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Client Relations

Are You a Nobody Until You Win Your Case?

August 20, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Noted video-expert and medical malpractice attorney, Gerry Oginski criticizes a Jacoby & Meyers television commercial that concludes with the voiceover: You’re a nobody until you win your case. Gerry comments – and I agree – that the ad isn’t particularly effective marketing since calling potential clients “nobodies” may instill hard feelings at the outset. Though [...]

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From Quote to Contract: Online Proposal Generators

July 11, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

So, I’ve been thinking and teaching  about the 21st Century Retainer Agreement (for those who attended the last event, the ebook is coming soon; for those who missed it, we’re scheduling another webinar in August), specifically ways to streamline the drafting process.  Flat fee or one-off retainer agreements aren’t all that tough (my upcoming ebook [...]

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Why The Best Solo and Small Firm Lawyers Aren’t the Best Entrepreneurs

June 12, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

About a year ago, in response to then- Above the Law columnist  Jay Shepard, I asserted that wanting to run a business is NOT the most important characteristic for lawyers wanting to start their own practice.  I postulated that lawyers who hang a shingle for the excitement of running a business rather than a passion [...]

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The Art, Science & Ethics of the 21st Century Retainer Agreement

June 6, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

The legal profession is transitioning to what’s been branded the new normal, but the development of the necessary tools for serving 21st Century clients is lagging far behind.  Sure, the infrastructure that we use to serve clients is changing; lawyers are finally coming up to speed on Cloud Computing, transitioning from desktops to more mobile [...]

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What Solos Can Learn From Legal Zoom: Value of the Subscription Service

May 30, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Having been out of the country last week and on travel the week before,  I missed out on the legal blogging commentary  on the Legal Zoom IPO.  But while there’s been passing commentary from observers on how the IPO may impact solos, with the exception of Scott Greenfield (who’s kind of a solo  but not [...]

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Do Clients Want to Self-Schedule Appointments With Lawyers?

May 16, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Despite the proclaimed rise of the DIY-client, seems that many aren’t yet willing to self-schedule an appointment with an attorney.  At least, that’s been the experience thus far for several of the lawyers interviewed by the Wisconsin Bar Journal on their experiences with self-scheduling. One North Carolina lawyer, Kellie Mannette reported that while her practice is [...]

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Who you calling unethical, Warren Boroson? Please stop picking on solo lawyers!

May 8, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

In an era of  lawyer bashing,NJ Columnist Warren Boroson’s piece Why Every Middle Class Family Needs a Lawyer  could have been an important educational reminder why lawyers still matter.  And while in truth, Boroson’s article makes that case, Boroson does a far greater disservice by advising readers to “avoid solo practitioners” when hiring lawyers. Boroson’s [...]

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Do You Want to Be Discovered or Found Online?

April 30, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Columbus discovered America. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin. Lana Turner , like other great movie stars of the day, was discovered drinking a coke at a soda fountain.  We all enjoy discovering that terrific little cafe on the backstreets of Brooklyn or Washington D.C. or London or wherever else we happen to be traveling. By contrast, [...]

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What Does Your Retainer Agreement Say About You?

April 19, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

I am still working my way through my review copy of Stephanie Kimbro’s new book, reviewed here by Richard Granat. There’s just too much information to breeze through and unlike many bloggers (not Richard, but others), I actually make a point of reading the books that I review. Still, one of the most useful parts [...]

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Advice on Giving Legal Advice

February 23, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

When does educational marketing cross the line into legal advice? In an era of increased consumer hunger for information online and the rise of crowdsourced advice sites, understanding what types of communications constitute legal advice is a critical matter — and one which Brian Tannebaum addresses at My Law License. Brian’s post has also generated [...]

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