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Questions & Advice

Reader Question: Should I Take Consumer Cases Short Term Even Though I Want to Do Business Law Long Term?

January 29, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant
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I try to respond personally to the many emails that I receive from readers, but every so often, the email raises a question that has broader interest to other readers, so I post it here.  Here’s an email that I recently received, with my response – but I welcome you to chime in: Q:  I [...]

Read more Business Models 2 comments

The Rituals of Oral Argument – Please Share Yours!

October 26, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant
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Ever since I advanced, rather surprisingly, through the rounds of my first year Moot Court competition, I’ve adhered rigorously to certain rituals of oral argument.  Back then, my rituals involved meditating in front of a candle and listening to this James Taylor album over and over again.  These days, I memorize case citations and JA [...]

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Should I Turn Down A $50k Bonus Clerkship Bonus To Start My Own Practice?

May 26, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant
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Here’s a question from a reader of this site and Solo by Choice: I spent two years at a large law firm and now clerk for a federal district court judge.  I want to start my own practice after my clerkship concludes, but if I do, I’ll be turning down the $50k starting bonuses that [...]

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Start a Law Firm…In North Carolina?

February 27, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant
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Go east, young lawyer if you want to start a law firm.  As this article reports, a recent study released by the Pope Center for Higher Education shows that North Carolina needs more lawyer in light of recent population growth and a strong economy.  The catch – only graduates of accredited ABA law schools qualify [...]

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Q&A About Solo By Choice: Why Did You Call It That, and How Can I Order It?

February 7, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant
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In this latest installment of my Author’s Cut/Pocket Part series, I’m going to address two of the questions about the book that I’ve been frequently asked this month: 1.  Why did you call the book Solo by Choice, particularly when so many people don’t voluntarily choose solo practice? When I started the writing process, my [...]

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Letter to A New Lawyer

January 12, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant
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What advice do I have for a new lawyer?  That’s the money question from my friend and colleague, Susan Cartier Liebel who’s preparing this week’s Blawg Review #142 on that very topic. To start, I asked myself what kind of advice I would have found useful two decades ago when I was a new lawyer.  [...]

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An Interview With Foonberg – A Blast From the Past!

September 24, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant
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Thanks to the Wayback Machine, you can access most of the MyShingle posts that pre-date November 2004 . For those who don’t recall, I’ve been blogging at MyShingle since December 2002, but I moved from the Slash Code to Typepad platform when I became an ALM affiliate blogger at the end of 2004. Searching through [...]

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If I solo out of school, do I pick the cheaper law school?

January 28, 2007 by Carolyn Elefant
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Q:  I’m only applying to law school now, but I am hoping to open up my own general practice as soon as I graduate.  Here is my situation:  I am fairly sure that I will be admitted to a law school in the city where I am intent on living and opening my firm (School [...]

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The best time to start….

November 14, 2006 by Carolyn Elefant
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Seth Godin has some great advice on the best time to start a firm:  maybe last year, maybe never.  But the second best time is now.  So go for it (and read Godin’s entire post).

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MyShingle Q&A: Finding Contract Work

January 2, 2006 by Carolyn Elefant
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A reader writes: Do you have any recommendations on how to pick up contract work from local attorneys or solos?  I want to approach local firms to see what their needs are for subcontracting out work.  Do you have any ideas on how one should go about doing this?  I’m not looking to do contract [...]

Read more Business Models 28 comments

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