In his seminal guide on solo practice, Jay Foonberg predicted that the Internet would change everything about the way consumers shopped for goods and services. And in his opinion, the practice of law was no exception. Today, Foonberg’s vision seems to be materializing more each day. Consumers size up lawyers not just by their artwork […]

Right around the time my third son was born, I started my own law practice.  You see, I had long known I didn’t want to go the traditional attorney route; the one year I spent at a small downtown firm was miserable enough to instill a lifelong aversion to law firm employment.  It may be […]

I was lucky enough to learn a bedrock principle of law firm marketing all the way back in law school: niche expertise is valuable if not invaluable. As I’ve pointed out before, there are a lot of good reasons for a solo to cultivate a single are of expertise. It’s even better to be a […]

In a previous post dealing with the ethical traps in networking, I discussed how “asking for business” can run afoul of the ABA Rules of Professional Conduct.  In this post, I want to discuss how “asking for business” can be ineffective as well as a business development tactic. Books on sales commonly state that, at […]

When first starting out, the single biggest issue I dealt with (as do all young solos) was building a client base. At the time, I had very few clients. And unlike an established attorney, I did not have the luxury of sitting back and relying on repeat business or word of mouth (which there was […]

As 2011 winds to a close, I find myself wrapping up the year with an empty tank of gas.  Maybe some of you feel this way, too.  It’s hard to be optimistic every day and have you’re A-Game on all the time Yet you must and you will!! As I looked for something to write […]

Last time, I discussed ways of gaining experience if you are an entry level job seeker.  But what about those who already have experience?  If you work at a medium or large law firm and are thinking of becoming a solo mid-career, you probably need to prepare for a significant shift in your work. For […]