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The Future of Law: Been there, done that, let’s do it better.

December 31, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

As the saying goes, there’s nothing new under the sun.  What law profs and thought-leaders tout as “the future of law” — from non-lawyer representation or nonlawyer ownership of firms  and form-based, assembly-line style or virtual law practices (for the record, not all virtual practices follow this model) — have their roots in legacy models that the [...]

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Quick Thoughts on E-Newsletters and E-Annual Reports: Time to Send is Now

December 18, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Because I’m an avid blogger, for years, I resisted sending an electronic newsletter as part of my law firm marketing portfolio.  If potential clients wanted a sample of my legal analysis, they could follow my blog, I reasoned.  Plus, I assumed that my newsletter would get lost in the hailstorm of big firm client alerts [...]

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Free Products in Your Law Practice: Work Them or Shirk Them?

December 13, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Free Stuff for Going Solo; an excerpt from Launching a 21st Century Law Practice from Carolyn Elefant Free stuff abounds for lawyers starting or running a practice.  From document sharing platforms to conference call services to websites to legal research, the cost of running a law firm is nosediving.  Free products are also proliferating; my [...]

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What if solos were start ups?

November 20, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

In the nearly ten years that I’ve been blogging at MyShingle, solo and small firm practice has never really been what you’d call buzz-worthy.  Sure, there was that time when the economy first tanked that suddenly solo was the new soho , or when it seemed as if every blog on the beat – from [...]

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Jobs Uninvented

November 16, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Much of the work that I do as a lawyer today involves issues that weren’t even around ten years ago. So I was excited to see this recent post from Jordan Furlong on some of the roles that lawyers might play as the more traditional legal positions shrink:  It’s an interesting list: “Amazon.Law” Provider: Sharp, [...]

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If You’re Looking to Work Away From Your Home or Office, There May be a Desk Near You…

November 13, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Contrary to conventional wisdom, Starbucks isn’t the only salvo for home office lawyers in search of a cure for cabin fever.  Thanks to this neat little site, Desksnear.me, lawyers who want a change of scenery from their current work environment, or who need a place to bill time while on the road or at an [...]

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Growing Solo: The Rise of the Dynamic Law Practice

November 9, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

These  workplace trends  described by Smart Company are worth a read because they apply with equal force to law firms.  Most interesting to me is the concept of “dynamic staffing,” where groups of employees are formed from within and outside a company to help on a particular project.  The concept of dynamic staffing is a [...]

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My Dispatch from the 2012 Futures Conference: Who’s Looking Out for Solos and Our Clients?

October 29, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Last week, I attended the COLPM’s Futures Conference 2012 here in Washington D.C.  to learn where the practice of law and the legal profession are heading.  For once, I got more than I bargained for as panel after panel of technology experts and thought-leaders and in-house counsel openly shared the problems with today’s law firms, [...]

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Social Media and Substantive Law Practice

October 26, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

Last night, I glimpsed the future of work at my kitchen table. It was 10 pm, and I’d just returned from the grocery store when I happened upon my daughter, math book and worksheet spread on the table, laptop  by her side open to a Facebook page.  Naturally, I exploded – “What are doing on [...]

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Social Media v. Referrals: No long an either/or proposition

October 8, 2012 by Carolyn Elefant

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’re familiar with the perennial debate  over whether social media or personal referrals are the best way to grow a business.  Those who hail from the referral-based school of marketing contend that social media is a waste of time, attracting tire-kickers and dud clients.  Meanwhile, those who [...]

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