Solo Practice
The Greatest American Lawyer 
Changing the Way Law is Practiced
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Interview with William Patry, Author of Moral Panics and the Copyright Wars
Posted on November 18, 2009The growth of the Internet has created new paradigms and tested old boundaries. In the areas of trademark infringement and copyright infringement those old boundaries may have met their match. William Patry is the chief copyright lawyer for Google and...
Free Resources for Attorneys to Create Their Own Websites
Posted on November 12, 2009I received an email from Adrienne Carlson at McIver & Associates in Houston about a blog she did on the free resources available to attorneys to help them create their own websites. She lists 50 various resources to help create...
How Attorneys Can Stop Being Perceived as Ambulance Chasers
Posted on November 12, 2009If there ever was a derogatory term for a lawyer, it is this ? being called an ambulance chaser is similar to being compared to a vulture; you?re portrayed as being responsible for sucking the blood out of someone who...
Is Your Blogging In Violation of the New FTC Regulations Concerning Endorsements?
Posted on November 09, 2009I have seen a few significant changes in blogging over the years, but none that may be quite as important or wide-ranging as the new FTC regulations concerning endorsements that are located at 16 CFR Part 255. Effective December 1,...
The Chicken or the Egg? Changing Practice Areas in Challenging Times
Posted on November 09, 2009I know a lot of lawyers who are struggling right now in this down economy. Business lawyers, especially, are challenged since the companies they represent are either upside down or have little spare cash to spend on contract drafting, employee...
Is Competition Felt in the Legal Market?
Posted on November 06, 2009I always believed that lawyers somehow created a legal market which avoids, rather than encourages, competition. If you are a person or company who doesn?t have their own in-house legal department, your historical ability to consider and analyze different law...
The Best Part about Value Billing
Posted on November 05, 2009The best part about value billing is the focus it places on delivering value. For all of the chatter about the simplicity of hourly billing and the supposed challenges presented when you have to define deliverables and quote a flat...
Does The Internet Bring Us Together or Apart
Posted on October 22, 2009We've all done it. We've all been victims of it. A computer connected to the Internet can capture the entire attention of a person, regardless of what's going on around them. The Internet has the power to isolate people from...
Technology Makes Perseverance Much Easier
Posted on October 21, 2009Perseverance has always been a key differentiator between those who succeed and those who don?t. Achievement can be like a drip of water. A drip can become a puddle, which can become a stream, then a river and even a...
What?s wrong with the Merits? How Gamesmanship Has Taken Over the Courtroom
Posted on October 19, 2009There is a lot of talk these days about how large corporations have essentially taken over Washington, DC. The little guy has no ?access? to the political machine. Many are asking ?what good is a right to vote when corporations...
The Law of Unintended Consequences
Posted on October 19, 2009I wonder if airlines realize that when they started charging $20 for checking every bag that everyone would start carrying on their bags on to the airplane? Let's face it, the overhead bins just aren't big enough to handle the...
What is an Internet Lawyer Anyway?
Posted on October 15, 2009I practice internet law. As an internet lawyer, I am often asked the question, ?What is internet law?? Sure, there are special laws that apply to the internet space. The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) is one such example. For...
Discovery Obstruction Only Seems Like a Good Idea at the Time?
Posted on October 14, 2009I?m always amazed by adverse parties who play games in discovery. Their goal seems to be to avoid producing documents. This is all fun and games during the discovery phase of litigation. Of course, once it?s time to go to...
Great Resource for Copyright Lawyers
Posted on October 01, 2009As you know, we run OverFlowLegal.com, a Pligg site for law. We have created more legal categories than any other site out there. Check out the category for Copyright Law, a great resource for copyright lawyers and copyright owners. Over...
The Trademark Attorney in Austin, Texas
Posted on September 30, 2009One of the great things about being a trial attorney is that you get to travel a lot. Well, most of the time traveling is OK when you get to go to cool places. I have been in Austin, Texas...
Turning Web Traffic Into Clients
Posted on September 04, 2009Most law firms have a website, but few law firms actually get much, if any, business off of the Web. The first problem most firms face is that their websites don't get much traffic in the first instance. They treat...
What Do Men Want?
Posted on September 03, 2009There?s a magazine where I live called Northern Michigan Men?s Magazine or NM3. The headline for this month states: ?What We Men Want?? I thought it was an interesting question, so I am posting it here, and despite the fact...
Offering General Counsel Services on a Flat Fee Basis
Posted on September 02, 2009Every once in a while, I?ll dive into my web traffic statistics and see something really interesting. Sometimes, search terms which bring people to our primary law firm web site are funny. Other times, I am filled with a sense...
Why Lawyers Won't Take Risks With Thier Clients
Posted on August 25, 2009Not every case is ripe for an alternative billing arrangement. Litigation is more challenging to bill on a non-hourly basis than most other matters. Defense litigation is perhaps the most challenging of all. On the plaintiff?s side, we often work...
Are Two Really Better Than One? How could I have waited this long?
Posted on August 24, 2009I never understood the concept of polygamy. I love my wife dearly. She challenges me every day to be a better person. But could I really handle two wives? Let?s face it. Sometimes one really is enough. I don?t want...
The Time is Right for a Referral
Posted on August 22, 2009We are constantly talking about ways to generate quality business. I stress the word quality because it means a couple of things to our firm. First, it means clients that appreciate our operation, such as our flat fee alternative billing...
Do You Represent?
Posted on August 21, 2009I just finished up my first board meeting for my alma mater law school, Michigan State University College of Law. As a relatively recent graduate, it was fantastic sitting in a room full of practitioners ranging in number of years...
Why Do You Practice Law?
Posted on August 20, 2009At some point in our careers, lawyers end up in a rut. If you ask them why they practice law, they would be hard-pressed to come up with a compelling answer. Some lawyers practice merely to make a living, to...
Willing to Risk It All Every Day
Posted on August 13, 2009Some might call it character flaw. Others see it as a quality which makes me uniquely me. I?ve lived life rich. I?ve lived life poor. I am here to tell you. Life is about the same at both ends of...
Battling The Internet?s Distractions
Posted on August 12, 2009Law firms take different approaches to Internet access by their lawyers and staff. Some law firms block certain sites. Many law firms track Internet activity by their staff. All law firms battle the distractions that come with the World Wide...
Getting Back To the Basics
Posted on August 11, 2009Every once in a while, it is good to think about the basics. What are the processes and technologies which bring focus, productivity and quality to your service offerings? At our firm, we have lots of technology applications and lots...
Law Firm Websites: What Every Law Firm Needs to Know About SEO
Posted on July 30, 2009Search engine optimization, otherwise known as SEO, is the art by which people who study the Google algorithms try and trick your website to Page 1. The fallacy of SEO is that you could ever trick Google for very long....
Law Firm Marketing: Many Law Firms Simply Don't Want to Compete
Posted on July 29, 2009Cutting edge law firms are using the web for marketing in ways that make many attorneys cringe. After all, lawyers aren't supposed to advertise and market their services. However you feel about law firm marketing, the publication of expert information...
Call to Action: Take Your Talents to the Street
Posted on July 28, 2009I recently received a comment from a regular reader of the GAL blog who commented on a post from December 23, 2004, just prior to quitting my partnership. In rereading the post, I was struck by this inspirational call to...
Clients Will Do More Research on Their Attorneys Before Retaining Them
Posted on July 28, 2009Too many clients only learn once into a legal matter that their attorneys really don?t have the insight they purported to on a particular legal issue. In a recent post entitled ?Why in the World Would You give Away Your...
Does Blogging Help Fulfill Your Pro Bono Obligation
Posted on July 27, 2009In my last post, I briefly touched on the fact that sharing your expertise online for free allows hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands of people (at least in our case) to learn about their legal issue without having...
Legal Zoom Is Alleged to Be Violating North Carolina?s Ethic Statute Governing the Unauthorized Practice of Law
Posted on July 24, 2009Legal Zoom has been the subject of a lot of commentary concerning its business model and service offering. In the recent post on the ELawyering Blog titled, "Legal Zoom Challenged By North Carolina Bar", it is reported that Legal Zoom...
Why In the World Would You Give Away Your Expertise For Free?
Posted on July 23, 2009One of the great mysteries for many lawyers is why attorneys would blog and give away their expertise for free. Lawyers like to play this game with clients where they play hide the ball. They spend a lot of time...
The Media Impact of Blogs
Posted on July 23, 2009One of the more interesting things that happen when you start blogging is that you make yourself visible beyond the place you happen to live. Obviously, prospective clients can now find you. Your current clients can learn more about you...
How to Work With In-house Counsel: An INTA Survey
Posted on July 15, 2009Our firm?s attorneys are members of the International Trademark Association (INTA), representing the largest companies and law firms in the world on trademark issues. The INTA recently did a survey of large corporations of in-house attorneys at large corporations asking...
Microsoft to Bring a Version of its Office Suite Online...For Free
Posted on July 14, 2009Jon Fortt of Big Tech blog at money.cnn.com reported yesterday that Microsoft was getting ready to announce that their latest version of Microsoft Office will become available online for free to anyone with a Live account. It seems that Microsoft...
Does Bing Stand Up to Google?
Posted on July 08, 2009I came across this article by Edward C. Baig at USA Today titled "Google vs. Bing: Bing holds its own in search-off" and was pleasantly surprised by his take on the two different search engines. Google has always been the...
Lawyers Looking For Free Word Processing Spreadsheets and other Microsoft Office Spinoffs Won't Be Able To Use Google Apps For Free Anymore
Posted on July 07, 2009Author Michael Arrington of TechCrunch.com recently published an article called ?What The Hell Happened To The Free Version Of Google Apps?." It appears that Google may be slowly phasing out its standard version of Google Apps. Sign up here before...
Blogger Alert: Protect Yourself From Defamation Lawsuits and Other On-line Liability
Posted on July 07, 2009Traverse Legal Radio Interview with Robert Cox, President of Media Bloggers Association. Mr. Cox Discusses the rise in defamation lawsuits against bloggers and the steps they can take to protect themselves. Play Traverse Legal Radio - Robert Cox of The...
What Are You Changing?
Posted on July 07, 2009Our law firm started with the tag line "Changing the Way Law is Practiced". Our goal from the get go was to do things that made sense, not simply do things because that's the way they've always been done. Fundamentally,...
The Power of A+ Content
Posted on July 06, 2009Lawyers.com just did its first interview of Michael Siegel, a bankruptcy law specialist, as part of its continued commitment to A+ content. Those of you who have been around awhile, know that I am also an owner of Vertio.net. Vertio...
Introducing Virtual Trademark Paralegal -- Melodee K. Currier
Posted on July 06, 2009Melodee K. Currier, President P. O. Box 402Dublin, Ohio 43017 614-799-2433 - Telephone 866-749-2433 - Toll Free 614-799-2275 - Fax www.etrademarkparalegal.com I am a 1989 graduate of the Florida Atlantic University Paralegal Program in Boca Raton, Florida and have over...
"Boo to Billable Hours"
Posted on July 02, 2009I recently came across a blog by John Derrick, an appellate specialist in California. He has written an interesting book on billable hours called "Boo to Billable Hours". Mr. Derrick has uploaded his entire book on his website for free....
