Image generated by Dall-E Remember the tin-can-and-string faux phones that you played with as a kid? Will real phones, or phone service become equally useless? Recognizing the growing trend away from phone calls,  the Washington Post recently reported on The New Phone Call Etiquette.  According to the article, callers should never leave a voicemail (since…

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Illustration generated by Dall-E Case Summary:  In the legal profession, the general rule is that lawyers cannot enter into agreements that restrict their right to practice after leaving a firm, except for retirement benefits. However, there is ambiguity in interpreting what constitutes a restriction. A recent Maryland Supreme Court case, Jamie Bennett v. Ashcraft &…

The post The Aftermath of Departing Lawyers: They Take Clients But Not The Full Fee That Goes With Them appeared first on My Shingle.

NLBM, a legal coaching company, has filed a copyright infringement complaint against 2-Hour Lifestyle Lawyer, accusing them of copying course content and reselling it. The complaint highlights the lack of uniqueness in coaching content, as many programs offer similar advice on topics like estate planning and pricing. The lawsuit raises questions about how much legal…

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Contrary to popular belief, practicing law doesn’t have to be a 24/7 proposition.  Nor is success defined by how many hours you bill. If you agree, then maybe it’s time to say hello to the part-time law firm practice. No matter your reasons – whether you’re caring for family, transitioning to retirement, waiting out a…

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Lawyers Are Unhappy…But Not for the Reasons You Think One of the most common sources of lawyer unhappiness that’s also least discussed is the soul-crushing nature of the work that many of us do.  Whether it’s defending large companies with racist or sexist policies, or churning through cookie-cutter cases that are all the same, many…

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Abstract (prepared with ChatGPT 4): The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and a surge in online meetings has made it increasingly common for attorneys to record and transcribe client conversations. While AI-transcription can offer benefits such as accuracy, efficiency, and transparency, concerns around confidentiality, privacy, and ethics are also raised. AI-driven transcriptions capture details that…

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via GIPHY An Offer They Can’t Refuse I haven’t seen the epic 1972 movie, The Godfather, but even though I’m familiar with Marlon Brando’s character, Vito Corleone casually uttered the iconic line, “make him an offer he can’t refuse.” Of course, Corleone’s offers couldn’t be refused because doing so would mean death. But there are…

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How many times have you signed up for a free trial, then forgot to cancel and were hit with a huge bill? Or signed up for a legal tech or marketing service that you didn’t like so you let it run its course, only to have it auto-renew and lock you in for another term? …

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For me, summertime has always been a great time to learn. The pace slows. Days are longer. Schedules are more relaxed. That’s why I’m so excited to announce the MyShingle Summer School Special. For just $99, you can pick up either:(1) The LegalClauseIt a 79-page guide to the art, science & ethics of law firm…

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Hands down 🙌, one of the best parts of starting or owning your own law firm is the ability to create a novel business model that addresses a profound gap in the market, and marries your passion to your legal talent.  Below, I highlight three recent examples of lawyers whose unconventional business models caught my…

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Since this last post summarizing 15 states’ ethics opinions on flat fees as of September 2022, there have been some new developments on the flat fee front. None of these rulings are particularly helpful. If anything, they further complicate flat fee billing. Fortunately, there are workarounds to solve the problem, one of which you can…

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Most lawyers can methodically recite the ethics rules that govern marketing. ❎ No guaranteed results.   ❎ Required labeling as “attorney advertising.” ❎ No unverifiable superlatives.  ❎ No misleading copy suggesting that your firm is larger or more experienced than it is. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Most lawyers forget that when we…

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[sponsored blog post by LexReception.com] Streamlining, optimizing and automating are key to growing or scaling a practice. According to research by Clio, the average lawyer billed just 2.5 hours of an 8-hour day. That means either they do not take on enough clients, or lawyers across the US are struggling with inefficiency.  Firms using multiple…

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Earlier this week, stock prices for Chegg, which provides study materials and outlines for high school and college students, plunged by almost 48 percent reports CNBC.   The culprit? ChatGPT which has cut into much of Chegg’s business in just five months.  Chegg’s recent losses are yet another reminder of just how quickly ChatGPT can…

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I get by with a little help from my friends. The Beatles sure knew what they were talking about when they wrote that line. Even if you’re starting a law firm alone as many of us do, help from friends, family and colleagues is important.  Surrounding yourself with a band of supporters from the beginning…

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Can a law firm’s use of artificial intelligence be a selling point for clients?  Biglaw firm DLA Piper thinks so. Last month, DLA Piper publicly announced that it would utilize Casetext’s groundbreaking platform, Co-Counsel which is powered by GPT-4 to perform substantive tasks such as legal research, document review, deposition prep, and contract analysis.  DLA…

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Starting a law firm that operates in multiple jurisdictions can be lucrative, but also confusing with multiple, competing ethics rules.  In March 2023, the ABA issued Formal Opinion 540 to provide guidance to lawyers who practice in. more than one jurisdiction. Model Rule 8.5 Offers Guidance for Lawyers Running a Firm in Multiple Jurisdictions Formal…

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In October 2022, I wrote about the rise of nano-influencers and how lawyers might use them to market their law firms.  Turns out, I was ahead of the curve.  As Forbes reports, influencer marketing is becoming more important than ever to boosting SEO.  The Forbes article recommends: Ask the influencers you work with to link…

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Hey there, Law Firm Owners, Innovators, Dreamers & Schemers! Are you ready to transform the legal landscape and jumpstart your very own law firm in just SIX weeks? Say hello to the Law Firm StartUp AI-ccelerator, the groundbreaking program that can help you make the leap. Gone are the days of going solo without support.…

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Six and a half years after arguing that women’s success in legal doesn’t matter if they don’t work at Biglaw, Vivia Chen is back with this interview with Beth Wilkinson, who left biglaw at Paul Hastings back in 2016 to launch her own firm.  Reading the interview, you can tell that Chen still doesn’t get…

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