Update on TIS Plans and a Question
By Sheryl | May 15, 2008
First things first: I was pleasantly surprised today to learn that USLegal FormsPass has offered to contribute to the gift pack for one lucky survey-taker. (Read more about the survey here.) I’ve received on suggestion for the prize pack in a comment to that post, and a few via email (respectively, Touch iPod, Starbucks gift card, ABA publications gift certificate, and free CLE — not sure how that one would work). It’s not too late to make your own suggestions either in the comments to that post, or the comments to this post; take your pick.
The survey itself is being “finessed” and will be published next week. It’ll run for at least 2 weeks, possibly three, and is designed to give me some guidance as to certain aspects of the planned expansion of this site that I’m currently working on.
That leads me to the second thing — the question:
How much should I disclose about that expansion planning & implementation process?
Put another way: is a discussion on branding worth having on this blog, even if it’s about a law-related business, instead of a law practice?
I believe in transparency and authenticity in this Web 2.0 world; I fully embrace it both as a sound business concept and as a value worth living. But there’s such a thing as too much disclosure, too — or premature disclosure.
It just seemed like an interesting (potentially) discussion that y’all might like to have. Let me know, and while I don’t promise to do what the majority want (this ain’t no democracy!) I will certainly consider all thoughts. (Benevolent dictatorship maybe?)
Topics: Solos Generally | No Comments »
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TIS Recommends: Sparkplug
By Sheryl | May 14, 2008
Now that you know all about RSS and feed readers, it’s time to bulk up with some excellent feeds. None more worthy, in my opinion, than Sparkplug.
Right now, go here and leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and you’ll be entered into a contest for a freebie receipt scanner, worth $250.
Sparkplug has tons of cool stuff for entrepreneurs of all flavors and stripes. You’ll definitely thank me for this one.
Topics: Elsewhere in the Blogosphere, Resources for the Inspired Solo | No Comments »
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Wackiness Ensued, For a Time
By Sheryl | May 14, 2008
Thank goodness that’s over.
I deactivated a couple of plugins (Twit This and the All in One SEO pack, if you’re interested) and it seems OK now. Those who saw the site in the interim got a sneak preview of what it’s gonna look like soon, though — well, a partial preview, anyway!
Topics: Solos Generally | No Comments »
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Um …. What Happened?
By Sheryl | May 14, 2008
I honestly don’t know what happened here. But it seems that my header has disappeared. Completely.
I don’t go tinkering in my code, as a rule — certainly haven’t done so lately, so I have no clue what’s up with this.
I do apologize and am trying to sort it out. Hang tight.
(One more reason to embrace RSS!)
Topics: Solos Generally | No Comments »
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Why Shinyung Oh Is
TIS’s New Hero of the Month
By Sheryl | May 13, 2008
(Pardon the unusual use of profanity in this post, if it bothers you. I can only offer this from my college chaplain, who’d just called “bullshit” on some machination by college administrators: “Sometimes, no other word will do.”)
You have to have read this by now.
If you haven’t, here’s the Twitter (less than 140 characters) version: PH associate gets fired, rips partners a collective new one via email, to prevent other fired associates from feeling low esteem.
See, the at-first-nameless ex-Paul Hastings associate intimated in her letter that the problem with the random layoffs wasn’t the fact of termination — it was the reason given:
Had you simply explained that the department is unable to sustain the number of associates in the office, I would have completely understood. Had you explained that the office had been directed to reduce the number of associates and I was chosen because of my high billable rate and low billable hours, I would have appreciated such directness, even though the consequences of blindly raising billable rates to an unsustainable degree is plainly predictable. What I do not understand is the attempt to blame the associate for not bringing in the business that should have been brought in by each of you and to hide your personal failures by attempting to tarnish my excellent performance record and looking to undermine my sense of self esteem.
There’s so much fabulousness and inspiration in this email, I hardly know where to begin.
The Problem With BigLaw
We could go on ad nauseam on the larger topic of billable hours and the evils thereof, but the real issue that the letter writer spots accurately is this: business has taken priority over humanity. To paraphrase Marley from A Christmas Carol: Humanity ought to be our business, especially for lawyers.
This is why I just couldn’t deal with a large law firm: too much gamesmanship, too much emphasis on revenue above all else.
As solos, we get to chart our own course. We decide what the bottom line really is, and how we will define success for our practices and for our lives. I like our way better.
