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

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Wow, what a bunch of doom-gloomers! I remember responding to one of
Carol’s posts regarding all the nay-sayers. Kudos JF for giving
realistic good advice; after all, we’re all attorneys here … right?
We all know about assumption of risk. I doubt any blog comments
would inspire hundreds of solos into running headlong, lemming like
into areas they no nothing about and proclaiming their proficiency.
As for why somebody is selling a book on how to succeed – who
cares? Maybe he likes writing more than practicing law. Me, I like
practicing law but I like fishing more … but fishing don’t pay the
bills. JF, keep the suggestions coming. Everybody must do their
own risk analysis and make their decisions. I view this forum as a
collective brain-storming session. I like seeing all the ideas
presented, and then I (yes me) figure out which will work well
within my comfort level.
Why is everybody so antagonistic on this forum; I seriously doubt if
even half the posters are actually licensed attorneys.

~Zephyr.

On 5/17/06, Honorable Gentleman wrote:
> 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.
>>>>>