Archive for July 2013
Goodbye Ross Kodner, A Big Force for Small Firms
Via Bob Ambrogi, I learned the very sad news of the passing of legal technology pioneer and Micro Law founder Ross Kodner, who tragically died yesterday as the result of a heart attack at the age of 52. Ross leaves behind enormous shoes to fill in the solo and small law firm community. I confess…
Read MoreCalling Out the Rainmakers
Scott Greenfield’s first to blog about news of a RICO by a Michigan law firm, Seikaly & Stewart against Stephen Fairley and The Rainmaker Institute. The firm alleges that the Institute created a “bogus Internet marketing program, supposedly designed for small law firms and sole practitioners” and duped firms (in this case, to the tune…
Read MoreSuntrust’s New Online Legal Portal Shows There’s Nothing New Under the Sun
Stephanie Kimbro writes about the launch of a new business hubm integrated into the services offered by SunTrust, that includes businesses services like web development and legal-lite document preparation (meaning simple leases, website privacy policies and a bunch of other simple business agreements) all in one place. I agree that it’s an interesting concept –…
Read MoreBig Law Firms Shed T&E Practices: Opportunities for Solos & Smalls?
Interesting video here at Bloomberg News (in the first minute and a half) about large firms shedding trusts and estates practices to serve larger clients. But nature abhors a vacuum – and those trusts and estates clients have to go somewhere. And while those clients — presumably individuals of high worth or small businesses seeking…
Read MoreHuma’s Skyscrapers
Huma Rashid doesn’t write here anymore because she’s too busy practicing as a criminal defense attorney for a small firm in Chicago. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t read her blog about what she’s doing now, especially this fresh post, Isn’t It Funny How Your Dreams Come True?. Huma has a great career today,…
Read MoreHow Informed Client Consent Requirement for Use of the Cloud Wil Drive Clients to Non-Lawyer Providers
My friend, co-author and cloud guru Nicole Black recently reported on Connecticut’s new opinion on cloud computing. To its credit, Connecticut did not mandate obtaining client consent for use of the cloud. Rather, it suggested that lawyers consider seeking consent commensurate with the level of security required. Thus, if you’re representing Edward Snowden, you’d…
Read MoreWhy You Don’t Have to Be Collateral Damage on the Road to the Future
In June 2013, the New York Times DealBook reported that mega-firm, Weil Gotshal slashed seven percent of its associate ranks – sixty junior lawyers in all — and reduced annual compensation for 30 of its 300 partners (who by contract, can’t be terminated without cause). On one level, the Weil cuts seemed like deja vu…
Read MoreReal Life Legal: Opposing Counsel Throw Up Barriers to Unbundled Services
(Note – I spoke too soon in my earlier post – but I had to get this off my chest!) This past February 2013, the ABA passed this Resolution to encourage practitioners (presumably solos and pre-paid providers, since those committees co-sponsored the resolution) to provide unbundled legal services. No doubt, most ardent proponents of unbundled…
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