My Shingle

Return of the Part Time Shingle – February 18, 2010

Carolyn Elefant — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:20:30 +0000

The wildly popular The Part-Time Shingle Teleseminar is back. Carolyn Elefant, author of Solo By Choice and the blog, MyShingle and Julie Tower-Pierce, author of Staying at Home: Staying in the Law and the flexible lawyering blog, DarlingHill.com, are teaming up once again on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 12:30 p.m. ET to offer another teleseminar – the latest offering in their PinkSlips, Detours & Re-Entry series.

If you’ve ever dreamed about starting your own practice or staying in the law on your own flexible terms, this is an event you absolutely can’t miss!
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TELESEMINAR DETAILS:

The Part-Time Shingle: Why starting a part-time law practice part time can be done, and how to make it work.A Teleseminar, Thursday, February 18, 2010 – 12:30 pm ET

Can you start a law firm part time? Conventional wisdom says no, that you need to commit fully to starting a firm to succeed or that starting a firm will dominate your time.
We disagree. Though starting a part-time practice (as with starting any other endeavor) can prove challenging, it’s eminently feasible and enormously satisfying. In this 75 minute teleseminar, we’ll discuss the concept of the part-time shingle, including:

1. Why start a part-time shingle? There are plenty of reasons to start a part-time practice. Maybe you have a lucrative day job which you want to keep as you get your law firm off the ground. Perhaps you’re home with children and want to work part time to spend more time with family. Or maybe you have another passion outside of the law and hope to use your legal skills to earn some money to support your other endeavors.

2. Practice area selection: Some practice areas work better than others for part-time practice. We’ll give several examples of those fields best suited for part time work and identify some of the skills needed for each practice area so that you can choose the one that works best for you.

3. Malpractice Insurance/Ethics: How do malpractice insurers view part time practices? Are they considered lower risk because you handle fewer cases? Or high risk, given that you’re only devoting part of your energy and attention to your practice. We’ll offer some views on malpractice insurers attitudes towards part time practice and also discuss whether you will need coverage at all. We’ll also identify any potential ethics issues of moonlighting as a lawyer while working at another job.

4. Time Management: Part-time practice demands efficiency. We’ll identify ways that you can carve out blocks of time to maximize productivity. And for part-time shinglers who are also parents, we’ll give tips for how to avoid being imposed on by other parents who believe that you have the time to volunteer or host playdates since you work from home.

5. Marketing: Any successful practice, part time or full time depends on regular marketing. But if you work part time, meeting for lunch several days a week is going to take a bite out of your schedule. We’ll offer an overview of marketing strategies that you can incorporate into your part time schedule.

6. Technology: Part-time practice is enabled by technology which can let you work from anywhere. We’ll examine cloud computing and some of the tech tools you can use from VLOTech to SAS practice management and free Google apps to organize your practice and take it on the go.

7. Personal Considerations: You may feel that between balancing your law practice and other activities, you may feel isolated, never fully engaged in either the at-home or full time work community. We’ll show you ways to connect and collaborate with other lawyers in your same situation so that you don’t feel so alone.

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The Part-Time Shingle is part of the PinkSlips, Detours and Re-Entry series, presented by: Carolyn Elefant, Esq., author of Solo By Choice and the blog, MyShingle, and Julie Tower-Pierce, Esq., author of Staying at Home, Staying in the Law: A Guide to Remaining Active in the Legal Profession While Pursuing Your Dreams and the blog, Darling Hill. For more information, visit www.pinkslipsanddetours.com.

Event Cost: $31.95 – feel free to share the line with others at the same location. Save 15% – click here! The cost includes the call, sign up materials – and after the call, an updated version of the 50+ page ebook.

To register for the event, click on the button below and mark your calendar. REGISTRATION CLOSES FEBRUARY 17, 2010, at 10:00 AM. You will receive course materials, instructions for the call and a dial-in number 24 hours before the event. If you have any additional questions, contact Carolyn Elefant at elefant@myshingle.com or Julie Tower Pierce at darlinghill@gmail.com.

To register for the event at the regular price, click here:

Solomarketing List, Blawging for Lawyers and the Question of Blogging for Love v. Money

Carolyn Elefant — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:35:01 +0000

I don’t generally post endorsements or recommendations about products or services at my site. But every so often, as now, I’ll make an exception where I believe that the service is worth passing on to others.

