My Shingle

June 2010

More on Niche Practices

June 30, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant

I’ve written extensively on niche practices all over this blog – but I’d never presented on the topic until a few weeks ago, at the Missouri Solo and Small Firm Conference.  It’s a popular topic these days- as I noted in this post – and I also see that Peter Olson at Solo in Chicago [...]

Read more Practice Areas 1 comment

MyShingle Fashion: Dressing For The Job Interview (Fellows)

June 30, 2010 by HumaRashid

As promised, I’m back this week with an interview look for all the guys out there [The post on woman's look is here]. Men have it easy compared to women: they don’t have to ponder the great Pantsuit v. Skirtsuit conundrum, which certainly proved to be a problem for at least one reader last time. [...]

Read more Fashion & Lifestyle 5 comments

Whoosh, They’re Gone

June 27, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant

From the moment that my first daughter and then her sister were born, I steeled myself for the day that they would grow up and leave.  Yet their departure came sooner than I imagined:  at 8 am this morning, to be precise, when my husband and I dropped them off at the stop for the [...]

Read more Parents Who Practice 5 comments

Should Lawyers Post Video Testimonials From Clients?

June 23, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant

Don’t get me wrong — I’m an unabashed fan of video for lawyers.  As I’ve said many times, most recently in this presentation, video satisfies Internet users’ craving for intimacy, as well prospective clients’ natural curiosity to get a peek at the lawyer behind the online presence.  Likewise, I’m also believer in the persuasive power [...]

Read more Ratings/Testimonials 9 comments

What a Niche Law Practice Is (Pot Law)…And What It Is Not

June 21, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant

One of my solo-centric colleagues, Susan Cartier-Liebel of Solo Practice University is running a two-part series on niche practice over at her Build a Solo Practice blog, so I didn’t want to send you into niche-overload.  But I after seeing this article from the National Law Journal on “pot law practices,” I couldn’t resist.  Though [...]

Read more Criminal Law, Practice & Policy 4 comments

MyShingle Fashion: Dressing for the Job Interview (Ladies)

June 21, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant

Editor’s Note: Why a column on dressing for interviews for a solo & small firm practice? For starters, solo and small firm lawyers do interview – and hire law students – and how you dress matters because it helps us assess your judgment. Second, as a solo, particularly, someone who handles business or corporate matters, [...]

Read more Fashion & Lifestyle 12 comments

Welcome to Huma Rashid, MyShingle Columnist on Fashion for Solo & Small Law Practice

June 21, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant

Anytime I hear a solo or solo-to-be say something like “It’s my law practice and I’ll wear what I want,” I cringe.  Because your law practice isn’t about you, it’s about clients – specifically, what puts them at ease and what will produce the best possible results.  As lawyers, the litmus test for fashion whether [...]

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Marketing by the Numbers: A Video WhyTo on Marketing Your Law Practice

June 21, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant

I’m not a professional marketer. But as someone who speaks and writes about going and growing solo, I’m often asked to speak about what lawyers can do to attract and retain clients. It’s the kind of talk that could put me to sleep because we’ve all heard it before: network, have an online presence, send [...]

Read more Marketing & Making Money 4 comments

Back of the Napkin Business Plan for Starting a Law Firm

June 18, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant

Starting a law firm can be daunting.  Checklists and Mind Maps and planning resources outline the tasks involved, but the minutia can overwhelm.  For some, the planning process gives rise to analysis-paralysis, as the quest for a perfect launch delays launching at all.  And for those who come to solo practice as a last resort, [...]

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Don’t Ignore Your Core: Lessons from the Demise of Slideshare.net

June 17, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant

I’ve been a longtime fan of Slideshare.net ever since I discovered it over three years ago. For those unfamiliar with the site, Slideshare.net is kind of like YouTube for PowerPoint; it offers a platform for users to upload slide presentations and embed them at their own site.  But Slideshare’s usefulness doesn’t stop there – I’ve [...]

Read more Marketing & Making Money 1 comment

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