Carolyn, Your presentations at the Missouri Bar's Solo and Small Firm Conference were very good. Thank you for making the trek to the middle of America – and I do mean the middle of America – to Tan-Tar-A at Lake of the Ozarks. Not only was the time with you well spent because it was helpful, informative, and useful, but you are also energetic and entertaining. Thank you again. I look forward to reading more from you and perhaps seeing you again at another conference.
I'm wondering if you've ever posted about the power of a lost client – a referred client, a client who you thought would be more comfortable with another attorney. Would you agree that a client who is satisfied with your precise and helpful referral may be a more valuable resource than a client who was semi-comfortable working with you? I've always felt that, when working with contractors, plumbers, etc., the ones I can really trust are the ones who tell me not to use them.
I couldn't find a post on this – not sure if one exists and I've not searched properly or if it just hasn't come up. Either way – I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Well , the view of the passage is totally correct ,your details is really reasonable and you guy give us valuable informative post, I totally agree the standpoint of upstairs. I often surfing on this forum when I m free and I find there are so much good ugg boots information we can learn in this forum!
Yale David Rodmanon July 22, 2010 at 7:38 pm
Ms Elefant i am a new solo practitioner. Can I receive your newsletter? Iam also interested in Solo University information. Thank you. Yale Rodman, Esq.
RE Ramcharanon October 6, 2010 at 5:11 pm
Y’know, after 18 years of practicing law, I discovered that I had had a total of about a dozen, a dozen and a half clients, of whom probably six or eight still owe me money. I’ve heard it said that the only two reasons for being for being a lawyer are a) love and b) money. I’m not getting either. In fact, my nerves are shot, I’m broke and the clock is running out.
Obviously, I never had the temperament to be a lawyer, and the only complaint I have is that I didn’t figure it out in about 1989. That said, if I’m ever going to attain a level of affluence where I can buy a Slim Jim and a diet soda when I put half a tank of gas in my car, I need to get a real job.
So, I’ve closed my practice (such as it was), deleted my web site, recycled my business cards, and when the Supreme Court asks me, “Where’s your registration fee?” I’ll quote Prospero’s final speech from “The Tempest”:
Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes, and groves;
And ye that on the sands with printless foot
Do chase the ebbing Neptune, and do fly him
When he comes back; you demi-puppets that
By moonshine do the green sour ringlets make,
Whereof the ewe not bites; and you whose pastime
Is to make midnight mushrooms, that rejoice
To hear the solemn curfew; by whose aid —
Weak masters though ye be — I have be-dimm’d
The noontide sun, call’d forth the mutinous winds,
And ‘twixt the green sea and the azur’d vault
Set roaring war. To the dread rattling thunder
Have I given fire, and rifted Jove’s stout oak
With his own bolt; the strong-bas’d promontory
Have I made shake, and by the spurs pluck’d up
The pine and cedar. Graves at my command,
Have wak’d their sleepers, op’d, and let ’em forth,
By my so potent art. But this rough magic
I here abjure; and, when I have requir’d
Some heavenly music — which even now I do, —
To work mine end upon their senses that
This airy charm is for, I’ll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And, deeper than did ever plummet sound,
I’ll drown my book.
Feel the love,
RE Ramcharan
Melanieshapiro4on December 7, 2010 at 2:55 pm
I just ordered your book. I think going solo might be my best option. I could probably get hired — top quarter of my class (2L) and a lot of local connections, but want to have freedom to choose cases, clients, and raise a family. I’m terrified but excited about this. Looking forward to reading your book for some insight.
Chyann47on January 15, 2011 at 10:40 pm
I love your blog!!!
Nicole Bettingeron February 18, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Hi Carolyn,
I am really interested in your book, but I am having some problems to get it in Germany. Is it available as eBook?
Thanks
Nicole Bettinger
In your reply, please acknowledge the points listed below. ($200 a month plus $150 per Court Appearance.)1) This is a Defamation case that was filed only a couple of months ago; it is brand new. If the case survives the motions to dismiss, I assume it will be 2 or 3 years before it is over. There are many, many defendants and once they learn who the lawyer is who I will hire as the Attorney of Record, they will almost certainly engage in character assassination of that person and attempt to ruin that lawyer’s reputation on the Internet. I do not know for a fact that this will happen, but I believe that it is a possibility.2) The lawyer should be EXTREMELY aggressive in the Court room. It is helpful if you have experience in Defamation. Obviously, trial lawyers who intimately know the CPLR will be the strongest candidates.3) Please, no resumes. Just briefly tell me about your experience.4) While I will be responsible for most of the drafting, I will have legal and procedural questions that I could need you to answer. You will also need to proof read our documents.5) You must become an expert in my case. You must know all of the defendants, all of their arguments, etc. Thank you.
