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Archive for the ‘Misc.’ Category

Let me make this perfectly clear: your business card says a lot about you. When I open the desk drawer with my Rolodex and piles of rubber-banded cards, it’s like pulling open a drawer of memories. (It also reminds me that I need to scan them with my Fujitsu ScanSnap and save them with CardMinder.)

In some cultures, it is considered correct business politesse to hold the card presented to you with both hands, observe it, and comment, before putting it carefully in your wallet.

I have my own rules for business cards, to wit:
• Make sure someone can read your card easily without glasses or a magnifying glass (the “over age 40” rule).
• If you use your domain name in your email address, make sure you also have a web page with that domain name.
• Send two business cards to each client at the close of your case and ask them to refer you business.
• Whenever you give your card, give three (one for that person and two for friends).
• Use both sides of the card – include your practice areas on one side, a map to your office, or a piece of advice.
• Make it unique and easy to spot.

Making your card unique and easy to spot is tricky in the rather conservative field of lawyering. You want the impression you make to be favorable, so keep that in mind before you get too wild and crazy. And if inexpensive business cards are what you seek, the Internet is a good place to go. Try Vistaprint, but don’t forget to give your local supplier a chance to compete.

All smartphone users know one thing for certain: smartphone batteries don’t stay charged for long. Most feel lucky if they can get through a full 12 hour day before needing to charge their battery. I recently more than doubled the strength of my factory installed HTC Droid Incredible battery by purchasing a Seidio extended life battery.

I am now able to go 2 to 3 days without seeing the dreaded orange battery symbol. Here are my tips for better battery life, even without buying a new battery.
1. Don’t charge your battery before you need to. Drain as much life out of it as possible.
2. Charge your phone while it’s still turned on. Charge it at least two hours beyond when the battery indicator shows fully charged.
3. Unplug your phone from the charger and turn the phone off (yes, I said off). Plug it back into the charger. Look at your battery indicator light – most likely it will have turned orange or red, showing it can be charged further. Continue charging until green. Unplug, turn on, use and enjoy!
If you find that your phone simply will not stay charged long enough, don’t delay, buy a new battery. It’s worth it.

Do you jump from one task to the next without ever finishing? You may want to try the Pomodoro Technique of getting work done. To begin, you’ll need a kitchen timer, a list of tasks and a pencil. Choose a task to be accomplished and set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer). Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your task list. Take a five minute break and begin a new task with the timer running. Every 4 “Pomodoros” take a longer break (15-20 minutes). The technique was created in the 1980s by Francesco Cirillo. Cirillo originally used a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato (pomodoro in Italian), hence the name. To download the free book and forms, visit the Pomodoro Technique website.

Tech vendors! Four speakers from this year’s ABA TECHSHOW! A white tablecloth luncheon! CLE specifically for small firms! Prizes!

I just returned from the Marriott on Main Street in Columbia, where I viewed the location of our 2011 Solo & Small Firm CLE and Annual Meeting to be held September 23. It is going to be great! We will have two ballrooms for our simultaneous CLE tracks – one track for technology for small firms and the other for law office management. For the plenary sessions on ethics and Tips, the hotel will combine the rooms by taking out the center wall. The speakers are experts in practice management and technology, and we will have a sprinkle of South Carolina lawyers speaking and doing product demonstrations.

Just outside the ballrooms, in the common area, we have space for 15 tech and office vendors, whom we are busy contacting. We are approaching vendors who will be of particular interest to small firms. We’ll have the breakfast out in the vendor area, so be sure to come early that day. For lunch, we will stroll through the vendor area to a separate ballroom set up for our seated affair. It will be an opportunity to see one another as well as mingle with the speakers and vendors.  And there will be prize drawings!

The Marriott looks great since its remodeling. Since you do want to get there early, you can stay at the hotel at the special rate of $129, or stay at any of the other excellent hotels nearby. The meeting is on Friday, and the next day is a home football game for Carolina (vs. Vanderbilt).

Last year’s Hot Tips seminar was a warm-up to this much larger CLE and meeting. We believe it will be something really fun and very special. Mark your calendar and save your pennies!

Are you having challenges marketing your firm? Many lawyers feel that most referrals come from other lawyers.  If you are a South Carolina Bar member practicing alone or in a firm with five or fewer lawyers, include yourself in the Solo and Small Firm Section’s Solo and Small Firm Practice Area Directory. The Directory is accessible from the Section’s homepage, www.scbar.org/solo and contains practice area information about fellow small firm lawyers in South Carolina. Because the Directory is cross-referenced by both practice area and geographical area, finding a lawyer is quick and simple. The Directory can be viewed online or downloaded and saved as a PDF file. The PDF also contains information for how to print the Directory so that it looks like a book. For inclusion in the directory, small firm lawyers must complete a brief online survey. Questions may be directed to Courtney Kennaday, Practice Management Advisor and Solo and Small Firm Section liaison, at pmap@scbar.org.