MyShingle : Solo and Small Law Firm Management and Marketing

At four p.m., my workday ends , at least until late at night.  Four p.m. is when I leave the house to pick up my daughters, nearly 6 and 9 from the bus stop around the corner.  I walk them home and we talk about their day.  The older one generally blurts out a million events a mile a minute while the younger one needs a little more prodding.  Some days they're grouchy or tired and don't say much; some days they're angry that I didn't bring the car or cook the dinner that they wanted. 

I have my own practice so that four pm is mine.  Sure, there are days every so often when I'm delayed downtown or have a lengthy deposition where my husband or mom have to step in for pick up instead.  But in general, the four p.m. deadline is etched in stone, it's one of those aspects of my practice (probably the only one!) that I'm committed to not compromising. And because I'm committed, I've been able to make it happen.

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This article, Payback for Bad Service, Connecticut Law Tribune (8/29/05) caught my eye for several reasons.  The article reports that a North Haven, Connecticut attorney, Bruce Killion has has been ordered to pay his former clients more than $25,000 for shoddy representation.  The clients had retained Killion to represent them in a slip and fall case but Killion failed to file suit before the statute of limitations expired.  The clients also filed a grievance against the attorney which remains pending.

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This article, Law Library Offers Virtual Services (Cincinnati Business Journal 8/29/05) reports on some of the new, free computerized research services offered by the Cincinnati Law Library Association.  The services include computerized legal research by Fastcase.com and a journal service, HeinOnline.  (as an aside, I've used Hein Online at the American University Pence Law Library and it's a fabulous tool for locating law review articles, including many that have been de-listed by LEXIS). 

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This article, A Local Woman With A Plan (8/31/05) reports on former city attorney May Ann Karns new private practice in Edmund, Oklahoma complete with pink velvet armchair.  After serving as a fulltime city attorney for Edmund and Stillwater, another municipality, Karns' will In Edmond, represent developers and residential clients in her private practice and will also serve as a city attorney or consultant for several small rural towns.  Sounds like a successful niche practice.

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Ah, the joy of being host of a Blawg Review during the last week of August which is a time of endings (summer) and beginnings (school).  So I've got a built in theme:  Endings, Beginnings and the Transitions and Crossings in Between.  I'll list posts by theme but I'm going to be brief with links because it's so late and I've already experienced one fatal error with this inferior blogware known as Typepad.  You'll note a couple of forced entries that just didn't want to stay on topic.

I.  Endings

Last Words Margaret Marks has found the The Standard Catchall Universal Disclaimer Notice, over 7000 words long.

Last Resort George Lenard blogs about the last resort Ninth Circuit argument of a [casino]resort bartender challenge to a requirement to wear makeup as sex discrimination.  George summarizes the argument and predicts the outcome.

Last Breath of Summer Two posts reflecting the dying days of fling-filled, wild, carefree summer months.  First up is Lawyer-Writer who in this post ponders why she's working so hard in August while her friends carouse without her and the wisdom of this article on the life less travelled.  Meanwhile, The Wired GC post entitled Sex and the City (London) discusses Fish Sunday Thinking, a book allegedly written by a young lawyer at a large London firm about "the sexual antics and misbehaviour of some of the City's richest lawyers." 

List Words (as opposed to last words!) Minor Wisdom posts a lawyer's grocery list    as proof that lawyers can write.

Death of a Friend Greatest American Lawyer poignantly writes about the passing of a close friend who had the courage to fight until the end "without hesitation or self pity."

Death of Faith  Professor Bainbridge writes that the Vioxx/Merck verdict has shaken his faith in juries.  Check out his post and the accompanying discussion.  Apparently, however, Merck still has faith in juries, since according to this post by Patrick Lamb, Merck plans to try every case.  In this same post, Patrick also expresses a death of faith (whatever he might have had) in corporate decision making, wondering why the Merck CEO and other senior executives gave videotaped testimony and were absent from the trial.

Death of Jury Trials Larry Bodine blogs about the death of federal jury trials, which have declined by 80 percent over the past two decades.  He advises "If your firm has an active practice in Federal trials, it's time to get out.  This area is dead or dying."

II.  In-Betweens:  Transitions, Changes and Crossings

From Obscurity to Fifteen Seconds  Stopped Clock blogs about what it's like to go from obscurity to fifteen seconds of fame after being quoted in a newspaper article about John Roberts' comments about homemakers becoming lawyers.

