Jay Shepherd
Posts by Jay Shepherd
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Associate Advice, Screw-Ups, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: Sorry About This Post
Have you ever messed something up for a client? Ever make a mistake that was yours and yours alone, that caused your client a problem and you and your firm some embarrassment? If you haven’t, then you haven’t been practicing very long. Because you can’t practice for a long time without making some mistakes. It’s […] -
Shameless Plugs, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: Reflections on Thirteen Years
I hope you had a good Memorial Day weekend. I hope you were able to leave work behind for the long weekend and spend time with your friends and family. I hope you enjoyed good weather, maybe threw a ball around, grilled some steaks, and so forth. It was, after all, the Unofficial Beginning of […] - Sponsored
Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get… -
Associate Advice, Job Searches, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: 10 Traits That Will Get You Hired
It’s very difficult to get a job as an associate in a small law firm. First of all, there is a lot of competition. Many of you are between jobs. Many are at Biglaw jobs looking to get out. Many of you are finishing up law school and are still looking. Don’t get me wrong: […]
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Baseball, Biglaw, Billable Hours, Shameless Plugs, Small Law Firms, Sports
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: Small-Firm Wins
I’m a huge Red Sox fan. (That noise you just heard were all the Yankees fans skipping ahead to the comment section. Don’t wait, guys. I’ll be right there.) This season began with the highest expectations, after the Sox won the offseason by acquiring superstars Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford and by rebuilding their bullpen. […] -
Perks / Fringe Benefits, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: Get Rid of Sick Days
Every so often a lawyer with a small firm will ask me what to do about providing employees with paid sick days. The practice is much more common in large firms, but many lawyers have come to expect it as a perk no matter how big their firms are. (To be clear, I’m talking about […] -
Associate Advice, Rudeness, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: The Problem with Lawyer Letters
Have you ever noticed that some lawyers become different people when they get in front of a keyboard? It’s like a Jekyll-and-Hyde kind of thing. They might be perfectly pleasant individuals in real life, capable of warmth or at least civility to their fellow human beings. But get them in front of a computer with […] -
Labor / Employment, Legal Ethics, Litigators, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: The Customer Is Always Right. Not.
You always hear this business axiom: “The customer is always right.” Whether true or not, you’re supposed to at least let the customer believe that he or she is correct. But in my experience, that doesn’t always work. Before I went to law school, I was a banker. (That sentence makes me sound old, since […] -
English Grammar and Usage, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: The 'Lost' Art of Hyphens
Did you watch Lost? I was a big fan of the show, which ran on ABC from 2004 to 2010. The series required quite a commitment from its viewers, since it had a large ensemble cast and was a true serial — you really couldn’t miss any episodes. After the third season, the producers made […] - Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms. -
Associate Advice, Labor / Employment, Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: When Should You Start Your Own Firm?
There comes a time in the career of every law-firm lawyer when she realizes that her bosses are acting like idiots, that “they’re doing it wrong,” and that she could do a better job if she were running her own law firm. Most of the time, that idea goes no further: the lawyer rattles off […] -
Alan Dershowitz, Associate Advice, Rudeness, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: Five Tips for Dealing With Obnoxious Opponents
I have a temper. That might surprise people who know me casually, like my professional acquaintances. I work hard to keep it in check. Over the past 17 years as an employment litigator (representing companies), I’ve gotten better at controlling my anger. But it hasn’t always been easy. Because lawyers can be pretty adept at […] -
Associate Advice, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: How to Handle Senior Associates
My first job out of law school was at a five-lawyer employment-law boutique: two partners, two other associates, and me. (OK, it was my only job out of law school; I started my firm after four years at this boutique.) The other two associates were third-years when I started. To be sure, they were both […] -
Biglaw, Billable Hours, Small Law Firms, Technology
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: Blade Runner and the Future of Law
I’ve got news for you: The future of practicing law will not be about cloud computing. It won’t be about tablets or offshoring or client self-help or virtual law offices. It won’t be about e-discovery, or practice management, or paperless offices. Yes, these things will certainly all happen; many are happening now, and a number […] -
Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: Why Lawyers Suck at Sales
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Small Firms, Big Lawyers, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers. Funny story: One day during my third year of law school, I overslept and missed an important session of my Sales class. The problem is, when I tried to get the notes for […]
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Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
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Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm.
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Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get…
Sponsored
Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so…
Sponsored
The Business Case For AI At Your Law Firm
ChatGPT ushers in the age of generative AI – even for law firms.
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Biglaw, Billable Hours, Money, Shameless Plugs, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: How Do You Set Your Billing Rates?
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Small Firms, Big Lawyers, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers. Ever since I stopped billing by the hour in 2006, lawyers are constantly asking me, “How do you set your prices?” It’s a topic I’ve lectured on and written about frequently, and my […] -
American Bar Association / ABA, Conferences / Symposia, Small Law Firms, Social Networking Websites, Technology, Twittering
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: Twitter and Business Cards at the ABA TechShow
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Small Firms, Big Lawyers, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers. When 1,500 lawyers gathered at this week’s ABA TechShow in Chicago, an interesting thing happened: The business card died. When these lawyers weren’t listening to the dozens of cutting-edge seminars or browsing the […] -
American Bar Association / ABA, Small Law Firms, Social Networking Websites
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: Shutting Lawyers Up, and the Power of Constraints
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Small Firms, Big Lawyers, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers. I’m reporting to you live from Chicago at the 25th Annual ABA TechShow, where an amazing group of passionate lawyers from around the country have gathered to talk and teach about the future […] -
Small Law Firms, Weirdness
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: The Perfect Font ... To Show You Don’t Care
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Small Firms, Big Lawyers, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers. If you want to send a message that you really don’t care what your document looks like, or that you never really gave it any thought, then this is the font for you. […] -
Media and Journalism, Practice Pointers, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: Six Steps to Becoming an Expert
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Small Firms, Big Lawyers, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers. So you’re at a small firm and you want to be successful. Good. Why you wouldn’t want that is beyond me. But if you want to be a successful lawyer, you need to […] -
McDonald's, Shameless Plugs, Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: Is Your Firm Like Disney World?
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Small Firms, Big Lawyers, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers. No, not in the way you think. I’m not talking about E-tickets and giant bow-tied mice and screaming, overtired kids being dragged around by the half-crazed parents determined to get their money’s worth. […] -
Small Law Firms
Small Firms, Big Lawyers: Beware the Uberclient
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Small Firms, Big Lawyers, one of Above the Law’s new columns for small-firm lawyers. As with love affairs, all lawyer-client relationships must eventually end. If you’re lucky, they won’t end until retirement or death (not the untimely kind; that would be unlucky). More often though, they will […]