How Do You Sum Up A Year In the Blogosphere?- Almost 4,000 Hits, 72 Posts and so much more!

As this blog celebrates its’ first full year in operation, we must look back and see what, if anything, has been accomplished.
During the year, readers have been kind enough to visit this site almost 4,000 times! While there are many blogs that would consider this total to be miniscule, I am most thankful for your visits and do not want to minimize your interest. I am honored and humbled by the time you have spent reading my entries. Do you realize that, if you spent five minutes each time reading my blog, this equals an aggregate of 20,000 minutes or almost two full weeks ?!?!?! So, I really mean it when I say, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME 🙂
This is a good time to take stock and summarize what we have shared together over the last year. We started the year congratulating Judge John Nagle on his investiture, discussing some marketing tips and the Solo/Small Conference brought to Baltimore County by Pat Yevics of the State Bar. We reviewed technology tips from Adam Spence, talked about Twitter and enjoyed the BCBA bull roast (including an exclusive You Tube video of Judge Nagle’s band, the Mighty, Mighty Barristers). We even ran together (via You Tube video) the Fiesta 5k for the Packard Center on behalf of Mike Radcliffe. We met Baltimore County’s newest Judges of the District Court- Judges Leo Ryan, Marsha Russell and Steven Wyman.
Together, we embarked on a journey through a history of the Baltimore County legal community. We learned about the first three Presidents of the BCBA (see entries of 6/1/10, 6/2, 6/9). We researched the first three Judges of Baltimore County (9/26, 10/3,10/10, 6/20). We discovered the second State’s Atty (10/31), his law partner (11/7) and that partner’s son (11/14).
We reveled in the stories of some of the County’s finest Judges, including: Offutt (8/27), Yellott (6/13), Burke (8/29), Duncan (8/8), Grason (6/20), Lawrence (9/19), Gontrum (7/11) and Raine (10/11, 10/17). We read with regret the tragedy of Judge Gorsuch’s death (10/31). We laughed through the stories of Bud George (12/11, 12/25), the ditty of the defendant who stole Judge Burke’s pants and then wore them to court (11/6) and the tale of the 1980 Baltimore County jail break and the escapee who was caught when he applied for unemployment benefits in his own name (11/27). We met the first two female members of the BCBA, Jacqueline McCurdy (6/29) and Dorothy Jackson (7/5), as well as the first full time Master in Baltimore County, Judith Ritchey (12/5). We remembered the wonderful accomplishments of Judge Robert Cadigan (9/12) and Earl Plumhoff (12/22).
Along the way, we discovered wonderful pictures of the Courthouses through the generosity of Dick Parsons and the Balto Co Public Library Legacy Web including the Old Courthouse when it was young and the newer Courthouse during its’ construction. We even saw fantastic photos of a family painting the dome of the old Courthouse circa 1905 (11/30).
So, what should our Resolutions be for the New Year? I hope that we can continue to unearth old gems of photos and stories of our rich legal history. I hope that I can keep you interested and entertained with biographies of some of the Baltimore County legal community’s favorite sons. But, most of all, I hope that we can continue to cherish the memories of those who came before us and upon whose shoulders we now stand.
I am blessed to have held this lectern for more than a year and I yearn to continue our quest for knowledge. Stay tuned for some exciting news about the BCBA Oral History Project (I may be sharing this with you in the coming month) and for some more fun stories from the past of the Baltimore County Bench and Bar.
I wish each of you and your families a year of health, wealth and happiness.
Thanks as always for reading for providing such good company during our journey.
Copyright, Jeff Scholnick, Esq and Far Corners Historical Productions, 2011. All rights reserved.