Working in the 21st Century with Virtual Paralegals
Posted on July 02, 2009by Melodee K. Currier In today?s competitive market place, are you looking for ways to reduce costs and provide faster turnaround to your clients? Do you operate with a budget in mind and find getting help on a temporary or...
Winning the Internet with Content
Posted on July 01, 2009For over a decade, I have believed one thing about the Internet. If you want to know where the money will be made in the future off the Internet, it will be on content. Generating category killer content is quickly...
Small and Solo Firm Resources are Critical to Success
Posted on June 26, 2009Virtually every solo or small law firm needs a phone system, fax number, email marketing tool, web site and a variety of other services. The amount of time that it actually takes to research the various options that are available...
This Saturday: The First Annual M-22 Challenge
Posted on June 18, 2009Inaugural multi-discipline event, to take place this weekend on June 20th, 2009 in Glen Arbor, invites spectators and athletes to enjoy the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park and compete in the bike-run-paddle challenge. Traverse City, Michigan June 17th, 2009 ?...
What Does Your ?About? Page Say about You and Your Law Firm
Posted on June 17, 2009When it comes to lawyers and marketing, there is an awful lot that falls through the cracks and gets lost in translation. Too often, lawyers are so busy billing by the hour that they forget that they are in the...
How to Convert Web Visitors into Clients
Posted on June 17, 2009The whole idea of attorney advertising is novel within the legal profession. Lawyers aren?t used to advertising. Leaving personal injury lawyers aside, many businesses have tiptoed into the advertising pond unsure of where to start and what message to send...
Law Firm Dresses Down Dress Code Policy: Lawyers and Staff can Wear Jeans
Posted on June 17, 2009West Coast Law firms such as the Latham & Watkins? San Francisco office are dressing down their dress code policy by allowing their lawyers and staff members to wear jeans. Of course, with the exception of client meetings, court room...
Lawyers Guide to Creating a Marketing Habit In 21 Days
Posted on June 16, 2009In today?s economic world, marketing is more important than ever. The people who are bringing in business are the ones who are out there courting it. That?s why I am happy to share with you a special opportunity. For the...
The # 1 Client Complaint of All Time
Posted on June 16, 2009We don?t need statistics to know it?s true. We?ve heard it since we graduated from law school. The number one complaint by clients is the failure to return phone calls and lack of information from their lawyer. When clients don?t...
Asking for a Malpractice Suit: Failing to Educate the Client
Posted on June 15, 2009Over the course of my career, I would say that the vast majority of instances where a client came to a lawyer for advice, the lawyer essentially told the client what to do based on that lawyer?s own experience, expertise...
More Layoffs at One of the Country?s Largest Law Firms
Posted on June 12, 2009Above the Law reports that one of this country?s largest law firms, Fish & Richardson, recently announced a second round of layoffs. Although the last round of layoffs included mostly support staff, this round included one-third of its incoming first...
Judge Receives Repremand for His Comments Made on FACEBOOK
Posted on June 11, 2009As reported at law.com?s Legal Blog Watch, North Carolina Judge recently received this reprimand by the state?s Judicial Standards Commission for posting and exchanging messages on Facebook with a Lawyer in a matter being tried before him. Here are some...
Good News for US-based Independent Contract Lawyers and Hiring Attorneys
Posted on June 09, 2009The American Bar Association's Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee recently released an opinion regarding law firms using contract lawyers for various tasks. The ABA stated that when hiring a contract attorney, the use of attorneys who have been trained in...
So You Think the Number of People Following You on Twitter Isn't Important?
Posted on May 21, 2009Twitter just announced they are updating their real-time search to index links. If done properly, Twitter search could morph into a strong competitor to Google and may become critical in driving traffic to web sites. In this post, I?ll explain...
A Surefire Way Not to Get Nominated for the Supreme Court
Posted on May 20, 2009I want to thank Eric Goldman at http://blog.ericgoldman.org/ for posting the article "Five Lawyer Ads That Make Any Supreme Court Candidate Look Brilliant" to Facebook and making us aware of it. These are people who will definitely not be nominated...
I Could Be an Idiot, but You Would Never Know It Because I Look Good In a Suit
Posted on May 20, 2009Me and the boys are out cruising downtown Saturday night in Traverse City Michigan. At 6:46, a guy is coming across the street. He has cropped well-groomed hair. His appearance is All-American, and he?s wearing a suit with a green...
What to Do When the Witness Doesn?t Give You a Straight Answer
Posted on May 19, 2009I am currently at the INTA conference in Seattle at and education track on deposition tactics in trademark cases. I had to share this hilarious video discussed by the panel. What do you do when the deponent won?t give you...
Computer Monitors - Size Does Matter
Posted on May 14, 2009In a recent blog post on the Business Technology web site, Ben Worthen notes in a study done by the University of Utah that the size of the computer monitor or using two or three monitors instead of one really...
Solo Practice - David Beating Goliath
Posted on May 13, 2009MyShingle.com is a popular web site published by Carolyn Elefant. She is a big proponent of the solo practitioner and helping the solo see that going solo is a reality that can be reached. In a recent post, she references...
Top 11 Reasons My Wife Nan is the "Greatest American Mom"
Posted on May 13, 2009For those of you have have read my bio, Nan is the girl who knew me for 20 days when she agreed to marry me. And, yes in my opinion, she was a bit distracted by the 'redness' of the...
Top Ten Reasons My Wife Nan is the "Greatest American Mom"
Posted on May 10, 2009For those of you have have read my bio, Nan is the girl who knew me for 20 days, and agreed to marry me and my cool red Mercedes Benz. And, yes in my opinion, she was a bit distracted...
Page One Google Search Results Are Great ? Multiple Page One Google Search Results Are Better
Posted on May 07, 2009We often get asked how we are able to obtain so much business off of the Internet. The answer is that we always strive for A+ content within our niche practice areas. We use blogs to post that content, wrapped...
Escaping Mundanity
Posted on May 05, 2009Thanks to Denise Howell over at the Bag and Baggage blog for turning me on to this article through a Facebook link. In this article titled ?How to Escape Mundanity? by Guy Kawasaki of How to Change the World, Guy...
Ronald J. Baker Continues His Push to Kill the Billable Hour
Posted on May 04, 2009For those of you who don?t know, Ronald J. Baker is one of the foremost advocates for alternative billing and killing the billable hour. He started his accounting career with KPMG in San Francisco. Today, he is the founder of...
Twittering the Blow by Blow of Courtroom Action Is the Latest Onslaught by Technology on the Court System
Posted on May 04, 2009A hardy thank you to Robert J. Ambrogi over at Robert Ambrogi?s LawSites for posting the following article on Facebook titled ?Judge Shuts Down NewWest.Net Twitter Feed from Yellowstone Club Trial? by Courtney Lowery. Federal Bankruptcy Judge Ralph B...
CCM Conference: "How to Set Alternative Fees for Max Profits and Increase Client Satisfaction"
Posted on May 01, 2009I will be a presenter for the Center for Competitive Management with regard to setting alternative fees, along with my co-faculty member, Pamela H. Woldrow, Principal, Altman Weil, Inc., on Wednesday, May 6, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. EDT. Here is...
The M22 Challenge: a multi-discipline event based in beautiful Leelanau County in Northern Michigan.
Posted on April 30, 2009One of our favorite clients is M22, whose trademarks we protect. For those of you who don't know, M22 is a road which goes around the entire Leelanau County Peninsula. Our clients turned it into a brand which is described...
Legal Technology Trends: 2009 Predictions
Posted on April 30, 2009Dennis over at the Dennis Kennedy blog has published an article called ?Nine Legal Technology Trends for 2009: The Year of Hunkering Down?. In his article, Dennis observes the legal technology market and makes his predictions for legal technology trends...
"The Billboard" - Who says billboard advertising isn't effective?
Posted on April 29, 2009attorney advertising
Blawg Review #209
Posted on April 27, 2009Check out this week?s Blawg Review #209 hosted by John Hochfelder at the New York Injury Cases Blog which discusses pain and suffering verdicts in personal injury cases.
How I Built a Seven-Figure Law Firm with My Partners Google and the Internet
Posted on April 22, 2009Four years ago, people said I was crazy for trying to build a law firm built exclusively on clients derived from the Internet but with a little brainpower, and some help from my friends the Internet and Google, that?s exactly...
How I Built a Seven-Figure Law
Posted on April 22, 2009How I Built a Seven-Figure Law Firm with My Partners Google and the Internet Four years ago, people said I was crazy for trying to build a law firm built exclusively on clients derived from the Internet but with a...
Stoke International: One of Our Many Client Successes
Posted on April 21, 2009No one takes more pride and joy when a client?s small business succeeds than I do. Here is a video which reflects one of our client?s success stories, Stoke International. I love their byline. Dante Basco and Stoke International,Working together...
Is Facebook the Ultimate Business Networking Tool?
Posted on April 21, 2009I have hundreds of LinkedIn contacts. However, little has ever come from professional networking through LinkedIn. Facebook, on the other hand, is essentially a social networking software product which is much simpler, cleaner and engaging than the LinkedIn interface...
Tuning Up Your Blog for Google Success
Posted on April 21, 2009Here is a great cheat sheet from SEOmoz.org which provides all the tips and tricks you could ever need to get your blog or website in tiptop Google shape. "When I first started at SEOmoz about 9 months ago, I...
Converting Web Traffic into Clients
Posted on April 20, 2009We do about 400 hits and 700 page loads to our niche practice area blogs each day. It occurred to us about two months ago that we didn?t need more traffic, we just needed to convert more traffic. Two changes...
The Dark Side of Technology: Internet Addiction
Posted on April 14, 2009We all know it?s there, the 800 lb. gorilla in the room. People don?t like to talk about it. People are afraid that if someone says something, their ability to go online for any and sometimes no reason at all...
For Attorneys Flying Solo Virtual Paralegals Are Indispensible
Posted on April 13, 2009by Alisa Johnson With the economic recession in full swing hundreds of lawyers have suddenly found themselves out of work, with even more graduating and waiting in the wings. For many sitting around for the next job with a big...
New Web-Based Case Management System - Rocket Matter
Posted on April 01, 2009I saw over at law.com that a new online case management system has come out on the market. This is designed for solo and small firms, which I love. You can check out the Rocket Matter software, including a online...
How to Maximize the Talents in Your Law Firm
Posted on March 30, 2009The paring down of lawyers, paralegals, and staff has been an end result of the predominant model law firm practice. Most law firms prefer to ensure that employees are in their chairs between certain hours than to inspire those workers...
Natasha Richardson?s Tragedy Should Teach Tort Reformers about the Serious Consequences of Head Injury
Posted on March 27, 2009One of the best parts about being a lawyer is that you get to learn things. You learn about engineering principles. You hire the top experts on the world on issues related to causation factors between injury and outcome and...
Dennis Kennedy's Recommendations Concerning Technology Choices for Solo Lawyers
Posted on March 27, 2009There is a great new blog post over on the Dennis Kennedy blog about implementing technology. "The legal profession is not exempt from the current economic turmoil. I wrote the introduction to this column before the last big wave of...
Why "Trust But Verify" Hourly Billing Doesn't Really Work
Posted on March 26, 2009We recently posted about some of the challenges which firms that are struggling financially face in preserving their client relationships. Let's face it, there is always an uneasy balance of "friend or foe" between clients and their hourly billing law...
