What is MyShingle.com?

–inspiring solo and small firm lawyers and those who want to be since 2002

Launched in 2002, MyShingle.com was the very first blog for and about solo and small law firms, and part of the first generation of 100 lawyer blogs to come online. To date, MyShingle.com remains the most comprehensive online resource for solo and small firm lawyers with thousands of blog posts and an impressive stock of free e-books, checklists and forms on starting and running a law firm.

Why MyShingle.com?

MyShingle.com was created to address the unmet demands and desires of solos and small law firms, the clients we serve and others in the legal profession who use our services or dream of going out on their own. In contrast to most other sites geared for solo and small firm lawyers, which discuss the nuts and bolts of starting, operating and marketing a traditional general practice law firm, MyShingle has always offered support for a variety of solo lawyers – from those who run boutique or corporate practices that directly compete with large firms to lawyers looking to create a part time practice while caring for children or holding down a day job. And as we move forward, you’ll notice our new tag line “go solo, grow solo.” That’s because we’ll be expanding our offerings with resources for solos looking to move from a law firm of one to a law firm of one+.

In addition to providing resources, MyShingle.com celebrates the joys of solo practice in an effort to inspire other lawyers to consider the possibility of starting a law firm — particularly at a time when biglaw is on the decline. MyShingle.com absolutely reveres solo and small firm lawyers who comprise the majority of practitioners in the United States and who solve clients’ problems, do justice and most of all, with their innovative, pioneering spirit, act as agents of change within our profession. Here at MyShingle.com, solo and small firm lawyers are not merely an after thought or a “flavor of the month” in a down economy; they have always been the core focus of the site. Similarly, MyShingle’s mission has always been to broadcast the many accomplishments of solo and small firm lawyers and bring them to the forefront of the profession, rather than leaving them at the margins. Moreover, by helping solo and small firm lawyers improve their practices, MyShingle.com improves the lot of the clients that they serve and the quality of our justice system.

A Site Built By and For Solo and Small Firm Lawyers

We’ve designed the most recent iteration of the site (May 2010) with solo and small firm lawyers in mind:

We realize that as practicing lawyers you’re busy, very busy. So we’ve tried to organize the site to make information as easily accessible as possible. You can locate past posts by topic or date and subscribe to the site in a variety of formats. We’ve also placed all of our static, flagship resources in a single drop down menu bar.
Again, because solos are so busy, we’ve tried to minimize the need for site registrations and friending us on Facebook (with “secret special” deals for “friends”) and…well you know the drill. At the same time, we’d like to capture a little bit of contact information on those using the resources – we certainly will never, ever sell this data, but we may, from time to time, use it to contact you about events or promotions that can benefit your practice.
We modernized the look, but kept it crisp and uncluttered. We did so to ensure that our site is as inviting to a more traditional, older solo as to a recent grad. So no logos with gratuitous slashes or splotches; no cluttered sidebars duded out with social media icons and widgets.
We realize that many lawyers starting a practice are cash strapped. So for now, virtually all of our extensive resources are free, courtesy of the generous support of our site sponsors who appreciate the quality that MyShingle.com provides.
We considered, but rejected, site designs that feature a “cover sheet,” with a link down a level to reach the blog. Though that’s certainly a more modern design, the blog has always been the heart of MyShingle.com and that’s why it serves as the portal to our site.