Going solo

The Jan/Feb 2007 Law Practice Magazine’s theme is “Solos: Rising to the Challenge“.  Worth reading.

Unapologetically solo from home

What’s the best thing about working from home? It’s hard to say but if forced to choose ONE thing, I’d have to say: not commuting.

The amount of time, cost and emotional energy saved by walking to my home office is hard to beat.

Here’s what tipped the scales for Chuck Newton:

I was simply sick and tired of working, of not seeing my family, of commuting hours upon hours, and doing it all to support not me and those I hold dear, but the landlords, the staff and the infrastructure. I was making much, but keeping very little, including the promises to my children, friends and colleagues.

Read the full post at Home Office Lawyer

Australian legal technology

All too often technology suppliers are simply interested in a product sale without making the effort of improving the profession’s knowledge of available solutions.

So if you’re wondering what’s available locally, check out the conferences organised by Simon Lewis and Australasian Legal Technology.

Solo resources

Some great articles for solos this month in Solo Newsletter (especially about mobile phones and smartphones) and Law Practice Today (especially on marketing).

Time Management

Are you being ripped off by time thieves?

Learn how to use time effectively and be more productive.

Massachusetts School of Law presents a video on Time Management.

Buying Law Office Technology

If you’re wondering where to start your research into buying  laptops, desktops, phones, cameras and gadgets or creating a paperless office then the notes from the recent ABA General Practice/Solo Program are worth reading.(via Jim Calloway’s Law Practice Tips Blog).

Becoming a managing partner

Regardless of the size of your firm, every firm needs a managing partner.

If you’re a solo, there will be things that you do that are managing partner functions.

As a firm grows. it struggles to decide whether it can afford to have a partner work full-time (or even part-time) as a managing partner or whether to employ a non-lawyer CEO.

The managing partner role is one that is not taught at university. And where do you go with your career if you become a full-time managing partner for more than 2 years?

Patrick McKenna has produced an on-line book (a short 23 pages) on the first 100 days of a managing partner. It is worth reading even if you are a small firm.

Here’s your opportunity: declare your independence

In 7 Opportunities for Law Firms in 2006 Neil Oakes from FMRC Legal declares the boutique firm as the norm of the future.

Within five years boutique providers will, most likely, make up the entire top quartile of the high profit sample population in all FMRC Legal performance surveys.

These firms will out-perform the generalists in many areas, most critically in client quality and talent attraction.

Yes, some might regard the now-large Gilbert & Tobin as a boutique firm but the formation in the last few months of new firms by 2 or 3 partners breaking away from larger firms (even a large boutique firm such as Atanskovic & Hartnell) shows that the small firm has a solid future.

But if the facts and figures aren’t enough, turn your sound on and watch Declaration of Independence from Escape from Cubicle Nation and get motivated.

Managing client expectations

If clients complain about something, it is more likely to be service-related than the technical quality of your work: you don’t return their calls, you don’t explain things clearly, the bill was bigger than expected.

In Taming the Beast: managing client expectations in a 24/7 world Patricia Yevics has some suggestions on how to teach clients that faster is not always better.

Research calls as a marketing aid

It’s hard for most professionals to “cold call” for work. But what professionals are good at is doing research.

This article by Gale Crosley explains how you can use a “research call” to gain valuable information about a market and possibly get new work at the same time.