First up is my friend and colleague Jon Stein’s lawyer marketing email list. Jon put the list together a couple of years ago as a break off from Solosez and it’s been thriving ever since. I check in frequently because I’m always looking for new marketing tips. Even better, the list lets me learn from other lawyers’ experiences – so if they share an idea that hasn’t worked, I can either try to figure out a way to modify it or perhaps, would forego it entirely. You can post a message to the list at sololawyermarketing@yahoogroups.com and subscribe at sololawyermarketing-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

The second service I want to mention is Blawging Lawyers, by my friend Grant Griffiths and his partner, Michael Martine. I won’t mince words – this is a program that is designed to show you how to use blawging for marketing and client generation. And there’s no one more qualified to teach than Grant Griffiths, a former lawyer renowned for relying on his blog on his sole marketing tool.

I’m familiar with the great blawgosphere debate from a few months back over whether lawyers can or should blog for love (i.e., conversation) or money (i.e., marketing). I never quite understood the debate because frankly, a blog designed for marketing and a blog intended to stimulate conversation are two separate animals entirely, just as self-help books fall into an entirely different category than writings by philosophers like Camus or Buber or Kant which on their most basic level also try to help individuals make sense of their place in the world. Which genre is superior? Of course, I have my own views but mostly, it depends on what the reader wants. Somehow, I’m not so sure that a lawyer who’s just lost a job will be up for plowing through Sartre’s essays to realize that even when things seem hopeless we all have a choice- he’d probably prefer the breezy-easy-reassuring tone of the self-help book instead.

The point is that there’s room in the lawyer blogosphere for all types of blogs and the existence of one form doesn’t diminish the other – or at least, it shouldn’t. For those who want to blog to provoke debate and stimulate discussion or simply because you have something compelling to say, you’ll find no better models than Scott Greenfield or David Giacalone just to mention a few, though there are plenty more. On the other hand, for those who want to learn to blog to market and generate clients, then Blawging Lawyers is one good place to go.

Everything You Need to Know to Succeed As An Associate, You Can Learn From Solo Practice

Carolyn Elefant — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:19:42 +0000

As much as I love blogging about the nitty gritty aspects of solo practice — the how-tos, the marketing, overcoming your fears and all that good stuff, I’m just as interested in the role that solos play in the broader context of our profession and what other lawyers can learn from us and vice versa. So that’s why my article in this month’s issue of The Complete Lawyer is one of my favorite pieces that I’ve written in a while. Below are the opening paragraphs, with the link to the full article at the end:

If you’ve just read this [blog post's] title, you’re probably racking your brain trying to figure out what the heck a lowly solo practitioner like me can teach you about succeeding as a law firm associate.

You probably think that solos simply churn out form documents for simpleton clients who need help with run-of-the-mill problems like estate planning, divorce or landlord tenant matters, while law firm associates grapple with earth-shattering matters, sophisticated business clients and demanding law firm partners. And for goodness sakes, you’re billed out at an hourly rate that matches or exceeds what most solos charge. So what secrets of success can you possibly learn from us?

Plenty. But before we get started, you’ll have to dispel your negative impression of solo practitioners. First, though you may not realize it, many solos handle complicated, traditionally “biglaw matters” such as tax, corporate transactional work, regulatory and complex litigation. Even solos with consumer-oriented specialties like criminal law, consumer credit, bankruptcy or family law regularly encounter constitutional issues or dissect tricky federal and state statutes. And while solos may charge less than a biglaw associate, because of lean staffing and low overhead, they also pocket a larger percentage (as much as 80%) of that $300/hr billable than you do.

Solos also oversee office administration, manage employees or virtual staff, and constantly market their practices. Once you begin to view solos not as loser-lawyers who couldn’t cut it in biglaw practice but as a blend of independent lawyer, team manager and entrepreneur, you’ll appreciate how solos’ secrets of success can help you succeed as well.

Continue reading here – and let me know in the comments below if there’s anything else that lawyers can learn from us solos.

