In 2000 Mel Gibson starred in a movie called “What Women Want” in which a freak accident caused his character, Nick Marshall, to suddenly have the ability to hear women’s unspoken thoughts. He initially found it to be a very disconcerting experience, because (1) he discovered that he had some erroneous assumptions, and (2) women’s [...]

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Suzanne Meehle wrote a nice post called With a Little Help from My Friends about the value of developing your network. Your network of friends and acquaintances can be a boon to your law practice because they can: Refer business to you; Answer legal questions outside your area of expertise; Act as a sounding board [...]

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I previously blogged about the results one lawyer obtained when he promoted his law practice using Groupon. That post generated a number of informative comments which I recommend reading. Before rushing off to get an advisory opinion on the permissibility of daily deal advertising in your state, however, make sure you understand how the process [...]

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Last year St. Louis attorney Craig S. Redler garnered a lot more attention than he really wanted when he offered a discount coupon for a will and power of attorney through daily deal promoter Groupon.  Groupon sends its members targeted advertising of daily virtual vouchers entitling the purchasers to products and services from local businesses [...]

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“History informs us of past mistakes from which we can learn without repeating them. It also inspires us and gives confidence and hope bred of victories already won.” ~ William Hastie (1904-1976) Civil rights attorney, law school professor and first African-American federal judge As we wrap up one year and begin the next, it’s a [...]

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The Thanksgiving holiday is right around the corner. In the tradition of our forebears, it’s a time set aside for sharing with others and expressing gratitude. Can carrying the lessons of Thanksgiving into our law practices throughout the year help us experience more prosperity and enjoyment? Here’s what studies have shown: People who kept a [...]

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In my last post, we looked at the pros and cons of different kinds of law office arrangements available to a solo practitioner. We didn’t really discuss how to determine the actual geographic location of the office, however. Of course, if you have decided on a home office, perhaps that settles the question. If you [...]

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Whether you are a new law grad or a seasoned attorney, you might be scratching your head about the best place to open up a new solo law office.  Some of you are thinking: “That’s easy. I’m going to have a home office until I get enough clients to pay the rent somewhere else!” That [...]

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One of my readers asked for advice on how to get clients to pay their bills. Cash flow is important to the success of every business, yet many lawyers do not design their practice to assure that collections flow in smoothly and regularly. The measures appropriate for your firm may depend upon the size of [...]

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When I spoke recently at the State Bar of Texas annual meeting about social media success stories for lawyers, I got a familiar question: “What should I do if someone trashes me online in social media?” Almost every lawyer has experienced a client with unreasonable expectations, or one who got bad results because of their [...]

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