Legal Services & Lawyers

I am a commercial litigator specializing in federal litigation, including trials. I work extensively with online businesses, specifically in connection with the use of intellectual property on the Internet in both litigation and non-litigation roles. My firm is also recognized for its strength in construction litigation.

I have successfully represented clients of every size in state and federal courts, arbitrations and mediations in a variety of litigation matters, including contract disputes, distributorship litigation, trademark and unfair competition cases, business tort claims, toxic tort and insurance coverage litigation, discrimination and wrongful discharge cases, copyright infringement claims, and cases involving trade secrets, restrictive covenants and real estate. My litigation experience runs from pretrial investigation and early dispute resolution through every aspect of bench and jury trials as well as appeals.

My blog about copyright, trademark and related issues, LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION®, was recognized by the ABA Journal as one of the top 100 law-related blogs in the country in its first-ever listing in 2007.

I wear many hats in the legal industry. As a lawyer, I provide freelance legal research and writing services to other lawyers through Lisa Solomon, Esq. Legal Research and Writing. As a business owner, I am a partner in The Billable Hour Company, which sells humorous gifts and greeting cards for lawyers and legal professionals. And as a consultant, through Legal Research & Writing Pro, I help lawyers improve their legal writing skills, and I also teach other lawyers how to start and run successful practices as freelance (a/k/a contract) attorneys.

Lisa Solomon, Esq. Legal Research and Writing

Comprehensive Legal Research and Writing Services for Attorneys
As you manage every other aspect of your clients' complex matters, you may find that comprehensive, in-depth legal research and concise, well-reasoned legal writing are just too labor intensive to take on yourself.

In some cases, it may simply be a matter of time—you're in the middle of a trial and need case law to support an evidentiary or substantive point; or you have to make or respond to a post-trial motion in a timely manner. In other instances, your decision whether to even take on a case depends on the answers to legal issues you've identified, and you need help finding those answers.

Since 1996, I have focused my practice exclusively on assisting attorneys with all of their legal research and writing needs, including preparing and arguing appeals and drafting substantive motions and trial memoranda. I work in almost every area of law, teaming with my clients to determine the best strategy to apply to the unique facts and legal issues in each case.

A Proactive and Personalized Approach to Legal Analysis
When you are faced with a motion, appeal, or legal research issue, you need to know more than the black letter law—you need to know how that law applies to the unique facts of your case. I never give you a "canned" brief; all of my work is customized, to be of most use to the busy attorneys who use my services.

I also take a proactive approach to identifying legal issues beyond the scope of the original assignment that may be crucial to the ultimate success of the project, helping you to be the most effective advocate for your client.

Learn more at www.QuestionOfLaw.net.


The Billable Hour Company

Looking for that perfect gift or greeting card for a lawyer, paralegal, law student, or other legal professional? The Billable Hour Company sells unique clocks and watches with dials divided into six-minute increments; humorous CDs by and for lawyers; law-related books and games; desk accessories; personal accessories; and Survival Kits—gift baskets containing selections of our most popular products. We also offer gift certificates that never expire.

The Billable Hour Card Store is the world’s only online greeting card store featuring humorous and customizable printed greeting cards especially for lawyers and other legal professionals. The store uses print-on-demand technology that allows customers to send highly personalized cards to their clients, colleagues, prospects and friends.

We offer volume discounts and custom logo clocks and watches. Contact us at 815-346-3468 or info@TheBillableHour.com to discuss how we can assist with your corporate gift program.

The Billable Hour Company is run by practicing lawyers Mark and Lisa Solomon.

Visit us at www.TheBillableHour.com.


Legal Research & Writing Pro

I started Legal Research & Writing Pro to help other lawyers improve their legal writing skills, and to teach lawyers how to start and run successful legal research and writing practices.

Studies and surveys show that career satisfaction among lawyers is at an all-time low. Chief among the reasons for a lack of satisfaction is the inability of many lawyers to achieve a balance between the demands of their careers and their personal lives. I believe your law degree shouldn’t be a trap: it should be a liberating, empowering force.

Technology and the outsourcing revolution have joined forces to make this the best time in history to establish a legal research and writing practice.

I’ve been in the field of outsourced legal research and writing since its infancy. When I started my practice twelve years ago, a lot of lawyers didn’t even use e-mail: I had to drag some of my clients, kicking and screaming, into the internet age. Although I could do legal research online, my dial-up connection was painfully slow. But the most difficult challenge to overcome was lawyers’ unfamiliarity with the idea of outsourcing research and writing work to a contract attorney.

Today, all that has changed. E-mail use is well-nigh universal among lawyers. High-speed internet connections make online legal research a breeze. And, most importantly, lawyers are becoming more comfortable with the idea of using contract attorneys to perform discrete tasks, whether the task is making a court appearance, defending a deposition, or researching and writing a brief.

For years, lawyers across the country have called and e-mailed me asking for advice on how to start and run a legal research and writing practice. I’m pleased that I’ve been able to help so many lawyers get their start in this practice area. But I realized that I could help so many more people in a much more comprehensive way if I compiled everything I have learned over the past twelve years and made it widely available.

I can understand if you’re a little leery: after all, why should I share what I’ve learned with thousands of potential competitors? The answer is simple: I think there is amazing pent-up demand for high-quality outsourced legal research and writing services.

As a solo practitioner, I need only a handful of good clients to support my practice. According to the American Bar Association, as of December 31, 2005, there were over 1.1 million practicing lawyers in the United States. In a 2000 statistical survey, the American Bar Foundation found that 36% of lawyers were solo practitioners and 38% worked in small firms. Small firms and solos are the most likely potential clients for a legal research and writing practitioner. As these lawyers search for their own work/life balance, they’ll be more and more interested in outsourcing their excess workload to specially-trained legal research and writing providers.

