Solos/Small Firms

2 founding partners leave boutique firm, and one explains why: He needs a break from law practice

Why did two founding partners leave the high-profile litigation boutique Wilkinson Walsh Eskovitz?

Jan 28, 2020 11:32 AM CST

A dozen Boies Schiller lawyers join new boutique law firm

A dozen lawyers from Boies Schiller Flexner have joined with three other lawyers from well-known law firms to create a 15-lawyer litigation boutique.

Jan 16, 2020 2:39 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Lawyer can’t avoid pro bono appointment, AG Barr wants Apple to unlock gunman’s iPhones

Lawyer appointed to pro bono case can’t avoid representation, federal judge rules A Connecticut lawyer appointed as pro bono counsel in a prisoner’s civil rights case doesn’t qualify for an exception relieving him of the assignment, a federal judge has ruled. Lawyer Michael Satti had contended that the assignment would…

Jan 14, 2020 4:37 PM CST

Why have automated timekeeping programs failed to gain a foothold in the industry?

The technology’s promise to lawyers that they would never have to enter another timeslip has remained unfulfilled. But new time-capture software with artificial intelligence composed of machine learning and natural language processing is rolling out.

Nov 1, 2019 2:20 AM CDT

What can you learn from a lawyer born the same year that you graduated law school?

In this new episode of Asked and Answered, Senior Writer Stephanie Francis Ward talks to Karen Kaplowitz about ways the experience pairing works well, having more diverse legal teams, and finding better ways to use social media in marketing.

Oct 28, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

Texas lawyer takes down her marijuana-leaf sign after visit from city inspector

A Texas lawyer has taken down a sign for her criminal defense practice that pictured a large marijuana leaf and the scales of justice. Lawyer Harmony Schuerman erected her sign on her business property in Weatherford across from the Parker County Sheriff’s Office and jail, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.…

Jul 26, 2019 11:19 AM CDT

10 Questions: This Hudson Valley lawyer serves up a deliciously different practice model

Jason M. Foscolo works exclusively with farmers and food entrepreneurs as founder of the Food Law Firm. An innovative subscription billing service allows Foscolo to keep both his hours and his income steady. He lives and works in Red Hook, a charming town in New York’s Hudson Valley known for its family farms, scenic nature trails and sophisticated restaurants.

Jul 1, 2019 2:25 AM CDT

San Diego lawyer launches all-female, all-partner virtual firm

The fledgling virtual firm Vanst Law in San Diego has no office, no break room and no conference room of its own—so the partners get creative about finding ways to stay collegial. “Our firm culture is extremely important to us. We can’t meet at the watercooler, but isolation isn’t a problem,” says founder and CEO Cynthia Morgan-Reed.

Jul 1, 2019 1:25 AM CDT

Would-be clients with white-sounding names got 50% more lawyer responses in California, report says

Lawyers in markets with less competition might be more likely to racially discriminate against clients seeking legal representation, a Yale researcher has concluded. Yale University lecturer and postdoctoral associate Brian Libgober drew that conclusion from a series of studies in which he sent emails requesting representation to lawyers in private…

Jun 6, 2019 3:26 PM CDT

Coworking office spaces are becoming more popular in the legal industry

Coworking is different from renting an office in a commercial building or from another law firm. Rather than signing a lease, a lawyer pays a monthly membership fee. The lowest membership level provides a “virtual office” where an attorney uses the address on letterhead, gets mail and receives limited time each month for working or meeting clients.

Jun 1, 2019 12:55 AM CDT

Texas lawyer is the top volunteer for ABA’s free online legal aid clinic

Jack Fan is a volunteer with Texas Legal Answers, part of the ABA’s Free Legal Answers virtual legal aid clinic. The service allows income-eligible clients to post civil legal questions for pro bono attorneys in their state. According to the ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, which annually recognizes attorneys who provide extraordinary pro bono services through Free Legal Answers, Fan has answered more questions than any other attorney in the country. In 2018, he responded to nearly 1,100 of them.

May 1, 2019 1:30 AM CDT

Law firms shouldn’t overlook value of soft skills

Soft skills do not get much attention in law firms. That was my experience when I was practicing in small, medium and larger firms, and it still is the case today.

Mar 7, 2019 6:30 AM CST

Solos and small firms need to prepare for death and disaster

During a Thursday morning ABA Techshow panel, “Planning for Tomorrow, Today,” Peter Roberts, a private practice management consultant from Washington state, said that succession planning starts with hiring practices.

Feb 28, 2019 4:50 PM CST

Misleading GoFundMe appeal with offer for free legal advice leads to lawyer’s suspension

A Charleston, West Virginia, lawyer who set up a misleading GoFundMe page to fund his transition to solo practice has been suspended from law practice. The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals suspended the lawyer, Mark Allen Glover, for 42 months in a Jan. 10 order. He also received a…

Jan 31, 2019 12:42 PM CST

More than half of law firms provide flexible work arrangements, says new report

The legal sector is increasingly providing nontraditional benefits, such as flexible work arrangements, paid volunteer time and pet-friendly offices, according to a new report. The 2019 Salary Guide for Legal Professionals, released Tuesday by alternative legal services provider and consultancy Special Counsel, found that more than 50 percent of respondents…

Jan 16, 2019 12:15 PM CST