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Solo Practice

Solo In Chicago

Empowering the Second City's entrepreneurial legal community.
By Peter Olson

Post Frequency: 2.2/day

Last Entry: March 13, 2009 at 12:21:00

You're Released Immediately (Which Means 12 Hours Later)

Posted on April 29, 2008
Just so everyone can better educate their clients, if necessary, let me share my experience getting a prisoner out of Cook County Jail yesterday. This is the case I've written about previously. So we were in court yesterday morning and the judge "released" her immediately...

If I Knew Just One Thing When I Started My Practice...

Posted on April 28, 2008
Ah lets make it two...So I'm on enough lawyer list serves that invariably and frequently some newbie asks advice in some form of the above. I thought there were some interesting points made recently.First, and this should be a no-brainer, CONTROL YOUR EXPENSES...

Be Everywhere on the 'Net

Posted on April 28, 2008
Lawyer Search Guide...it's a free registration. Clients can find you!

Dennis Rodman & Conrad Black

Posted on April 26, 2008
Don't hit the cameraman!Well, following in the foot steps of Dennis Rodman, convicted former Sun-Times publisher Conrad Black has been sued for walking into or shoving a cameraman outside the Dirksen Federal Building during his recent trial.His recent Richard Nixon bio...

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I'd Like a 60-Day Status Date and By the Way, What's for Lunch?

Posted on April 26, 2008
I'd be remiss if I didn't at least add my $.02 on our little Supreme Court's "extravagance in eating shall we say." Here's one of the many articles on the controversy. Essentially the IL Auditor General raises concerns that at various judicial conferences the breakfasts are costing $40 per person and lunches $48 per person...

Thanks Cook County Sheriff's Police

Posted on April 26, 2008
Seriously, I know I've been critical of their extremely low percentage of success in serving civil process, increased rates for that low percentage, and their unwillingness to answer the phone in the eviction department, but yesterday I was quite grateful for a couple of very kind and courteous Sheriff's police who of all things were in the process of taking my client into custody...

"Values" Marketing

Posted on April 23, 2008
Another example written about here where a small California firm celebrated its 125th Anniversary by making a $125,000 contribution to a local area food bank. We've previously written in this space about a Chicago firm that sent our Martin Luther King day cards with a listing of the local non-profits that they support...

"I'm Not Educated, But I Do Like To Read Books..."

Posted on April 23, 2008
That was contained in a speech by a former Prez...do you know who? I suppose it applies to me too with my state school education. But I've been reading all these book reviews lately over at The Connected Lawyer so I thought I'd share a review of my favorite read of the year so far...

LawGuru...Not Worth the Time??

Posted on April 23, 2008
Anyone a Guru out there? Primarily it's a Q/A Website where people can solicit answers to their legal questions from lawyers. I've used LawGuru for about a year now...if someone posts a question in elder, family or real estate law I get an e-mail with a Response link...

E-mail & Self-Control

Posted on April 23, 2008
The Greatest had a couple of interesting recent posts regarding e-mail etiquette and dictating e-mail...they're well worth a read. He's right in his general theme promoting dictation generally especially with all the digital options out there these days...

Celebrate Melvil Dewey!

Posted on April 23, 2008
Ya know the Dewey Decimal system?OK, a bit off topic here but our Rotary club is having our big fundraiser this weekend called Do The Dewey which is a partnership with the Des Plaines Public Library. It's a good time w/ food, music, activities AND free plants from Pesche's...

Cook Domestic Relations Appointments: A Downside

Posted on April 23, 2008
As we've blogged about previously, I'm now up to 6 court appointments through this program. Mostly unpaid child support cases but a couple are lets say more "interesting." So I'd continue to recommend this for the solo, domestic relations start-up.However, my one negative is that I'm getting appointed and these judges don't know my schedules so I get six court dates on six different days...

Harvard & The White House Not Enough

Posted on April 18, 2008
At least not on Alberto Gonzales' resume. Here's the piece regarding his job search struggles. Hey, I don't need the Old Grey Lady to tell me it's a tough job market for lawyers.

The Art of Referral Marketing

Posted on April 18, 2008
An art? I think it's a science.Nevertheless, here's the full NYT piece with a few take-away-points:� ?Start by making a list of all the people who might be a referral source for you. These may include people you do business with, such as your banker, accountant, attorney, printer, consultant, broker, and so on...

Going to Court's Tiring!

Posted on April 18, 2008
I had three contested hearings on three different days this week...that's tough when you're mainly used the "carpet commute" (Chuck Newton). I hardly got to watch Washington Journal all week.

Former MSFT General Counsel to Speak at John Marshall Friday

Posted on April 17, 2008
Hey he didn't do too well at the trial level of MSFT's anti-trust case back in the 1990s but I'll bet he has an interesting perspective...William H. Neukom, president of the American Bar Association, will be the guest speaker addressing "The Rule of Law and Intellectual Property in the 21st Century" at the Hon...