The T(w)ruth about Twitter

If you had asked me two weeks ago what I thought about Twitter, I would have rolled my eyes and said, “That’s for losers who need to tell the world what they ate for lunch.” Well, 10 days ago I picked up a copy of the marvelous book by Shel Israel “Twitterville- How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods,” (Portfolio Publishing). As I started to read this book, I began to check out Twitter. Now, in little more than a week, I discovered that I am one of those losers to which I referred a couple of weeks ago. Quite frankly, I am hooked- but not for any of the reasons that you might expect.
Mr. Israel debunks one of the great myths about Twitter early in the book. Twitter is not about your tweets; it’s not about you reporting the trivial minutia in your day. Twitter is about LISTENING to others who have information to report. When you go on Twitter, you pick people to “follow”- this means that, for example, if you have always respected Tony Robbins or Karl Rove or Bill Cosby, you can follow them. If these people are tweeting correctly, they are sharing with their followers the links to books, articles, and content to enhance our lives. You can follow a company or organization that you like to read such as Economist Magazine or New York Times Review of Books. You can even follow a news organization such as CNN, NPR or “Breaking News” and, suddenly, as long as you have Twitter open, your computer becomes a news ticker tape like the one in Times Square, except more detailed and instantaneous.
You can also use Twitter to broaden your cultural or artistic horizons. For example, let’s say you want to listen to the next great unknown musician (or you are tired of the commercial music industry picking out the new talent for you.) You have a number of choices- you can go to your local music store and ask the guy behind the counter with six nose rings what he likes or you can ask your law partner for a recommendation (although, from my experience opposites attract, not only in love, but in musical tastes of law partners.) OR you can get recommendations from a musician whose opinion you really trust, such as Bruce Springsteen, Pink or Jimmy Buffett. For example, I love Pink’s new CD. She certainly would know about new unknown musical talent more than Mr. Nose Rings. So, on a recent post, when she recommended a new CD by someone named Butch Walker, I was intrigued. I searched for him on YouTube and listened to his music. Well, it was great and I bought the CD. I would have never known about this musician if I had not been on Twitter (none of the Best Buy stores in Baltimore have any of his CDs in stock.)
The point is that, because each “tweet” has to be short- no more than 140 characters (letters and punctuation marks included)- this lends itself to merely passing along links to other websites, articles, blogs or videos. This actually cuts down on the chatter, as compared to blogs where the writer can keep typing ad nauseum, like in this blog that you are reading. Therefore, Twitter is much more about the useful information that you convey and not a diary of your daily activities. And, if you are following someone who is only giving you mindless mush, you can stop following them; you control the content that you receive.
Although I am only two-thirds through Mr. Israel’s book, it is very helpful in understanding the business implications of Twitter. As I read this book, each chapter gets better and better. I also have found that it has helped me understand how to get started on Twitter. This is a confusing new super highway of information, and, in some ways, it is more revolutionary than Google. But, because there is tons of information racing by, at the speed of broadband, you can get dizzy and need a road map like Mr. Israel’s book.
So, you ask, what have I tweeted about? Well, not much, because, at this point, I am still listening and setting up the list of people that I want to follow to better serve my clients and run a small business. However, whenever I publish a new post on this blog, it automatically issues a tweet to my Twitter address. I am flattered to say that more than 40 people have chosen to be my “followers,” although I am sure that they can find better people to follow. Don’t they know that that the word “fool” is included in the word “follower”? Sooner or later, I am sure they will realize that I am no more than the Pied Piper of Small Practice and find some tweeters that are not bird heads like me. Still, I am honored that anyone would want to read the ramblings of your undersigned fool and thank them for their interest.
Whether you decide to start using Twitter or not, it is clear that Shel Israel is no fool. His book is insightful and entertaining. By offering stories of people using Twitter for business, he provides much more information than if he merely gave us his pronouncements. I highly recommend this book, even though I still haven’t finished it. You should definitely check this out.
I will have more Twitter information as I proceed through this book. But, for now, I want to get back to reading “Twitterville” and listening to my new Butch Walker CD 🙂
In the meantime, everyone have a great weekend and thanks for reading.
Jeff
P.S. If you are on Facebook, I recommend that you take a look at this article from the ABA offering 5 tips to secure your Facebook Account.
http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/saving_face
Don’t read it because this fool tells you to read it; I bookmarked it and then received an email from BCBA Executive Director Doris Barnes suggesting that I pass this along. You can trust her judgment. (She would be worth following on Twitter.)

