On Balance

Lately, thinking creatively about the practice of law has been a theme running through my professional life. While we are a relatively stodgy profession, many avenues for legal innovation exist. From applying new technology to a traditional ...

Our own Merrilyn Aston Tarlton recently wrote here about five ways solos can find time for law firm retreats. And on that score, ...

Recently, on a particularly spectacular day at work, two victories came my clients’ way. I couldn’t help reflecting on the emotions coursing through me — it was as if the events of the day belonged to me, to my life, when in fact they belonged ...

In the past, “outsourcing” brought to mind images of large offices filled with workers on telephones, most likely overseas, fielding customer service center phone calls. That it is not what I have in mind when I suggest using outsourcing in your ...

It is drilled into us during ethics classes, studying for the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, and in continuing legal education courses: When a client requests it, you must hand over “the file.” But have you ever stopped to ...

Knowing it is against many of our natures to get out there and network, it is easy to see why many solos shirk the cocktail hour at the bar meeting, or slip into the back row of a CLE presentation and out again as soon as the hour is up. But if ...

Stop buying into the Superman complex and consider the ramifications of not taking care of yourself.

In the attorney discipline business, privilege waiver is a central issue. When a client files a state bar complaint against his attorney, privilege is waived, subject to nuances. (Of course, isn’t everything in law subject to nuances?) What this ...

In some high-volume practices, a typical engagement can be very small. Some solo lawyers make a practice out of hundreds of single-hour consultations. For lawyers in these consultation-heavy practices, it should be routine to have clients sign a ...

Accepting credit cards is just about the easiest way to ensure clients have no excuse not to pay your bills.