Sauer: ‘To perpetuate peace and liberty’
The daily grind of small firm management ranges from routine to immensely stressful. By returning to bigger picture ideas, I constantly find the practice of law both challenging and rewarding.
Solo and small firm
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Profitable change: Solo, small firm attorneys see upsides to payment, firm administration changes during pandemic
Roughly half of all small firms reported in Thomson Reuters’ 2021 State of U.S. Small Law Firms study that they endured a moderate or significant struggle in getting paid by clients over the last two years. Many also expressed concerns about acquiring new business. But those firms that created a concentrated approach to addressing their payment challenges saw quick, positive results.
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Miller to lead ISBA through implementation of new strategic plan, continued COVID concerns
Indianapolis lawyer Clayton Miller will be tasked with helping to implement the Indiana State Bar Association’s new strategic plan as president of the state bar, a position he’ll assume Oct. 15. Miller will also lead the bar through the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he wants to address other big-picture issues impacting Hoosier legal professionals.
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Evansville attorney helps women engage in community through virtual nonprofit
Fulfilling a lifelong dream can be daunting, even unattainable. It can take years before someone takes steps toward fulfilling a goal set for themselves. But a young Evansville attorney is breaking walls and building new dreams daily, balancing both a legal practice and a female-focused not-for-profit organization.
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Thinking small: Attorneys see opportunity in stepping away from big law
At the start of 2021, family law practitioners and longtime colleagues James Reed and Michael Kohlhaas made a career move that runs counter to the current trend — they went from big to boutique.
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Articles
Camper: Choosing the right clients as a solo practice or small firm
How to choose the right clients as a solo practice or small firm? This is the million-dollar question. If every law firm owner could answer this question perfectly, every attorney would be a million-dollar partner at a law firm. Not choosing the right clients could be No. 1 at destroying your practice or firm. Surprisingly, the topic, “How to choose the right clients” is a discussion that is uncommon among lawyers.
Huettner: Quick tips for starting and growing a law practice
Owning a business can be richly rewarding. Law firm owners can define the scope of their practice, pick a target market, set their own hours and enjoy the creativity involved in implementing a corporate vision. With technological advancements and a move to web-based work and communication in recent years, starting a law firm has become increasingly accessible for attorneys seeking the unique benefits of small business ownership.
Wilson: Unique challenges facing solo and small firm attorneys
One of the great aspects of practicing law is the wide variety of ways to make it happen. Whether you are in-house counsel, legal services, a big firm associate, prosecutor, public defender, government lawyer, judge or a solo practitioner, the ways we as lawyers ensure access to, and the delivery of, justice are myriad. Although there are many common elements to each form of practice, there are challenges and opportunities that are unique to each, and the solo or small firm lawyer holds a special place in this cohort of practice options.
Becker: Challenges in running a small firm during COVID
When you are a small firm, you become fully familiar with each person in the office, including knowing and caring about each person’s family. As such, the first and most important decisions during COVID were to protect the health of our staff and their families.
Hogue: Finding my ‘Hamburger University’: 5 nuggets I’ve learned
A friend of mine owns a McDonald’s and has told me that McDonald’s requires its franchise owners to complete a training program called “Hamburger University.” He explained that Hamburger University teaches the franchise owner about the “system” of McDonald’s. In some ways, launching my own firm has been like what I imagined about “Hamburger University.”
Millions in PPP loans gave law firms breathing room
Indiana law firms and legal nonprofits received nearly $200 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans, but managing partners said the money had a nuanced impact as the financial boost provided some peace of mind during a very uncertain time and helped keep their firms positioned to meet client demands.
Indianapolis attorney’s discipline converted to indefinite suspension
Indiana Supreme Court justices have indefinitely suspended an Indianapolis lawyer who was suspended earlier this year for failing to cooperate with the disciplinary commission concerning a grievance against her.
IndyBar: Small and Solo Firms Should Hire Student Law Clerks and Pay Them Well
Given the opportunity, hiring a law student for a paid clerkship can be an asset to a small firm or solo practice. Outlined below are some of the most significant benefits for a smaller or solo practice hiring a student law clerk.
IndyBar Foundation offering solo/small firm grants again in 2021
The Indianapolis Bar Foundation is once again offering up to $2,500 to lawyers who work with local service providers to help central Indiana families in need of legal services related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Justices publicly reprimand Greenfield, Indianapolis lawyers
The Indiana Supreme Court has handed down public reprimands against two Indianapolis-area attorneys, including an action against a partner at a major law firm.
Indianapolis lawyer suspended for noncooperation
The Indiana Supreme Court has indefinitely suspended an Indianapolis lawyer who failed to comply with a disciplinary investigation against her.
First quarter activity hints at rebound of law firm mergers
With the merger of Indiana’s Wooden McLaughlin and Dinsmore Shohl leading the more than two dozen law firm combinations that were announced in the first quarter of 2021, the new year is expected to bring a return of robust consolidation activity in the legal market.
23 judges, lawyers, apply to succeed Kirsch on Court of Appeals
Twelve judges and 11 lawyers from central Indiana have applied to succeed retiring Judge James Kirsch on the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Ex-partner hits back with counterclaim in George & Farinas fight
Longtime Indianapolis asbestos litigation lawyer Linda George is accusing her former law partner in court filings of “hostile, abusive, vituperative, ungrateful and selfish conduct” and of stealing the firm’s assets and employees to open a competing law firm.
ISBA giving attorneys new option for health insurance
The Indiana State Bar Association rolled out a long-awaited health plan that bar association leaders believe will provide an affordable alternative, especially to small- and medium-size firms across the state.
ISBA offers health insurance option to Indiana attorneys
After years of conversations and one scuttled attempt, the Indiana State Bar Association has unveiled a health insurance plan available to law firms around the state. But the coverage is not comprehensive, with solo practitioners being ineligible to participate.
IndyBar: Does Anyone Else Miss the Red Drink Tickets? How to Network During a Pandemic and Beyond
As a small-firm practitioner who makes her money by providing personal legal services, networking is vital for the continued source of clients I need to support my business and keep my associates busy. Planning committees, nonprofit boards, volunteering, social gatherings and local events were my go-to formula for expanding my circles and getting my name and face in front of people who needed to hire a lawyer for highly personal and sometimes sensitive reasons. They needed to have met me in person. They needed my name to come from someone they knew and trusted. At least, that is what I believed to be the only way, until that way no longer existed. And I am not just saying its disappearance is because of the pandemic.
Suspension lifted for Indianapolis lawyer facing 2 complaints
An Indianapolis lawyer who earlier this month was suspended in two separate cases has been restored to good standing in the Indiana bar.
Indianapolis IP attorney leaves big law to start new firm
After a career practicing in large Indianapolis law firms, intellectual property attorney Amie Peele has broken the “unspoken rule” that partners must retire from big law and instead decided to start her own firm.