Wow! Another benefit to readers of this blog! 10% off orders of $500 or more from Rennie’s Advertising Ideas

Even though I have had my own solo/small practice for more than 13 years, I still get emotional when new clients come into my office. I figure that, when they drive over to my office in Towson, they had to pass as many as one thousand lawyers along the way who are just as competent as me (or more so.) Then, when they come into our office, they have to pass by my partner, Tom Hood’s, room to get to my humble quarters. As Mr. Hood is a far better lawyer than I am (and a little better looking also), these clients could easily feign fatigue and stop in his office to meet with him. Later, when they return to hire me for a criminal or bankruptcy case, they have to pass those same attorneys on their way back to my office. How easy it would be for these new clients to stop at one of those attorneys’ offices to negotiate a lower fee, hire that attorney and save the extra gas money as a bonus!
The great (and now retired) Judge Gordon Boone of the District Court for Baltimore County, used to tell unrepresented defendants that they should have no problems hiring an attorney. “Lawyers are like weeds in the field; there are so many that, if you just walk outside, you will step on a few,” he would say. It always felt like a swift kick in the groin to hear Judge Boone repeat that quote; after 19 years of school, it was sobering to hear that I was a member of a profession teeming with so many members that I was compared to a lowly nuisance plant.
So, when new clients grace my door and entrust me with their legal matter, I still get a little teary- eyed. I feel like a kid on “American Idol” except that, instead of being told “You’re going to Hollywood!” my clients are usually substituting closer environs like Essex or Catonsville District Court. I realize that most “Idol” contestants would probably not be as delighted if Simon yelled out “Congratulations, you are going to Wilkens Avenue District Court,” but that is just because they haven’t had to worry about making payroll next week.
Needless to say, when these clients have given me their vote (and dollars) of confidence, I feel a great desire to thank them. Due to the strict dictates of the Code of Ethics, attorneys are limited in the manner in which we can say “Thank you.”
That is where “Rennie’s Advertising Ideas, Inc.” can help out. Rennie’s Advertising is a 3rd generation, family owned business specializing in professional gifts to assist you in getting your name, logo and message out to the public. Whether you want to buy pens, pins, medallions, water bottles, tote bags or calendars or other items, Rennie’s has the perfect promotional product for you. I have worked with Janet James, Rennie’s local sales manager on a couple of projects recently, and I have to tell you that I am most impressed. Not only has she made great creative suggestions, but she works fast and offers great prices.
I can tell you that, last year, when Hood and Scholnick sponsored a charity event, Janet put together a proposal that was affordable and sharp- jet blue water bottles with our logo that looked great and were within our budget. At the end of this year, when I had an urge for 2010 calendars that doubled as magnets, she delivered a product that was stylish, functional and yet appropriate for a professional.
Now, as an accommodation to the readers of this blog, Janet is kind enough to offer a 10% introductory discount on all orders over $500. This is an exclusive offer only available to readers of this blog! I recommend that you go to Rennie’s website, http://www.renniesadv.com, to get a free catalogue and see what products she has to offer. Please print out the coupon below or mention this blog to get your discount.
Tell your clients how much they mean to you while still staying within the Code of Ethics! Remember that, when you send your clients flowers, sooner or later the flowers will die. But, if you send them a tote bag with your name on it, they will be a walking billboard for your firm.
So, check Rennie’s out. As always, thank you for reading this blog and have a great week. Stay tuned for other special offers for small/solo firm attorneys of Baltimore County 🙂
Jeff
Click on Rennie’s coupon below.