Speaking Up Should Be Commended
I know a lot of folks might advise “don’t burn bridges.” My advice to my coaching clients is a bit different: Don’t burn bridges unnecessarily.
Sometimes, you have to speak up, is my point. When it gets this bad, this blatant, this pervasive, then brave people need to speak up and call the bad actors on their shit.
That person in this case was Shinyung Oh (her name revealed at the WSJ Law blog here). In that WSJ Law blog interview, it’s made pretty clear that the problem isn’t the firing (as it’s also made clear in the email itself) but the “how” of the firing, the symptom of a larger problem: the loss of humanity at many large businesses. It’s not just a BigLaw problem, though it does seem particularly pervasive there.
And many of the commenters to that interview seem to miss that point: that the problem isn’t one of entitlement or cause for termination but of values. Simply put: people put in charge of large firms, for better or (I vote) worse, do not believe as a whole they can afford to be human, with all that word implies (compassion, support, morality, emotional truth).
They make a decision that they know will be unpopular and what is the rallying cry of defense when they’re called out on it? “It’s just business!”
Yes. Yes, it is. Just — only — solely business. And nothing else.
So Ms. Oh gets our nod as Hero of the Month.
Topics: Solo Stories | 2 Comments »
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About Your Posture: Looks Like Mom Was Wrong, After All …
By Sheryl | May 12, 2008
UPDATE: Ed. from Blawg Review sez this is the perfect chair. Hey, so does the manufacturer! Consensus is cool. (It does look comfy, no?)
“Sit up straight!”
Remember that old Mom-ism? Turns out dear old Mom (sorry Mom!) might have been wrong after all.
Research shows the ideal posture is not straight-back upright, which apparently causes low-back strain (actually, I could have told them that some time ago). Rather, you should recline at a 135 degree angle.
So consider this your permission slip to kick the feet up and lean back in your office chair. (You do have a reclining office chair, right? Go get one. These are nice. So I’m told.)
Topics: The Healthy Solo | 1 Comment »
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Inspired Solo Rule #100: Ask For Help When You Need It
By Sheryl | May 12, 2008
Today marks the first in a new series — yay, you know me and series! They really appeal to my inner left-brained-person. (I’d normally describe myself as more creative than logical, but I admit to a geeky love of outliners and pencil sharpeners.)
This series is called “Inspired Solo Rules.” Over the course of — well, frankly, I haven’t decided how long — I’m going to count down the top 100 rules for being an Inspired Solo. It might be one a day, in which case we’ll wrap up just about the time the new TIS is ready to disrobe (ooh, naughty) and debut its made-over self to the world. Or it might be one a week, in which case we’ll be hitting number one about the time my kid hits puberty. Whatevs, as the kids would say.
Inspired Solo Rule #100: Ask for help when you need it
Following on that whole “we’re only human” meme from this post last week comes the pesky corollary of “we all need help on occasion from our brother & sister human beings.” I know: not a lot of fun to realize your own fallibility, is it?
So much is it “not fun” that most of us go to extreme lengths to avoid asking for that help, even when all those around us are thinking, “Are you CRAZY?! There’s NO WAY I would go it alone in that circumstance!” Don’t let us fool you, though: we’d TOTALLY do the same thing. It’s in our nature.
Solos in particular, being the “I can do it MYSELF” entrepreneurially-minded folks we tend to be, are prone to steadfastly and — OK, I’ll say it — sometimes foolishly clinging to the desperate belief that help is not needed.
But sometimes, we’re wrong. Sometimes, we need a helping hand. As solos, as business owners, as the CEOs of My Law Office, Inc., we are being derelict in our duties if we fail to recognize this and act upon it.
What Happened to Corvida When the Winds Blew Hard and Made That Funny Ice Cream Cone Shape
Case in point: Corvida blogs at SheGeeks, a wonderful tech blog. Today she shared with the world the story of her weekend, which involved fleeing from a tornado bearing down on her house — like, inches away in the backyard (not like I use the phrase meaning “a few counties over and maybe kinda sorta headed in this direction”).
Corvida turned to Twitter for assistance getting her family to safety. She got it. Other individuals and groups stepped forward to help even more folks in her neighborhood. Moral of the story: It’s there for you, but you gotta ask.
Why You’re Afraid of Asking For Help
You can’t fool Auntie Sheryl. I know why you’re afraid of it.
“But then they’ll know…” Know what? Know you’re human? Know sometimes bad stuff happens to you that you hadn’t seen coming and so didn’t prepare for? Newsflash, cookies: They already know.
