My Shingle

Encouragement

Second Chance Solo

November 9, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

What would you do if you were exonerated after spending twelve years in prison for a crime you didn’t commit?  Would you spend the rest of your days justifiably bitter, complaining about the injustice of a legal system that could convict an innocent man?  Or would you feel gratitude towards those lawyers who helped to [...]

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Don’t Settle for Second Place When Starting Your Law Firm

September 25, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

As I’ve written here previously, I’m an ardent admirer of Michelle Obama, particularly her ability to make the seamless life seem so easy.   This upcoming book on the Obamas by Chris Anderson, which is intended to portray Mrs. Obama as an insolent, money-hungry shrew of a wife, makes me like her even more. Anderson’s book [...]

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Going Solo Means Never Having to Say You Were Fired

May 15, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

A few weeks back, a reader, discouraged after having failed the bar exam yet again, asked whether he should give up on his dream of starting his own practice.  Of the advice that I offered, what resonated most with the reader was my reminder that no matter how many times he passed the bar, once [...]

Read more Celebrating Solos 1 comment

How David Beats Goliath Is the Story of How Solos Thrive

May 8, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

How is that solo and small firm lawyers are thriving at a time when biglaw is crumbling?  Why does the the spirit of optimism still prevail among most solos even as our large firm colleagues experience hopelessness and panic? Over the past few months, I’ve pondered these questions, but I’ve never seen the answers articulated [...]

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Solos and the Power of Just Showing Up

April 28, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

Each morning as @carolynelefant, I check in on Twitter for my dose of innovation-overload.   Twitter is always brimming with updates on great minds undertaking great change-the-world-or-the-legal-profession ventures and 140-character insights that inspire and offer new perspectives that I’d love to put to action if I only had the time. As author of MyShingle, I straddle dual [...]

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If You Play the Part of a Solo Lawyer Long Enough, You Can Be One Too!

April 22, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

I’m only just now getting around to commenting on this recent Notes from the Breadline post by Roxana St. Thomas at Above the Law on the drawbacks of solo practice.  Essentially, St. Thomas focuses on the tougher aspects of going solo, from the potential costs associated with office space to figuring out how to choose [...]

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I Can Do An Appeal With My Eyes Closed, But I’d Rather Be Flying Blind

March 19, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

After twenty years of practice, I can do an appeal from start to finish with my eyes closed.  I’m intimately familiar with the Three-Bears like requirements for timely filing (too early can render the petition incurably premature; too late and the petition misses the unforgiving statutory deadlines and gets unceremoniously bounced) to the arguments – [...]

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The $100,000 Law Firm

February 27, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

Imagine having $100,000 to start a law firm.  That’s the consolation prize for the 190 associates laid off today by Latham and Watkins:  six months of severance pay, capped at $100,000, reports AmLaw Daily. I realize that when you’re saddled with student loans and the accoutrements of a biglaw lifestyle, $100,000 doesn’t seem all that [...]

Read more Biglaw Practice and Issues 3 comments

The Economy Scares Me Too, But I Know Something You Don’t

February 1, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

If you are a lawyer at a large firm, I know that you are terrified right now.   The carnage at AmLaw 200 is growing:  858 layoffs last week alone, according to Lawshucks.com, for a total of 1528 for the month and 3290 since January 2008.  And even if you’re just a law student, we [...]

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Anthony Colleluori: How I’ve Made A Difference Practicing Law, and How Being A Lawyer Changed My Perspective

January 22, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

(reposted from That Lawyer Dude) I couldn’t wait for my first case. I was a brand new “Lawyer” in Hofstra University’s brand new Criminal Defense Clinic (we hadn’t taken the bar yet but we worked under a student practice order while supervised by an admitted attorney). I was getting a case load, a client or [...]

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