Recently the lawyers in my new firm decided to be more active on social media, particularly in blogging and on a Facebook page. The partners are looking to me for guidance on how to build their online presence, and I, in turn, am looking to them for guidance on what the firm’s persona is.

I know how we are when we interact within the four walls of our office — but what aspects of the firm do we want to highlight in our online presence? … READ THE REST … Read The Rest

Beginning today, Attorney at Work is introducing a monthly “practice tools” edition of our regular Friday Five—five great ways to use a new product (or five reasons you should or should not) … or five ways to squeeze more productivity out of familiar tools … you get the idea. Today, Ruth Carter—Arizona lawyer and our “Nothing But the Ruth” columnist—kicks it off with five neat ways to use Google+ Hangouts. …
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When you open a solo law practice, especially early in your career, it’s easy enough to do everything yourself. Often you’re too poor to hire anyone anyhow, and if you haven’t yet built up your book of business, you have the time to figure things out on your own. I’ve had my firm for almost two years, though, and now I’m getting to the point where I’m so busy it’s time to start outsourcing some things on my to-do lists.

Where to start? I kicked this question out to a handful of solo lawyer groups and solo attorneys to find out the first thing they had outsourced. The answers, for the most part, did not surprise me. … READ MORE
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Recently, I was blown away by how awesome a fellow lawyer’s office is. It’s not very big, but it has a standing desk by a window that overlooks downtown Phoenix, opening up the rest of the space for an oversize leather couch and armchair. I loved the layout, and he said he loved his standing desk. This inspired me to seek out other lawyers who use standing desks to hear their experiences.

I created a survey and was surprised by the number of responses: 29 people from across the country told me about their personal and their firm’s experiences using standing desks. In one instance, the entire office uses them. READ THE REST … Read The Rest

As 2012 draws to a close, we’re celebrating Attorney at Work’s second year of delivering “one really good idea every day”—every working day, that is. To make sure you get your daily fix during the Christmas and New Year’s hiatus, we are bringing back some of our most popular posts. Today, we revisit Ruth Carter’s particularly timely post on working a crowd (or not).

I’ll admit it—networking is one of my least favorite parts of my job. I wish everyone just knew who I was, thought I was fabulous and that my phone was ringing off the hook with more business than I can handle. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. So every week I attend two to four networking meals and happy hours. Casual chit-chat with strangers over mini appetizers is not my idea of a fun evening. … READ MORE … Read The Rest

A busy travel schedule can be good for business development. Ruth Carter tells how she does it in today’s installment of  “Connect the Dots: A Lawyer’s Guide to Networking.”

Looking over my calendar from 2015, I noticed that I spent 28 days on the road speaking at conferences and doing The Undeniable Tour. My travels took me all over the West Coast and to Las Vegas, Cleveland, New York and even London. One benefit of traveling is I get to meet and see people in person who I’d otherwise get to connect with only online. READ THE REST … Read The Rest

Talk of New Year’s resolutions has inspired me to think about lawyer stereotypes and what we should be doing to combat them. If the legal industry had a resolution, I hope it would be to work on its image problem.

In my experience, when people hear the word “lawyer,” they think “stuffy, boring, conservative, narcissistic, ambulance-chasing jerk.” For some lawyers, the depiction is completely accurate. Unfortunately, their bad reputation has spread to all of us who practice law. Most of the lawyers I’ve met — and all the ones I associate with and refer work to — don’t fit that description. And for the record, I don’t either. Having to constantly fight the stereotype is annoying. … READ THE REST … Read The Rest

Let me tell you about my friend Jeremy. He’s the business development manager at an independently owned auto repair and tire shop that has several locations in the Phoenix area. Their competition is car dealerships and national discount tire chains.

I met Jeremy shortly after I opened my law firm and half my job became networking. I see Jeremy everywhere — business mixers, community festivals, networking groups. He’s always there in his company polo shirt or wearing his company nametag. He’s the sweetest guy you’ll ever meet.

Here’s what’s interesting about my friendship with Jeremy … READ MORE … Read The Rest

I shocked my contacts at the beginning of the year when I announced that I joined another law firm. (I know, I never thought it would happen either.) I am now of counsel at an IP boutique firm called Venjuris in Phoenix. I still have Carter Law Firm, though, for professional speaking and writing purposes.

Shifting from solo life to a multi-lawyer firm has been quite a change. … READ THE REST … Read The Rest