The Practice

Law Firm Funding

Face it - sometimes it is expensive to run a law firm. It costs money, especially if you are going to take on plaintiff's cases. And traditional banks don't want to lend us money. But there are other people out there who will help.

I just met Beth Robbins. She has money she is looking to lend to law firms - and a lot of money. Here is her information. If you call her, tell her Jonathan Stein said hi.

Beth Robbins

Nationwide Litigation Funding

578 Washington Blvd Ste 249

Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
Tel: (310) 306-1001
Fax: (310) 388-0576
Email: Beth@nlfunding.com
Website: http://www.litfundingusa.com

BlawgWorld Launch

Okay, so I am late with my post. I thought it was tomorrow and not today. But, Blawgworld has launched with the 2007 e-book. Next year, they will call it Blog World, at least if they listen to me.

You can get it here and read my posts about soccer and the law. Give it a read and share your thoughts with me.

Use a name

No, not your own name. Use the other person's name. If you are calling me, say "Hi Jonathan." When we are done, if I have helped you, say "Thanks, Jonathan."

Two caveats:

1. Do not shorten someone's name unless they do it. Jonathan does not become Jon. Judith does not become Judy. Michael does not become Mike. I usually go by Jonathan. It is annoying when people call me Jon.

2. Do not screw up the name. If you are unsure about how to pronounce it, just ask.

Why do you do this? Because you show the person you are talking to that you are paying attention. It helps to make the other person feel a bit more important.

New Payroll Company

I hate doing payroll. Even paying myself is a pain. Its just not fun. I can't imagine doing it with employees. YUCK! But, I have a solution: Compupay. And here is my contact's information:

Michael J. Pyefinch
916-690-3541 (cell)
916-929-1900 (office)
916-405-4349  (Fax)
michaelpyefinch@compupay.com
www.compupay.com

Michael does payroll nationwide. Give him a call if you need this service. And remember that if you let them do it, you have more time to do what you need to do: practice law.

Milberg Weis plea deal

I guess BigLaw operates differently. A partner at Milberg Weis has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice. Interesting.

I am not sure a solo would get off so easily. I assume that David Bershad will next be disbarred. He should be. Quickly. Without hesitation. And any other partner who is convicted should be disbarred, including Bill Lerach, who has formed a new firm and is "considering retirement." Retire or not, if you break the law like this, you should lose your license to practice. It makes us all look bad!

Interesting new blog

I admit it is not law related, but this is a cool blog that I came across.  The blog is written by an Econ professor at Sac State. (I have an Econ degree from Sac State, but none of my professors were cool enough to have a blog. Of course, back then, we didn't have blogs!)

I think it is interesting because a professor has her blogged linked off of her school website page. This makes it accessible to her students. And, guess what? She comes across like a real person! Her students get to know her. And, I am guessing they really like her.

This is just another example of one of my mantras: be yourself. Now, as an attorney, you may not want your practice blog to be this familiar, but you should be yourself in your blog and let your personality come through.

I am back

You may have missed me over the last two weeks. Then again, maybe you didn't miss me. I just finished my first book, "Litigating MIST Cases: A Practical Approach from Intake through Trial." In conjunction with that, I have started a new blog, www.litigatingmistcases.com. Feel free to visit and share your thoughts.

Oh, and if you want to buy the book, email me at mist@jonathangstein.com for more info.