How Giving Away Legal Advice and Information For Free Is the Best Business Model for Your Law Firm
Posted on March 25, 2009When our law firm started blogging its expertise six years ago, people said a lot of things. "No one's ever going to hire off the Internet" "Why would you give away legal information for free? That's how we get people...
The Art of Making a Proposal to a Client of a Flat Fee Project
Posted on March 24, 2009Do you want to know what the best part of hourly billing is? Hands down, bar none, the best reason to bill by the hour is its simplicity. In fact, it is really thoughtless on almost every level. A client...
Doug Lichtman at the Intellectual Property Colloquium Launches New Podcast Series
Posted on March 23, 2009For my regular readers, you know that I am a big proponent of A+ content. Blogging is hard work. And if you want to develop a following, you better provide some really good content. There is a tremendous amount of...
What Can Big Firms Do To Become More Competitive
Posted on March 19, 2009Big firms used to largely compete against other big firms. Since many big firms did things about the same, there wasn't much reason to innovate or focus on becoming "more competitive." Big firms today are under the same competitive heat...
Revisiting The Issue Of Why Lawyers Wear Suits
Posted on March 18, 2009In a recent post titled ?Why Do Lawyers Wear Suits?, we playfully explored the idea of the importance ? or lack thereof ? of a suit and tie for legal professionals. The post drew some interesting commentary warranting a re-posting...
Changing The Way Law Is Practiced One Recession At A Time
Posted on March 17, 2009Here is a threaded discussion on LinkedIn titled ?Will the recession change the way law firms do business permanently?? posted by Larry Bodine, Editor at LawMarketing Portal. Larry points out that many people and large corporations are seeking smaller law...
Children Understand Value. Why Can't We?
Posted on March 17, 2009My older son Echo's friend Cole was asked this question the other day: "Which of your friends has the coolest house?" The answer surprised some in the room. Cole and Echo have some friends with some pretty big houses with...
New Record Set For Lawyer Layoffs In February
Posted on March 17, 2009LAW360 reports that 1045 lawyers from around the globe were laid off in the month of February and the number of layoffs is expected to increase in the coming months. See the full analysis here. February marked the most treacherous...
Why Would Any Client Continue to Trust Their Law Firm Once They Realize that Firm Is Under Severe Financial Stress
Posted on March 16, 2009We all know how it works. Law firms start to see workloads lighten, and they start generating a bunch of "make-work" for their partners and associates. The work that is generated has little or no value to the client. It...
The Greatest American Lawyer Blog Is Being Syndicated
Posted on March 16, 2009We are pleased to announce that Newstex and the Greatest American Lawyer Blog have signed a contract which will syndicate GAL Posts. We are priod to join other top legal content providers in the Newstex Network including LexisNexis, Thomson Reuters,....
Is Web Traffic Bad Prospect Traffic? How To Improve Conversion Rates On Your Legal Services Website
Posted on March 13, 2009For a law firm website, we do pretty nice traffic. Barring some big event on the web which can drastically increase the numbers, we?ll do approximately 750 visits a day with 450 new visitors each day within our traverselegal.com offerings....
What Are Commoditized Legal Services?
Posted on March 12, 2009There has been a lot of discussion over the last several years about commoditized legal services. There is nothing terribly scientific about commoditizing legal services. It simply means that you define the typical tasks you typically complete for typical type...
"I am Sheva, The God of Death" - One of My Favorite Movie Quotes About 30,000 Billable Hours.
Posted on March 10, 2009Below is the video of my favorite part of the Michael Clayton movie all about billable hours (can you imagine that?). If you haven?t seen the movie, you should. But here is the ?money? quote: ?And for $50 million in...
Regurgitation Thursday: Our Duty to Help Other Lawyers Be Professional
Posted on March 05, 2009Topics covered in this episode of GAL Radio: Restoring the legal profession back to its professional status CIRCA March 5, 2005: Our duty to help other lawyers be professional Welcome to GAL Radio brought to you by the Greatest American...
You Better Get Blogging! The Internet Is A Primary Beneficiary of The Stimulus Package.
Posted on March 04, 2009OTH (Over The Hump) Wednesday: Legal Zoom Post Compilation - Logo Contest - Win a Free DVD
Posted on March 04, 2009Dude, Your Links Suck! An Exclamation of Good Links Versus Bad Links From SEOMOZ
Posted on March 02, 2009Regurgitation Thursday: Building the Service-Centered Firm
Posted on February 26, 2009Topics covered in this episode of GAL Radio: Customer service as a priority within your business model Alternative billing and innovative business models for law firms CIRCA January 25, 2005: Building the Service-Centered Firm Welcome to this edition of GAL...
McDonald's Workers Compensation Insurance Company Denies an Employee's Claim after Being Shot during the Hours of Employment
Posted on February 26, 2009As reported at the Huffington Post, McDonald?s workers compensation insurance company is denying claims to an employee who was shot on the premises during the hours of employment while pulling a man off a girl that was being beaten during...
Top Ten Tuesday: The Legal Industry Is About To Be Turned Upside Down
Posted on February 24, 2009If the cheap availability of technology wasn?t enough, lawyers now face an even more daunting challenge. With the economy taking a drastic downturn, the ?status quo? is about to be challenged in ways which would have never occurred under any...
Overflow Legal (OFL): Will the Pendulum of Power Swing Toward Talented Independent Contract Attorneys?
Posted on February 23, 2009Lisa Solomon from the Questionoflaw.net and Legalresearchandwritingpro.com submitted some interesting posts to OFL concerning lawyers acting as independent contractors. As you all know, we are big fans of contract lawyers, virtual law clerks, and virtual paralegals...
ISO Monday: Drowning in Email, RSS Feeds, and Twitter Feeds....
Posted on February 23, 2009Well, it's Information Super-Overload Monday. That means that GAL will be sharing tips on how to deal with the flood of information clogging up your email inbox, RSS feeds, and Twitter feeds. As many commentators have noted, too much information...
The Phenomena of LegalZoom.com: Love Them or Hate Them, Legal Self-Help Is Here to Stay
Posted on February 20, 2009Lawyers love to hate services like LegalZoom.com. While there have been some court cases alleging consumer fraud against LegalZoom's group host, this immensely popular legal forum self-help service has been a huge hit with consumers. There is little doubt that...
Should You Bill Hours, Value or Risk? OFL Knows the Answer.
Posted on February 18, 2009The Overflow Legal website has a solid list of blogs and articles from around the internet addressing the issue of alternative billing arrangements by law firms. If you want to see the top post as voted by you, the reader,...
Over the Hump (OTH) Wednesday: Vote Now on the Best Posts
Posted on February 18, 2009How to Reclaim Your Professional and Personal Life as a Lawyer: Are you really doing what you want with your professional life or are you just "filling a chair"? If you don't love what you're doing, maybe you should take...
Large Law Firms Continue to Implode: Historic 800 Law Firm Jobs Lost in a Single Day
Posted on February 16, 2009On Friday the 13th, Law.com reported 800 associates and support staff in some of the largest firms in the nation lost their jobs. For these people, Friday the 13th will always mean bad things. The reason given for these layoffs...
Clients Love Flat Fee Billing Based on Defined Deliverables
Posted on February 11, 2009I?m in Los Angeles, California this week for a federal court status conference and facilitated mediation in an unfair competition, keyword advertising trademark infringement case. At dinner last night with the clients, the issue of lawyers quickly came to the...
Expanding Your Practice with "Of Counsel" Relationships
Posted on February 09, 2009In this age of change, with large law firms laying off partners and associates, I have to wonder about the future of the of counsel relationship. As a result of technology and the internet, large corporate law firms which dominate...
The Nonsense of The Billable Hour
Posted on February 07, 2009In an article he wrote for Forbes Magazine, Trial Attorney Evan R. Chesler, discusses a better way to bill clients by simply playing fair. Kill the Billable Hour: Lawyers should bill the way Joe the Contractor does I'm a trial...
Twitter And Blogs Go Hand-In-Hand
Posted on February 06, 2009Kevin O?Keefe at LexBlog identifies 7 Reasons Why Lawyers Using Twitter Need A Blog: Twitter, despite a meteoric rise in popularity (mirroring blog growth of 4 or 5 years ago) is not used by enough people. As a lawyer you...
Attorneys And Stockbrokers Among The 20 Most Stressful Jobs
Posted on February 05, 2009Stephanie West Allen of Idealawg posted an article indicating that the category of attorney ranks number 82 in a list of top 200 jobs. Rounding out the top 100, attorneys and stockbrokers may earn considerably more than bookbinders or telephone...
Comparing E-fax and Electronic Fax Services
Posted on February 04, 2009Every once in a while I get a question from one of our readers about incorporating an internet fax service into their business model. These systems generally go by the description ?electronic fax?, ?internet fax?, ?e-fax? and ?online fax? services....
Kudos To Lindsay Griffith For Posting Link To Twitter
Posted on February 04, 2009Hey there! Lindsay Griffith is using Twitter. Thanks for this link. Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? Join...
The Influence Of Blogs
Posted on February 03, 2009Kara Smith of Karasma posted on the influence of blogs: The State of the Blogosphere report by Technorati for 2008 reports that blogs are an influential part of daily life. According to Technorati's report "brands make up a major part...
Getting Your Blog Recognized
Posted on February 02, 2009Jason Nazar, Co-Founder and CEO of DocStoc.com posted a great article discussing the various ways that you can get your blog out there and recognized for free: There are 7 Ways to Get (unpaid) Traffic on the Web, in no...
Advice From A National Coach On Self-Employment
Posted on February 01, 2009Susan Cartier Liebel at Build a Solo Practice blog and Solo Practice University answers a letter from a prosecutor with the Department of Justice, who asks: Should I Leave My Six-Figure Job For Solo Practice? >Question: I am a prosecutor...
What If Coffee Shops Billed Like Law Firms?
Posted on January 31, 2009Jay Shepherd at The Client Revolution posted a funny article which puts the notion of value-based billing into perspective: So it's another gray New England winter afternoon, which means it's time for my caffeine fix. I walk down the street...
Register For Audio Conference On Value Of Virtual Assistants
Posted on January 30, 2009The Center for Competitive Management has scheduled a 75-minute audio conference for Tuesday, May 12, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. E.S.T. concerning the pros and cons of hiring and managing Virtual Assistants. Traverse Legal Attorneys Enrico Schaefer and Brian Hall will...
In Response to David Giacalone?s Concerns about the Ethics of Value Billing
Posted on January 26, 2009I?m doing some research on value billing for lawyers; I came across the one blog post which beats out the GAL web site on the issue on this issue of ?value billing? on Google Search. David Giacalone over at the...
Blawg Review #195
Posted on January 26, 2009Here is this weeks Blawg Review hosted by Yolanda Young at the On Being A Black Lawyer (OBABL) Blog.
Traverse City, to Ann Arbor, back to Traverse City, to Hollywood, back to Traverse City, back to LA, to San Francisco, back to Traverse City
Posted on January 26, 2009Who says you can?t create a viable law firm by blogging your expertise? GAL has a busy couple weeks ahead. I?d like to say I owe it all to the internet, but the internet only provides opportunities. Blogging siezes it....
Submit Your Best Posts: Get Recognition and Link Juice!
