Oct. 25, 2004
Mary Whisner, Editor
Copy Card Convenience
You can use a copy card
in the self-service photocopiers and the self-service Pharos printers –
Computer Lab (Rm 222) and the copy alcove next to the Bogle & Gates Lounge.
You can buy a copy card
from the vending machine in that copy alcove. You need $5 – either a $5 bill
or 5 $1 bills. The machine won’t take any other combination.
Once you have a card,
you can use it and use it. When the balance gets low, just add value at any
self-service copier or in the vending machine.
Tip: write your name on
the card. That way, if you leave it behind and it’s turned in to the
Circulation Desk, you’ll be able to get it back.
LN & WL Printers
Generally, student
print jobs should go to the stand-alone printers in the Computer Lab (Room
222). Recently the printers there were out of order for a while (both
companies, different times), so their jobs were routed to the printers in
the Reference Office, but that's an exceptional circumstance. The printers
in the Reference Office are for faculty and staff.
Your LexisNexis ID and
Westlaw password should default to the student printer. Even if you see an
option to switch to the Reference Office printer, please do not. We could be
overwhelmed by student print jobs.
By the way, remember
other options: emailing a document or downloading it to a file.
Thanks for your
cooperation.
Book of the Week: How to Start and Build a Law Practice
-- Stacy Etheredge, Reference Intern
This book, published by
the ABA, is a goldmine for those lawyers who are either starting their own
law practices or even just considering it. The author, Jay G. Foonberg,
opened his practice immediately after being sworn in (1964), and is a
proponent of owning your own law firm as quickly as you can get into it. His
book is aimed at helping you do just that. This is not a self-examination
book along the lines of What Color Is Your Parachute? Instead, it proceeds
from the premise that you have already decided what it is you want (to own a
solo law firm) and provides you with a handbook of practical ideas, pithy
tips, and absolutely essential information on how to get it done.
You can get an idea of
just how to-the-point the book is by sentences pulled from various chapters,
such as:
- “In general, I recommend that you do not do your own word processing (typing).”
- “Don’t form a partnership for at least one year. A bad partnership can be financially worse than a bad
marriage.”
- “If you have a choice, don’t practice out of your own home.”
- “It is a fact of life that many, if not most, of the new lawyer’s clients and sources of clients will
be friends and relatives.”
- “As soon as possible after opening your office, ask several lawyers for recommendations for
investigators.”
The book covers almost
all conceivable aspects of opening up a solo practice – e.g., getting
clients, setting fees, getting equipped, building a low-cost library, good
client relations, and ethics and professional responsibility (that’s just a
partial list). However, what’s most refreshing about this book is Foonberg’s
focus on the quality of life. He wrote a special section after September
11th that talks about how “(c)lients come and go, but family is forever.”
He also likes to remind you along the way to remember that “(y)ou are
competent, you just may not be experienced.” You have the impression that
this fellow wants you to be successful because you’re happy, and not happy
because you’re successful. That’s a fine line that is often overlooked in
how-to books, but not in this one.
The current edition of
this book (2004) is in the Reference Area (KF300.Z9 F66 2004). Earlier
editions are in the Classified Stacks.
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