Inspiration & Encouragement

I bought my first Mac in August 1987. Perhaps more than anything up until the birth of my daughters, my Mac changed my life by making me realize that with my words and a means of production, anything – becoming a writer, starting a business or effecting change – was possible. My Mac gave me…

Both today and yesterday, I have been observing Rosh Hashanna, the Jewish New Year. When I was in college and law school, I abided the rituals, well, religiously, foregoing work and use of any electronics and spending my time in services. But back then, the prayers and rituals resonated with me in a way that…

The following is a guest post by Carl, a New Jersey Divorce Attorney who recently hung a shingle. The First Week of Going Solo Day 1 The first few weeks of hanging a shingle and starting a law practice are a blurry, fear-inducing yet simultaneously exciting tightrope walk along the edge of hope and fear.…

Well, it pays the bills. A solo criminal defense practice that generates over $100,000 in billings. No employees and no need to advertise.  There’s just one small detail: you’ll handle 558 cases in a year and take 4 to trial. Fewer than one percent. It’s not difficult to find a solo practice like the one…

August is always a busy month for me. Because my daughters spend some time at sleep away camp, I’m free to work around the clock or to travel out of town without juggling childcare, homework and all of the other ad-kid-istrivia attendant to parenthood. So here’s how I’ve been spending my time: First, you can…

Jose Baez’s win for Casey Anthony wasn’t pretty. From an opening statement that promised much but didn’t fully deliver to cross-examination questions that went nowhere or elicited evidence that seemed to hurt more than help to the clumsy cardboard exhibits, no one will ever confuse Jose Baez and his band of solo lawyers with the…

At a time when large firms are throwing young associates overboard and cutting down on training all in the name of profit, Iowa lawyer Steve Lombardi seems downright anachronistic. With thirty years of experience under his belt, Lombardi could be focusing his efforts on expanding his practice or prepping for retirement, but instead, he’s doing…

You thought you’d done everything right in starting your law firm.  Read the blogs and the books, talked to a couple of solos around town, wrote a business or marketing plan, bought the business cards and set up a decent website, sent the announcements out to everyone and their brother too. Yet here it is,…