Posted on January 23, 2009Next Wednesday, we will be publishing our first version of Over the Hump (OTH) Wednesday, wherein we feature the most popular blog post submitted to Overflow Legal. If you think you have what it takes, submit your best post into...
A Cup of Coffee at One of the Country?s Largest Mental Asylums: A GAL Breakdown?
Posted on January 23, 2009I am fortunate to work at one of the largest renaissance and redevelopment zones in the country, Grand Traverse Commons. Every morning, I enter the secret back door to my office, turn on my laptop and start outlook (which I...
Regurgitation Thursday: Non-Solo Karma
Posted on January 22, 2009Topics covered in this episode of GAL Radio: Buildings and Grounds of the Grand Traverse Commons My new office CIRCA January 14, 2005: Non-Solo Karma Play GAL Radio: Non-Solo Karma Here are some great photos of the Grand Traverse Commons:...
An Excellent Article On Blogging Lifecycles By Eric Goldman
Posted on January 22, 2009For those of you who don?t him, Eric Goldman is a prolific blogger who runs two niche blogs, the Tech and Marketing Blog and the Goldman?s Observation Blog. Eric Goldman is an Associate Professor of Law at Santa Clara University...
The Adam Smith Blog Contemplates the Potential Consequences of Economic Downturn on the Legal Profession
Posted on January 21, 2009Bruce MacEwen over at the Adam Smith blog has an interesting post called, ?Lessons From The Depression.? Bruce notes that never in his career has there been a time of greater uncertainty. ?The future is hard to visualize as it...
What Impact Will Barack Obama?s Message of Change Have on Society?s Institutional Bias To The Status Quo and Tradition
Posted on January 20, 2009I remember one point during the campaign when John McCain repeatedly stated that America needed action not talk. His overall point was that action was more powerful than ideas. That made me think. Most of the time, an idea rendered...
GAL Is Pleased To Announce Overflowlegal.com: The Best - Coolest - Narrowest Niche Legal Content Categories
Posted on January 20, 2009How is Overflow Legal different? First of all, we don?t pull in every blog post from a limited number of blogs and try and stuff those posts within a predetermined (and often inappropriate) category. Overflow Legal is an open platform. Any content, whether RSS enabled or not, can be added to the system...
The Failure of Billable Hour
Posted on January 15, 2009Jordan Furlong, the author of law21.ca, dispatches from a legal profession on the brink and has a great article about why ?billing by the hour? fails and can be found at http://www.law21.ca/2008/12/17/the-failure-of-billable-hour-compensation/. Not only does the billable hour technique wrecks...
Work Left Undone Means Profit Left Unearned
Posted on January 15, 2009I am preparing for a presentation through CCM where my partner Brian and I are doing a presentation on implementing a virtual worker program in your law firm. This has got me thinking a lot about virtual workers (not that...
Regurgitation Thursday: Re-Defining Legal Value
Posted on January 15, 2009Topics covered in this episode of GAL Radio: Alternative billing and delivering value to clients The benefits of value-based billing CIRCA December 28, 2004: Re-Defining Legal ValueThe question presented is can lawyers provide legal value to clients in fewer hours...
An Explosion of Talent: And It?s Available Right Now!
Posted on January 15, 2009Small and medium sized firms always hire just as needed. Not only are Large law firms not hiring, they?re actually laying off attorneys and downsizing. That means that there is a lot of legal talent, both young and old on...
Is A Big Salary Worth Working Conditions That Make You Miserable
Posted on January 14, 2009I?ve only been screwed by the internet once. For those of you who have been around for a long time, you will remember that Jenny worked with me at my prior law firm and jumped ship with me when I...
34 Reasons Why Readers Unsubscribe from Your Blog
Posted on January 14, 2009For those of us that enjoy blogging to inform others on certain topics, here is an interesting article posted by Darren Rowse on ProBlogger.net that should be reviewed by all of us that blog: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2007/03/01/34-reasons-why-readers-unsubscribe-from-your-blog/...
Introducing Over The Hump (OTH) Wednesdays: Sponsored By OverflowLegal.com
Posted on January 14, 2009That?s right! Another new feature on The Greatest American Lawyer Blog. Starting next Wednesday, Overflowlegal.com will be sponsoring ?Over The Hump Wednesday.? What is Overflow Legal? Well, the press release hasn?t gone out quite yet, but it?s a project that...
Top Ten Tuesday: My Best Blogging Tips For Building A Loyal Readership
Posted on January 13, 2009Recently, I wrote a post titled ?The Lessons of Format and Familiarity How To Take Your Blog To The Next Level and Build a Strong Reader Base? which discussed how to improve your blog by creating a more familiar format...
ISO Monday: Are you drowning in email, RSS feeds & Twitter Feeds?
Posted on January 12, 2009Welcome to this Monday's edition of "Information Super Overload". Last week, we asked: "Information Super-Overload: Is information overload killing productivity?" So when is too much information too much to handle? The answer is- and it might surprise you - never...
Blawg Review 194
Posted on January 12, 2009Read this week's Blawg Review # 194 - A Phoenix Rising, hosted by Susan Cartier Liebel over at the Build A Solo Practice blog.
The Lessons of Format and Familiarity How To Take Your Blog To The Next Level and Build a Strong Reader Base
Posted on January 09, 2009There are a few things that I have learned over the last four years and 1500+ blog posts. In retrospect, it surprises me that it took as long as it did for me to figure out the blogging thing. One...
California Bar Journal Article ?Will A Bad Economy Force More Changes In The Profession??
Posted on January 08, 2009Thanks to Adrianos Facchetti over at the California Defamation Law Blog for sending me this interesting article from the California Bar Journal. Staff Writer Diane Curtis asked the question which many law bloggers are discussing. How will the current economic...
Top Ten Things I Expect To See In 2009.
Posted on January 06, 2009The continued explosion of the use of Twitter by attorneys in order to accumulate their feed content from their blogs. A faster pace for law firm innovation driven by the economic downturn and hyper-competitiveness of the legal market. The first...
Information Super-Overload: Is information overload killing productivity?
Posted on January 05, 2009Welcome to a new series of Monday posts for the GAL blog called "Information Super-Overload" ("ISO Monday"). Every Monday we will discuss the increased problems of 'too much information" and strategies for dealing with the increased distraction of RSS feeds, twitter updates, Facebook friend requests, blog posts, email and other information tools...
The Irony Of Google Adwords
Posted on January 02, 2009There was a recent comment on my blog noting that the Google Advertisements which show up in my right sidebar are heavily weighted towards law office billing software. Because I am constantly blogging about alternative billing systems, Google takes note...
Law Firm With $2 Billon in Annual Revenue Takes Unprecedented Step To Cap Associate Pay
Posted on January 01, 2009And yet another sure sign that the rules of the game have changed for the big law firms that have dominated the legal landscape over the past decades, Latham & Watkins has now capped associate salaries in 2009. That means...
Regurgitation Thursday: How to Quit Your Law Firm
Posted on January 01, 2009Topics covered in this episode of GAL Radio:How to quit your law firm. You don't need your firm as much as you think you do.. You don't need to sneak out the back door with files and clients. What would...
If Your Bonus Is Cut In Half This Year, What Will Happen When the Economy Really Takes a Hit Next Year?
Posted on December 31, 2008Here is a recent article by Julie Triedman of The Am Law Daily blog titled "Following Pack, Davis Polk To Halve Bonuses". Julie reports that more and more Am Law 100 firms are reducing yearly bonuses in order to cut...
Using Mind Map For Advocacy
Posted on December 30, 2008For those of you who have been following along, you know I?m a big fan of the Mindjet MindManager software. Here is an interesting post from the Settlement Perspectives Blog titled Get To The Point, And Get It Across, With...
Using Litigation as Economic Leverage over Your Adversary
Posted on December 29, 2008The idea of using litigation as economic leverage is as old as the court system itself. The idea has been perfected under the American system of justice. Blogs such as Overlawyered chronicle the excesses of litigation, primarily focused on personal...
Blawg Review # 192: A Look Back At 2008 In The Legal Blogosphere
Posted on December 29, 2008This week?s Blawg Review looks back at the 51 Blawg Review issues of 2008 and asks that everyone cast their vote for naming this year?s "Blawg Review of the Year 2008". Here are the rules: The RulesAny of the issues...
Follow GAL on Twitter.
Posted on December 29, 2008I?ve begun to use Twitter more aggressively and now include my Greatest American Lawyer feed there as well. Follow me on Twitter by clicking here.
How to Reclaim Your Professional and Personal Life as a Lawyer
Posted on December 28, 2008Let?s face it. There are certain professions which don?t lend themselves to obtaining certain goals. Sure, you can make a lot of money billing by the hour as a lawyer. But what about other priorities which somehow fade into the...
The Best Thing about Value Billing?and There Are A Lot of Good Things
Posted on December 27, 2008The best thing about value billing, hands down, is not what you might expect. Sure, not having to keep a timesheet is pretty awesome. The fact that you can talk to your clients on the phone without that uneasy feeling...
Where Is The Line Between Letting Things Happen and Making Things Happen?
Posted on December 25, 2008There was a stretch of my life where I actively studied eastern religions, especially Buddhism. Buddhist have an amazing way of simply accepting anything and everything that may be happening around them. When life is an illusion, it is really...
Social and Professional Networking Are All About Participation, Not Association
Posted on December 24, 2008There is a lot of discussion these days about the social networking aspect of the web, from Facebook to LinkedIn. Bloggers post posts and have blog rolls. People join bulletin boards and forums, and post comments on other people?s websites....
Hourly Billing Rate of $1,260 Tops National Survey
Posted on December 23, 2008Many of you may be surprised that I have no problem with the hourly rate that lawyers think their time might be worth. I do have a problem with billing by the hour. The distinction is as follows. I admit...
Blawg Review # 191
Posted on December 22, 2008Read this weeks blawg review by Ron Coleman over at the Likelihood of Confusion blog.div class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheGreatestAmericanLawyer?a=7zNxO"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/TheGreatestAmericanLawyer?i=7zNxO" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds...
Why I Love Hourly Billing!
Posted on December 22, 2008OK. So the title of this post brought you in. You couldn?t resist. How can GAL love hourly billing? The answer is pretty simple and straightforward. Our competitors who bill by the hour regularly piss off their clients so much,...div class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds...
The Best Things in Life Really Are Free: A Thumbs Down To Copernic Desktop Search for Pay Version
Posted on December 18, 2008Those of you who have been around for a while know that one of my favorite software products of all time has been Copernic Desktop Search. Two years ago, I downloaded the free desktop and network search tool which essentially...
Regurgitation Thursday: Who is The Greatest American Lawyer?
Posted on December 18, 2008Topics covered in this episode of GAL Radio: Practicing towards an ideal rather than a minimum number of billable hours. Clients could use a super hero to protect them from their own lawyers. How to tell when someone you know...
Are Solo Practitioners A More Difficult Lot Than Big Law Partners?
Posted on December 17, 2008Paul Schorn over at the Texas Lawyer and as republished at law.com, has provided his instructions for the care and feeding of solos. This is a fairly comical article, no doubt written a bit tongue in cheek, however, it does...div class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds...
The 13 Worst Things about Hourly Billing
Posted on December 17, 2008I am driving to work. It?s 10 degrees Fahrenheit in Traverse City Michigan. In celebration of the cold air that is rushing through our area, solidifying winters grip, I give you a list of the 13 worst things about hourly...div class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds...
