The Greatest American Lawyer

What If Coffee Shops Billed Like Law Firms?

Jay Shepherd at The Client Revolution posted a funny article which puts the notion of value-based billing into perspective:

So it's another gray New England winter afternoon, which means it's time for my caffeine fix. I walk down the street to my usual Starbucks, but for some reason the line is longer than usual and I don't feel like waiting. Then I notice a coffeehouse that I had never seen before. It's surprising because it's bigger than normal and has a very staid, conservative name. More like a string of names, actually, followed by a "P.C." I take this to mean "professional coffeehouse," or something.

Continue reading A Coffee Parable

Register For Audio Conference On Value Of Virtual Assistants

The Center for Competitive Management has scheduled a 75-minute audio conference for Tuesday, May 12, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. E.S.T. concerning the pros and cons of hiring and managing Virtual Assistants.  Traverse Legal Attorneys Enrico Schaefer and Brian Hall will be two of the expert faculty who will present real-life examples from both the law firm and the virtual worker perspectives.

Please visit the following link to register for the conference: Virtual Paralegals and Legal Assistants: How to Maximize Cost Savings & Increase Client Value.

In Response to David Giacalone’s Concerns about the Ethics of Value Billing

I’m doing some research on value billing for lawyers; I came across the one blog post which beats out the GAL web site on the issue on this issue of “value billing” on Google Search. David Giacalone over at the f/k/a blog posted back on December 03, 2008 that “Value Billing-Pricing by lawyer raises many ethical red flags”.  David notes that he has been raising red flags over ethical issues concerning value billing for some time, listing the following posts chronologically:

• “Value Billing and Lawyer Ethics” (Jan 28, 2004)
• “broadening the hourly billing debate” (Aug. 18, 2008)
• “smart clients care about . . . marketplace ‘value’” (Nov. 25, 2008)

It appears pretty clear that David has never engaged in value billing with his clients since his list of concerns don’t seem to bear any relationship to the reality of value billing.  For instance, David claims that value billing proponents supposedly make the following arguments.

Blawg Review #195

Here is this weeks Blawg Review hosted by Yolanda Young at the On Being A Black Lawyer (OBABL) Blog. 

Traverse City, to Ann Arbor, back to Traverse City, to Hollywood, back to Traverse City, back to LA, to San Francisco, back to Traverse City

As many of you know, we are attorneys primarily located in Traverse City, Michigan.  Who says you can’t create a viable law firm by blogging your expertise on issues of trademarks, domain disputes, copyright, trade secrets and on and on?  GAL has a busy couple weeks ahead.  I’d like to say I owe it all to the internet, but the internet only provides opportunities.  Blogging seizes it. Our Ann Arbor, Michigan Trademark Attorneys are everywhere!

Submit Your Best Posts: Get Recognition and Link Juice!

Next Wednesday, we will be publishing our first version of Over the Hump (OTH) Wednesday, wherein we feature the most popular blog post submitted to Overflow Legal.  If you think you have what it takes, submit your best post into the OFL directory, send those posts to people you think are interested in the content, and become eligible to receive recognition as a top legal blog post next Wednesday.  You will be featured on Overflow Legal and the Greatest American Lawyer blog.  If you have not joined the OFL community, you may do so by registering here.

A Cup of Coffee at One of the Country’s Largest Mental Asylums: A GAL Breakdown?

I am fortunate to work at one of the largest renaissance and redevelopment zones in the country, Grand Traverse Commons.

An Excellent Article On Blogging Lifecycles By Eric Goldman

For those of you who don’t him, Eric Goldman is a prolific blogger who runs two niche blogs, the Tech and Marketing Blog and the Goldman’s Observation Blog.   Eric Goldman is an Associate Professor of Law at Santa Clara University School of Law and directs the school’s High Tech Law Institute. 

In a recent post called “Blogging Lifecycles”, he notes that many blogs come and go relatively quickly.  In monitoring his RSS feeds, he noted the two paths a blog can take. The first is obscurity and flameout.  The second is success, which can create a demand for more blogging and a reduction in quality.  There are certainly many blogs (hopefully this one) which has increased not only in readership but in the quality of content.  Here’s what Eric has to say:

Regurgitation Thursday: Non-Solo Karma

Topics covered in this episode of GAL Radio:

• Buildings and Grounds of the Grand Traverse Commons
• My new office

CIRCA January 14, 2005: Non-Solo Karma

Play GAL Radio: Non-Solo Karma

Here are some great photos of the Grand Traverse Commons:

The Adam Smith Blog Contemplates the Potential Consequences of Economic Downturn on the Legal Profession

Bruce MacEwen over at the Adam Smith blog has an interesting post called, “Lessons From The Depression.”  Bruce notes that never in his career has there been a time of greater uncertainty.  “The future is hard to visualize as it is to see the East Side of Manhattan from Central Park West on a deep foggy morning…”  Essentially, Bruce notes that the economic downturn will have impacts on the business of law.  Smart law firms are working hard to guess what those changes will bring so they can be ahead of the curve.