Gregon July 15, 2011 at 2:25 am
Does anyone know of anything new or follow-up on the NJ Bonafide Office rule excluding the use of a virtual office. I have read the orginal ruling and posting and comments on this blog but most are over a year old. Exacting how this ruling been interpreted?
JUAN BAUTISTA LUQUIon August 12, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Good afternoon a lawyer of the Argentina and am interested in contacting a lawyer in the United States. The reason is that I am preparing my dissertation and I need information on how the judicial system in the United States. You can write to juanba@estudioluqui.com.ar to contact me. Thank you Juan Bautista Luqui
Beware of Westlawon August 26, 2011 at 3:34 pm
After spending 12 years at big law firms, I decided to open a solo practice. I love it! However, there are some shady vendors out there. Case in point: Westlaw. I got a competitive deal from them and signed up for a 3-year contract. In my first month of the service, I did a few searches on their public records database, which was out of my plan. When I got the bill, I was shocked: $4,000!!!!! I didn’t even need to do the searches. I did them to confirm info I already had. When I explained this to Westlaw, they refused to give me a full refund. Instead, they are offering me a $3,000 refund, provided I now add hundreds of dollars a month in services to my plan. This would make John Gotti proud!
Tunesteron August 26, 2011 at 10:46 pm
Carolyn – First, great blog! I’m not an attorney but have been developing a business concept that would require me to partner with an attorney. I see that DC is the only entity in the US that allows non-attorneys to own part (25%) of a legal firm. Do you know of any DC firms that have non-attorney investors? I assume they would be primarily “silent” partners. My business model would require me to be an active partner bringing and managing significant technology/marketing tools in the venture. Have you heard of any firms with this kind of active partnership?
Keep up the good work.
Tunester
Patrick Kaneon September 10, 2011 at 1:54 pm
Carolyn
Thank you for informing me about Ekaterina Schoenefeld and her victory in A Solo Fought the Law and the Solo Won! NY Jud. Code 470 Found Unconstitutional! In reading your post, I found your February 15, 2010 post about Ms. Schoenefeld. In that post you wrote, “A fly by night lawyer from Buffalo…”As a practicing lawyer in Florida who is licensed in New York and a native son of the “Queen City on Lake Erie,” I take umbrage at that statement. I am sure that New Jersey has its share of “fly by night attorneys.”I had the priviledge to practice law in Buffalo and I know that the legal talent there is second to none. Two former presidents, Millard Fillmore and Grover Cleveland, practiced law in Buffalo. The firm that Grover Cleveland founded is still in business today.I enjoy your blog. You provide an incredible service to solo & small firm attorneys. Patrick Kane
Anonymouson October 29, 2011 at 7:14 am
Carolyn,
Any thoughts on Law.com eliminating the “Small Firm” category?
Emfwaveon January 24, 2012 at 7:52 pm
Hi Carolyn –
Just wanted to say that your blog is great! Great content, great tone, and great discussion. Thanks for your hard work in keeping this blog going! I’ve added it to my list of legal must-reads.
-Michelle (soon to be hanging my own shingle)
Anonymouson January 24, 2012 at 10:55 pm
I am so sorry I am only responding to this now. I am sorry about the slight to Buffalo – I had just tossed in any city that was outside of NY. I have worked with many Buffalo firms and it is a great city with lots of legal talent. I didn’t mean a slight at all.
Scotton March 9, 2012 at 6:28 pm
I have been a fan of yours for a while now. I’m glad to see your business interests are expanding and thriving. If I am not mistaken, you once compiled a list of the various software programs and technology solutions solo practitioners were using (you may have used a survey or Google forms to do this). I remember reviewing it about 18 months ago. I am now looking for a new software accounting solution and would like to see what my fellow solo practitioners are using. Do you have any recommendations or at least access to that document?
Mgar64on April 5, 2012 at 1:06 am
I know this has been discussed before, but I want to give solo practice a try but I have obligations and can’t do it if I can’t make about $110,000 per year after overhead. Is this a realistic number?