Are Bloggers Willing To Work For A Backlink?
Posted on December 16, 2008The Myshingle Blogroll is coming down. I thought we were supposed to be moving towards socialism where everything in life is free? But for those with legitimate content and something legitimate to say, Myshingle offers an even better alternative. It....
Are You A Virtual Worker Looking For A Job? Are You A Law Firm Looking For Virtual Worker?
Posted on December 16, 2008As you know, our law firm has had tremendous success with its virtual worker program, working through a basecamphq.com extranet system. What you may not recall is that we launched a job board for both virtual workers and employers looking...
Introducing Regurgitation Thursdays & GAL Radio ... This is Going to Be Ugly!
Posted on December 16, 2008Introducing Regurgitation Thursdays & GAL Radio
Wachovia Survey done on Fifty Firms in The Am Law 100 and The Am Law 200: Nation's Top Law Firms Bringing In Less Revenue
Posted on December 11, 2008law.com republished an interesting article (that first appeared on The Am Law Daily blog on wAmericanLawyer.com) called ?Partners Bringing In Less Revenue, Wachovia Survey Finds? written by American Lawyer Writer Nate Raymond. In his article, Raymond notes that America's top...
Déjŕ Vu from 2004: Don?t call me a solo
Posted on December 10, 2008Over the next few months, I will be re-posting some of my early articles as I launched the Greatest American Lawyer Blog, quit my partnership at my old firm, and started the process of reinventing myself and the practice of...
Staffing in a Down Economy: Will This Be The Time When Virtual Workers Shine?
Posted on December 10, 2008The most challenging decision law firms make in an economic environment such as we are in now is whether or not to add or reduce staff. And by staff, I mean everything from the mailroom on up to the top...
GAL Speaking Engagement: Virtual Paralegals and Legal Assistants ? How To Maximize Cost Savings and Increase Client Value.
Posted on December 10, 2008I am proud along with my partner to be presenting a webinar for the Center For Competitive Management (CCM) titled ?Virtual Paralegals and Legal Assistants: How to Maximize Cost Savings & Increase Client Value?. This should be a fascinating presentation...
Four Years Ago In December I Quit My Partnership To Start This Firm.
Posted on December 09, 2008Over the next few months, I will be re-posting some of my early articles as I launched the Greatest American Lawyer Blog, quit my partnership at my old firm, and started the process of reinventing myself and the practice of...
Facebook or LinkedIn: The Power Lies in the Use.
Posted on December 09, 2008I have a pretty substantial LinkedIn account. My public profile can be found here. A couple weeks ago, I had a case where the defendant we were researching had a Facebook account. I?ve never really dealt with Facebook before, having...
Unlocking the Key to Technology
Posted on December 08, 2008Everyone just assumes that technology is a good thing. They assume that technology is used to increase productivity. I hope you all know that?s not really the truth, is it? Technology can empower people to waste more time than ever...
If The Practice of Law Were a Dance Contest?
Posted on December 08, 2008?I?ve always had this strange sense that I would win for sure. Well, as long as the music was Prince. OK. Here is one of the many delusional thoughts that has yet to come true. I always thought that I...
The Power of Specialization. Stop Trying To Be Everything to Everyone
Posted on December 08, 2008When we first started our law firm, we did many different things. Essentially, we were a litigation firm. We did some personal injury with an emphasis on commercial litigation. We also started blogging within niche practice areas including domain name...
The Forecast? Snow Snow Snow
Posted on December 05, 2008I often like to brag that I live in paradise. During the summer months, everyone would agree that this is true. But today is December 5. And I still love where I live. Unlike most of the Midwest where it...
Technology Allows You To Do More Important Things. Stop Typing Your Own Documents!
Posted on December 05, 2008In my previous post, I noted that most law firms today use technology to reduce staff and increase the administrative functions of lawyers. Since technology provides efficiency, the number one question is whether or not lawyers and law firms will...
Not Interested In Paying $300.00 for Adobe Standard? Try Nitro for $50.00
Posted on December 05, 2008It is hard to imagine any lawyer operating in today?s digital world without an upgrade to Adobe Reader. Adobe offers its Acrobat 9 Standard for those looking to interact with their PDF documents for $299.00. Clearly, Adobe is the gold...
Abusing the Efficiency That Technology Brings: The ?Dark Side? Of Technology
Posted on December 04, 2008It never ceases to amaze me. I talk to small firm lawyers and big firm lawyers all the time. They call me on the phone seeking information and advice. Almost without exception, I quickly learn that these lawyers have used...
Three-Quarters of the AM Law 200 Predict Fixed Fee Arrangements with their Law Firms Over the Next Ten Years
Posted on December 04, 2008The Am Law Daily blog, sponsored by the American Lawyer, has an interesting article written by Aric Press concerning changes which will be coming to large law firms over the near term. While the concept of alternative and fixed fee...
Top 100 Legal Blogs For 2008
Posted on December 03, 2008The editors of the ABA Journey have chosen what they believe to be the top 100 legal blogs in the blogosphere. You can cast your vote for the ones you think are the best here. My votes are as follows:...
GAL is Proud To Be Added To The "Solo Practice University" Faculty
Posted on December 01, 2008GAL has been named as a faculty member at the "Solo Practice University", a bleeding edge on-line resource for lawyers and others in the legal biz to better themselves, their practices and become innovators within the legal profession.
Am Law 200 Firms Expected to Increase Revenues Through Alternative Fee Arrangements Over the Next Few Years
Posted on December 01, 2008Zach Lowe, writer for Am Law Daily reports in his article "Greenberg Continues Unique Billing Arrangement with Alcoa" that experts expect revenues from alternative billing arrangements to increase for Am Law 200 firms over the next few years. Here is...
With An Economy Ripe For Opportunity, Is It Time For Lawyers To Start Looking At Alternatives?
Posted on November 30, 2008Susan Liebel over at the Build A Solo Practice blog poses a very interesting question in her recent post titled ?Is Now The Perfect Time To Start Your Solo Practice?". I agree with Susan that it is time for lawyers...
Are More Law Firms and Attorneys Moving Away From the Hourly Billing Model?
Posted on November 29, 2008Matt Homann over at the [non]billable hour blog posted the article ?Ten Rules About Hourly Billing?. in his article, Matt shares his insight on hourly billing. Here is the list: 1. Ask your clients what they buy from you. If...
As Companies Start To Feel the Economic Downturn, Law Firms Are Beginning To Offer Alternative Billing Arrangements to Their Clients
Posted on November 28, 2008Law.com recently published the article called ?Billing Gets Creative in Souring Economy?. Julie Kay, a staff reporter for The National Law Journal, discusses how the current economic downturn has led many law firms to start offering their clients creative and...
Are You On The GAL Blawg Roll Yet?
Posted on November 27, 2008For those of you who are regular readers, feel free to add a comment to this thread requesting to get on our Blawg Roll. We would be happy add you and create a little link juice love for ya. Make...
Great Ideas Are Starving For Capital
Posted on November 26, 2008In the previous post ?Do Small Companies Look More Attractive To Investors in the Current Economic Climate??, I was wondering aloud about whether people with money to invest will start looking at non-publicly traded companies as a better potential return...
Big Law?s Pyramid Model Is Collapsing
Posted on November 25, 2008Essentially, big law operates on the fundamental premise of ever-increasing billable hours. In order to support the salaries at the top, they must continually add increasing number of associates at the bottom. Graphically, the model appears as a pyramid where...
I Didn?t Know Fred Baron Had Died
Posted on November 24, 2008No doubt, many of you will have heard of Fred Baron, one of the most prolific, controversial and wealthy plaintiffs? asbestos lawyers in history. Somewhere in my reading yesterday, I came across an article that Fred had died. "Texas lawyer...
Introducing GAL Radio: The Greatest American Lawyer Blog Now Owns Its Own Radio Station!
Posted on November 23, 2008You may have noticed a recent post titled "All Client Value Should Be Visible: GAL Radio Spotlight", we premiered GAL Radio which allows you to not only read the commentary and insights of GAL authors, but listen to them in...
Dominating The Internet
Posted on November 23, 2008I know an awful lot about the internet, search engine optimization, web page development, directory listing, on-line professional networking, and a host of other skills which help propel us to page one Google results. I?ll be the first to admit...
Clients Like To Be Left In the Dark
Posted on November 22, 2008Some lawyers are extremely good at giving clients advice. The client needs a definitive answer. The lawyer gives the client a straight up yes or no. The strength of that advice is found in the details of the information gathering...
Winter Comes To Traverse City Michigan
Posted on November 22, 2008I usually post on the first snow in my hometown of Traverse City, Michigan. The first snow to stick to the ground came last Sunday, at 5:00 A.M. when Brian and I were heading to the airport to get on...
Do Small Companies Look More Attractive To Investors in the Current Economic Climate?
Posted on November 22, 2008One has to wonder whether or not putting your money into publicly traded securities will ever be the same after the latest stock market woes and bailouts. Small and medium sized companies looking for private investment including startup companies, have...
Which Law Firms Will Be Left Standing 12-36 Months from Now?
Posted on November 21, 2008I have a client who was contacted by a top partner at one of the leading intellectual property law firms in Los Angeles. The attorney reviewed the new complaint filing in federal court on trademark issues, researches the defendant companies...
Will The Recession Affect Your Law Practice? An ABA Survey
Posted on November 21, 2008The ABA is conducting a survey asking lawyers about the current state of the economy as it relates to the legal profession. The survey can be found here. The survey results will be published in the January ABA Journal. Answers...
If The IP Sector Takes A Hit, The You Will Probably Take A Hit.
Posted on November 21, 2008As our economy moves towards a market built on ideas, intellectual property practice groups have reported strong growth over the last several years. My law firm Traverse Legal, PLC protects ideas in an online world. As reported over at the...
What Are The Signs That Your Law Firm Is In Trouble?
Posted on November 20, 2008How would you even know if you were about to loose your job or if your law firm would soon be struggling to meet payroll? Hourly billing attorneys live by a math formula which calculates the number of people times...
Legal Service Sector Loses 1,100 Jobs in October: Opportunities For New Players Begin To Take Shape
Posted on November 20, 2008The On the Record blog has an interesting post ?Is economic downturn hurting Baltimore law firm?". Legal Affairs Writer Caryn Tamber notes that several big firm collapses contributed to the high job loss within the sector. She wonders whether or...
More Signs That Your Law Firm Is In Trouble
Posted on November 20, 2008Diane Stafford atThe Kansas City Star posted an interesting article titled "Are you on the layoff List? How to tell signs of trouble at work". Diane provides this checklist to help you answer this question: Your company isn?t doing well.Even...
Call to Action! It Is Time To Start Spreading The Word.
Posted on November 19, 2008If you have enjoyed reading this blog over the last five years, or are a relative newcomer, I have a favor to ask. Start spreading the word. There?s going to be tremendous opportunity for talented lawyers over the next several...
Twenty Percent of the Am Law 200 Are Issuing Cutbacks
Posted on November 18, 2008The American Lawyer and its sibling publications are tracking the woes of the largest large firms in America. One article called ?The Layoff List? contains a comprehensive list of news articles about Am Law 200 law firms who are firing...