At the same time, based on my research, there currently are very few lawyers out there who actively promote themselves as dedicated legal research and writing service providers. In fact, I have located fewer than 100 lawyers in the United States whose web sites indicate that they perform legal research and writing services of any sort on a contract basis. (Of course, it’s likely that many more lawyers take on contract work, including legal research and writing projects, but do not advertise that fact.

All this talk of work/life balance and professional satisfaction might sound very “pie-in-the-sky”—even utopian—to most of us, almost too good to be true. You suspect that this kind of work must pay a pittance. But you really can have it all: a challenging career, the flexibility to enjoy personal and family time and a comfortable living.

To find out more about how LRWP can help you achieve the professional satisfaction you're looking for, visit our products page. There, you'll find more information about my new book, Contract Lawyering Success; our monthly group coaching calls; our library of recorded teleseminars and expert interviews; and personal, one-on-one private coaching sessions. These resources—in various combinations—are the keystones of our Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum Plus Memberships.

Visit us at www.LegalResearchandWritingPro.com

Klose & Associates offers various legal services to individuals and businesses, including business entity formation, contract preparation and negotiation, litigation, buying and selling personal and business assets, and wills and estate matters. Our clients have sought representation for business, environmental, insurance, intellectual property trademark and copyright), personal injury, professional malpractice (accountant, legal, medical), real estate and probate or estate matters.

The Law Offices of Charles R. Gueli was founded on the basic premise that our clients' needs always come first. It is with that philosophy in mind that our firm stands committed to overall excellence in the legal profession and delivers the highest quality legal services to dispose of matters in a cost-effective and expeditious manner.

Our many years of experience, tenacious dedication, breadth of legal knowledge and responsiveness to our clients, define our practice at the Law Offices of Charles R. Gueli and is exemplified by the clients we represent.

An experienced litigator, Christine Klein handles family law issues with sensitivity and understanding. Our practice focuses on your family's legal needs. Whether starting a new one by adopting a child or trying to protect the family you have in a custody or divorce proceeding, we'll work with you to help safeguard your family. We work with traditional families as well as with the LGBT community, and single individuals, taking care of your special family's legal needs.

Marshall R. Isaacs is an experienced trial attorney handling business litigation and tort law cases. Mr. Isaacs also drafts contracts, represents buyers/sellers of businesses and represents clients in front of municipal agencies such as the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Department of Buildings.

Colin E. Kaufman is a partner in Adam Leitman Bailey, PC. He concentrates in trial work and litigation, primarily commercial, tort and real estate-related. Kaufman has been in practice for thirty years, all of it in litigation.

Kaufman received his undergraduate degree from Trinity College and his law degree from Fordham University Law School. He has instructed in trial preparation and trial advocacy for the New York State Bar AssociationNew York State Department of Criminal Justice Services Basic Prosecutors' Course, Bureau of Municipal Police Training School, Westchester County District Attorneyâs Office, New York State Special Prosecutor's Office and Lorman Educational Services. He has authored or coauthored three manuals for trial lawyers, Trial of a Negligence Case in New York, Taking and Defending Effective Depositions, and Real Evidence for the Trial Practitioner.

After graduating from Trinity College, Kaufman was a military policeman in the U.S. and in Vietnam. His combat decorations during his service with the 4th Infantry Division include two Bronze Stars and two Army Commendation Medals.

After his return from Vietnam, Kaufman was a corruption investigator with the Office of the New York State Special Prosecutor. In addition to investigative work Kaufman ran the Special Prosecutorâs Intelligence Unit until leaving to become a prosecutor with the Westchester District Attorneyâs Office.

Kaufman spent nine years with the Westchester District Attorney, rising to Chief of the General Trial Bureau. During his tenure there, in addition to trials and training of trial lawyers, Kaufman participated in several thousand prosecutions.

Since leaving the District Attorneyâs Office, Kaufman has been engaged in the private practice of law. His litigation and trial work has covered a substantial breadth, ranging from products liability to mining disasters to international contracts. He was co-lead counsel in the first case tried to verdict in the United States under the United Nations Convention on the International Sale of Goods. He has tried over two hundred cases to verdict in state and federal courts.

Mr. Kaufmanâs reported appellate cases include: Yang v. Chin, 42 A.D. 3d 320, 839 N.Y.S. 2d 90 (1st Dept. 2007); Garay v. National Grange Mutual Insurance Co., 117 Fed. Appx. 785 (2d Cir. 2004); Murphy v. Sawmill Construction Corp., 17 A.D.3d 422, 792 N.Y.S. 2d 616 (2d Dept. 2005); Poughkeepsie Chevrolet, Inc. v. Jeff Weaverâs 96 Hour Super Sale, Inc., 8 A.D. 3d 575, 779 N.Y.S. 2d 512 (2d Dept. 2004) Mulhern v. Chai Management, 309 A.D. 2d 995, 765 N.Y.S. 2d 694 (3d Dept. 2003); Marquise Collection, Inc. v. M.A.S. Textiles Corp., 239 A.D.2d 470, 657 N.Y.S.2d 207 (2d Dept.1997); and Cippolone v. City of White Plains, 181 A.D. 2d 887, 581 N.Y.S. 2d 421 (2d Dept. 1992).

Ms. Sugarman has been an attorney on Long Island for over 10 years, practicing in many areas, including residential and commercial real estate, buying and selling businesses, commercial litigation, including banking, construction, breach of contract and surety claims. Prior to becoming an attorney, Ms. Sugarman worked as a real estate paralegal for The Klar Organization.