Ideas & Tips

In these uncertain economic times, many solo and small firm lawyers must struggle to make ends meet. Thus, they’re always on the look-out for side jobs to supplement their income. And while waiting tables or working as a barista in a coffee house are options, most new solos would prefer law-related freelance or per diem…

Can you start your own firm if you’re not entrepreneurially inclined? A few months back, I said yes. And now, as added confirmation, here’s an article from CNN about accidental entrepreneurs – folks who never intended to start their own businesses but wound up succeeding beyond their wildest dreams. Take the story of Terri Urbash,…

Back in March, I pondered whether there might be a correlation between cutting little ethics corners on seemingly insignificant matters like advertising and committing major ethics breaches like pilfering from trust accounts or prejudicing a criminal defendant’s rights on the other. I actually hoped that my observation was wrong – after all, if a slip-up…

Ah, those silly bar ethics rules. Like the ones that prohibit lawyers from dubbing their practice “Smith & Associates” when the firm is comprised of just one person. Recall, that Sonya Sotomayor ran afoul of these rules and it came back to bite her during her confirmation hearings. As it turned out, Sotomayor’s ethics lapse…

Objectively speaking, there are fewer women than men who blog or contribute to wikipedia or are partners at AmLaw 100 law firms, for whatever that dubious honor is worth besides a huge paycheck. Sure, I’d like to see more women enjoy the same benefits that I have from blogging, but I surely don’t blame men…

There’s a post by Staci Zaretsky up at Lawyerist asking why Women Lawyers Are Silencing Themselves Staci concludes that irrespective of what most women do, she’d rather be labeled a bitch than be silent. Jessie Kornberg, the executive director of Ms. JD also suggests that women are caught between a rock and a hard place:…

I realize that putting out a thought post at the end of 2010 may not be the smartest idea. But for some time, I’ve been wondering how far a solo can take a law practice without growth. By growth, I mean initially, part-time or virtual staff, like paralegals, receptionists, non-lawyer assistant and law clerks. That’s…

Editor’s Note:  In honor of National Pro Bono Week, I’m pleased to host a guest post from Jay Fleischman, a  New York bankruptcy lawyer and owner of Legal Practice Pro, on why pro bono service represents a win-win for solos and the legal profession. If you’re a solo then you’re likely stretched pretty thin already.…