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5 Unintended Marketing Techniques
As a solo attorney, I understand the importance of marketing. I am also not a big fan of marketing in the traditional sense. I don’t really enjoy making videos and social media posts. I am an introvert, so I am not a huge fan of crowded (pre-Covid) networking events. Marketing is a necessary evil, so how do I do it? I found over the years that I have been doing what I like to call “passive marketing”. I have been doing things that I enjoy or that are otherwise innocuous and they have turned into unintended promotion for me and my firm. In high school I loved being a part…
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What does Freedom of Speech really mean?
People have been throwing around the 1st Amendment and Freedom of Speech so much lately. It’s become the go to response whenever someone gets in trouble for saying something they should not have said. Take Roseann. While there has been a lot of praise for her show getting cancelled there has also been a lot of “freedom of speech!” comments out there. Like all attorneys, I took a constitutional law class in law school. Even though I got an A (I think I got an A) I am not in any way shape or form an expert on the constitution. But I know enough to know that Freedom Speech is…
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My FormaCloud Interview
I was recently interviewed. I talk about my childhood, my dislike for lawyers, and what the justice system needs. Take a look.
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New Lawyer Tips from “What I Wish I Knew My First 5 Years of Practice” panel
I recently spoke on a panel entitled “What I Wish I Knew My First 5 Years of Practice”. In preparing material for the panel I developed a list of tips for new lawyers. Here you go, you are welcome. New Lawyer Tips Free time? Go to court; sit in on different types of hearings/trials relating to your practice area. If you’re bold enough speak with a few of the attorneys you watched. Make an outline of how you see each new case you get progressing. Fill in with anything unexpected. Helps to manage expectations and time. Talk through cases with other attorneys. Find a few…
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Practice Areas: More than you thought you knew
I’ll admit, I knew nothing about lawyers and their practice areas when I decided to go to law school (why did I become a lawyer you ask, that’s another post). All I knew was criminal and corporate. Once I got into law school I learned about public interest law. That became the practice area of interest for me. Going through law school helped me become aware of the different types of law. I became interested in bankruptcy and mediation as time went on. Going to school in Texas made me aware of Oil and Gas law. Again something I never thought about but makes perfect sense for that geographical location.…
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Take A Vacation and Live Your Life This Summer
I recently returned from my first real vacation since I went solo some 4+ years ago. Now what do I mean by “real vacation”? I mean I was on a cruise ship in the middle of the Mediterranean with no Wi-Fi and no cell service. I was for the first time completely cut off from work. Now I’ve taken “vacations” before but I was constantly answering emails and taking calls. In one instance I was scrambling to find a place to fax last minute documents I received on Christmas Eve. Not much of a vacation. Being a solo attorney makes it hard to get away. But we all know the…
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Is Your Image Keeping the Clients Away?
Image is everything for attorneys and anyone in business for that fact. No, I don’t just mean how you look, but yes that is important. I’m talking about what you are showing the world in terms of you/your firm/your business. I have recently had a few events where I have had the chance to speak with some attorneys. Some were brand spanking new and some had been practicing for years but they all had something in common. They were lacking in the image department. Now what do I mean by this? Well let me tell you. A few of these attorneys were still using a Gmail, Yahoo, or AOL account…
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It’s Not The Gym, It’s A Courtroom
This is a pet peeve of mine and it is time I address it. I remember the first time I witnessed the atrocity. It was about 4 years ago. I was in court waiting for my case to be called when another case was called. I witnessed one of the parties walking up to podium. One man dressed in a suit and a woman dressed in New Balance shoes, a black North Face jacket, and black sweat pants (not even yoga pants but old school sweat with the cuff around the ankles!). Now I assumed that the man was the attorney, no, not because he was a man but because…
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I’m Not A McDonald’s Drive Thru
Recently something amazing happened, something that rarely happens to me… I was able to go to bed before midnight. Yes, that’s right, I was able to stop working and get into bed before midnight, 11:47 pm to be exact. A miracle I know. Most attorneys can relate to working all hours of the day (and night). And on those rare occasions when we can actually get some actual rest we cherish that. So there I was, in my bed drifting off into a lovely slumber, (I was at that point of falling into a deep sleep) when I heard it…the Law & Order theme ringtone of my work cell from…
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Guess What? You Can Be A Lawyer and Be Happy
I recently saw an article that a law school classmate posted on Facebook, it was titled “5 High-Paying Jobs That Will Make You Miserable” (http://time.com/money/3304389/jobs-career-unhappy/). There was some discussion it the comments amongst the lawyers in our circle about the stress, lack of free time, and overall unhappiness of being a lawyer. One comment said “I wouldn’t say I’m miserable but I’m not happy.” This is not anything new; so why does this keep happening? Why are lawyers continuously miserable (or unhappy)? In the article, it discusses how lawyers are known for high suicide rates, have the highest rate of depression among 100 professions, and that “associate attorneys topped Forbes’…
