The “Commonalities” Approach for Recently-Minted Solos to Generate New Business

Okay, so you have your sheepskin, are sworn in, set up an office, and ready to roll. Other than congratulatory cards and best wishes from family and friends, months go by and the phone’s not ringin’ much. Welcome to the real world!

To be sure, there is help along the way. State and local bar associations, for example, have programs for tyro lawyers. Indeed, you may have gone one step further in garnering an LL.M in tax, IP, whatever. Good job! After all, in medicine, dentistry, law among many other disciplines, specialization is a key factor in making a go of it. But even though you have laminated evidence of your qualifications lining the wall, nothing much is happening. What to do?

Style Guidelines Can Make a Difference – Part 2 – Digging Deep: Specific Style Guidelines

In this piece, I’m not getting into legal and related considerations. Those provisions are taken up in the latest edition of the latest– 20th edition A Uniform System of Citation, familiarly known as the Bluebook, which we, as barristers, fondly (or otherwise) remember, going back to law school. Instead, I’ll zero in on the related elements of good writing. Let’s get started.

Style Guidelines Make a Difference – PART 1 – Setting the Stage: Some General Rules for Prospective Authors

Lawyers generally like to write. It’s in their genes. In addition to law review pieces, briefs, and other court-required documents, mastery of the written word in articles and website copy, among many other formats, can give you a leg-up in making your mark.

In this three-part series, I will discuss over-arching considerations that will help give you a “leg- up.” In the next two installments (Parts 2 and 3), I’ll discuss specific style guidelines that often make the difference between “make” or “break” re: getting published. Let’s get started.

Do the ‘Write’ Thing

Your professionalism is on display in your communications –written as well as oral, including reports, proposals, articles, letters, resumes, writing samples, etc. Write professionally. If you don’t really know how, read this.

Flying Solo While Keeping Grounded

Law schools keep churning out graduates in ever-increasing numbers into a market that has been shrinking, due, in part to the economic downturn. The legal profession has been hit hard. In recent years, many prestigious law firms, with staffs running into the many hundreds, have pared their ranks, not only of staff but, as well associates, even partners. And there have been quite-a-few firm mergers, and other firms have simply closed-up shop.

In many instances, newly-minted associates are often doing the work of paralegals, and the paralegals, in turn are increasingly handling duties generally assigned to secretaries or administrative assistants. The downturn has especially hit hard attorneys who hung out their shingles. What do we need to know in order to move forward?

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