My Shingle

July 2011

Diving for Lawyers

July 26, 2011 by Carolyn Elefant

I’m a big fan of DIY networking groups. Not that there’s anything wrong with bar associations or business networking groups, but when you start your own association, you can tailor it to your interests. In fact, if you’re interested in how to set up a group yourself, you can check out the materials up over [...]

Read more New Marketing Ideas 2 comments

Some Real Numbers for How Much Should A Solo Lawyer Charge

July 25, 2011 by Carolyn Elefant

You’ve heard all of the advice on setting rates for your services before. Stuff like, Pricing is an art, not a science. Don’t charge less than every other lawyer in town. Price your knowledge, not your time. All great advice, if you only had benchmarks. But where to find them? You can ask what others [...]

Read more Setting and Collecting Fees 10 comments

To Make The World A Better Place

July 21, 2011 by Carolyn Elefant

Lately, my posts at MyShingle have been sparse. Since mid-June, I’ve been buried in a couple of new matters plus I’ve been writing for Small Firm Innovation and The Xemplar and preparing for my summer travels to bar conferences near and far to meet and teach and learn from my fellow practicing solos. But truth [...]

Read more Encouragement 4 comments

Don’t Moonlight

July 20, 2011 by Carolyn Elefant

Because of my work with lawyer/author Julie Tower-Pierce on The Part Time Shingle, I’m often asked by aspiring solos about whether they should start a practice while working for a law firm. My answer never varies. Unless you disclose and receive permission from a law firm employer to start your own side practice, DON’T! From [...]

Read more Ethics Issues 5 comments

Century Solo

July 15, 2011 by Carolyn Elefant

Though he died as head of a 625-lawyer firm, centenarian lawyer Christian Peper started as a solo. As described in St. Louis Today, Peper, along with his friend Malcolm Martin and Martin’s father started a law firm in a four room office back in 1941. Three months later, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and Peper, determined [...]

Read more Mentors 1 comment

Why Solo Success Looks Like Jose Baez

July 11, 2011 by Carolyn Elefant

Jose Baez’s win for Casey Anthony wasn’t pretty. From an opening statement that promised much but didn’t fully deliver to cross-examination questions that went nowhere or elicited evidence that seemed to hurt more than help to the clumsy cardboard exhibits, no one will ever confuse Jose Baez and his band of solo lawyers with the [...]

Read more Encouragement 6 comments