February 2009

Well, they didn't actually use the word GMail. But in NYSBA Ethics Opinion 820 the committee said: "A lawyer may use an e-mail service provider that conducts computer scans of e-mails to generate computer advertising, where the e-mails are not reviewed by or provided to other individuals." I cannot believe I missed this one when

Law firm layoffs, bailouts and bank closings are in the news. It is sometimes hard not to dwell on so many negative events. So I've been doing a lot of thinking about law practice in this economy, as have a lot of others. I've just finished a two part series in the Oklahoma Bar Journal

Some of you must have read the subject line and wondered why I would pick The Invent Blog® as my Website of the Week. While it is true that I typically do not feature substantive law blogs, this is a great blog with value to most everyone. I met Stephen M. Nipper at an ABA

Recently on Solosez there was a discussion of various ways to manage one's tasks. Case management software packages were discussed. Outlook 2007 has some powerful features for calendaring and tasks. The need of lawyers to keep track of tasks and appointments so they don't "drop the ball" has been with us since the beginning of lawyering. A

Well, I am off to the American Bar Association Midyear meeting in Boston. The ABA Midyear meeting is much smaller (and more committee and board work oriented) than the ABA Annual Meeting. I have a couple of days on my calendar with almost the entire day scheduled starting with breakfast meetings at 8 a.m. and ending at

Ron Baker is a true expert on the billing methods and profitability of professional services firms. He's written numerous books on alternative billing and is a speaker in high demand. Every single lawyer in private practice should read his recent essay on Recession-proofing Your Firm. Stories of law firm layoffs are in the l