My Article on Leaving A Law Firm Now Online At Complete Lawyer

Carolyn Elefant — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 21:15:23 +0000

When I sat down to write Solo By Choice, I was surprised to find little information on the issues related to leaving a law firm, from negotiating benefits to notifying clients with the exception of Dennis Kennedy‘s excellent chapter in the ABA’s book, Flying Solo. Thus, I devoted a section of SBC to these issues, and used the chapter as a springboard for this new material in this article for this month’s issue of The Complete Lawyer, which begins:

Most law students and lawyers know quite a bit about finding a job—how to write a compelling cover letter and an attention-grabbing resume, how to navigate tricky interview questions and how to make contacts who can help with the job search. With all the time we expend finding a job, it’s not surprising that we never focus on the flip side: leaving a job. Yet, how you leave your place of employment—whether it’s a firm, government or corporation—can have more of an effect on your career than what you actually do after you’re gone.

From Reader Michael Smith: A Checklist for Opening A Law Office

Carolyn Elefant — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:37:05 +0000

Have you started the final countdown to opening your practice? Whether you have six months or 6 week weeks until take-off, you’ll find Michael Smith’s concise article, A Checklist for Opening A Law Office from this month’s issue of the Texas Bar Journal extremely useful. What qualifies Smith to write this piece? Well, he started a firm — Siebman, Reynolds, Burg, Phillips & Smith — back in January, so the topic is fresh in his mind. Smith covers the obvious – such as finding an office (assuming you choose to work outside of a home office) to purchasing equipment to nitty-gritty details like getting a coffee pot or changing your contact information at the court.

The last page of the article contains a list of some of the law practice management resources offered by the Texas Bar. Over three years ago, I mentioned some of the terrific resources that the Texas Bar offers to new lawyers and solo and small firm practitioners, including the Ten Minute Mentor Program – a series of online videos, viewable by all lawyers, not just members of the Texas Bar. Now, there are even more resources for solo and small firm lawyers available at Texas Bar LPM.com.

If your bar offers valuable resources for solo and small firm lawyers, please send me a note so that I can note it here and add it to the online resource guide in the sidebar.

An Off Hours Law Practice Is An On Point Idea

Carolyn Elefant — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:25:25 +0000

One of the five "high impact" marketing practices that I discuss in Solo by Choice is non-traditional consultations, such as house calls or an after hours practice. Not only are are non-traditional consults a way to stand out and accomodate your clients, but they’re also compatible with many solos’ business models. Making house calls or site visits minimizes the need for a physical office, thus enabling you to work from home or in less expensive shared or virtual space. And an after hours practice lets you keep a day job to keep revenue coming in as you get up to speed, or enables you to stay home with your children and work at a time when your spouse can watch them.

I didn’t give many examples of non-traditional consults in my book because I hadn’t found many at the time. So I was glad to see this blurb about James Perullo’s Bay State Legal Services After Hour Law is open for business from 6-10 for convenience to clients. Many of the lawyers affiliated with the venture, like Perullo, work during the day. My guess is that these hours will bring in clients who didn’t want to lose work time to schedule a daytime meeting with a lawyer. Why aren’t more lawyers developing and implementing other types of nontraditional consultation times. If you are, let me know in the comments below.

Get Yourself Noticed: Go Forth and Comment!

Carolyn Elefant — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 12:15:29 +0000

So, guess who won the Wall Street Journal Law Blog’s Lawyer of the Year contest? No, it wasn’t Alberto Gonzales (the ABA’s first choice , until it changed its mind, or Clarence Thomas or even the overly litigious Roy Pearson who spawned dozens of bad puns about lawyers suing the pants off businesses. Nope. As I posted here, a pseudonymous second year law student who goes by “Loyola 2L” took the prize, for his constant commentary that spotlighted the poor job prospects for graduates from lower tier law schools.

Here’s why you should care about Loyola 2L’s victory: because it shows the power of commenting at a highly trafficked website. And while blogs like Above the Law or WSJ Law Blog, with their immature and often frivolous remarks may not be appropriate for practicing lawyers, these blogs are far from the only game in town. For example, the WSJ also has blogs on health care issues or Business Technology. Each post lists commenters in the side bar, so if you post under your real name, you’ll get some mention right on the web page itself. Plus, when readers email story links to others, recipients will view your comments as well. Most other major news outlets also have an unmoderated comment section, where you can post on a story.

Posting comments at popular blogs can give your recognition beyond the actual blog site. Your comments will show up in search engines and the reporters who’ve authored the posts will come to regard you as an expert for future stories.