“But what will they think of me?” They’ll think you’re human. They’ll think, “Wow, I’m so glad I can help. I wonder if s/he’ll be supergrateful and thank me on her blog.” (Hey, they’re human themselves.)
“OK, but doesn’t this make me look … I dunno … weak?” Yes. Yes it does. Weak = human. Weak for now, because you got beat up by the vicissitudes of fate. Would you think Samuel Peter to be a weak human if he loses a fight? There’s gotta be one loser in every match, right? (Do I get points for knowing about him, even if I had to look it up on Google?)
Wisdom from an Unexpected Source
I leave you with some wisdom from that most beloved and deeply revered — nay, that classic — the best law movie of all time: My Cousin Vinny:
Mona Lisa Vito: So what’s your problem?
Vinny Gambini: My problem is, I wanted to win my first case without any help from anybody.
Mona Lisa Vito: Well, I guess that plan’s moot.
Vinny Gambini: Yeah.
Mona Lisa Vito: You know, this could be a sign of things to come. You win all your cases, but with somebody else’s help, right? You win case after case, and then afterwards you have to go up to somebody and you have to say, “thank you.” [pause] Oh my God, what a f***ing nightmare!
Topics: Solos Generally, The Legal Community | 1 Comment »
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Avvo In Colorado and Oregon Now
By Sheryl | May 10, 2008
Solos in Colorado and Oregon can now take advantage of the marketing opportunity Avvo presents: the algorithm-driven lawyer rating site has expanded its presence into those states as of this week.
Some in the legal commentary blogosphere got mighty up in arms over Avvo when it debuted, with arguments that generally boiled down to “I didn’t ask for this!” The fear-based predictions have (mostly) been dismissed by now.
I’d encourage solos to take a less hysterical approach: think of Avvo as what it is — an opportunity. Nothing more, and nothing less.
Topics: Avvo, Inspired Marketing Choices | 2 Comments »
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Marketing Briefs (Week Ending 5/9/2008)
By Sheryl | May 10, 2008
Each weekend, I’m going to round up the best of other blogs and websites in various topics. This will be in addition to “7 Days of Inspiration.”
This week, the debut entry is about marketing.
- RainToday.com: “Two Rainmaking Traps Smart, hard-Working Professionals Fall Into“
- RainToday.com: “12 Ways to Keep Your Business Relationships Alive“
- RainToday.com: “LinkedIn 101: How to Unlock the Power of This New Online Tool“
- Online Marketing Blog: “Top 10 Reasons for Monitoring Brands in Social Media“
- The Big Wave Blog: “Got Mobile Advertising? Get a headstart in a marketing marathon“
Topics: Elsewhere in the Blogosphere, Inspired Marketing Choices | No Comments »
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You Can Have It All — Right Now
By Sheryl | May 8, 2008
Dave Navarro writes a bit about this in his post about not waiting for the goals to cross the finish line:
So the question here is this: Do you really need to take your goals to the finish line to get the results you want? This is an important question. When I started my business, I wanted to make a million dollars so that I could have all the time I wanted to spend with my wife and kids. So I poured myself into building a business, only to discover that years went by without me spending enough time with them, and it’s costing me in big ways, ways I can’t fix with the money I’m making now. And that sucks.
We all make errors in judgment from time to time. It’s part of the larger truism that there is no such thing as balance-as-a-static-state — that balance is always and forever a state of constant motion and adjustment. As long as that remains true (i.e., forever), we human beings will always be subject to retroactive hindsight-driven harsh judgments against our past decisions. Should we have spent more time with the kids? Should we have stopped whining about chores and just done ‘em? It sort of all depends on the outcome, doesn’t it?
So, what I’m wondering today is this: given that an error is always possible but not always foreseeable, that the optimal state of being is not static but constantly subject to tiny and large adjustments, and that I am, like so many of my law-practicing brothers and sisters, highly ambitious and goal-driven as well as desperately seeking a more peaceful and inspired existence — does it not also follow that goals are things to be set and worked towards but simultaneously forgotten?
In short: is it, after all, really the journey and not the destination that matters?
This also ties into another thought that’s been circling round my brain like that green slimy ghostie in Ghostbusters — remember the ballroom, where the slimer kept circling the chandelier? Like that. The thought is this: we’re too caught up in ticking things off some mega-list in search of a state of nothingness, where we really ought to spend our energies embracing the wild, juicy mess that is life.
Topics: Healthy Solo, Solos Generally | No Comments »
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