Whether you are just out of law school or have been a solo practitioner for a while, or if you are thinking of leaving a larger law firm to go solo, there is a great new resource available to you.

Carolyn Elefant, long time solo and blogging pioneer of MyShingle.com fame, has a book out entitled “Solo by Choice: How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be.” Your library shouldn’t be without this tool.

Not only does she address the issue of deciding whether to go solo, but helps plan the “great escape.” Then, she writes about practice issues, such as dealing with clients, billing, generating cash flow, and the like.

Of course, near and dear to my heart, she has 48 pages devoted to practical, down-to-earth legal marketing ideas. Carolyn includes:

  • An overview of lawyer marketing,
  • Traditional marketing ideas (e.g., yellow pages, Martindale-Hubbell, elevator speech, sponsorships, trade groups, public relations, referrals, networking, speaking and writing, and putting on seminars),
  • Internet marketing (and even references this blog, thank you very much), and
  • “High-Impact” marketing, where she covers prospecting, organized networking, niche marketing, and “nontraditional consultations” (or what I would call providing quality service).

This is a must buy in my view. In fact, it would be valuable resource for individual lawyers in any size firm.

If you want a quick look at the table of contents…


Table of Contents
I. The Decision
Chapter 1. Six Reasons to Solo
Chapter 2. The Big Decision
Chapter 3. Soloing Out of Law School

II. Planning the Great Escape
Chapter 4. A Course of Action
Chapter 5. The Great Escape
Chapter 6. Seven Steps to Getting Started
Chapter 7. Selecting a Practice Area

III. The Practice
Chapter 8. Dealing With Clients
Chapter 9. Billing & Fees
Chapter 10. Generating Cash Flow
Chapter 11. Growing Your Practice
Chapter 12. Outsourcing

IV. Marketing
Chapter 13. Lawyer Marketing Overview
Chapter 14. Traditional Marketing
Chapter 15. Marketing 2.0
Chapter 16. High-Impact Marketing

V. Frequently Asked Questions
Chapter 17. FAQ for New Solos

Appendices
1.Writing the Business Plan
2.Running a Practice
3.Legal Research Services
4.Creating a Sample Forms Library
5.Where to Go (When You Don’t Know Where To Go)
6.Solo by Choice: Individual Profiles.