My Shingle

Trends

The DIY Trend Is Gaining Momentum

October 11, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

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

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

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

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

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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It’s Not Your Imagination…More Lawyers Are Starting Their Own Practice

February 26, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

Over the past few months, it seems to me that the number of lawyers starting their own practice is on the rise.  My perception is based largely on anecdotal evidence, from increased traffic to this site (both direct hits and from search terms like “starting a law practice,”) a bump in sales of Solo by [...]

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Why, In An Economic Downturn, Is the DC Bar Trying to Kill One Tool That Can Help Lawyers Find Clients and Jobs?

February 17, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

The legal profession is on the skids like never before — though you’d scarcely realize it from visiting a bar association website.  As law firms shed attorneys at an unprecedented rate — 4376 layoffs since January 1, 2008, 2614 in calendar year 2009, and 700 on a single Black Thursday, one would think that the [...]

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Solo Trends for 2009

January 5, 2009 by Carolyn Elefant

Tomorrow and throughout the week, I’ll be posting the essays that I received in response to MyShingle’s Sixth Birthday contest.  But for my first post of the New Year, like many of my blogging colleagues (e.g., Ross Kodner, Neil Squillante,Niki Black and Stephanie Kimbro) I wanted to share some of my predictions for 2009.  I [...]

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Two Years: The Reason Why You Should Not Leave the Law Now

November 5, 2008 by Carolyn Elefant

With the economy tanking and the number of legal jobs declining, now may seem like a good time to leave the law.  Whether you graduated from law school last May and still haven’t found a job or whether you’re one of the growing number of biglaw casualties or a victim of a law firm’s forced [...]

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Is Pittsburgh the Pits for Law Firm Associates?

August 21, 2005 by Carolyn Elefant

Will we soon see a wave of new solo practice opening in the Pittsburgh area?  Perhaps, if there’s any truth to the recent survey by The Vault which found that associates at Pittsburgh law firms have the least job satisfaction (Tribune-Review, August 17, 2005).  So Pittsburgh associates – maybe it’s time to shingle.

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