My Shingle

From the monthly archives:

January 2009

Reader Question: Should I Take Consumer Cases Short Term Even Though I Want to Do Business Law Long Term?

January 29, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

I try to respond personally to the many emails that I receive from readers, but every so often, the email raises a question that has broader interest to other readers, so I post it here.  Here’s an email that I recently received, with my response – but I welcome you to chime in:
Q:  I am [...]

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Is Biglaw Planning on Changing the Rules of The Game?

January 27, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

Boo-hoo for biglaw.  Unable to cope with the economic downturn, biglaw may now try to change the rules of the game. Over at Ideoblog, Professor Larry Ribstein faults ethics rules such as the prohibition on non-compete agreements and non-lawyer investment in law firms and conflicts of interest requirements.  For example, Ribstein says that because firms [...]

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The Importance of Human Back-Up

January 24, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

For almost two weeks now, I’ve been dealing with a family situation that has taken me out of town, spending both days and nights at the hospital.  Like many of my colleagues who responded to the MyShingle contest question, I too employ technology that lets me take my office with me on the road.  Unfortunately, [...]

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Anthony Colleluori: How I’ve Made A Difference Practicing Law, and How Being A Lawyer Changed My Perspective

January 22, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

(reposted from That Lawyer Dude)
I couldn’t wait for my first case. I was a brand new "Lawyer" in Hofstra University’s brand new Criminal Defense Clinic (we hadn’t taken the bar yet but we worked under a student practice order while supervised by an admitted attorney). I was getting a case load, a client or two [...]

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Julie Tower-Pierce: Helping Others Find Alternatives to Full Time Law Practice

January 22, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

Early six years ago, and not long after Carolyn launched this blog, I sat before a clunky desktop computer with a newborn baby nestled on my lap in an isolated New England town, wondering how I could possibly leave my baby and return to full-time practice.  I spent hours, days on end, surfing the web [...]

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Peter Garcia – Using Technology to Build a Law Practice

January 22, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

I have found that the technology I use is indispensible in serving my clients and building my fledgling practice.  Most importantly, these tools have helped keep my overhead extremely low and pass those savings on to my clients.  This has allowed me to help others who might not have otherwise been able to afford a [...]

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Kimberly Alderman – The Virtual Shingle

January 22, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

Without technology, my practice simply wouldn’t be possible.  Four years ago, I built a cabin in remote Alaska, hours from the nearest gas station or corner store.  I didn’t know when, but I knew I would make it back.  Eight months ago, I left my clerkship in the Virgin Islands, boyfriend in tow, and migrated [...]

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How Newdorf Legal Uses Technology To Reduce Client Costs And Improve Service In Business Litigation

January 22, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

It’s nice — especially for the lawyer — when the client has a six-figure litigation budget for a case.  But not every client can afford that, and even if you can, not every dispute is worth it.  Fortunately, advances in technology have leveled the playing field so that small firms with low overhead can provide [...]

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Adrianos M. Facchetti – California Defamation Law – 3 Key Ways Technology Helps Me Serve Clients

January 22, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

3 Key Ways Technology Helps Me Serve Clients
I wish I could tell you a story that perfectly illustrates how technology helps me serve my clients.  It’d be dramatic and poignant, perhaps involving Perry Mason.  Carmina Burana would be playing in the background and it’d undoubtedly involve a victory at trial.  I’d be carried off on [...]

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Michael D.J. Eisenberg – The Other Woman (or how technology helped me take a vacation)

January 22, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

The Other Woman . . .
I admit it, there is another woman.  She is alluring, demanding, and very intrusive.  And yet my wife puts up with my law practice.
I am writing this while on vacation in the Caribbean.  We had a vacation like this a year ago and my new wife was so [...]

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