Change of Wardrobe?  Professor Ethan Leib asks this question:  "Anyone think it's totally inappropriate to wear jeans? (in the classroom?)  Already, 23 commenters have chimed in.  My own view - yes.  Jeans either betray arrogance (I can wear what I want and no one can do anything about it) or lack of respect for one's position as a professor.  Neither is a particularly appealing classroom trait. 

Change of Ranking? White Collar Crime Prof Blog links to this Crime Reporter article that ranks prosecutors and wonders how and whether to rank prosecutors.  One standard that I'd propose not mentioned in the post:  unlike the Crime Reporter article, I wouldn't give a top ranking to a prosecutor who's under investigation for public corruption.  But that's just me.

Crossing Borders  David Giacalone crosses the border to explore Ernie the Attorney reminisces about a bar exam question in this post which tasked test takers with spotting legal issues.  Ernie recalls that he concluded that there were no legal issues, only "issues with people not being able to get along properly."  Many lawyers, but apparently not Ernie, fail to lose that perspective the longer they practice, failing to remember that some problems are legal while some are not.   And speaking of change, Ernie is stealing himself for the massive change that Hurricane Katrina promises to bring to his city of New Orleans.  Stay safe, Ernie.

Changing Times  Steve Nipper posts about changes in IP practice:

It makes me think of the changes to the practice of IP law in the past 7 years (since my oldest child was born). Easy access to PDF copies of patents (remember ordering a paper patent or having a service fax you a copy?), online filing, online searching and the rethink(ip)'r favorite....working with patent attorneys who are not in major metro areas. All of this is possible because not only is more and more content available online, but people are becoming more and more used to relying on technology (the Internet in this case) for their business needs.Most of these changes weren't driven by attorneys wanting to earn more money. It's hard to argue that simplifying things, ease of use and speed are synonymous with billing by the hour. They aren't. Instead, these changes were driven by the public, by entrepreneurs and by access to technology.

III.  New Introductions, Meetings and Beginnings

There are a bunch of intros, meetings and fresh starts this week, listed briefly below:

According to this post from Appellate Law and Practice, There's a new beginning of a sort for a lawyer who was fired for reporting a grievance against an attorney in his firm, who was vindicated by a Connecticut court ruling.

BlawgReview links to this post that introduces bloggers to ways that they can drive traffic to their blogs through participation in these carnivals.

Craig Williams introduces a contest entitled "There oughta be a law."  He proposes one that requires each portable piece of electronic equipment to use the same charger.  How about a law requiring blog software to automatically save changes every few seconds and create a history page instead of just disappearing from the screen? (obviously, my proposal)

Meet Home School Blogger Scott Sommerville, a lawyer for the Home School Legal Defense Association, Harvard law grad and dad of six.

Robert Coffield of Health Care Law Blog sent an introduction to Diva of the Disgruntled, a former Kaiser employee who blogged about work related issues and was fired.  (for more on this subject, visit Coffield's past posts).

Eh Nonymous introduces us to his Carnival of the Anonymous, a round up of what's been said, pro and con, about anonymous bloggers.

Article III Groupie has been writing Underneath Their Robes for some time, but Will Baude introduces us to her in more depth with his Twenty Questions interview.  And on the topic of new looks, A3G's post Judging John Roberts:  The Straight Empire Strikes Back has a fresh picture of Judge Roberts and an analysis of whether he might be gay, which goes to show that sources and links, like statistics, can be used to prove anything (which I believe is precisely the point of A3G's satire).

Ambivalent Imbrolio introduces his concept for Blawg Review # 22 which brings this Blawg Review #21 to a close.

Blawg Review has information about next week's host and instructions how to get your blawg posts reviewed in upcoming issues.

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It's always bittersweet when I read articles like this one,  Work Family Divide Keeps Numbers of Women Low, Rachel Osterman (8/20/05) about women attorneys leaving firms because they find them incompatible with raising a family.  Without sounding too much like John Roberts, I'm all in favor of attorneys - male or female - who choose to forego their careers short term to stay home with children so long as they're aware of middle of the road options for balancing law and family.  But I wonder how many women leave the law without knowing about other options - like solo practice - (or those described here) that might offer the best of both worlds.