Rennie's coupon

Marketing & Practicing Law in the “Plugged In” Era

There was a disturbing article in the Baltimore Sun yesterday entitled “Plugged-in generation putting in a lot of time.” According to the article, our teenagers are spending SEVEN AND ONE HALF hours a day with electronic devices including cell phones, computers, video games, TVs, etc. While this may be obvious to every parent who was stuck home with their kids last week during the blizzards, this does cause pause for concern. We can have the debate until we are blue in the face about whether this shows the degradation of our society or how this will result in the collapse of our social skills, but frankly, we don’t have the time for that philosophical discussion. You didn’t come to this blog to read a whole lot of sociological mumbo jumbo- you can do that on the rest of the internet.
What does interest me is how this change in behavior affects us as small/solo practitioners.
First of all, it seems to me that this development actually enhances our role in a small firm. What all of this time on the computer/phone/hand held device is lacking is direct face to face contact where you can shake someone’s hand and he/she can look you straight in the eye to see if you are telling the truth. This is something that you, as a small/solo can offer a client that they cannot get elsewhere. No wonder why, when I call a client and ask them to come in for a consultation about their case, they act so excited- they are lacking/craving direct human contact. Like some sort of socially starved animal, they are half expecting you to tell them to push #6 on their phone if they want a will, #4 on their phone if they want to file bankruptcy and #9 if they want fries with their workers’ compensation case.
I have to share a recent personal experience to contrast how important this direct social interaction is to our clients. I received my bill from a credit card this week and there was an error. I called the phone number on the bill and, tried to maneuver through the voicemail maze (do I hit #4 for customer service or #6 for disputing a charge- aren’t those the same thing in my case(?), or do I just split the difference and hit #5 and hope for the best). About 20 minutes into my phone call and after being transferred from 1 person to another, I finally ended up with the right person to take everything down. However, after speaking to this otherwise polite person, it was clear that she was powerless to investigate my dispute. She seemed so distant and remote. I finally asked her where I was calling and she said “I am in the Philippines.” Now, I am a pretty open minded individual; I believe in that whole “The world is flat” concept. I am actually glad that this charge card is employing people from all over the world. But, what does this tell me about the importance of customer service to this company if they are willing to delegate my call to someone thousands of miles away who does not have the authority to handle my complaint?
My point is that, when your client calls you and asks for you and you pick up the phone, it almost doesn’t matter what you say during the conversation, because the client is just happy to talk TO YOU. We, as small practitioners, can give added value by just being accessible. My experience with this charge card has also convinced me to be more receptive to the calls from clients because I now understand that sometimes the phone call is really a cry for personal touch in an otherwise impersonal world.
The second point to extrapolate from this Sun article is that, in this “Plugged In” generation, we are going to have to be more creative in reaching our clients. In a few years it won’t be enough to have a web page. Kids and “tweeners,” who are being entertained by hours of colorful media, will expect more. We will need videos and pod casts on our websites and we will have to try to understand this whole social media thing. Our clients will expect to reach us on Facebook, Twitter and whatever the next big thing will be. If we don’t understand how these things work, our competitors will.
The Norman Rockwellian picture of the whole family huddled around the television watching the Ed Sullivan Show together has been replaced by the reality of every family member on his/her own separate plugged in device enjoying their individual program/game/movie based on their age, hobbies and interests. We can gnash our teeth and stick our heads in the sand and talk about how wrong this all is. That just makes us look as ancient as Ed Sullivan. We need to adjust and be creative so that we remain relevant to our clients. We need to wake up and smell the Liquid Crystal Devices burning right in front of us.
If there is a “silver lining” in all of this, it is that, as much as the world is changing around us, our clients reach out to us because we provide them the kind of assistance and reassurance that they have always needed. In a world where they feel alone, we give them the legal support to maneuver though their crisis or life changing event. Fortunately, for us, some things still remain the same.
Have a great weekend and feel free to email me your thoughts at jscholnick@hoodandscholnick.com. As always, thanks for reading my blog.
Jeff

A Crash Course in Crisis Management- How the Circuit Court for Baltimore County plans to dig out from the snow storm

Now that the courts finally reopened after the biggest snow storm in Baltimore history, the question that your clients will ask is “When will my case from last week be rescheduled?” This is a legitimate question and blogging minds decided to search for an answer yesterday. Fearing that a personal visit to inquire might lead a frazzled clerk to throw a file at me, I called Civil Assignments for an answer today.
Here is what I was told: the Circuit Court will be sending out computer generated notices by the end of next week (2/26/10.) In the meantime, the recommendation is for you to check the Judicial Case Search for your individual cases.
Kathy Rushton told me that Jury Trials will be rescheduled starting in late May and early June, as time is available to add on cases.
Becky Culbertson told me that Domestic Judge Trials will be rescheduled for May, 2010 and later.
All other hearing and settlement conferences will be rescheduled as soon as possible based on availability to add cases to existing dockets.
Furthermore, since trial dates will be sent out without checking on availability of attorneys, if you can’t wait, call Kathy or Becky at 410-887-2660 to get some “agreed upon” dates so that you can contact the other counsel in the case. After you have contacted the other counsel, you can call back Kathy or Becky to give them the date that works for everyone.
Given the unexpected forced closing of the courts by Mother Nature, I was amazed at the friendly disposition and composure of these public servants. It goes without saying that your patience with the Clerk’s Office, given the unplanned hiatus, is greatly appreciated by it’s employees. As usual, the Baltimore County Circuit Clerk’s Office appears ready to handle everything in stride, even when reopening after the biggest blizzard in Baltimore history. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could instill a little of that calm, organized behavior on the rest of the court system?
Best wishes for the rest of your week and thanks for reading.
Jeff