Daniellesantuccioon April 21, 2012 at 5:26 pm
I was reading one of your posts regarding minimum non-refundable fees. This topic always drives me crazy because I find the rules (well many rules) particularly unfair to lawyers. For example, When planning my wedding I hired a photographer for a wedding that was to take place 4 months later. Not more than two weeks later I explained that we had eloped and would not need the service. They did not refund my $800 deposit because “they had reserved that date for us and all deposits are non-refundable.” It didn’t matter that it was highly unlikely that in the two weeks they had turned down work for that date (especially because this was a hobby job, not a full time job) and it didn’t matter that they had four months to re-book that date, or that they eventually did rebook that date. We had to throw away $800 because they said so, the date was reserved and deposits were not refundable. When I take a case I very well might not take another case because the new case adds to an already busy caseload and therefore I refuse new cases for a few weeks. Undoubtedly some of these clients go elsewhere. So then when the client decides they no longer desire my services, why should I not be permitted to retain a portion of the fee (whether it has been “earned” or not) since I have turned away business that would have paid? And we all know that, generally, we lawyers will return more than we probably should due to fear of a complaint. We are the only profession that is expected to work for free, or for less than we are worth, or for clients that won’t pay “if to withdraw would be detrimental to the client” and I find it to be the worst part of our collective profession.
Your thoughts?
Danielle
Michael Dayon May 6, 2012 at 4:35 am
As a litigator, who regularly searches the internet regarding opposing parties and opposing counsel, I am wondering if any of your blog entries have come back to haunt you. I have eschewed an internet presence preciously because of my own experience in using it to my advantage against my clients’ adversaries. Any personal experiences or thoughts?
Msmith2905on July 1, 2012 at 8:10 pm
Hello Carolyn,
My name is Matthew Smith and I am a 3l part time law student in
Kentucky. I have been doing research, planning, and doing more planning
in preparation for starting my own law firm with my law school
partner. I just wanted to thank you for the invaluable amount
of quality information and resources from your site. At this point I
have about 75 percent of our business plan developed out to about three
years and it is due in large part from following advice from your site,
reading your book, and reading information
from your fellow bloggers. I was also wondering your thoughts of me
starting my own blog in preparation of starting my own law firm? I
understand that disclaimers will need to be plenty that I am not yet an
attorney or giving legal advice, but in terms of
getting activity on the web and networking with fellow attorneys and
potential future clients in my area, do you believe that a blog could be
valuable or worth my time? Thank you in advance for any information
that you might be able to provide me. Thanks
and have a great 4th of July Week!!!
Matthew Smith
Geneon July 27, 2012 at 8:06 pm
Carolyn does your contact email work? I tried sending you an email but it failed.
Seanon July 15, 2013 at 9:19 pm
Hi Carolyn. I own an attorney video-ad company (elawyerpages.com) and would like to see if there is a synergy that may be possible. The site will feature attorney video ads and I am now forming the directory itself. California is done. It will be a geographic franchise. contact me at lawyerpages@gmail.com
Johnon August 26, 2013 at 4:55 am
Came across this ad on Craigslist, if you want to consider where to go from here…
Carolyn,
Your presentations at the Missouri Bar's Solo and Small Firm Conference were very good. Thank you for making the trek to the middle of America – and I do mean the middle of America – to Tan-Tar-A at Lake of the Ozarks. Not only was the time with you well spent because it was helpful, informative, and useful, but you are also energetic and entertaining. Thank you again. I look forward to reading more from you and perhaps seeing you again at another conference.
Your site is now featured on Thesisgallery.com!
Don't forget to stop by and rate your site, and please tell your friends about http://www.thesisgallery.com.
Carolyn –
I'm wondering if you've ever posted about the power of a lost client – a referred client, a client who you thought would be more comfortable with another attorney. Would you agree that a client who is satisfied with your precise and helpful referral may be a more valuable resource than a client who was semi-comfortable working with you? I've always felt that, when working with contractors, plumbers, etc., the ones I can really trust are the ones who tell me not to use them.
I couldn't find a post on this – not sure if one exists and I've not searched properly or if it just hasn't come up. Either way – I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Thanks,
Tom
Well , the view of the passage is totally correct ,your details is really reasonable and you guy give us valuable informative post, I totally agree the standpoint of upstairs. I often surfing on this forum when I m free and I find there are so much good ugg boots information we can learn in this forum!
Ms Elefant i am a new solo practitioner. Can I receive your newsletter? Iam also interested in Solo University information. Thank you. Yale Rodman, Esq.
Y’know, after 18 years of practicing law, I discovered that I had had a total of about a dozen, a dozen and a half clients, of whom probably six or eight still owe me money. I’ve heard it said that the only two reasons for being for being a lawyer are a) love and b) money. I’m not getting either. In fact, my nerves are shot, I’m broke and the clock is running out.
Obviously, I never had the temperament to be a lawyer, and the only complaint I have is that I didn’t figure it out in about 1989. That said, if I’m ever going to attain a level of affluence where I can buy a Slim Jim and a diet soda when I put half a tank of gas in my car, I need to get a real job.