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For a couple formerly in love, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do.  But for lawyers at a firm, who stuck together for the sake of money, breaking up is even more difficult as demonstrated by this article, Court Fight Pits Barnes Firm Versus Defecting Top Lawyer, Michael Beebe (8/28/05).  As the article reports, the split was apparently precipitated by ethics action against Cellino and Barnes, the two name attorneys (we blogged indirectly about it here, decisions are here):

Joseph E. Dietrich III, one of the top two money makers at The Barnes Firm, has quit the personal injury law firm and is embroiled in a court battle over the clients he took with him.  Dietrich, who in the past three years brought in $30 million worth of settlements and verdicts to Cellino & Barnes and its successor, The Barnes Firm, took 41 clients with him following his resignation July 16.  "The reason I left is I believe I can do a better job for my clients outside of that environment," Dietrich said.  Dietrich left a little more than a month after Ross M. Cellino Jr. was suspended from practice for six months and Stephen E. Barnes was censured. The two were disciplined for advancing money to clients through a company they owned and then through one they controlled.   

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Monica Bay of Common Scold has this announcement to all Small Firms:

The Small Firm Business 2005 Best Practices Awards competition has just been announced!

Here's your chance to show the blawgosphere -- hey! the entire legal community -- how your firm shines in six key law firm management areas. We're seeking nominations in the following categories:

            "Bottom Line"  (aka efficiences, cost containment, profitability, etc.)
            Client Service
            Marketing campaigns (print, TV or radio)
            Outsourcing
            Professional Development
            Websites

You may nominate your own firm -- or a colleague's -- and deadline for nomination is SEPT. 30.  Download the application here. The contest is open to firms with 2-40 attorneys. Questions? Call Trevor Delaney at 2121 313 9176.

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I'm sure that no one's surprised that I endorse blogging for solo and small firm lawyers, not as an end in itself but as part of an overall marketing portfolio, as I once wrote here.  At the same time, I believe that blogs don't have to be time consuming if you don't want them to be and I've also described shortcuts to getting the benefits of blogs without the burdens. 

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Via this post at Arnie Herz's  Legal Sanity comes a bunch of marketing ideas, including a link to this article (Boston Globe 8/21/05) about how to turn vacation into marketing opportunities.  Nothing stressful here that would spoil a vacation, but things you might do anyway such as striking up a conversation with people you meet, carrying business cards and following up with potential contacts when you return from your trip (as opposed to the next day as you might do while working). 

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I love reading about the good deeds of solo attorneys, both because it reflects well on our profession and inspires me to do better.  Here's another case of a "lone lawyer" doing good, Park Slope attorney, Theo Davis, who's the subject of this article, Keeping Faith in Troubled Times.  The piece reports on Davis' plans to raise funds for the Make-a-Wish Foundation:

[...]in the predawn hours this Saturday [Davis] will be ferried to the eastern tip of Fire Island at the Moriches Inlet, where he will paddle an inflatable dinghy to shore in the first rumor of dawn.

Then, to raise money for a great charity called Make-a-Wish Foundation of Metro New York, Davis will take a 33-mile hike along the surf of Fire Island all the way to the western tip of Democrat Point. Davis has made this same trek for the past four years, raising more than $20,000 in pledges for Make-a-Wish of Metro New York. Most of his sponsors pledge a buck a mile, some $3, some $5. Some people lay out a flat $500[...]

"I first decided to do this because some friends of mine had a baby born prematurely," Davis said. "The baby survived. Had a short, happy little life. Could grip your finger and smile. And then suddenly died at 6 months old. It was devastating. I thought how unfair it was for a kid to be sick. Any kid. Adults, most of us bring our ailments and problems upon ourselves. Kids don't deserve to be sick or hurt."

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Apparently, for well-connected law firms in Connecticut, there's a far more potent tool than pedestrian legal malpractice insurance for addressing legal malpractice claims: personal legislation.  As this opinion piece describes, a Sylvia Kuehl retained a prominent Connecticut law firm to represent her interests in a wrongful death action after her husband was killed in a car accident.  The firm failed to advise Kuehl that she could file for workers compensation and by the time she realized it, the deadline for filing has passed.  So she retained another firm to sue the first one for legal malpractice.  But before the case could go to trial, the first firm enlisted the aid of political connections in the legislature who sponsored a bill extending the deadline for filing claims just for Kuehl and moots her suit against the firm. 

How's that for justice?

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This article, Developing Businesses Takes Proper Networking, Stephen Melanson (August 18, 2005) offers some old standby ideas on networking as well as some new approaches. In the category of old standbys, there's the usual advice on joining a chamber of commerce or a trade association.  As for a new idea, Melanson recommends starting your own group:

Form a group that caters to exactly what you need. It's unlikely others aren't in the same boat as you, and if you look around there are people you can work with who won't compete directly with you but who are looking for the same customers you are.

