Re: Meanwhile, for those of you who practice law.....

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RJon, you are so successful at solo practice that you sell and
market an internet site and ebook about it. Lol.....Me no think
so!! Why don't you tell everybody here what happened that caused
you to sell ebooks instead of practice law. That will be a useful
learning tool here.

On 5/17/06, RJon@HowToMakeItRain.com wrote:
> For the record, I don't know either Mr. Nathan or "J.F."
>
> I have built a successful practice as a solo however, and I've
> taught literally thousands of other lawyers how to do the same.
> So it's from my own personal experience and the experiences of
> many, many Rainmaker clients of mine when I say that JF is on
> the right track.
>
> Mistake # 2 from my free e-book > href="http://wwww.howtomakeitrain.com" rel="nofollow">"Ten Rainmaking Mistakes
> Solo Practitioners Make" is failing to package yourself and
> your practice correctly. My most successful Rainmakers are
> those who limit their practices and are pro-active about how
> they package themselves for the market. Limiting your practice
> increases the rate at which you become proficient and well-known
> in the market. It also has the beneficial effect of positioning
> you for referrals from all those other lawyers in different
> practice areas.
>
> There are so many different ways to create a niche, even within
> each of the practice areas JF says he limits his practice to.
> It is impossible for me to say, without knowing more than could
> possibly be learned in a brief blog posting, is whether or not
> he has all the pieces fit-together properly. But what I can say
> with complete confidence based on years of experience and much
> success, is that what JF is saying he has accomplished is
> perfectly realistic. In any case, the main purpose of my
> comment was to offer an objective opinion from someone who
> doesn't know either of the two, as I don't think anyone benefits
> when things degenerate into schoolyard-style name-calling.
>
> Anyone interested in a free copy of the book can send me an e-
> mail & I'll be glad to send it along,
>
> RJON ROBINS
> HowToMakeItRain.com
> Dedicated To Helping Lawyers In Small Law Firms Make Alot Of
> Money.
> On 5/17/06, JF wrote:
>> What an uninformed individual you are. Since you attacked my
>> personal character, honesty, motives, and competency, I have
>> no choice but to defend what I said and what I have done.
>>
>> First, I am not advocating that anyone jump from one type of
>> practice to another. If you read my posts over the last year
>> or so, you will see that I have always advocated a limited
>> practice, but not so much that you will go out of business if
>> one area of law drastically changes (for example, bankruptcy
>> law, where business slowed after the recent changes). My point
>> was, there are ways to attract business, no matter what type
>> of law you are practicing in, and I cited examples from my
>> personal experiences.
>>
>> I am in my 12th year of practice. I do not "skate through"
>> different areas, moving from one area to the next at the drop
>> of a hat. I have always devoted a large portion of my time on
>> real estate which has dominated my practice for the past five
>> years. Before that, I also spent much of my time on
>> bankruptcy, and wills, estates & trusts have always been part
>> of my practice. These areas of law are not so different, and
>> not so diverse, that one cannot practice them all at once. In
>> fact, they largely go hand in hand; I basically have a
>> transactional practice, although bankruptcy does involve the
>> court. A competent real estate attorney cannot practice
>> without being familiar with trust law, and many if not most
>> real estate lawyers supplement there practices with some
>> estate planning. They both involve property law concepts. I
>> spent years practicing bankruptcy law (along with real estate)
>> before real estate took over, simply because of the volume of
>> real estate I was receiving. I started bankruptcy again,
>> because real estate declined and I saw an opportunity when
>> local lawyers were dropping bankruptcy from their practices.
>> While I am not an expert under the new rules, I am carefully
>> working my way through, just like everybody else.
>>
>> My practice has been consistent and well-grounded. "Pie in the
>> sky" might apply if I suddenly took up divorce law, or tax
>> law, or employment law, or something else that I have not put
>> time and effort into learning.
>>
>> I do not suggest that my chosen practice areas cannot be
>> extremely complex. But as I have posted here before, I
>> associate myself with experts to take over matters I cannot
>> handle. For example, zoning is a complex area of real estate
>> which is different from town to town under their respective
>> ordinances. I know who the zoning experts are in each of my
>> surrounding communities who help me with local zoning issues
>> when I have cases in their towns. I am also associated with an
>> estate planner with an LLM degree in tax who helps me with tax
>> and medicaid planning, when called for. In the past, on this
>> board, I have suggested that others do the same; you would
>> know this if you paid attention rather than jumping to
>> conclusions about me.
>>
>> Regarding business law, this has not been a specialty of mine,
>> but it is not new either, and it has gone hand in hand with my
>> real estate practice. I have set up many LLCs for real estate
>> and condominium developers, and I have dealt with their
>> pertinent business issues. I am associated with a good CPA
>> (his office is right across the street from mine) who works
>> with me on the tax issues. I have already associated myself
>> with an employment lawyer for employee issues, if and when the
>> time comes, and I have someone (an old boss, as a matter of
>> fact) who guides me on licensing issues (part of his municipal
>> law concentration).
>>
>> Malpractice claims? I have had none. My bankruptcy clients
>> receive their discharges. My real estate developers finish
>> their projects, sell their real estate under the LLCs I
>> create, make their money, pay me (quite well), and are
>> shielded from personal liability. A number of my clients have
>> passed away and my wills have withstood probate, including one
>> that was challenged by a family member who was written out of
>> the will. My real estate buyers re-sell their properties with
>> no title issues, when I was the one who certified title. In
>> fact, of the many hundreds of title insurance policies I have
>> issued, I have yet to have a claim.
