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Is Skills Training Overrated…The Fourth Circuit Shows Why

April 6, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant
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If you’ve followed me at this site for a while, you’d discover that I’m not particularly a fan of skills training in law school.  Sure, I’m familiar with and agree with much in the Carnegie Report, which argues that law school needs to incorporate more skills training.  However, I’ve always believed that between clinical courses, moot [...]

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Virtual Law Practice – Video and Conference Call

March 28, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant
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I am back from Tech Show, with lots of posts to put up and thoughts to share, but I’m also under a deadline.  So for now, I’ll leave you with this interview with Martindale Connected (it gets a little goofy at the end, but it was a fun interview!), as well as information on some [...]

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To Win the Hearts and Minds of Consumers, Lawyers Need to Sell, Not Sue

March 4, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant
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To date, we lawyers haven’t been able to effectively sell the public on the idea that document preparation services like Legal Zoom are a poor substitute for the services of a lawyer.  So, being lawyers, we’ve done the next best thing to selling:  suing.  Last month, a Missouri law firm filed a class action lawsuit against [...]

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Ideas for the Firm of the Future + One: Diversify Your Offerings

February 10, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant
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Via Dan Pinnington at Slaw.ca, I learned of Merrilyn Tarlton’s excellent article, Figuring Out Your Place in the Race (ABA Law Practice Magazine, Jan/Feb. 2010).  Recognizing that technology advancements and economic upheaval have rendered extinct the high leverage business model, Tarlton predicts that “the future of the business of law is going to be about [...]

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Social Media or the Internet Alone Won’t Help You Find A Job

February 8, 2010 by Carolyn Elefant
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Don’t get me wrong – I’m a fan of social media when used ethically and responsibly.  Heck, I’ve got a book on  social media for lawyers with Niki Black that’s coming out at the end of next month. As a shy person myself, I understand the appeal of social media:  it’s easy.  You don’t risk [...]

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The DIY Trend Is Gaining Momentum

October 11, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant
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Do it yourself is everywhere, and it’s not just for economic reasons.  As I describe in more detail at this post at Nolo’s Legal Marketing Blawg, consumers are taking matters into their own hands either because they’ve grown up finding answers on the Internet or because technology facilitates DIY transactions.  As I point out, the 21st [...]

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Self-Employed Lawyers Are Happiest

September 20, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant
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Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported on a recent Gallup Poll which showed that even in this recession, business owners outrank ten other occupations in overall well being.  The reasons aren’t surprising — they reflect the importance of freedom to choose the work you do and how you do it, say psychologists who commented [...]

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Coffee Shop Etiquette for the Home Office Shingler

August 7, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant
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The Wall Street Journal reports that several coffee shops in Brooklyn, New York and San Francisco are restricting laptop use.  With unemployment on the rise, patrons are spending more time and less money in coffee shops, taking up space that might otherwise be occupied by paying customers. As far as I could tell, home-office shinglers [...]

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New York Bar Asks What Solos Want and Tries to Deliver

June 30, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant
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Not sure how I missed this when it first issued, but via Leonard Sienko of the NYSBA General Practice Blog, I learned about the New York State Bar Association’s Solo and Small Firm Report, issued June 18, 2009.  I approached the report with some trepidation, fearful that like many others of its kind, it would [...]

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The Solo Bandwagon Marches On…

June 22, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant
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This week’s news brings a handful of law firm start up stories.  First, the Las Vegas Sun profiles two young female lawyers, Tara Young and Elizabeth Sorokac who lost their jobs in February and have already started their own practices.  Both had been practicing for only a few years and never expected to start a [...]

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