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Client Service

Spaghetti 2.0 and Law Practice – Customizing for Clients

June 4, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

Via Jeff Berman of Lawyer Marketing Sync, I discovered this video clip of Malcolm Gladwell discussing how Prego spaghetti sauce successfully took on Ragu by offering customers a few different sauce options – chunky, spicy and a third (which I can’t now remember).  Today, we consumers are accustomed to different varieties of products. But back [...]

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If the White House Can Chat With Constituents, Why Can’t You Do The Same With Your Clients?

March 26, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

Just as then-candidate Obama’s campaign offered solo and small firm lawyer valuable marketing lessons on using social media to speak to and genuinely engage clients, likewise, his presidency continues to serve as a valuable source of ideas.  As you probably know, today, President Obama conducted an online town hall, eliciting questions from the public through [...]

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Stephanie Kimbro – Virtual Law Office Provides Real World Benefits for Clients (and Me)

January 22, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

From the first day my virtual shingle went up, the web-based virtual law office technology has allowed me to work with clients of moderate income levels in a more efficient and convenient way for both the clients and myself.  I won’t pretend the motivation for opening my virtual law office (VLO) was for the greater [...]

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Tips on Meeting Clients At A Virtual Office

November 2, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

For many solo and small firm lawyers, virtual office space offers the optimal compromise between an entirely home-based operation on the one hand, and renting full time office space on the other.  A virtual office arrangement, which may include a mailing address, receptionist service and per diem use of office or conference room space, enables lawyers [...]

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What We Do Matters: A Reminder from the Last Lecture

September 17, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

Everyday across the nation, hundreds of solos talk to their clients — breaking bad news, explaining how the law works or offering suggestions on how to handle a divorce or fight a trumped up criminal charges or save their home from foreclosure. Nothing precedent-setting or earthshattering, nothing as sexy or high profile as, for example, [...]

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Real Life Marketing Lesson: Are You Charging Clients Like American Airlines?

May 21, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

Not surprisingly, many American Airlines customers expressed significant outrage over the airline’s recently announced plans to charge passengers additional fees for checking bags and for certain services related to reservations. Indeed, the news may have irked you as well. But before you start venting, ask yourself whether your billing policies “nickel and dime” your clients [...]

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The Perils of the Volume Practice – and Ways to Avoid Them

April 20, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

Scott Greenfield’s post at Simple Justice about solo immigration lawyer, Frank Liu’s disciplinary problems highlights the perils of the volume practice.  Referencing this New York Times article, Greenfield describes how Liu’s carelessly written form briefs (where he sometimes neglected to change the sections describing the facts) ultimately landed him in hot water with the Second [...]

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How Dr. Doolittle’s Pushmi-pullyu Can Help You Attract and Keep Clients

March 18, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

Remember the two headed Pushmi-pullyu from the children’s classic, Doctor Dolittle?  What you probably didn’t realize back then is that the Pushmi-pullyu serves as an apt paradigm for providing information to your clients.  I unveiled this concept last week in my presentation at the ABA Tech Show 2008 on “Using Technology to Retain Clients.” Most [...]

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I Hope That This Hillman Article on Client Choice Isn’t Intended to Create More Hurdles for Shinglers-to-Be

December 16, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

Under legal ethics principles, a clients’ right to the attorney of their choosing trumps even the economic interest of the firm representing the client. For that reason, firms cannot force lawyers to enter into non-compete agreements or impose onerous restrictions that would prevent a client from following a departing attorney to another firm or to [...]

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A Solo At the Supremes

November 5, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant

Over at The WSJ Law Blog, there’s a nice profile of Richard Diaz, the Florida solo who represents Michael Williams, a defendant who is challenging the constitutionality of a federal child-pornography statute in United States v. Williams. Last week, Diaz argued the case before the Supreme Court. But despite his moment of glory at WSJ [...]

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