Talking about Hourly Billing is Like Dredging up Bad Memories
Posted on November 17, 2008I was one of a three-person panel recently speaking about law firm profitability. I had not anticipated the emotional toll which would be had as a result of having to think about hourly billing. The audience was mostly large or...
All Client Value Should Be Visible
Posted on November 14, 2008If you were to check the hourly billing entries of many lawyers against the file, you would see a tremendous amount of activity, which is not reflected by any documentation. In cases where there is documentation (such as a research...
Small Town Lawyers with a Global Presence
Posted on November 12, 2008Brian and I are just getting back from a trip to LA on settlement conferences related to our Crown Princess cruise ship accident cases. We had some extra time yesterday so we rented a car and pounded our way up...
Global Economic Collapse is a Good Thing to Legal Market, Really!
Posted on November 10, 2008It is certainly bittersweet watching the country and the world slip into an historic recession as large companies race to get in line filled with other failing megacorporations for government money and bailouts. The money will be spent, but probably....
An Economy Built On the Power of Ideas?
Posted on November 06, 2008When I founded this firm four years ago, I quickly gravitated towards specialization in idea protection. Our firm is focused on protecting and extending the ideas of our clients in a global online world. Previously, the label would have been...
Becoming a Thought Leader, Showing off Your Expertise and Making Friends along the Way
Posted on November 05, 2008Kevin O?Keefe from Lexblog has an interesting slide share presentation which he posted over at LinkedIn called ?Online Thought Leadership for Lawyers-Blogs, Social Media and Twitter.? I would encourage any lawyer looking to better understand how the internet is revolutionizing...
Corporate Legal Departments Continue to Experiment with Flat Fee and Value Billing Options
Posted on November 04, 2008From this post over at the wiredgc.com, we were referred to this Washington Post article noting that corporate legal departments, perhaps spurned by tighter budgets and the financial crisis, are continuing to expand their efforts to try flat fee and....
Bring Your Child To The Voting Booth: This is America!
Posted on November 04, 2008I had the great joy to wake up at 5:45, get my son Echo ready for school one hour early and take him with me to the polling station at 6:40 to get in line to vote. I don't know...
Do Law Firms Operate on Principles of Capitalism or Totalitarianism?
Posted on October 31, 2008I was having a beer at Right Brain Brewery last night with a friend who graduated from law school and then went to work for a large corporation. We talked a little politics, both local and national, and about large...
Worst Law Firm Names Ever!
Posted on October 27, 2008We received such interesting feedback on our post last week about wierd law firm names that we have decided to launch a poll. Which law firm name do you think is the worst law firm name of the bunch? Please...
I Have No Time To Blog: This Old Excuse No Longer Applies?
Posted on October 24, 2008People always ask me how I find time to generate content across 11 blogs. I have some help. One of my team members is there to receive my dictation (such as I am doing right) and enter it as a...
Change Is Good For Lawyers, Law Firms and the Country
Posted on October 22, 2008For those of you who have been following the Greatest American Lawyer blog for some time, you know that ?changing the way law is practiced? has been the byline for this effort since day one. I always tell clients that...
Why Wouldn?t You Send Clients Their Bill by Email?
Posted on October 21, 2008We have clients who are individuals, small businesses and megacorporations. All of those clients receive an email bill which includes the amount owed and the option to pay by credit card or wire transfer. For those who choose to pay...
Ten Law Firm Names That Make You Scratch Your Head: Do Egos Continue To Drive Law Firm Naming Conventions.
Posted on October 20, 2008Law firm names have always driven me crazy. I?ve worked for firms where people fought to get their name on the letterhead. I always thought the traditional naming convention of placing the partners? last names in a long string of...
Lawyer Gets Blown Up At His Law Office under Suspicious Circumstances
Posted on October 17, 2008It will be interesting to see if the ?person of interest? was one of the attorney?s clients. ATLANTA -- One person was killed in an explosion at a Dalton law office Friday morning, authorities said Friday afternoon. The victim has...
The Cost Savings in Going Digital
Posted on October 16, 2008I?m often asked how much money it will cost in staff and time to scan in all of the documents which are generated from outside our own office onto our file server. Essentially, people want to know whether or not...
Webinar Today! "Staying Out of Trouble: A Media Law Primer for Bloggers" with Professor Gary Williams of Loyala
Posted on October 14, 2008Click Here to Register! (only $10) With the increasing presence of bloggers' contribution to mainstream media, it's easy to think that there's no danger in jumping right in. But recent cases of libel and slander against citizen bloggers indicate otherwise;...
Standing at a Podium as a Lawyer in Front of 100,000 People and Yelling My Marketing Message
Posted on October 09, 2008Any lawyer would like to have an audience of 100,000 people per year who will listen to and see your marketing message. The local phone book certainly doesn?t provide this opportunity. The internet does. Over 100,000 unit visitors will have...
Center for Competitive Management Course: Increase Profitability Not Billable Hours
Posted on October 09, 2008I am proud to be a faculty member for an upcoming 75-minute presentation offered through CCM (Center for Competitive Management). The course title is Revenue Purple Lawyer: Increase Profitability Not Billable Hours. The course is being offered with a money-back...
Digital Dictation Presentation: The Grand Traverse-Antrim-Leelanau Bar Association
Posted on October 08, 2008I?m standing in front of a group of about 25 people doing a presentation on digital dictation. For those of you who follow the blog, you know that digital dictation is one of my favorite productivity tools. Here is the...
Inbox Activity Anxiety Syndrome: ?Receiving 1 of 120 messages?
Posted on October 06, 2008Since getting our new Appriver.com Spam Service in place, the number of emails which hit my inbox on my Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet PC has been reduced by probably something in the range of 85%. I recently posted about our...
Sarah Palin vs. Joe Biden: Comedy! Drama! Horror!
Posted on October 03, 2008I attended the coolest, most entertaining VP debate party last night with 500 other people at Traverse City's amazing State Theater. Note the sub-title of the big event! For those inside watching the debate, it was all of the above,...
The Measure of a Man Is the Size of His Junk Email Folder
Posted on October 02, 2008You know you?ve been around the Internet for a long time - - a real player - - when the amount of spam you receive in a day eclipses the total of legitimate emails you receive in a week. Let?s...
This Week's Blawg Review #179
Posted on September 29, 2008Read this week's Blawg Review being hosted by IP.com and published on thier Secruing Innovation blog.
Despite What They Say, Size Does Matter?
Posted on September 25, 2008AIG, Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac?the list goes on. Company failures are now a regular experience. But what do all these companies have in common? I was listing to commentator on the radio who said, ?we were told that...
FIRST-YEAR LAW STUDENT RAP
Posted on September 18, 2008He Needs One Less Worry ? He Needs 10g?s MC Lichtenstein's 1 Less Worry
Rethinking You Digital Dictation Strategy: Tips, Tricks, Software and Hardware
Posted on September 16, 2008I recently wrote an article for Law Technology News which is republished on Law.com called Legal Dictation Needs to Talk Digital. Here is an excerpt: Cassette-based desktop dictation machines and portable hand-held cassette recorders using minicassette tapes have dominated the...
Cell Phones Can Distract ... And Kill: Metrolink Engineer May Have Been Texting In Deadly Train Crash
Posted on September 15, 2008We all love to evangelize the benefits of technology. But sometimes we are reminded that technology, and especially cell phones, can be more than a nuisance and a distraction. On occasion, people distracted by their cell phones can cause injury...
I Wonder What Would Happen If Law Firms Focused More On Providing Quality Representation Rather Than Driving Billable Hours For Their New Associates?
Posted on September 11, 2008OverFlow Legal just posted ?Six New Associates at Ford & Harrison Subjected to Dangerous Experiment! No Minimum Billable Hour Requirement? which is a story originally reported at Law.com. Ford & Harrison conducted an experiment with some young associates, dropping the...
Big Fight About Big Law: Are Law Students Really So Indoctrinated That They Think Prestige Can Only Be Found At Big Law?
Posted on September 08, 2008A recent post ?Can You Really Learn To Be A Lawyer At Big Law: Small Law Firms Offer Experience You Can?t Get Tied To Desk? has generated a lot of commentary. One person going by the name of ?law student?...
Blawg Review 176
Posted on September 08, 2008Here's the latest Blawg Review hosted by Hanna Hasl-Kelchner at Legalliteracy.com.
Interesting Blogpost Listing Top Ten Reasons to Use a Legal Extranet
Posted on September 08, 2008This is a tremendous new blog that I had no idea existed. It is the ?Legal Extranet Blog.? There is a lot of great information here. As you know, Traverse Legal has used its legal extranet system as a complete...
Can You Really Learn To Be Lawyer At Big Law? Small Firms Offer Experience You Can?t Get Tied To A desk
Posted on September 04, 2008Carolyn Elefant over at Myshingle.com has a great post called Everything You Need to Know to Succeed As An Associate, You Can Learn From Solo Practice. I started my career working for some of the largest and most prestigious law...
Should Professional Networking Be Part Of Your Marketing Strategy?
Posted on September 04, 2008Tom Kane, at the Legal Marketing Blog, poses an interesting question in his recent blogpost called ?Should You Pay Attention To The Social Networking Craze??. Kane notes that social networking is exploding on the internet today as more and more...
Google?s Fascination with Digg
Posted on August 20, 2008Some of you may know, Google has been considering a purchase of Digg.com, the popular pligg site. Google seems to be fascinated with a concept which Amazon learned long ago, end user ratings really do matter. The Google algorithm currently...
Blogging Basics: Starting Conversations and Building Relationships.
Posted on August 19, 2008Leo Bottary over at the Client Service Insights blog has a great post on the importance of blogging. He notes two key benefits, conversation and relationships. Yes, it's true. Once you start writing your blog, others who write blogs will...
Flat Fee Billing is NOT Like This Guy Kiteboarding!
Posted on August 19, 2008I regularly hear other lawyers say that they are afraid to bill flat fee on most matters. Our lawyers bill most everything as a flat fee, some (but not all) litigation matter excepted. Lawyers feel like they will loose control...
Death of A Blogger: Bill Patry (of Google) Hangs Up His Keyboard
Posted on August 13, 2008William Patry of the Patry Copyright Blog has been a prolific and well respected blogger on copyright issues for over four years. Today, he decided to stop blogging. His loss will be felt across the blogosphere. I have decided to...
RSS Feeds Are Changing The Way Lawyers And Law Students Learn About The Law
Posted on August 11, 2008Most people who spend any time on the internet know what an RSS feed is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(file_format): ?RSS is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines, and podcasts in a...
The Power of Iteration
Posted on August 08, 2008Improvements in process in the technology age come by way of iteration. The guts of every company are a series of contemporaneous and non-synchronous intermittent processes. In the industrial age, success was in many instances driven by perseverance. Iteration is...
One Law School Student Asks How One Becomes An Internet Lawyer
Posted on July 30, 2008I received an email the other day from a law student who asks: I am a 3rd year law student at [deleted] law school in Lansing. ... I find the area of law in which you practice particularly fascinating. The...
Lawyers Who Fail To Incorporate The Latest Technologies Will Be Left Behind
Posted on July 30, 2008Stephen Nipper over at the Invent Blog has an interesting post ?Are attorneys (on average) lacking in basic technical skills?? "It is surprising to most people, but attorneys tend to be late adopters of technology. I think it is a...
