My Shingle

Ideas & Tips

MyShingle’s Referral/Thank You Gift Survey, MT/HT @LeannaHamill

August 23, 2011 by Carolyn Elefant
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  Update – Note: If you send handwritten notes or even emails to thank referrals, feel free to include that in the thank you category – and if you’re using notes or cards, please share the name of the vendor as well!  It’s only fitting that a post seeking input on referral and thank you [...]

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Help an Unemployed Lawyer, New Solo or Law Student and Help Yourself

December 6, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant
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If you’re a busy solo, as the year comes to a close you probably have a bunch of projects that you’d hoped to accomplish in 2010, but that still remain on the back burner.  Maybe you’d hoped to round up the most recent cases related to subpoenaing Facebook accounts or to write an article on [...]

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Back of the Napkin Business Plan for Starting a Law Firm

June 18, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant
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Starting a law firm can be daunting.  Checklists and Mind Maps and planning resources outline the tasks involved, but the minutia can overwhelm.  For some, the planning process gives rise to analysis-paralysis, as the quest for a perfect launch delays launching at all.  And for those who come to solo practice as a last resort, [...]

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My Shingle Round Up: Avoiding Scams, Perils of Court Appointed Work, Solo Stigma and Marketing & Tech Tips

March 22, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant
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Sorry for the increased number of solo round up posts in the past few weeks, but I am getting ready to head out to Tech Show Wednesday with several deadlines yet to meet.   Looking forward to the upcoming publication of Social Media for Lawyers and co-presenting with Niki Black at Tech Show.  Stop by and [...]

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Solo Blogosphere Round Up

March 1, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant
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1.  Lisa Solomon takes on Westlaw – It shouldn’t take a detective to figure out the answer to one single question:  How much will WestlawNext cost? Yet, apparently, it does and so my friend, Lisa Solomon of Legal Research and Writing pro has been investigating.  Lisa hasn’t yet figured out the price, but she’s figured [...]

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Why You Should Take Advantage of Interviews Even if You’re Thinking About Starting a Firm

March 8, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant
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I know it sounds crazy, but one of the best things that you can do if you’re thinking about starting a law practice is…interview for jobs.  I know that to many of you, a job interview sounds like an utter waste of time or an unnecessary diversion when you’re focused on starting a firm, but as [...]

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Homann’s Top Ten For Solos

December 4, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant
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Once a cutting edge solo lawyer before moving on to new ventures, Matt Homann hasn’t forgotten what it takes to succeed.  And he’s boiled them down here with Confuscious-like insight, precision and brevity.  Though I like every point, I think my favorite is the last:  There is no shame in going solo.  Your clients don’t [...]

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Why Not Outsource Innovation to Solo and Small Firms?

October 28, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant
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I’m still fascinated by the concept of  outsourcing innovation that I referenced in passing in this post from earlier today.  According to this Business Week article, countries like India and China paying American corporations to develop products, or put another way, they are outsourcing innovation. So I got to thinking…why couldn’t large law firms outsource [...]

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How Cutting Costs Make A Difference in Your Bottom Line

October 17, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant
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Most solos realize that cutting overhead can sustantially increase our bottom line.  That’s why increasingly, many solos favor virtual offices over costly downtown space, or prefer to outsource projects to deal with short term work spurts to avoid adding new staff. But if you’re still not convinced that cutting costs can make a real difference [...]

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Still An Uphill Battle In Getting Clients to Hire Solos, But There’s A Fix

June 24, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant
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At first blush, this letter to the editor criticizing the Duxbury school board for considering the possibility of replacing its current law firm with a one-person “cut rate” shop seems discouraging for most solos who compete with the big boys.  Among other things, the writer expresses concern about the solo’s cut rates, noting that “you [...]

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