Solos/Small Firms

Lawyer is Charged With Stealing $800K from 10 Clients, Reportedly Blames OxyContin

After receiving complaints for nearly two years, authorities have accused a Connecticut lawyer with stealing nearly $800,000 from 10 clients. Charged with six counts of first-degree larceny and four counts of third-degree larceny, attorney John Rodia, 47, turned himself in yesterday and was released on $50,000 bond, reports the Connecticut…

Nov 17, 2010 12:28 PM CST

15-Lawyer Ore. Firm Opens 2nd Office—in Pa.; Ex-K&L Gates Atty to Build ‘Virtual’ Enviro Office

A Portland, Ore., law firm has made an unusual move, opening a second office in Pittsburgh last week. Headed by a former associate of K&L Gates, Phillip Bender, the new office of Bateman Seidel Miner Blomgren Chellis & Gram also is taking a cutting-edge approach to law practice, reports the…

Nov 8, 2010 5:15 PM CST

After Working Solo for 33 Years, Lawyer Joins Buchanan Ingersoll

Pennsylvania lawyer Tom Bergstrom has worked solo for 33 years, but he’s giving it up to join the white-collar defense practice at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney in Philadelphia. Most recently, Bergstrom worked in a barn outside his home in Malvern, Pa., spending part of his time caring for his wife,…

Nov 5, 2010 1:27 PM CDT

Securities Lawyer Closes Boutique He Founded 40 Years Ago, Joins Wolf Haldenstein

After 40 years at the boutique law firm he founded, securities lawyer Charles Hecht has decided to close shop and join Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz as a partner. Hecht cites a couple reasons why he decided to close his New York boutique, Hecht & Associates, and move to…

Nov 3, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Cleveland Solo Takes His Civ Pro Case Before the Justices

Cleveland lawyer David Eduard Mills was warned that he probably wouldn’t get very far into his oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court before receiving a question from the bench. On Monday, it was a matter of eight seconds. “I’m sorry to interrupt so quickly,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts…

Nov 1, 2010 10:36 PM CDT

The Long Shot

A Cleveland solo’s life is about to change as his practice expands from a spare bedroom in his apartment to the U.S. Supreme Court

Nov 1, 2010 9:59 AM CDT

On Board

Transparency puts new scrutiny on directors

Nov 1, 2010 8:40 AM CDT

Few Disabled Lawyers Practice in BigLaw, Says President of Blind Lawyers Group

Disabled lawyers usually opt for government jobs or solo work, according to a Denver lawyer who is president of the National Association of Blind Lawyers. NABL president Scott LaBarre tells the National Law Journal that lawyers with disabilities are underrepresented in BigLaw. He opted for solo practice after working as…

Oct 28, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Georgia State 3Ls Find Experience Through Research Pool Aimed at Solos, Small Firms

Solo and small-firm lawyers in need of inexpensive and skilled legal research in a pinch can now turn to Georgia State College of Law’s third-year law students and recent graduates thanks to a new service by GSU career services. The program, Short-term Research Assistance Pool (SHARP), matches lawyers with vetted…

Oct 22, 2010 4:30 PM CDT

Friendship Trumps Law Firm Partnership

As Arlington, Ohio-based lawyers Brad Koffel and Mark Jump are severing their 16-year legal partnership, the duo is excited to shift the focus back to a 24-year-old friendship founded in a dorm at Miami University. Although they remain best friends, divergent legal practices added to the wisdom of the split.…

Oct 15, 2010 6:30 PM CDT

Labor Report Cites Rise in Nontraditional Jobs for Lawyers, Good Paralegal Prospects

Paralegals, court reporters and lawyers may all find something to love in a report on expected job growth by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The news is best for paralegals and legal assistants, where job growth in the decade ending in 2018 is projected to be 28 percent. One reason…

Oct 12, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Another Virtual Law Firm Allows Lawyers to Work Less, Earn More

A virtual law firm that got its start in Atlanta, FSB FisherBroyles, appears to have a business model similar to Virtual Law Partners. Both firms both hire seasoned lawyers and allow them to work at home, the Charlotte Business Journal reports. FSB FisherBroyles allows partners to keep 85 percent of…

Oct 7, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Price Tag of New LexisNexis Research Tool for Solos Is $175 a Month

LexisNexis has a released a new legal research tool that will cost solo lawyers a flat fee of only $175 a month. Lexis Advance for Solos was designed specifically for solos and two-person law firms, according to Law.com and a LexisNexis press release. The cost of adding a second lawyer…

Oct 6, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Lawyer at Large

She works remotely as she travels the world

Oct 1, 2010 7:20 AM CDT

Solo Dreams of Full-Functioning Digital Messaging Assistant

Editor’s Note: We asked solo practitioners to write an essay or record a video telling us how they innovate. Specifically, they were asked to answer this question: “What innovation will be most valuable to you in your future practice as a solo practitioner?”

Oct 1, 2010 6:00 AM CDT