>>
>> I make money and stay out of trouble, because I know my
>> capabilities and limitations. It's not hard to find other
>> lawyers who are willing and able to work with you. In fact,
>> it's part of the relationship-building process I advocate.
>> This is how a solo runs a business. Someone once told me (my
>> municipal law boss referred to above, as a matter of fact)
>> that as a solo, you have to "bob and weave". This is what I
>> do - I bob and weave. This does not make me "one of the most
>> amazing lawyers in the world" (your juvenile words). It
>> makes me one more solo who knows how to run a practice.
>>
>> I write posts with the hope that someone might be helped, and
>> I read posts with the hope that I might be helped. I do not
>> spend time here with the intent of leading someone down the
>> wrong road. It seems that whenever I post something, someone
>> like you attacks me. This is why I had given up on this board.
>> I tried to come back, but right now I cannot understand why.
>>
>> You have accused me of either being a "pie in sky bragging of
>> a fool who is too stupid to know what type of malpractice
>> claims await him" or "a lawyer who is both quite skilled but
>> also a bit of a sadistic twerp spewing this nonsense to
>> desperate people so that he can laugh while they get
>> themselves in over there heads". I have demonstrated that I am
>> neither.
>>
>> Mr. Nathan, now that I have put you in your place, you are
>> dismissed. Grow up.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 5/16/06, joe nathan wrote:
>>> I don't want to imply that you are telling lies or suggest
>>> that you are not capable, but you're either one of the most
>>> amazing lawyers in the world or you have a load of
>>> malpractice claims waiting to surface.
>>>
>>> Business law (i guess you mean corporate - tax issues
>>> included), will & trusts, real estate, and bankruptcy are
>> all
>>> unique practice areas with their own twists and turns. one
>>> ordinarily does not float so freely from one of these
>>> practice areas to the other without a fair number of
>>> mistakes. in fact, even seasoned practitioners in each of
>>> these areas make many mistakes and often serious mistakes
>>> with malpractice consequences. perhaps you have years of
>>> practice experience, but you may have little in the areas
>>> that you are trying to transition to. that still makes you
>> a
>>> beginner.
>>>
>>> in the end, i really don't think you practice competently in
>>> all of the different areas you skate through. maybe you do;
>>> its possible. but you really should think twice about
>>> offering this type of advice to struggling solos who will do
>>> anything for a buck. they just might take you up on it. if
>>> you are in fact competant in each of these areas, it must
>>> dawn on you that there are complications that someone of
>> less
>>> skill than you could easily stumble over.
>>>
>>> anyone reading this should take this for what it is - either
>>> the pie in sky bragging of a fool who is too stupid to know
>>> what type of malpractice claims await him or a lawyer who is
>>> both quite skilled but also a bit of a sadistic twerp
>> spewing
>>> this nonsense to desperate people so that he can laugh while
>>> they get themselves in over there heads. on the other hand,
>>> if you're like many solos there is nothing much for a
>>> malpractice plaintfiff to take from you - unless of course
>>> they would like to have the sheriff come out and seize your
>>> student loan notes. in that case, maybe this isn't so bad.
>>>
>>> On 5/15/06, JF wrote:
>>>> For better or for worse, I continue to occasionally write
>>>> posts that may actually help those drowning solos actually
>>>> build their practices. I have been practicing real estate
>>>> law for a number of years, but the downturn in the real
>>>> estate market has forced me to expand into other areas. I
>>>> have had no problem obtaining new clients and new types of
>>>> work, and I do this by fishing where the fish are. For
>>>> example, in the past, I have suggested that solos hand
>>>> out "Have You Made a Will?" brochures to their existing
>>>> clients. A great way to get your client to come in for
>>>> some estate planning. When the new bankruptcy law went
>>>> into effect, many bankruptcy lawyers dropped that area of
>>>> practice. I spent an afternoon on the phone calling these
>>>> lawyers, telling them that I am practicing bankruptcy law,
>>>> and now a number of them have used me as their referral
>>>> attorney. I originally built my real estate practice by
>>>> opening my office next door to a large, busy real estate
>>>> broker office. The referrals came quickly and
>>>> consistently. Again, fishing where the fish are. All this
>>>> has been supplemented by bar lawyer referral programs.
>>>>
>>>> My newest marketing endeavor targets business entities,
>>>> who (in my opinion) ultimately make the best clients. I
>>>> had ignored business clients in the past (with the
>>>> exception of real estate developers) largely because I did
>>>> not believe there were many new businesses in my area, and
>>>> existing businesses typically already have counsel. Then I
>>>> checked the new business certificate filings in the city
>>>> that I practice in and found that there are many new
>>>> business filings every month. I have been active in the
>>>> local Chamber of Commerce for over a year, and I am the
>>>> only lawyer who gives them my time. So I simply called the
>>>> Chamber director, who confirmed that, yes, a good amount
>>>> of new business people call her for lawyer referrals, and
>>>> from now on she will certainly give them my name (since
>>>> I'm the only lawyer in town who bothers with them). I had
>>>> my first client within a week. Granted, many of these new
>>>> businesses will fail, but I will receive the start-up work
>>>> and retain those that succeed.
>>>>
>>>> Virtually all solos know how to practice law. The hard
>>>> part is obtaining clients, which seems to be the problem
>>>> people have here. The work is out there; you just have to
>>>> reach out and grab it. It's all about relationship
>>>> building, making yourself visible in the community, and
>>>> letting people know what you do.
>>>>