To get started, go meet with your favorite business-owner friends who have a common business objective. Then set a date and begin working on building a group of like-minded professionals who can give some enthusiasm, ideas and some non-competitive support and referrals.

Sometimes, to do something right, you have to do it yourself. In the case of networking, don't assume that your only option is to plug into existing groups. The very best results can come from formal or informal groups getting together to develop relationships and share information.

There are plenty of other benefits that come from organizing a group.  The process of getting people together forces you to make contacts with potential clients or referrals.  At the same time, because you're in charge, you can approach these prospects with an air or authority rather than desperation.  I've recently helped form a trade association and while it's frustrating to try to get it off the ground, it's given me more regular contact with those in the industry than if I'd tried to approach each individually.

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My colleague Ed Poll's BizLaw Blog has been selected as a favorite blog site by the Institute of Management Assistance.  Ed has redesigned his blog sometime during the past few months and it looks and reads very well - so visit it if you're looking for ways to improve your own law biz.

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With so many legal research tools available on line, most lawyers neglect the lowly law school library as a resource.  But in my view, there's nothing as valuable for research as a good law library.  In the jurisdiction where I practice, American University Washington College of Law Pence Law Library tops my list as an outstanding resource for practicing attorneys.   Here's why:

1)  Open Admission The Pence Library is open to the public without charge and at all times, except during law school exam periods.

2)  Resources  Obviously, the Pence Library, like all others, has many legal resources including treatises, journals and how to guides.  Most practitioners overlook these general sources of information which are frequently good shortcuts when researching a new area of law. 

Truth be told, the law library is not particularly strong on energy regulatory resources which is one of my practice focuses.  But it has research terminals where patrons can access Westlaw keycite and Hein Online (for law reviews) at no cost and those resources often make it worth the trip.

3) Location and Hours:  The Pence Library is a short fifteen minute hop from my home office and probably about the same distance from downtown.  But the library is open until midnight most weeknights as well as on the weekend, which means that I can access it afterhours.

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This article, Less Conflicts, More Freedom (Connecticut Law Tribune, 8/22/05) describes the experience of two former Pepe & Hazard lawyers, Jennifer Cox and Jennifer Osweiki, who left a large firm to find greater freedom to build a health care practice.  The two lawyers, who'd been asked by Pepe to develop a health care practice found that their efforts to represent hospitals on health practice matters also conflicted with the firm's longstanding construction practice.  In addition, the firm's large construction litigation practice also meant that Oswiecki was pulled into an area that she did not feel was her calling. 

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This article from New York Lawyer (August 19, 2005) tells us solos what we already know -- that going solo takes versatility and courage -- as well as something we don't --  that the number of lawyers willing to risk hanging a shingle has dwindled.  (I took issue with this survey in this prior post).  Still, prospective solos will find much in this article to encourage them; the shinglers interviewed therein, while harried, are all happy and successful in their practices.  And really that's what matters at the end of the day: not so much whether solo practice is a popular option or not, but whether it's one which is right for those who choose it.

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Will we soon see a wave of new solo practice opening in the Pittsburgh area?  Perhaps, if there's any truth to the recent survey by The Vault which found that associates at Pittsburgh law firms have the least job satisfaction (Tribune-Review, August 17, 2005).  So Pittsburgh associates - maybe it's time to shingle.

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According to this article, (8/16/2005), West Virginia attorneys must file a disclosure with the State Bar Association as to whether they have malpractice insurance.  Eventually, the information could be made public, allowing people who want to hire a lawyer the ability to know if they have insurance coverage. 

Although for my first two years of practice, I boldly went without insurance (figuring that I'd simply leave the profession if anyone ever sued me), I quickly tired of worrying whether a mistake would put me out of business.  So I purchased malpractice insurance which was much cheaper than I ever imagined and worth every cent for the added peace of mind.   These days, I simply don't understand the mindset of lawyers who practice uninsured but if they are, at the very least, their clients are entitled to know.

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Greatest American Lawyer has at least two posts, here and here on problem clients.  Do you recognize any of those identified as your own?  And what are you going to do about it?

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I've always been intrigued by he concept of the Everlasting Gobstopper, the Willie Wonka invented candy for children with "little pocket money" that can be sucked and sucked without ever getting any smaller.  Well, what if we could create an Everlasting Gobstopper of tips for solo practitioners that would be constantly replenished and never outdated?  Obviously, the ABA isn't up to the task, but nor am I on my own.  While I've tried to maintain a fairly current  Guide to Starting a Law Firm, the list grows stale too quickly.  And it relies on a collection of published material, overlooking the rich source of advice that comes from the diverse universe of law blawgers.  So, here's what I have in mind....