Cook County Domestic Relations CLE TODAY!

Posted on April 17, 2008
It's 12pm - 130pm at Daley with Judges Evans and Jacobius regarding acting as a child representative in domestic relations cases. It's put on by the court so no surprise one can't find anything online...they have signs posted on many of the courtroom doors up on the 30th floor...

Springfield ? May 12, 2008, 4:30 pm

Posted on April 13, 2008
So one month to go in our Illinois State Bar Association?s (ISBA) election?vote, vote, vote!! Yours truly IS a candidate for the Board of Governors (Under 37, Cook County). OK, this will be the first and last post plugging my candidacy? Why do I want to be on the Board? In many ways my candidacy is a direct outgrowth from this blog and its purpose: Attempting to help and empower Chicagoland?s entrepreneurial legal community...

10 Principals of Law Firm Marketing

Posted on April 11, 2008
This list compliments of the Rainmaker Institute...People: Identify your target market. Analyze the characteristics of your best and worst clients and determine why they need your services. Look for a niche you can serve.Product: Pinpoint what services you provide and how you can best present these to your prospects...

"A Criminal Enterprise Has Infiltrated the Judicial System in the United States"

Posted on April 11, 2008
That was included in a pro se defendant's motion for substitution of judge in a recent appellate case from the Cook Circuit Court (1st Dist. D'Agostino v. Lynch, No. 1-06-3026). Of course the defendant labeled his motion, "?Verified Motion for Judicial Admission or Denial by Judge Alexander P...

Another Lawyer Networking Tool

Posted on April 11, 2008
Just so you know, I joined Lawlink. As it says, "The First Online Network Exclusively For Attorneys." It's free...I'll report back on its effectiveness. I read of it in the January '08 Illinois Bar Journal.

Wisdom & Client Selection

Posted on April 09, 2008
I think the firm here might have seen this one coming, eh?Real estate developer Donald J. Trump is claiming the Manhattan law firm that represented him in a lawsuit against an overcharging golf course contractor overcharged him. Trump filed a legal malpractice suit against New York's Morrison Cohen last year in Westchester County Supreme Court, claiming the firm treated him like a "cash cow" and performed unnecessary work to generate higher bills...

Diagnosis: Death by Blogging

Posted on April 08, 2008
So for all of you out there really pushing to monetize your blog...just be careful. Here's the piece from the Sunday Times. All that being said, I love writing and communicating via the Internet...it's better than negotiating between a couple of bickering soon-to-be-former spouses in the courtroom hallway.

Sunday Chicago Tribune Magazine Article on Lawyers

Posted on April 08, 2008
Here's the link...the piece attempts to paint a picture regarding the economic disparity that exists in the legal profession. It's worth a read since the Tribune is the paper of record here but other than that not a great effort.It does hit on some of issues we've been writing about for three years in this space like the cost of law school and the over-population of lawyers...

Agreed Orders: A Problem

Posted on April 08, 2008
So we all have Agreed Orders entered every so often...maybe more than anything, right? All the parties agree so one of the lawyers gets an AO entered. Well, I've had a couple situations recently where I've had and seen clients agree to have an Agreed Order entered regarding an issue or issues (in a few of these situations the clients were even there in court as the AO was entered) and then get upset about something days or months later and be upset that the AO got entered...

Tools for the Lawyer/Entrepreneur...

Posted on April 05, 2008
Six highlights (below) from the NYTimes' small business toolkit. The list really hits home for me because I think that the *planning tomorrow today and the *lunch break/walk go a long way towards defining my daily productivity. That begs the question why I don't do those two things daily...

Legal "Nuggets" in the Windy City

Posted on April 04, 2008
A bunch of news stories in the Chicago papers today applicable to our little legal world...R. Eugen Pincham dies. A nice overview of the noted Chicago criminal defense lawyer. My only personal experience with him relates to continuing legal education seminars...

The Best Speaker w/ the Worst Marketing Materials

Posted on April 04, 2008
That's what I felt like last night. I filled in for a friend as a speaker at a seminar for potential home buyers downtown at Acorn Housing in Chicago. They're a HUD certified housing counseling agency. And not to be immodest, but I was probably the best speaker in the house...

"A Client Guy"

Posted on April 04, 2008
Not a bad thing to be known as in the professional services field. It was used to describe Treasury Secretary Paulson in his pre-public service days mostly at Goldman Sachs. A colleague comments:Paulson earned a reputation as "a client guy," said William Daley, former Commerce secretary, Midwest chairman of JPMorgan Chase and a friend of Paulson's...

Should You Ever Lower Fees?

Posted on April 04, 2008
They had this discussion over at The Anti 9-to-5 blog, not specific to the legal context but I think the discussion is useful nonetheless.I don't have a problem cutting fees on occasion. Unless your practice is absolutely capped, I say do whatever it takes to bring in the new business...

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