Alleged Hourly Billing Fraud against Wilmer Law Firm: This Is What Happens When Legal Budgets Are Not Reviewed and Approved Ahead of Time by the Client
Posted on July 29, 2008My friend Patrick Lamb over at the In Search Of Perfect Client Service blog has an interesting post ?Both Sides: You Reap What You Sow.? Patrick is commenting on an article at law.com noting McAfee Sues WilmerHale for over $12...
Are Traditional Retainer Agreements Outdated?
Posted on July 29, 2008Carolyn Elefant over at the MyShingle blog has an interesting post and related links concerning well-drafted retainer agreements. It is true that in personal injury cases, retainer agreements remain critically important if you wish to collect your fee...
Voicemail Has Become More of a Burden than an Asset
Posted on July 29, 2008I have long hated just about everything concerning voicemail. Fundamentally, I still don?t understand why I should have to push multiple buttons, codes and selections to get my voicemail. I want my voicemail when I want it. I should be...
One of my Favorite Interviews: Alan Drewsen from the INTA
Posted on July 22, 2008As I was reading back through some old blog posts, I stumbled across this Vtalk Radio interview sponsored by my firm Traverse Legal, PLC of Alan Drewsen, the executive director of the International Trademark Association (INTA). As many of you...
Large Law Firms Can?t Compete with Small Law Firms
Posted on July 22, 2008Here is an interesting post from the eBiz Insider titled ?Why ?SMALL? is BIG in E-commerce?. I have often said that small law firms have a tremendous advantage in the current market because the can deploy technology and rework their...
The World's Oldest Blogger, Olive Riley, Dies at the age of 108
Posted on July 18, 2008CNN "An Australian woman often described as the world's oldest blogger has died at the age of 108 after posting a final message about her ailing health but how she sang "a happy song, as I do every day." Story...
Finding Opportunity in Difficult Economic Times
Posted on July 09, 2008Only about ten to twenty percent of our client base is local. Most of our clients are located outside the State of Michigan and many outside the United States of America. Because we are a law firm specializing in internet...
Fully Integrated Web/Blog: A Law Firm Website
Posted on July 07, 2008We?ve received a lot of inquiries concerning our post last week concerning the launch of our new website. As noted, our new website is part traditional ?brochure? web pages describing our practice areas and includes nine distinct vertical blogs within...
Imagine a University Which Teaches You How to Become a Solo Practitioner?
Posted on July 02, 2008Many lawyers started out there careers as solo practitioners. I started my law firm traverselegal.com, which is now three partners, and numerous other virtual workers, in size as a solo practitioner. There is a relatively new blog out there called...
Central Florida Paralegal Opens Virtual Assistance Company
Posted on July 02, 2008February 2008 ? ChampionsGate, FL Paula Matthews, a central Florida paralegal with over 20 years? experience working with several top rated attorneys, recently started her own Virtual Assistance (VA) company, i-Administrative Services, LLC. i-Administrative Services, LLC will be providing small...
What are the Benefits of Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO)?
Posted on June 24, 2008There is an interesting discussion going on over at the LinkedIn Intellectual Property Message Board concerning legal process outsourcing (LPO). There are some who argue that legal process outsourcing - essentially using virtual worker - could save up to fifty...
One of the First Fully-Integrated Blog/Websites for any Law Firm
Posted on June 24, 2008We have just completed phase one of our redesign for www.traverselegal.com. Because we started our blogs a long time ago using typepad.com, we had to face a difficult choice. We could either export our TypePad feeds into a brand new...
Virtual Worker Job Board For Law Firms
Posted on June 23, 2008Every week, we receive dozens of resumes from individuals who want to be virtual law clerks, virtual lawyers, virtual paralegals and general virtual staff. Clearly, there are a tremendous number of incredibly talented people out there who are offering their...
Finally, Dictation Software for Your Cell Phone
Posted on June 19, 2008What is the one piece of technology that you carry around with you virtually everywhere? Of course, the answer is the cell phone. I have been clamoring for years for an integrated dictation devise for my cell phone. For those...
For Their Own Law Firms
Posted on June 12, 2008Every week, we receive dozens of resumes from individuals who want to be virtual law clerks, virtual lawyers, virtual paralegals and general virtual staff. Clearly, there are a tremendous number of incredibly talented people out there who are offering their...
Case Management Solutions for Law Firms
Posted on June 06, 2008There is an interesting discussion and a number of link resources over at the LinkedIn business networking questions and answer section. A variety of attorneys have suggested different software tools for case management. Of course, basecamphq.com is included...
No Woman Who Behaved Ever Changed History
Posted on June 03, 2008I saw a t-shirt the other day that said ?A woman who behaves never changes history.? The t-shirt struck me for several reasons. First, because I have had the pleasure of representing three amazing women who started a Digg site...
Technology Lets You Work from Anywhere
Posted on June 03, 2008Technology allows you to work from anywhere. Most of our clients are not local companies. But we connect to those clients through our Extranet, GoToMeeting and related applications. Here are a few things about where I live in Traverse City...
Creative Commons Licenses Fail To Protect Bloggers From Content Theft
Posted on June 02, 2008Susan Cartier Liebel has a great post called "Shouldn't You Have To Ask Permission If You Want To Take A Blog's Feed For Your Profit?" She notes that: This has been troubling me for a while. And it just may...
2008 Report on Law Firm Billing Practices
Posted on May 30, 2008Raintoday.com has published a report analyzing law firm billing practices. The 2008 Report titled Fees and Pricing Benchmark Report: Law Firms & Legal Services Industry 2008, outlines the key elements for growing your law firm. It provides keen insight into...
What is a domain name worth? Just back from the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Conference in Orlando
Posted on May 27, 2008I remember when I first launched this blog about three and a half years ago that the whole concept of blogging was still relatively new. How far we have come in such a short period of time? Our law firm...
Battle of the Blog
Posted on May 23, 2008Kevin O?keefe over at the Real Lawyers Have Blogs site recently posted that "lawyer blogs are not advertising." Several commentators, chipping in on this issue, point out that blogs are a way for lawyers to voice their personal opinions. Despite...
Dividing Profits Among Partners: A New Approach
Posted on May 19, 2008Our firm is now a three partner entity. We are fortunate enough to be in a position to disburse profits throughout the year, in addition to our salaries. Like everything else at Traverse Legal, we did not blindly follow the...
Blogging Trends
Posted on May 16, 2008Dominik Mueller at the Domain Name Blog has a fascinating post on ?Blogging Trends? which is definitely worth reading and includes a video from ProBlogger?s Darren Rowse. Blogging is still the easiest way to generate content on the web. Those...
Attorney Collaboration? Yes, attorneys in the same office can work together
Posted on May 05, 2008One of the downsides of hourly billing is the disincentive to collaborate. Clients don?t want to see multiple lawyers showing up on their hourly bill. Law firms and lawyers are sensitive to having collaborative work sessions where multiple people might...
Blawg Review # 158
Posted on May 05, 2008Read this week's Blawg Review hosted by The Mommy Blawger at The Mommy Blawg-The Intersection of Mommyhood and the Law.
The Distinction Between Business and Law
Posted on April 25, 2008Because we do so much trademark work, we live in a world of notice letters, threat letters and draft complaints. It never ceases to amaze me how many business opportunities are lost as a result of lawyers being so caught...
The Impersonal Nature of Email
Posted on April 24, 2008I recently posted The Etiquette of Email. As a follow-up, Peter at the Solo In Chicago blog provides great insight into the appropriate use of email: I'm amazed at the vitriol I see written via e-mail particularly from clients and...
The Evil Side Effect of Lawyer Advertising: More Consumer Information
Posted on April 22, 2008The proliferation of lawyer websites, law firm websites, lawyer blogs and even LinkedIn profiles have literally exploded the amount of information available to consumers of legal services. There has been a steady debate about whether or not lawyer blogs constitute...
Have you considered dictating your emails?
Posted on April 22, 2008In my previous post, I noted the rising problem etiquette in email. I attribute this in part to text messaging, which, by its nature, kinds to be cryptic, short and almost painfully to the point. Virtually everyone who has an...
The Etiquette of Email
Posted on April 22, 2008I think we all know not to turn our caps lock button on when we send email by this point in Internet history. However, the rise of text messaging has created a shift in email etiquette. Email recipients are much...
Earth Day 2008, Law Firms Going Green
Posted on April 21, 2008Earth Day is Tuesday, April 22, 2008. Our law firm has been digital since day one. This means we use a small fraction of the paper that most law firms use. I would estimate it to be at something in...
Introducing Virtual Paralegal Aretha Gaskin
Posted on April 18, 2008The Virtual Legal Assistant, Inc. Aretha Gaskin Owner & Virtual Support Professional Based in Westfield, New Jersey USA 908-757-3300 www.tvlai.com arethagaskin@tvlai.com My name is Aretha Gaskin and I am a virtual support professional and I?ve worked at some of New...
There is a Difference between Having Technology, Using Technology and Dedicating Yourself to a Process Utilizing Technology
Posted on April 18, 2008We have incorporated an awful lot of technology into our law firm business model and process. By way of example, we use GoToMeeting with the attendant conference call service almost on a daily basis. Many of our clients are located...
Are You a Virtual Worker Looking to Promote Your Services?
Posted on April 17, 2008We have created two new categories for virtual worker issues. The first category is a listing of virtual workers who have submitted their background information and websites to us. That link can be found here. The second is a blog...
Virtual Worker Recap
Posted on April 17, 2008Since we are going to be having some upcoming posts on virtual workers, we thought we would recap our best posts on virtual workers over the last 3 ˝ years. As you know, there are tremendous benefits to incorporating a...
Introducing Virtual Paralegal Lisa Gibson
Posted on April 17, 2008I received an email from Paralegal Lisa Gibson the other day concerning possible virtual paralegal positions. As mentioned in this previous post, we will now be promoting any virtual worker in the legal industry who's got their own website. If...
Virtual Paralegals for Hire
Posted on April 17, 2008As you all know, I'm a big fan of virtual workers. Every month, we get dozens of emails and unsolicited résumés from virtual paralegals, law clerks and even lawyers who wish to work for our firm. There is no question...
The Relationship between Quality and Origination
Posted on April 10, 2008Every law firm has to grapple with the issue of bringing in new clients, and starting new projects for existing clients. For the purposes of this post, I will refer to both concepts as origination. Origination can occur in a...
Blawg Review #154
Posted on April 10, 2008Read the current issue of Blawg Review hosted by David Harlow's at Health Care Law Blawg.
Google Says You Are An Expert
Posted on March 26, 2008I was giving a presentation last night to a group of college students in a marketing class. We were talking about internet marketing and the use of blogs to show off your expertise. The discussion gravitated towards the issue of...
Cost-Certainty is the Number One Factor Driving Clients towards Flat Fee Billing.
Posted on March 24, 2008We are currently involved in some fairly complex Anticybersquatting Protection Act litigation across the country. We?ve been closely monitoring the hourly bills (we sometimes start litigation on an hourly basis until we see where it?s going). The client is an...
The Power of a Good Vacation
Posted on March 20, 2008I just returned from a ten-day vacation to Colorado with family. We went resort skiing, I went on a Backcountry 10th Mountain Division Hut Trip and then spent some time in Boulder with friends. I think we constantly underestimate the...