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A reader who's currently employed but actively planning to start a firm recently posed the following question to MyShingle:

How do I announce to my current employer my intentions to start a firm and leave on friendly terms but still take the clients whom I'd like to take with me (assuming the client wants to leave)?

Our reader is seeking resources on this topic as well as personal experience from other readers who've successfully navigated the transition from law firm employment to solo practice without burning bridges or losing clients.

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Spent the past week on a family vacation here which accounts for the blogging lull.  As you can see, we're back on track.

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Both the Legal Marketing Blog and Greatest American Lawyer have been pondering what makes a "perfect client."  I guess the answer is personal.  I know many lawyers who can't tolerate clients who want to review every document that goes out or ask too many questions.  But for me, what I enjoy most is a client who's involved in a case and interested enough to ask questions or force me to explain my strategy.  Plus, I'm not ashamed to admit that from time to time, my clients will bring issues to my attention that hadn't occurred to me initially. 

Any thoughts on what's a perfect client for you?  Send your comments below.

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What if you went to a client and boasted that in the past year, you spent 300 hours working on his case?  The client would probably respond, "So what, what kind of results did you get me?"  Yet apparently, the American Bar Association (whose efforts at blogging the ABA annual meeting are a little bit pathetic) believes that this type of hourly standard is the best way to measure lawyers' pro bono activities.  At least, that's the impression I gathered when I read this ABA Press Release (July 28, 2005)  boasting that 66 percent of lawyers gave away free legal assistance to people of limited means, volunteering an average of 39 hours a year.  Well, that's alot of hours, but it tells me nothing worth celebrating.  Because in spite of all that time (20,592,000 hours, assuming 66 percent of 800,000 lawyers performing 39 hours a year), there's still a substantially unmet need for legal services. 

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Thanks David Giacalone for this post that lead me to an article from the Washington D.C. Bar Journal entitled, Time Out, time Off:  Lawyers on Sabbatical (August 2005).  The article describes that many large firm allow lawyers to take sabbaticals but that few lawyers take advantage of them.  I had a couple of thoughts.

First, I'd always thought that the purpose of sabbaticals was to allow lawyers to pursue professional endeavors.  Seems that some lawyers are using their sabbaticals to stay home with children for a six month or year period.  Seems to me that more lawyers should be taking time off for their kids regardless of whether  a sabbatical is available or not. 

Second, I think it would be great if large firms encouraged young associates to take one to two year sabbaticals and use the time to start their own law firms.  During that period, the associates could take on court appointed work and gain court time and would develop more hands on experience at running a business and generating clients.  Associates would get real world experience, with the comfort of knowing that they could always return to the firm (though some probably never would) while law firms would save all that money they spend on mock trials and marketing classes that try to simulate business development or trial work for associates.  Sabbaticals for biglaw lawyers to try small firm practice - it's a great idea waiting to happen!

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This Press Release (PR Newswire 8/4/05) proudly proclaims that "for the first time in the history of bioethics, a major global law firm, (that would be Milbank, Tweed) makes its legal resources available, pro bono publico, for the analysis of biotechnology and its impact on women."  The release goes on to describe that Milbank will be providing a range of pro bono legal services to the Women's Bioethics Project, a Seattle-based non-profit and non-partisan think tank. Milbank services will include legal research, analysis, and counsel on a wide range of bioethics issues, including women's health, reproductive technologies, and the emerging field of neuro-ethics. 

You can correct me if I'm wrong - but I just don't see how this is pro bono.  Rather, it sounds more like a marketing idea (and a clever one at that) to bone up on hot issues while working for a well respected entity like the Women's bioethics project and to make contacts in the potentially lucrative bioethics field.   The only pro bono element to this project, as far as I can tell, is that Milbank won't get paid...in the near term.

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Yesterday was the start of the ABA's Annual Meeting in Chicago.   Bob Ambrogi reports that the Litigation Section will be blogging the highlights of the conference which gives me some reassurance that the ABA has entered the twenty first century.

Still, with so little buzz about the ABA on law related weblogs, I can't help but wonder whether the ABA really serves any purpose any longer.  The debates about John Roberts' Supreme Court nomination have been thoroughly covered by bloggers that who even knows or cares whether the ABA has chimed in.   And the bar has become increasingly specialized; those with niche practice areas are far better served by dedicated bar associations than somewhat costly ABA membership.

