You At Work

It may be among the toughest conversations you ever have to initiate. But when you think a colleague is in trouble—experiencing difficulties with drugs and alcohol or spiraling into a seemingly intractable depression, for example—it is worse, ...

No one takes their baby to a gynecologist for a routine checkup. No one goes to a cardiologist for an ankle sprain, or to a dentist when they have chest pains. So why, I ask, do distant relatives call me to draft prenuptial agreements when: (1) ...

When you open a solo or small law practice, making money may be your biggest concern, and you may feel like you have to accept every job that comes in the door. I’ve been to networking events where other law firm owners say that’s what they did ...

You stand at the front of the room to make your presentation, but this time it's different: You are doing it all with your iPad! With a little preparation and practice, you can use your iPad as a sleek, subtle tool to educate and convince your ...

Let me guess—you don't have time to think about your reputation in your community, much less devote extra hours to volunteer activities. After all, you're already doing a lot for your community by doing what you do best—providing reliable legal ...

Why do so many law firms protect their jerks — and what can you do when you've had enough of bad behavior?

In previous posts we asked the question, "How Much Does It Cost to Start a New Solo Firm?" And we received some great advice from practice management experts and a few newly minted solos on how much seed money it takes to start up a solo ...

As lawyers we’re required to do CLEs every year. (Groan.) My experience has taught me that Sean Carter was right when he said that CLEs are really CLAs—"Continuing Legal Attendance." You get credit just for showing up—no one really cares if you ...

Your firm makes you a partner based on potential—a belief that everything the partners have observed indicates you have the characteristics to be successful. You've got what it takes! But making partner is one thing. Staying partner ...

We've been talking a lot these past few weeks about how much it costs to start a solo practice from scratch. We've had some terrific responses, including litigator John Snyder's checklist. This got us wondering, if you had the chance to pick all ...