My Shingle

December 2008

The Importance of the Company We Keep

December 28, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

I’ve finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers which argues that a variety of factors, such as luck, era of birth or family support account as much for success as sheer talent.  After all, what explains the break out success of certain individuals with innate talent in comparison to the mediocre performance of those equally endowed?  If [...]

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Free E-book From Biglaw to Yourlaw & Free Teleconference, December 30, 2008

December 28, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

UPDATE – ENCORE TELECONFERENCE from Biglaw to Yourlaw – JANUARY 9, 2009 (Thursday) at 3 pm EST. Sign up below.  IF YOU HAVE  ALREADY SIGNED UP YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVE INFORMATION ON THE CALL VIA EMAIL. Given that 1762 lawyers lost their jobs in 2008 according to the Law Shucks Layoff Tracker, I decided to release a new e-book entitled From Biglaw to Yourlaw. You’ve always believed starting a firm was a [...]

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No Security Beats False Security Any Day: Free Teleseminar on Why Biglaw Lawyers Should Start A Firm

December 23, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

And so, another biglaw firm — this time, 150 year-old New York based Thacher, Profitt — comes tumbling down.  But though the names may change (think Heller, Ehrman, Thelen and Brobeck.com) the circumstances are virtually identical: Step 1:  Each firm suffers some kind of economic crisis. Step 2:  Rainmaking partners panic and begin to jump [...]

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Contest Extended Through December 30!

December 23, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

I’ve decided to extend our 6th Birthday contests another week, through December 30.  The details are here but basically, you can write a post on one of two topics:  either "Why I (or my law firm) matters" or how I use technology in my practice to serve clients.  By submitting, you will be eligible to [...]

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Does Being A Lawyer Make You Want to Dance A Jig? Maybe It Will If You Start Your Own Firm?

December 22, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

I’ve been reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, which explores those factors that contribute to extraordinary success.  Though I’m not quite finished with the book, I’ve already found so many nuggets that help explain why some lawyers who start a law firm experience wild success while others flounder.  I’ll share some of these reasons after I’ve finished [...]

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Looking for a New Practice Area…Just Pick Up the Newspaper

December 18, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

May you live in interesting times… — Chinese Proverb No doubt, today we live in interesting times, where 250 lawyer firms vanish overnight, where the legal trade press goes from an obsession with PPP (partners per profits) to LPL layoffs per law firm, and where top lawyers are pounding the pavement for work.  But what’s [...]

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Lessons for Solos from Dreier LLP: If It Sounds Too Good To Be True…

December 14, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

With the law firm of Dreier LLP on the brink of collapse as the result of founder and sole equity partner Marc Dreier’s multi-million dollar criminal fraud, the firm’s lawyers are learning first hand that if  a work situation sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.  Not only will many Dreier lawyers [...]

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My Blogroll Is Rolling Away But I’m Giving A Better Alternative

December 11, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

Spurred by this post by blogmaster, Grant Griffiths and my recent sixth birthday, I’ve been rethinking the role of my blog roll as I begin a significant overhaul this site.  Originally, my blog roll had two components:  resource links, intended to provide information on other sites that would provide useful information or insights to my [...]

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Celebrate MyShingle’s 6th Birthday With Two Great Contests

December 9, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

Close to midnight six years ago, I pushed a button and with this post, launched MyShingle into cyberspace.  I didn’t have a grand plan or scheme — to be honest, I hardly qualified to write a blog about solo and small firm practice.  Back in 2002, Foonberg dominated solo-land as the only game in town [...]

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Complete v. Cobble v. Cutting Edge: Law Practice Management in the 21st Century

December 8, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

[Note - post has been updated as of 12/8/08] Via Twitter, I discovered this extensive list of law office practice management and technology tools at Practicing Law in the 21st Century, the joint production of the ubiquitous Niki Black, as well as Greg Bell and Matthew Lerner.  Perusing the list, I wondered: with technology so [...]

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