The Greatest American Lawyer

Déjà Vu from 2004: Don’t call me a solo

Over the next few months, I will be re-posting some of my early articles as I launched the Greatest American Lawyer Blog, quit my partnership at my old firm, and started the process of reinventing myself and the practice of law.

2004.12.22 Don't call me a solo.

Don't Call Me A Solo! (Play GAL Radio)

I will not be a solo-practitioner when my shingle [make that a banner] finally gets tacked above my door. I am striking out to be a 'Non_Solo Lawyer.'   

I am after all already a node in the IP world filled with resources, information and other non-solos. The shared resources among practice groups in a 1000 person mega firm separated by walls, floors and cities are not much different (albeit smaller) than the world of non-solos connected together over IP.  Technology is the answer we have been waiting for.  Efficiency, communication, outsourcing and vertical specialization are the promise of correctly used technology. 

A pundit asked recently how big firms will evolve over the next decade.  Pundits answered in all sorts of ways.  But none mentioned that  solos tied together offering more options and talent than the largest firms with niche areas of specialization will become new competitors to the largest firms.  Non-solo practitioners with controlled overhead, nimble business models based on common principles but each built on the 'no-boss' principle will compete against the Goliath.  Why would any client want the best lawyer within the practice group in a firm, when they kind have the best in the state, country or world? The Greatest American Lawyer is in the house and its time to change everything we have come to know about the practice of law.  This site will chronicle my departure from a 10 lawyer 40 employee law firm in a medium United States town.  It will include everything any lawyer needs to know about starting their own firm, from business plans to technology, from software to office space. After all, if you really are the best at what YOU do, why would you want to allow others to tell you how and why to practice law?  If you have the confidence of the value that you can provide clients, you will succeed over time, over mountains and defiantly as a non-solo.

Four Years Ago In December I Quit My Partnership To Start This Firm.

Over the next few months, I will be re-posting some of my early articles as I launched the Greatest American Lawyer Blog, quit my partnership at my old firm, and started the process of reinventing myself and the practice of law.

2004.12.22 [once upon a time]

The Greatest American Lawyer Goes Live!

My family has decided to quit our cushy hourly law firm job in a very medium sized town and strike out on our own.   We have a $70k line of credit at the bank on our house.  We have some credit cards with some hefty credit available on them.  We are betting the farm, literally. With three kids ages 6, 4 and 2, we have decided it is more important to live life on our own terms, by our own sweat and  principles rather than protect the roof over our head. Our small family is walking away from a $150k income [which is a lot where we live] for the feel of the breeze in my hair and a goal to change the way law is practiced.

Welcome to the show! Don't wish me luck.  I'd rather have someone pick up the mail from the post-office for me in the morning, one of the many luxuries I leave behind [along with the work-out facility, firm Cadillac and end of the day scotches in the big boss' office] in my old life as a in-name-only partner at a firm run by one man [who I shall call "Big Boss"].

If The Practice of Law Were a Dance Contest…

…I’ve always had this strange sense that I would win for sure.  Well, as long as the music was Prince. 

OK.  Here is one of the many delusional thoughts that has yet to come true.  I always thought that I would be spotted by Prince at one of his concerts and that as he saw me grooving, he would have an epiphany.  Having earned a backstage pass, one of his handlers approaches me to get some background information.  I tell him we listened to Prince back in the dirty mind and purple rain days to a pair of 15-inch woofers owned by my funkadelic roommate Paul Dunbar.  Paul introduced me to Prince.   I was sold after observing that college girls loved to dance to Prince.  And let’s just say that the type of girl who really loved to dance to Prince…well, it wasn’t such a bad thing back in college. 

I’d tell him lot’s of other things that I could share here.  But upon learning that I was a lawyer, he would immediately  be struck by one overwhelming thought.  “My lawyer can’t dance like that!”

Well, you can guess the rest.   I would get hired by Prince to be his online brand protection counsel. 

Technology is Great but the Phone is Better

There is no question that technology makes communication easy and convenient.  We use email, extranets, text messaging and voicemail to communicate by and between ourselves and our clients.

But when it comes to relationships, there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings.  A close second would be a phone call.

I think we sometimes get so enamored with technology that we forget to reach out and “touch someone.”  We have to remind ourselves to bring clients in for face-to-face meetings and call them on the phone as an alternative to email on certain issues.

Anyone who is involved with billing knows that a phone call is far more likely to secure payment than a series of emails.  And when you’re looking for new work, scheduling a client meeting (at no cost to them of course) is the best way to explore new projects with clients. 

Yes, technology rocks.  But the personal touch is still a mandatory part of any successful business plan. 

Michigan Threshold of Death

One of the fascinating things about having a website that has high traffic is seeing the search terms that find their way to your site.  For instance, I noticed the other day that the Traverselegal.com website logged number two on Google with this search query: "Michigan threshold of death." 

I don’t know whether to be shocked, amazed or proud.  Regardless, these types of oddball search results remind us that (1) content diversity is important on our web sites and (2) the power of Google is truly staggering. 

We should never underestimate that many people find our websites as a result of putting in non-obvious and even strange search terms.  We should never forget that content is key.  We should never forget that the diversity of search words is as important as the density of obvious key words.  You aren’t blogging if you aren’t generating lots and lots of vertical content. Get blogging!  Ignore my message at your peril; I am the Michigan threshold of death!

What are your strange keyword results?

You Have to Spend Money to Make Money

Our law firm is at a stage where we are rapidly growing and expanding, not in the area of attorneys but in the area of staff and support.  As we continue to bring more support people on in order to provide better legal services, increase quality and improve responsiveness, I have to wonder.  Will this increase in expenses result in an increase in revenue?

There's an old saying that I think that applies well in my situation.  You have to spend money to make money.  One of the things I learned my first year as a law firm is that it is important to take risks with capital.  I took a tremendous risk by investing my own money in start-up operations.  All of my start-up costs were re-reimbursed by the end of the year.  The good news for this year is that the firm gets to invest a portion of its revenue back into the company.  but I suppose it doesn't make a difference since the money would otherwise be distributed to me as income.  Regardless, we are taking a healthy dose of risk in reinvesting money in ourselves.  I'll let you know how it works out.