Inspiration & Encouragement

One of the most annoying memes dominating my Facebook feed lately is this one: Deathbed Regrets: The 5 Wishes of Most Dying People. I’m not bothered so much about the incessantly plauditory comments the meme invokes (so true! great reminder to reset my priorities!) or the fact that thoughts of death are closer to me…

Let’s just say that 2014 hasn’t been a banner year for me. The trade association I co-founded nine years ago and helped grow to 55 members at its peak imploded. I lost a motion that I’ve never had denied- nor ever even seen denied in 25 years of practice – and  managed to pull out…

This isn’t a solo story per se, but one with some lessons – a reminder that the perfect lawyer for the job or the client isn’t always the one with the biggest firm or the stellar credentials of the fanciest offices. From what I can tell from her LinkedIn profile, Sarah Feingold  had positions typical…

In many respects, we solo and small firm lawyers have more in common with freelancers than the big firm attorneys who set the bar associations’ agendas. Frequently, when foraging for blog fodder, I find the advice, tips and trends covered at freelance or tech start-up sites are more compelling and relevant than what’s available at…

Updated August 31, 2022 Don’t Express Yourself – Obsess Yourself! Over the past few years, passionate has been one of the most overused modifiers ofentrepreneurs and startups. If you don’t believe me, check out LinkedIn, where “passionate”turns up as a term in 5,447,000 profiles. Increasingly, solo and small firm lawyers also usethe term to describe…

Google the phrase lawyers and “client service,” and you’ll find hundreds of posts on the importance of great client service – not as a reminder that lawyers have an ethical obligation to serve clients well – but rather as a way to generate future referrals or avoid malpractice. Lawyers are advised to over promise and…

I’ve long believed that solo and small firm practice is the best kept secret of the legal profession. For thirteen years, I’ve blogged about all of the benefits that solo and small firm practice has to offer, particularly in these transformative times.  Yet even as big law fell from grace, the legal profession continued to…

Let’s say that you aced law school or spent a couple of years at the most prestigious firm in your state or the country or worked in-house at a Fortune 500 corporation.  If you have these credentials — and even if you don’t — but you’re itching to try your hand at starting your own…