October 2011

Groupon for Lawyers?

We’ve got an ethics opinion dealing with attorney use of Groupon on the verge of being released by the North Carolina State Bar. Groupon, in case you don’t know, is the leading “deal of the day” site. The site e-mails millions of people every day, offering a single product or service at a drastic discount. I’ve bought [...]

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Do You Need to Buy the Pocket Parts?

I’d like to be done with books. I’d like to have all our reference volumes online. Unfortunately, in the real world, that isn’t happening yet. Of course, a great deal of our reference material is available online, but much of what we need still comes printed on dead trees. One day that will change. But [...]

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Should You Allow Mom in Your Consultation?

You’re doing an initial consultation this morning. You’re in your best suit, and the office is straightened up. She arrives at the front desk, and you walk out to the lobby and greet her. She stands up, and so does her mother. Her mother? That wasn’t part of the plan. She’d like to bring momma [...]

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Price Isn’t Your Only Competitive Advantage

I was reading a recent post at the always-excellent My Shingle about competing with Axiom Legal (a new kind of law firm/service in the business arena). It became apparent in the post and the comments that lots of solos see price as their primary competitive advantage. That’s how they beat the larger firm competition. For most [...]

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Last Chance to Fire Someone This Year

If you’ve got someone on your team who needs to go, then do it this week. We’ll be into November next week, and Thanksgiving (in the United States) will be here before you know it. Then we’re fully into the holidays in December. You’ll look like the Grinch if you fire someone in November and [...]

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What Can Law Firms Learn from Occupy Wall Street?

They’re trying to change the world; we just need to change one little law practice. Our job is easier, right? I’ve been paying attention to Occupy Wall Street since it started. I’m oddly fascinated by the whole thing. It kind of blows my mind that Adbusters and a small, ragtag group of protestors have inspired [...]

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Note to Associates (With Love)

Dear Associate, If you already know everything, or if you think you do, there isn’t much we can teach you. Love, Me  

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The Hiring Litmus Test for Associates

How do you decide who to hire as an associate? Sure, you’ve got lots of criteria related to legal education, experience, personality, achievement, etc. Those are good, and I encourage you to evaluate your prospective employees according to those factors. But when push comes to shove and you’ve got to pick one over another, there [...]

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