Thank you for reading my blog- here is your first readers’ bonus! 10% off dinner at 7 West Bistro Grille

As the number of readers of this blog continues to grow, I think it is most important that I reward all of you who have taken time out of your busy days to stop and read my ramblings. Therefore, attached below is a coupon for 10% off of your dinner bill at Towson’s newest chic eatery, the Seven West Bistro Grille, located at 7 West Chesapeake Avenue, Towson, MD 21204.
This is brought to you by the fine & very personable owner/manager, Boyko Tachkov. I can tell you from my own experience that his restaurant is very comfortable and the food is very tasty. I have had the hummus appetizer and the crab soup and they are to die for. As I am a member of my own health club that goes by the initials CCCC (cardiac consciousness choice club), I attempt to eat correctly- therefore, I am a regular supporter of the garden salad with the grilled or blackened salmon. I never tire of this salad, although I must say that my lunch partners, who are not members of the CCCC, seem to very much enjoy the 10 ounce “Certified Angus Beef” Hamburger or the Homemade Shrimp Salad Sandwich. Now that I have the attached 10% coupon, I can see a dinner trip in my future which will include an order of the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake that I have admired at other tables.
In addition to wonderful food and service, it should be noted that the Seven West Bistro Grille has been very supportive of the Baltimore County Bar Association since it opened a number of months ago. So, hurry in and bring the attached coupon- it is valid through June 30, 2010. Please note that it is only valid from 7- 10PM. If you cannot open or print the attachment, please email me at jscholnick@hoodandscholnick.com and I will be more than happy to email you a copy of the coupon. Also, please check out the link to Seven West’s website, which is on the right side of this blog.
In the meantime, I wish each of you great safety in the snow that has brought our beloved Baltimore County to its knees. I have been told that I am an eternal optimist, so I am sure there is a silver lining somewhere in this blizzard- I just can’t find it because it is hidden under all of that snow 😦 . It has been good to spend time with family and neighbors- but I could do that in 70 degree weather also and it would be easier to have a chat with people if this white junk wasn’t hitting me in the face. On the other hand, there are only 39 days until Spring!
As always, thank you for reading and stay warm.
Jeff
CLICK “7 WEST” BELOW FOR THE COUPON
7west

MSBA Book of the Month- “How Good Lawyers Survive Bad Times” by Nelson, Calloway & Kodner (ABA Press)