Here are some quick tips on writing comments that will generate visibility:

Offer a valuable insight about the subject of the article or blog post. Don’t simply write “great article.” Instead, identify an issue that the post may have overlooked or offer constructive criticism.
Put your blog and website in your signature line or at the end of the post, but don’t force people to visit by directing them to a link saying “see my comments at my site.” If your post impressed people sufficiently, they’ll come to your site on their own.
Follow up on comments. If other commenters have addressed your comments, go back and add a follow up to reinforce your presence.
Comment regularly. Bloggers and journalists love getting feedback in comments, and they’ll notice and reward those who offer substance to the conversations.

For other ideas (not related to comments) that will help you build your presence online, check out this free e-book entitled SEO for Bloggers and also Bob Ambrogi’s Legal Technology column on new websites like JD Supra and Docstoc where you can show what you know by uploading samples of pleadings, briefs and forms.

It’s Never Too Early To Think About Starting A Business

Carolyn Elefant — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 07:23:49 +0000

Over at Escape from Cubicle Nation, Pam Slim suggests that you bring your kid to your start up day. The point of the Slim’s post is that by showing our children and others what we do, we lay the seeds for potential entrepreneurship.

I’ve always adopted Slim’s approach, more by necessity than choice. My daughers have never seen me in court (though now that they’re older, they’ve stayed home alone while I’ve attended hearings). But they’ve accompanied me to meetings and some evenings, we’ve worked side by side; they on their homework and I on my blogs. So you can imagine my pride when my daughters announced earlier this week that they’d started their own business – a pencil loaning service at school (perhaps not the best business model, because if the pencils are returned timely, there’s no fine and no revenue).

Perhaps your children may never start a business. But that’s not the point. By teaching entrepreneurship, we are teaching children how to take initiative, how to take charge and how to empower themselves. Those skills can help them advance whether they ultimately decide to work for others or work for themselves.

Jobs At Biglaw Limited – So Why Is This News?

Carolyn Elefant — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 19:17:49 +0000

This Wall Street Journal story about how lawyers from the lower ranks of lower tiered law schools have a tough time finding jobs has been getting lots of coverage, such as in thiscommentary by Susan Cartier Liebel; a round up of law professor blogs and this discussion at the WSJ Law Blog. As for me, I’m under-whelmed…I can’t understand why this is news to anyone.

I graduated from law school nearly two decades ago. Though Cornell is considered “top tier,” there were at least a handful of students in my class who didn’t have jobs when graduation rolled around. And if that was the case for Cornell, it was certainly even more true for lawyers graduating from lower ranked schools (let me make clear, I don’t agree that lawyers from top schools are better than those from lower schools or that ranking even matters at all. But when it comes to conventional hiring practices, most firms favor students from top tier schools, fair or not). Moreover, 20 years ago, students took out loans; I myself owed $70,000 when I graduated. Though that may sound small by today’s standards, bear in mind that salaries back then were smaller as well: my GS-11 position as a government attorney paid $27,800 (I turned down a law firm job at nearly three times that because I felt too burned out to work that hard); today a GS-11 makes $54,000.

So here’s my own “conspiracy theory” on why the WSJ suddenly shows an interest in law students who aren’t getting the top dollar jobs. If you follow My Shingle, you can see a trend of well credentialed lawyers disatisfied enough with biglaw to leave and start their own firms, or even leave the law entirely. If the trend continues, the future of biglaw will eventually be threatened as individual lawyers leverage technology and start their own firms that can compete with large firms on rates and effectiveness. In that context, I view the the WSJ article not as a caution to law students who attend lower tier schools but as a scare tactic to remind lawyers that as much as they hate their 80 hour billable weeks, life could be much, much worse.

What do you think?

Last Lecture

Carolyn Elefant — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:56:49 +0000

By now, this story and video of Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch’s inspiring and moving talk has made its way around the blogosphere, appearing at a number of law blogs, including this extensive coverage at Sheryl Schelin’s Inspired Solo. Pausch, a computer science professor is dying of pancreatic cancer and with three to six months to live, speaks about living his childhood dreams and other lessons of life in what’s been billed as his “last lecture.” I can’t say much more about this lecture now, except that you should take the time to watch at least part of it.