But even though the ABA doesn't benefit my practice directly, that's not to say that I wouldn't consider attending a meeting if it could offer me some excitement.  But the ABAin most cases still adheres rigidly to the lecture panels, where speakers talk, I listen, maybe have a chance to ask a question and leave with five sheets of paper with three talking points on each (and the law firm name and contact information, prominently displayed, of course!)  In comparison to the Lexthink or Blogher conferences with their unique, informal formats and vibrance, the ABA conferences are just too dull to get me interested.  Hint to the ABA - have Matt Homann organize a conference for you. 

Then, there's also the cost.  Whereas Lexthink and Blogher both came in at $200 and $99 respectively, with meals included, the ABA conference costs $570 for a full day of prgrams or $295 apparently for a few programs.  And I don't believe that even includes meals.   The ABA brass will claim that the meeting cost is worth it, and of course it is for them - ABA speakers are reimbursed for travel costs and conference expenses.  Why can't the ABA milk its willing sponsors for fees to subsidize meeting costs and make it more accessible for solo and small firm lawyers?

Which brings me to another point - the role that the ABA plays for solos and small firms.  To its credit, the ABA does sponsor the Solosez listserve which has roughly 1200 members.  But that's just a small piece of the population of solos nationwide.  I know that the readership at MyShingle exceeds the Solosez listserve membership and reaches a far broader scope.  If the ABA had asked me what it could do to make itself more relevant to solos, in addition to lowering cost of attendance (see above), I'd have told it to have live blogging of all of the GP Solo sessions.  I'd have paid a couple of solos to fly out to Chicago to attend the meeting and to blog their experience.  I'd have invited blog vendors and had them cosponsor a blogging training, where lawyers could set up a weblog on the spot.  Maybe podcasts as well. 

Why all this focus on blogs?  Sure I'm biased.  But also because blogs are interactive and they're live and they're now!  They make meetings and events relevant in real time.  And more than anything else, that's what the ABA needs now, to be relevant in real time.  Otherwise, it's going to wither away and frankly, neither lawyers nor non-lawyers will miss it very much.

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A few months ago, we posted about the growth of law firm alumni networks.  Now, there's another article on that topic this month, Law Firms Leverage Alumni to Drum Up Business (New York Lawyer, 8/4/05).  This article discusses some of the the benefits that large firms get from alumni networks, such as contacts with potential clients and positive testimonials from former attorneys.  But the benefits cut both ways.  Former biglaw attorneys can also gain benefits from alumni networks in the form of potential referrals or contract work.

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In the interest of disclosure, I'd have to admit that I probably would have never thought to attend the first ever Blogher conference on women and blogging but for the invitation of our fearless law.com affiliate leader, Lisa Stone.  As another woman admitted in the closing remarks, I've never attended an all woman's event or joined a woman's bar association or taken Women's studies classes in college or law school.  Truth be told, I don't really have that many female friends (though having three sisters compensates for that) and though I'm a mom, I'm not very capable at organizing playgroups or involving myself in the PTA.  But the Blogher conference intrigued me, so I went, had a blast and now, like my fellow bloghers, I'm back to share some of my thoughts, what I've learned and what I plan to do (solo readers, listen, there's practice tips mixed in here, I promise!!). 

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Before I was a Shingler, I was a Sezzer, that is, a member of the Solosez  listserve that many of us have fondly and jokingly come to refer to as our "virtual solo firm."  The list has been a godsend for me; through it, I've gotten top notch advice from other lawyers on matters out of my narrow area of expertise which has won me motions and saved me headaches.  I've also referred cases out, received referrals from the list and most of all, enjoyed a reprieve from the occasional isolation of solo practice through our monthly lunches.   

Of course, there are many reasons not to join solosez (as with all lists, we've got our share of griping and nastiness), but I hate to hear about solos who avoid joining because of heavy mail volume - because that's a manageable problem.  So that's why I was glad to learn about this  post by Jim Calloway with advice on managing listserve traffic. 

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I am back from Blogher and I'll be sharing what I've learned later today.  In the meantime, because I've been too time-strapped to post, here's a link to Blawg Review 17, posted at
Greatest American Lawyer.   Because GAL is an independent practitioner, much of what he's focused on in his review - particularly, the marketing segments - are worth reading.  He's also got a round up of blog posts on the John Roberts Supreme Court debate, a topic where I hope to weigh in soon, based on my experience in this case.

So readers, state tuned, great posts are coming, I promise....

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