I am sure I wrote this in a prior blog, but it bears repeating- Pat Yevics at the MSBA is a great source of Law Office Management Tips. She has a great set of resources at these webpages-http://www.msba.org/departments/loma/resources.asp, and http://www.msba.org/departments/membership/newmemben/empresources/default.asp. The second address is an MSBA “Economic Resource Guide” which has a ton of articles that Pat has written for the MSBA Bar Journal or for seminars that she has held for MSBA members.
So, when Pat Yevics recommends a book and the MSBA offers a discount on that book, you have to pay attention. If you go to the Law Office Management Assistance (LOMA) at the above address (http://www.msba.org/departments/loma/resources.asp), it will allow you to login with your MSBA info and get a 15% discount.
Having read this book, I agree that it is worth buying- it has something for everyone. There are chapters covering how to find a job when you get out of law school and how to look for a job if your employer is in trouble or if you have been laid off. There are chapters on how to open a solo practice if you have to leave your present firm. For small/solo firms, there are chapters on managing and marketing your practice. Finally, the third section is entirely about technology to make your firm more nimble and cost effective.
Most of the chapters are five pages or less so that you can read what you want quickly without being tied up in subjects that do not interest you.
As a small firm owner, I found the chapters about managing and marketing your firm to be both practical and timely. There are suggestions on how to address office morale and sample form letters to nicely, but firmly, remind delinquent clients to pay their bills. There are lots of references to recent articles that can be accessed on the web if you interested in a particular subject. Most of all, the authors caution that, especially in a recession, we cannot abandon strategic planning and marketing. We must adjust our strategies to conform to reality and we must consider advertising that costs less, such as networking, blogging and involvement in Bar Association activities. We can be creative and flexible while still keeping our marketing budget small.
The technology section of the book is grounded in a single premise: only incur any tech expense if it “positively shifts the ‘Time Bucket.’ ” What is a “Time Bucket?” The authors consider a lawyer’s billable or fee generating time to be finite- there are only so many available hours in a day to work. The hours that we spend on non-billable/non-fee generating administrative tasks are like time spilled on the office floor. Therefore, technology should only be purchased if it increases the hours in the bucket. Their message is clear- even in a recession, do not forgo technology expenses that are necessary for equipment upkeep or that will make you more productive. These kinds of purchases may actually make you more profitable and lower your costs. There are 25 tips for “Tightwad Techies.” Research how your present software has additional capabilities that you are ignoring; commit to learning one new software function a week. Research free software upgrades such as Google Desktop, and read websites such as SourceForge.net, Spoofee.com and Lifehacker.com. Use “deal sites” such as DealUniversity.com, TechBargains.com, BensBargains.net, and Woot.com. They also recommend the we join our peers with the same issues by subscribing to listserves such as those of the MSBA Solo and Small Firm Practice Section (www.msba.org/sec_comm/sections/solo/lists.htm), the ABA’s Solosez (www.solosez.net) and http://www.technolawyer.com.
This book is chock full of other helpful suggestions. You really have to check it out. More than anything else, it reminds us that, no matter how deep the Recession, and the length of this economic storm, we do not have to abandon quality for the sake of efficiency; we do not have to jettison the quality or the imagination that make us proud of our lives’ work. We just have to be more resourceful and a little bit smarter.
As always, I welcome your suggestions of other ways to improve our firms. Please send your ideas to me at jscholnick@hoodandscholnick.com, so that I can share them with other readers. Thank you for reading.
Jeff

The MSBA & BCBA Solo/Small Practice Section “Hanging Out A Shingle” Conference was a huge success!

On Saturday, January 23, 2010, I spent the day at Sheppard Pratt Hospital in Towson with 100 of my new best friends.  Before you get the wrong idea, let me tell you why I was there.  I was actually at Sheppard Pratt’s Conference Center & was a hanging out with other small/solo attorneys and lawyers preparing to open their own offices.  As always, Pat Yevics, Director of Law Office Management Assistance for the MSBA, did a terrific job organizing the program and choosing the speakers.

Erika Cole, who has an office in Owings Mills, spoke about methods for marketing a practice and keeping clients.  Charles Winner, who has been a member and vice chair of the Attorney Grievance Committee, as well as chair of the MSBA Ethics Committee, told of his experiences representing attorneys who were being reviewed by the AGC.  Tim Faith, a Towson barrister who was an IT Director for a medical facility before becoming a lawyer, talked about technology that is needed to open an office.  Lisa Caplan, a licensed clinical social worker and Director of the MSBA’s Lawyer Assistance Program discussed how to handle the stress of solo practice.  Steven Manekin, a CPA with Ellin & Tucker, spoke about the accounting issues that new solo/small practice attorneys will face.  Pat Yevics closed the program by offering tips on law office management gleaned from her years of experience and her monthly articles in the MSBA Bar Bulletin.

Each of these speakers offered lots of information, so that even some of us “old dogs,” who has been in a small practice for many years, might learn some new “tricks” to apply to our daily actions.  There was also time for attorneys attending to network with colleagues.  In fact, I already have received one phone call from a potential client who was referred by an attorney that I met at lunch.

I have attended other Pat Yevics conferences, so I knew that she has these programs down to a science.  However, it has been a few years since I have been to one of her shindigs.  It is nice to know that some things never change.  Thank you Pat for agreeing to bring your program directly to Baltimore County!