Solo by Choice
Posted on February 19, 2008One of my favorite bloggers Carolyn Elefant over at the MyShingle.com blog has written a wonderful new book called ?Solo by Choice.? I just received a copy of the book last week and look forward to reading it. I did...
With an Extranet, Communication Has Never Been So Easy.
Posted on February 12, 2008I was recently reading an article in the January/February 2008 ABA GP Solo Magazine (Volume 25, Number 1) by Timothy J. Gephart entitled ?Malpractice: What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate.? The article does a great job of...
The Donald Says: Never Give Up!
Posted on February 10, 2008You might recall my son Echo's poem about perseverance last week. Looks like Donald Trump is following the GAL blog. :-) Wealth-Protecting Tactics of the Ultra-Rich - Inside Trump Tower : With the Right Mindset, You Can Overcome Any Problem.Don't...
A Fully Integrated Blog into a Law Firm Web Site
Posted on February 05, 2008I?ve been busy these last six weeks working with graphic designers and web developers on our new law firm web site with a fully integrated blog. As those of you who have been following the firm know, we have in...
Blawg Review # 145
Posted on February 04, 2008Read this week's blawg review by Dan Hull at the What About Clients? blog.
If The Number '5' License Plate is Worth $6.8 Million, What Is Your Domain Name Worth?
Posted on February 04, 2008The number "5" license plate sold for $6.8 million dollars in Saudi Arabia and another 300 vanity plates sold for another $56 million at last week's auction. It is estimated that the number "1" will be auctioned next month for...
You Know You Work For A Great Firm When ..
Posted on February 01, 2008... you decide it is time to leave, the firm says something like this, as reported at teh WSJ Law Blog. Herman?s departure ends his 16-year relationship with Woody Jameson, the head of Duane Morris?s IP group. Yesterday he waxed...
Will the Recession Hit Legal Services?
Posted on February 01, 2008One of my favorite bloggers is Gerry Riskin over at the Amazing Firms Amazing Practices blog. Gerry recently posted a wonderful article about ?Seven Key Strategic Factors in Order to Recession-proof the firm.? I have never understood whether recessions are...
Inspiring Other Lawyers to Blog
Posted on February 01, 2008As mentioned in this recent post, I recently did a presentation for my local Bar Association on technology issues. I?ve been so focused on changing the way law is practiced across the country, that I haven?t spent much time working...
Fulfill Your Potential
Posted on January 29, 2008I have never presumed myself to know much about anything. I don?t pretend with myself. I don?t pretend with my children. All the greatest mysteries in life are to be discovered on an individual basis. But I do try and...
They Don?t Call Me Nothin? for Nothin?
Posted on January 29, 2008My youngest Son Apollo, who is five, had a great quote the other day that I wanted to share. He said, ?They don?t call me nothin? for nothin?.? Now, I?m not so sure why these words struck me as so...
Blogging: What Do You Have to Lose?
Posted on January 28, 2008Today I overheard two businessmen talking about advertising. Both of them were unhappy with the amount of response to their latest advertisements. One mentioned that he advertised via cable television while the other advertised exclusively in print media, including magazines,...
This Blog is My Blog, This Blog is Your Blog
Posted on January 28, 2008Enrico, Mark, and I met last week to discuss our blogging efforts. We all agreed that publishing content to our blogs and on other online trade journals are extremely important. Not only does it allow us to broadcast our expertise...
As Bad as Hourly Billing is for Clients, It?s worse for Lawyers.
Posted on January 25, 2008I?m a member of the Grand Traverse Bar Association for Grand Traverse, Antrim and Leelanau Counties for the State of Michigan. I spoke at a seminar last week to a handful of local lawyers about technology and innovation. I have...
# 1 Tech Tip For Lawyers-Copernic
Posted on January 25, 2008I recently gave a presentation to the Grand Traverse-Leelanau-Antrim Bar Association about my top ten tech tips. It was a difficult assignment since I have so many tech tips that it was difficult to narrow it down to ten. What...
Equals in Opportunity
Posted on January 25, 2008One of the interesting things we have done is to provide each partner an incentive to participate in each case. We continue to emphasize an equality of opportunity. Instead of the best cases be hoarded by one or two attorneys,...
Becoming an Expert in the Internet Era
Posted on January 21, 2008It used to be you had to go to school to learn stuff. Why? Because they had the books and the experts which could teach you the things you wanted to know. If you wanted to become an expert on trademark law, you had to go to law school, work your way through the system until you were able to take electives for intellectual property, buy the book which contained the principles in the cases and listen to the expert professor walk you through each doctrine...
Thinking about Technology
Posted on January 16, 2008I?m doing a presentation on technology right now to our local Bar Association. I have to say; even thinking about technology gets me incredibly excited. Do I love technology more than law?
Blawg Review # 142:
Posted on January 14, 2008Check out this week's Blawg Review here at Build A Solo Practice.
Word of Mouth Marketing
Posted on January 07, 2008Kevin O?Keefe over at Real Lawyers Have Blogs picked up on our thread about blogging with a post called "Word of mouth gets lawyers their best work: Spend Internet marketing dollars there." Kevin picked up on comment I made on a post called "Showing off Your Expertise...
Get Vertical! And Get Blogging.
Posted on January 07, 2008The biggest advantage of blogging technology is the ease with which you can post content. As noted previously, it still takes time, energy and focus in order to drive great content and show off your particular expertise. For many lawyers, however, establishing and extending expertise is simply a part of their professional practice...
Different Blogging Styles Achieve Different Results.
Posted on January 06, 2008There are lots of blogging styles out there. There are lots of different agendas being promoted by lawyers. Carolyn Elafant over at the myshingle.com blog promotes small and solo firms to other lawyers and as an alternative for potential clients to consider...
Showing Off Your Expertise
Posted on January 05, 2008Granted, most lawyers don?t think much about marketing. Some lawyers still look at the concept of marketing as somehow unsavory. Why it is some lawyers think this way? Preserve the status quo: Some lawyers don?t like advertising because they?ve been around a long time and they don?t want to compete...
Blogging for Business
Posted on January 04, 2008At this point in blogging history, there are lots of different types of blogs. Many blogs are like this one. They?re educational and informative in nature. They are noncommercial journals of sorts generating thought and commentary. Approximately four years ago, I started blogging about niche legal practice areas...
Generating Blog Content
Posted on January 03, 2008We?ve all heard it from associates and other professionals. "I don?t have time to blog." I?ve always been amazed by this statement. We generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in business as a result of our niche practice area blogs. From our point of view, how could a professional not have time to blog? When the Yellow Pages' guy calls and wants me to spend a couple thousand dollars on an ad, I always tell him the same thing...
Staying Focused Over the Holidays
Posted on December 28, 2007I love the holidays. For some reason, I always feel like life is starting again after Christmas. The possibilities once again seem endless. Opportunity abounds. It used to be that I was also very distracted by the holidays. For some reason, I would loose momentum and become less focused...
Clients Who Don?t Understand Value
Posted on December 14, 2007Over the past three years we have had two clients who we have asked to find other representation. Both of these clients could not or would not grasp the concept of value billing. In both cases, the clients wanted to know how many hours were spent and the billing rate of the lawyers involved...
Driving Your Cases Forward
Posted on December 12, 2007One of the best benefits of the extranet is that it provides you with a unique ability to continue to drive your cases forward. Lawyers in traditional law firms tend to be far more reactive than proactive. They are putting out fires, rather than driving results...
Finding and Fulfilling Your Potential
Posted on December 11, 2007My nine year old son tested into the gifted program this year which required him to change schools. He is no longer on the bus path. As a result, I get the privilege of driving him to school each day at 7:35 in the morning. It?s only a four minute drive but each day we find something significant to talk about...
How Many Lawyers love Their Job?
Posted on December 10, 2007One of the best parts about our firm is that we have managed to create an environment which drives me out of bed in the morning. I?m usually awake by about 5 a.m. and out of bed by 6. I can?t wait to pickup my digital recorder and start dropping tasks and messages into our extranet...
How Does The Long Tail Apply to the Service Industry?
Posted on December 07, 2007I finally got around to listening to The Long Tail written by Chris Anderson. It is a fascinating book which in many ways states what is already obvious to observers of the information and technology age. But I?m left to wonder whether the principles of The Long Tail apply to the services industry? Perhaps I am not that far in the book yet, but being able to store unlimited books in a warehouse and sell them through Amazon...
The Importance of Immediacy
Posted on December 03, 2007In today?s high paced commercial world the immediacy is the ultimate differentiator among businesses and workers. The industrial age allowed for tremendous time lag between thought and action. The industrial model which still dominates the commercial landscape taught people to work between the hours of 9 to 5 and to put off tasks, thoughts and efforts until punching the time clock in the morning...
Blawg Review #137
Posted on December 03, 2007Catched this week's Blawg Review hosted by Infamy or Praise Blog.
How Truly Valuable is an Attorney?
Posted on November 29, 2007You?ve all heard the jokes. People love to make fun of attorneys, and is not unlikely that you have not told a lawyer joke or two in your day. However, since I am now an attorney myself, I?ve really begun to think about the importance of my role in society...
Blawg Review #136
Posted on November 26, 2007Check out this week's Blawg Review presented at Peter Black?s Freedom to Differ Blog.
Things That I am Thankful for.
Posted on November 22, 2007Thanksgiving is a great holiday. There are no gifts or shopping or unnecessary candy. The point of Thanksgiving is to give thanks. What a great holiday. I am thankful for so many things. Here are a few: Smart, healthy well behaved kids who seem to have an appreciation for the more important issues we all face as human beings...
Visualizing Your Legal Future
Posted on November 20, 2007I?ve been posting a lot recently on how and why things in life happen. In starting this law firm, I clearly took some level of risk. It always seems strange to look back on your start-up experience. In retrospect, it seems slightly crazy...
Understanding the Back End Numbers
Posted on November 20, 2007We have really dedicated ourselves the last 45 days to improving our knowledge of the back end numbers for our firm. Now that I have additional resources with Brian and Mark, it is easier to get into these types of issues. Essentially, we have several pieces of data we?re focusing on...
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Can a creditor/collection agency call other employees at your place of work AND call your adult children who live in another state?
A creditor can call you at home, several times a day if you aren't answerin...
I signed myself out of a hospital because I thought the care was negligent. I am a nurse and know a great deal about medical care. I was in the hospital a year ago for less then 12 hours and they sent me a bill for over
If you can prove tha the care was negligen you need to get a lawyer and try to n...
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Can driving accident be cause for termination?
If your state is an at-will state, the company can fire you for any reason or fo...
Must I refinance my house aftering taking full ownership after a divorce via a quit claim?
When financing there are at least two documents...the mortgage and the note. The...
What rights does a father have when a woman waits 13 years to tell a man he is a father & he missed out on the growing up of that child?
Actually, he has as much right as she to request a paternity test, plus he can f...
Can a creditor/collection agency call other employees at your place of work AND call your adult children who live in another state?
A creditor can call you at home, several times a day if you aren't answerin...
I signed myself out of a hospital because I thought the care was negligent. I am a nurse and know a great deal about medical care. I was in the hospital a year ago for less then 12 hours and they sent me a bill for over
If you can prove tha the care was negligen you need to get a lawyer and try to n...
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