Archive for May 2011
The Economic Benefits of A Virtual Assistant
This recent post from the Harvard Business Review bemoans the loss of the executive assistant in the lower ranks at most companies, a phenomenon resulting from technologic advancements like voicemail and email and pressure to cut costs. However, as the article points out: At very senior levels, the return on investment from a skilled assistant…
Read MoreHow to Get a Piece of Ken Adams, Without Paying An Arm or a Leg
As a solo, I can’t afford Ken Adams, ABA Legal Rebel and contract drafter extraordinaire. I know this because Ken himself has told me so when I’ve inquired about his services. Not arrogantly or bluntly, but matter-of-factly. After all, when you’ve written the definitive guide on contract drafting, you can pretty much command any price…
Read MoreMyShingle Fashion: Pulling Off Wide Leg Pants
That sounds a little odd, doesn’t it? I promise, this post is not about disrobing. It’s about pulling off a rather challenging look: the wide leg pants. Wide leg pants add width to the body, and so you run the risk of wearing a not-so-flattering outfit. Not so terrible in the grand scheme of things,…
Read MoreMyShingle’s Been Sued in Rakofsky v. the Internet
After seven and a half years of blogging at MyShingle, I thought that I’d seen the last of my firsts. But thanks to Joseph Rakofsky and the Rakofsky Law Firm PC, MyShingle.com is one of multiple defendants named in this first ever law suit against my site, keeping company with Above the Law, the Washington…
Read MoreSorry Seth Godin – Solving a Problem In Five Minutes Isn’t Hard Work
Ordinarily, I agree with much of what Seth Godin writes. But in this post discussing the difference between a lawyer’s hard work and long work,Seth Godin gets it wrong. Godin writes: Long work is what the lawyer who bills 14 hours a day filling in forms does. Hard work is what the insightful litigator does…
Read MoreWill Technology Make Lawyers More or Less Truthful About Whether They Work from Home?
During the past seventeen years of my practice, I’ve alternated between a traditional office (which I had before my first daughter was born, and currently have now) and maintaining a virtual space while working from home. I strongly believe that home-based offices offer many benefits for both lawyers and clients. For lawyers, particularly for cash-strapped…
Read MoreSome Open Questions for Flat Fee Aficionados and Ethics Gurus
Over the past few years, I’ve transitioned my practice from the billable hour to flat fees. For me, the flat fee works because most of the matters that I handle are, if not entirely predictable, then easily divided into discrete segments, each of which can each be assigned a set price. Though I can’t tell…
Read MoreSocial Media: Best Mother’s Day Gift for Lawyer Moms
So, social media for lawyers has been experiencing a bit of a backlash lately. Some of it, deservedly so — and that’s from someone who’s co-authored a book on the subject. By now, many lawyers are not only recognizing, but beginning to agree that despite the hype from self-professed experts social media doesn’t make lawyers…
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