So, I’ve closed my practice (such as it was), deleted my web site, recycled my business cards, and when the Supreme Court asks me, “Where’s your registration fee?” I’ll quote Prospero’s final speech from “The Tempest”:
Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes, and groves;
And ye that on the sands with printless foot
Do chase the ebbing Neptune, and do fly him
When he comes back; you demi-puppets that
By moonshine do the green sour ringlets make,
Whereof the ewe not bites; and you whose pastime
Is to make midnight mushrooms, that rejoice
To hear the solemn curfew; by whose aid —
Weak masters though ye be — I have be-dimm’d
The noontide sun, call’d forth the mutinous winds,
And ‘twixt the green sea and the azur’d vault
Set roaring war. To the dread rattling thunder
Have I given fire, and rifted Jove’s stout oak
With his own bolt; the strong-bas’d promontory
Have I made shake, and by the spurs pluck’d up
The pine and cedar. Graves at my command,
Have wak’d their sleepers, op’d, and let ’em forth,
By my so potent art. But this rough magic
I here abjure; and, when I have requir’d
Some heavenly music — which even now I do, —
To work mine end upon their senses that
This airy charm is for, I’ll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And, deeper than did ever plummet sound,
I’ll drown my book.
Feel the love,
RE Ramcharan
I just ordered your book. I think going solo might be my best option. I could probably get hired — top quarter of my class (2L) and a lot of local connections, but want to have freedom to choose cases, clients, and raise a family. I’m terrified but excited about this. Looking forward to reading your book for some insight.
I love your blog!!!
Hi Carolyn,
I am really interested in your book, but I am having some problems to get it in Germany. Is it available as eBook?
Thanks
Nicole Bettinger
Carolyn,
I think Joseph Rakofsky is looking for a new lawyer. Check out this odd Craig’s List Ad: http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/lgl/2470362148.html
Attorney of Record in NY (Trial Lawyer…MUST READ BELOW)
Date: 2011-06-30, 9:00AM EDTReply to: job-zkvsq-2470362148@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
In your reply, please acknowledge the points listed below. ($200 a month plus $150 per Court Appearance.)1) This is a Defamation case that was filed only a couple of months ago; it is brand new. If the case survives the motions to dismiss, I assume it will be 2 or 3 years before it is over. There are many, many defendants and once they learn who the lawyer is who I will hire as the Attorney of Record, they will almost certainly engage in character assassination of that person and attempt to ruin that lawyer’s reputation on the Internet. I do not know for a fact that this will happen, but I believe that it is a possibility.2) The lawyer should be EXTREMELY aggressive in the Court room. It is helpful if you have experience in Defamation. Obviously, trial lawyers who intimately know the CPLR will be the strongest candidates.3) Please, no resumes. Just briefly tell me about your experience.4) While I will be responsible for most of the drafting, I will have legal and procedural questions that I could need you to answer. You will also need to proof read our documents.5) You must become an expert in my case. You must know all of the defendants, all of their arguments, etc. Thank you.
Does anyone know of anything new or follow-up on the NJ Bonafide Office rule excluding the use of a virtual office. I have read the orginal ruling and posting and comments on this blog but most are over a year old. Exacting how this ruling been interpreted?
Good afternoon a lawyer of the Argentina and am interested in contacting a lawyer in the United States. The reason is that I am preparing my dissertation and I need information on how the judicial system in the United States. You can write to juanba@estudioluqui.com.ar to contact me. Thank you Juan Bautista Luqui
After spending 12 years at big law firms, I decided to open a solo practice. I love it! However, there are some shady vendors out there. Case in point: Westlaw. I got a competitive deal from them and signed up for a 3-year contract. In my first month of the service, I did a few searches on their public records database, which was out of my plan. When I got the bill, I was shocked: $4,000!!!!! I didn’t even need to do the searches. I did them to confirm info I already had. When I explained this to Westlaw, they refused to give me a full refund. Instead, they are offering me a $3,000 refund, provided I now add hundreds of dollars a month in services to my plan. This would make John Gotti proud!
Carolyn – First, great blog! I’m not an attorney but have been developing a business concept that would require me to partner with an attorney. I see that DC is the only entity in the US that allows non-attorneys to own part (25%) of a legal firm. Do you know of any DC firms that have non-attorney investors? I assume they would be primarily “silent” partners. My business model would require me to be an active partner bringing and managing significant technology/marketing tools in the venture. Have you heard of any firms with this kind of active partnership?
Keep up the good work.
