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Solo Trends

A Solo’s Thank You to Technology, and The Goal of Faster, Better and Cheaper

April 17, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Back when I started my law firm, one of my first “paying” matters was an appeal of a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) decision to the D.C. Circuit. I put the term “paying” in quotes because I only collected about $1500 for the matter; my former firm kept the $1000 retainer since I’d brought the [...]

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Own Your Own Client Feeder System: Lessons of Trademarkia

April 12, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

In both the first, and now second edition of Solo by Choice , I recommend the solo option as a way to “own, not loan” one’s talents. Yet the choice between ownership versus loan-ership isn’t unique to law practice.  It’s also one that lawyers increasingly confront in an era of crowdsourcing, a practice which at its [...]

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The Single Secret to Solo Success: The Scrap Heap Strategy

April 10, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Call it the twitter-ization of going solo, but these days, I’m most often asked about the one thing that guarantees success as a solo. It’s an impossible question of course, since there isn’t any silver bullet — but if I had to settle on the one strategy common to successful solos across generations, regions and [...]

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Non-Lawyer Funding and Ownership…What Say You Solos?

April 9, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Ever since Australia, and now the UK have opened the gates to non-lawyer membership of law firms, the question has been percolating here in the US about whether, and when it can happen here. Currently, the DC Bar, where I practice permits a limited degree of non-lawyer ownership, most likely to accommodate partnerships between law [...]

Read more Ethics 20/20 11 comments

The Future of Law Wasn’t At Tech Show…

April 6, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Last month, I saw the future of law — and it wasn’t at Tech Show. Rather, it was at a panel on hanging a shingle that I was honored to moderate, held in a sparsely populated classroom at Drexel Law School in Philadelphia the last week in March. The future that I saw at that [...]

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The Solo Lawyer Tax

March 6, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Sometimes, it just plain sucks being a solo. (Yes, you actually read that at MyShingle!) Not only must solos suffer the indignity of getting paid less in cases where they outperform their big firm colleagues, but in many instances, solos also pay more for products and services than larger firms. Call it the solo tax. [...]

Read more Legal Research and Writing 5 comments

Is Using a PO Box as A Law Firm Address Penny Wise, Pound Foolish?

January 17, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Over at Attorney at Work, solo Ruth Carter discusses her reasons for choosing a post office box as a mailing address for her newly launched, home-based law firm. Not surprising for a new solo, cost considerations played a significant role; at a price of around $17-$22 per month, Carter explains that a post office box [...]

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How Online Bytes Enhance Offline Bonds

January 11, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Last week, my older daughter attended her first Sweet Sixteen while my younger one prepared to audition for the school play. Our house was abuzz with giggles and shrieks of excitement and supportive encouragement as my older daughter tried on dresses for her friends and plotted about gifts and gossiped, while my younger one sang [...]

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If Consumers Want to Know Where Their Tomatoes Are Grown, Don’t They Have A Right To Know Where Their Lawyer Is Located?

December 7, 2011 by Carolyn Elefant

Yesterday, while shopping in WholeFoods (a reward to myself after a particularly grueling week consisting largely of take-out), I noticed several prominently displayed signs touting local produce. Though the Whole Foods stores in my area have carried local produce for some time, what made this display particularly interesting is that the sign disclosed both the [...]

Read more Ethics & Malpractice Issues 5 comments

To a New Year of Meaning

September 30, 2011 by Carolyn Elefant

Both today and yesterday, I have been observing Rosh Hashanna, the Jewish New Year. When I was in college and law school, I abided the rituals, well, religiously, foregoing work and use of any electronics and spending my time in services. But back then, the prayers and rituals resonated with me in a way that [...]

Read more Encouragement 1 comment

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