by Erin Giglia
Lawyers going solo have long checklists that involve starting their own businesses, strategy, and management. Most solo attorneys begin as lawyer/office manager/bookkeeper/receptionist, but eventually must delegate the non-legal tasks to others so they can focus on developing business, client service, and substantive legal work. Many solo attorneys hope to grow their practices to create an ideal amount of work for them, and even enough to justify bringing in help.
In her article on Above The Law, Carolyn Elefant of myshingle.com discusses hiring options for solo attorneys when they encounter the happy problem of getting too busy. What should a solo attorney do when they discover they can no longer answer the phone, answer every email, meet client needs, and accept new work? Carolyn Elefant suggests several resources including answering services like Ruby Receptionists or Total Attorneys and office management software such as Clio or Rocket Matter.
Montage Legal Group is honored to be listed as a resource for firms looking to outsource substantive legal projects. Ms. Elefant states:
Finally, there are nearly unlimited options for finding freelance and contract attorneys. In addition to traditional placement agencies mentioned above, there’s been an explosion of online services like Montage Legal or Custom Counsel that will match contract lawyers to your needs and price point, or Legal Ease, which relies in part on off-shored attorneys.
Solo attorneys do not have to go at it alone. There are numerous resources, and Montage Legal Group is always happy to help a solo practice with conservative growth, assisting during busy times, or helping with potential client pitches and RFP responses.
To read the full article on Above the Law, please visit Hiring Options for Growing Solo, Above the Law (March, 31, 2014).
Carolyn Elefant has been blogging about solo and small firm practice at MyShingle.com since 2002 and operated her firm, the Law Offices of Carolyn Elefant PLLC, even longer than that. She’s also authored a bunch of books on topics like starting a law practice, social media, and 21st century lawyer representation agreements (affiliate links). If you’re really that interested in learning more about Carolyn, just Google her. The Internet never lies, right? You can contact Carolyn by email carolyn@carolynelefant.com or follow her on Twitter at @carolynelefant.