Tunester
Carolyn
Thank you for informing me about Ekaterina Schoenefeld and her victory in A Solo Fought the Law and the Solo Won! NY Jud. Code 470 Found Unconstitutional! In reading your post, I found your February 15, 2010 post about Ms. Schoenefeld. In that post you wrote, “A fly by night lawyer from Buffalo…”As a practicing lawyer in Florida who is licensed in New York and a native son of the “Queen City on Lake Erie,” I take umbrage at that statement. I am sure that New Jersey has its share of “fly by night attorneys.”I had the priviledge to practice law in Buffalo and I know that the legal talent there is second to none. Two former presidents, Millard Fillmore and Grover Cleveland, practiced law in Buffalo. The firm that Grover Cleveland founded is still in business today.I enjoy your blog. You provide an incredible service to solo & small firm attorneys. Patrick Kane
Carolyn,
Any thoughts on Law.com eliminating the “Small Firm” category?
Hi Carolyn –
Just wanted to say that your blog is great! Great content, great tone, and great discussion. Thanks for your hard work in keeping this blog going! I’ve added it to my list of legal must-reads.
-Michelle (soon to be hanging my own shingle)
I am so sorry I am only responding to this now. I am sorry about the slight to Buffalo – I had just tossed in any city that was outside of NY. I have worked with many Buffalo firms and it is a great city with lots of legal talent. I didn’t mean a slight at all.
I have been a fan of yours for a while now. I’m glad to see your business interests are expanding and thriving. If I am not mistaken, you once compiled a list of the various software programs and technology solutions solo practitioners were using (you may have used a survey or Google forms to do this). I remember reviewing it about 18 months ago. I am now looking for a new software accounting solution and would like to see what my fellow solo practitioners are using. Do you have any recommendations or at least access to that document?
I know this has been discussed before, but I want to give solo practice a try but I have obligations and can’t do it if I can’t make about $110,000 per year after overhead. Is this a realistic number?
I was reading one of your posts regarding minimum non-refundable fees. This topic always drives me crazy because I find the rules (well many rules) particularly unfair to lawyers. For example, When planning my wedding I hired a photographer for a wedding that was to take place 4 months later. Not more than two weeks later I explained that we had eloped and would not need the service. They did not refund my $800 deposit because “they had reserved that date for us and all deposits are non-refundable.” It didn’t matter that it was highly unlikely that in the two weeks they had turned down work for that date (especially because this was a hobby job, not a full time job) and it didn’t matter that they had four months to re-book that date, or that they eventually did rebook that date. We had to throw away $800 because they said so, the date was reserved and deposits were not refundable. When I take a case I very well might not take another case because the new case adds to an already busy caseload and therefore I refuse new cases for a few weeks. Undoubtedly some of these clients go elsewhere. So then when the client decides they no longer desire my services, why should I not be permitted to retain a portion of the fee (whether it has been “earned” or not) since I have turned away business that would have paid? And we all know that, generally, we lawyers will return more than we probably should due to fear of a complaint. We are the only profession that is expected to work for free, or for less than we are worth, or for clients that won’t pay “if to withdraw would be detrimental to the client” and I find it to be the worst part of our collective profession.
Your thoughts?
Danielle
As a litigator, who regularly searches the internet regarding opposing parties and opposing counsel, I am wondering if any of your blog entries have come back to haunt you. I have eschewed an internet presence preciously because of my own experience in using it to my advantage against my clients’ adversaries. Any personal experiences or thoughts?
Hello Carolyn,
My name is Matthew Smith and I am a 3l part time law student in
Kentucky. I have been doing research, planning, and doing more planning
in preparation for starting my own law firm with my law school
partner. I just wanted to thank you for the invaluable amount
of quality information and resources from your site. At this point I
have about 75 percent of our business plan developed out to about three
years and it is due in large part from following advice from your site,
reading your book, and reading information
from your fellow bloggers. I was also wondering your thoughts of me
starting my own blog in preparation of starting my own law firm? I
understand that disclaimers will need to be plenty that I am not yet an
attorney or giving legal advice, but in terms of
getting activity on the web and networking with fellow attorneys and
potential future clients in my area, do you believe that a blog could be
valuable or worth my time? Thank you in advance for any information
that you might be able to provide me. Thanks
and have a great 4th of July Week!!!
Matthew Smith
Carolyn does your contact email work? I tried sending you an email but it failed.
Hi Carolyn. I own an attorney video-ad company (elawyerpages.com) and would like to see if there is a synergy that may be possible. The site will feature attorney video ads and I am now forming the directory itself. California is done. It will be a geographic franchise. contact me at lawyerpages@gmail.com
Came across this ad on Craigslist, if you want to consider where to go from here…
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/lgl/4025597570.html