Solo In Chicago…Grow Your Practice!

That blown-up house in New York yesterday sort of opens ones eyes about this glorious practice of family law in which I find myself. An interesting read here from the NYTimes.

Not quite at the same level, but I had an “acquaintance” renewed at my church this past Saturday evening with a former opposing client in a child visitation matter. I represented this gentleman’s former wife in attempting to stop his visitation with their 17-year-old son which we were successful in doing. Now anytime I see this guy at church I get an earful and get sarcastically asked how his son is doing (thankfully it’s a large church where I only see the guy maybe bi-annually).

Take a look here for some great blogging resources…thanks for the tip the[non]billable hour.

Though we’re far from the “nation’s biggest law firms” I did read with interest a piece about Summer Associate programs from the June 27, 2006 WSJ. The article suggests that summer associates are getting more training and a little less big-scale entertaining.

The article discusses beefed-up mentoring programs, formal deposition training, mock trials, mock transactional projects and regimented writing tutorials. I think this is good for the profession…hopefully law schools will get the hint too.

A new program with potential from ISBA:

There are no stupid questions in the practice of law, just stupid mistakes that are made by people who were afraid to ask for the answers.

The ISBA has an anonymous e-mail service that can shed light on the secrets of practicing law, managing an office or anything related to effective lawyering.

All you have to do is send an inquiry to nostupidquestions@isba.org. It will be passed along to an experienced practitioner or disseminated through e-mail discussion groups.

Personal responses are not guaranteed, but selected questions and answers will be published in the Illinois Bar Journal.

Are you getting the most out of your published writing:

1. Making copies and sending them to everyone in your Rolodex.

2. Framing them for decoration in your office.

3. Including them in your marketing package to (potential) clients?

Well, we’re back after a pleasant 4th of July in Eagle River, WI. I know this isn’t too new, but how does everyone feel about the new pro bono reporting rule (here)? New Illinois Supreme Court Rule 756(f) requires lawyers to report pro bono legal service they’ve provided in the past year.

Is this inevitably leading to some sort of mandatory pro bono hours requirement? Thoughts?

My initial reaction is that it hurts the small firms. I would speculate that those of us who are doing some billing, overseeing administrative employees plus practicing law have rather full plates. I suspect the large firm partner will just put it off on an associate or do some firm-wide project and take care of it for the year.

It seems to me that the Supreme Court is living in the past. As I see it, the “practice” (business) of law is becoming ever more competitive and business oriented…just as an issue of the general marketplace. Yet the Court is tying our hands with bureaucracy.