If you missed Adam Spence’s Technology presentation, you missed the future of litigation!

Adam Spence gave a great Brown bag lunch program on behalf of the BCBA Technology Committee today, 1/21/10 called “Software for Trial Lawyers.”   It was kind of like George Jetson meets Perry Mason, or maybe Star Trek meets Law & Order.  Either way, this was great fun.  I have to admit that I only understood about half of what he was saying.  Fortunately, his Power Point presentation is on his website, so, you don’t have to rely on me explaining the details of his program- you are safer reading directly from Adam’s notes-  http://www.spencebucklerlaw.com/flash/PDF/Trial_Software.pdf.

While you are on his website, check out some other interesting Power Point presentations from other seminars he has given.  There is a lot of good content on his site.  Then, I recommend that you go to the websites http://www.casesoft.com and adobe.com to see if any of the products mentioned by Adam are worth purchasing for your practice.   Good technology is all about making you more efficient or better in court- you will have to see what software  is appropriate for your office & your cases.   Whether you are in the market for this software or not, it’s worth the gander because it is thought provoking and there is always room for improvement.

Adam, on behalf of all who attended today, thanks for your research & presentation.

As always, thanks to all of you for reading & have a great weekend.  Pat Yevics’s seminar “Hanging out a Shingle” is on Saturday, so I hope to have some small/solo firm ideas to share with you next week.

Jeff

Just because you are solo doesn’t mean you are alone!

Being a small or solo practitioner, by definition, means that you are a survivor- in this economy, if you can keep your business moving forward, wearing the different hats of a lawyer, office administrator and marketer, you have to be pretty scrappy.  So, I don’t have to tell you how to make friends. But, I do have to recommend that you check out the BCBA Solo & Small Firm Committee Lunches.

They are held at three locations: in Towson, at the 7 West Restaurant on Chesapeake Avenue; in Reisterstown, bi-monthly at the Harryman House & on Eastern Avenue, at Mo’s Seafood, near Eastpoint Mall (7600 Eastern Avenue).  The Towson lunches are on the third Tuesday every month, beginning at noon.  The next Eastern Avenue lunch will be on the second Thursday in March at 12:30PM.  Doris Barnes will be sending out a notice about the next lunch for the Reisterstown location, but it appears that it will be the third Thursday in February, the 18th, at 1:00 PM.  Check out the BCBA website for additional information on lunch times.

In case you are wondering, here is what you have missed- rather useful discussions about:  technology; marketing; how the new federal privacy regulations will affect our practices; and going paperless.  Oh, and by the way, we have had some rather engaging discussions about raising our children and living in 21st century Baltimore, while sharing some good food and many chuckles.

Yesterday, at the Towson luncheon, we had a rather lively discussion about plans for succession in case of our demise.  Who would handle our bank accounts, disburse money from the escrow account  and wrap up our business, when we die?  Frankly, as it involves the subject of death, it’s not an issue I usually discuss over lunch.  But, if you are a solo, this is a big deal. Jill Snyder, who has an office in Reisterstown and downtown, told us about a great letter she sent out at the end of December to her clients that described improvements in her office and who her clients should call if she was incapacitated.  She felt that, as she is an estate planning attorney who stresses this kind of planning for her clients, it would be hypocritical if she did not have a succession plan in place.  She also discussed a book from the ABA that helped her with this plan and included a CD with helpful materials.

I realize that, on its face, this type of discussion does not lend itself well to pondering over pasta or pita bread.  However, it is  a subject that we cannot avoid.  It is much less painful to address these kinds of important issues when it is with other attorneys in the same circumstances and you are enjoying a good sandwich, a burrito, a salad or a gyro.  Weighty issues are so much easier to discuss when they are combined with good food and company!

Please come and share your small/solo practice questions and problems with us.  We can’t guarantee that we will have an answer for you, but we can try to help you work through your dilemma.   Think of these lunches as a legal version of that old TV show “Cheers,” with Norm and Cliff making a different career choice and ending up in law school.

Have a great rest of your week & thanks as always for reading this blog.  Please also remember the program this Saturday, January 23, “Hanging Out a Shingle” for some useful small/solo ideas.  Please see the BCBA website for details, http://www.bcba.org.

Jeff