a real difference [...]

Read more Ideas & Tips 2 comments

Re-Release of Social Networking Group

October 14, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

I’m releasing an updated version of my Social Networking for Lawyers Group.  This version contains some more information on Twitter, a diagram of the Social Networking Continuum and a sample email showing how you might approach online connections to develop an offline relationship.  If you’ve already downloaded the first version, you will automatically receive the [...]

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More Change At MyShingle and Announcing Six Weeks “til Solo Practice

October 13, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

Over the next few weeks, you’ll see some changes here at MyShingle, most notably an enhanced version of our flagship features, the Online Guide and Soloformania.  As always, these resources will remain free for all users – though I will be introducing some new sponsors who will enable me to continue to make this information [...]

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