Legal Services & Lawyers

Primary practice fields are municipal, land use, environmental, and real estate law, with service in both the public and private sectors.

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

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.

Brian Heller, a Partner with Schwartz & Perry LLP, has been with the firm since his graduation from Fordham Law School in 2001, where he served on the Fordham Urban Law Journal and as a mediator in the Bronx Small Claims Court. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Penn State University, Mr. Heller has an impressive background in all aspects of employment law, including discrimination, sexual harassment, fraudulent inducement, contractual disputes, stock options and benefits and workplace torts.

Mr. Heller is an experienced litigator, having Co-Chaired numerous trials, including jury and non-jury trials in both the Federal and state courts. Mr. Heller has also prosecuted and argued numerous appeals in various appellate courts in New York State. In addition to litigation, Mr. Heller negotiates severance agreements, employment contracts, non-compete and confidentiality agreements, and counsels employees who are subjected to discrimination in the workplace. With a strong emphasis on research and writing, Mr. Heller contributes to all aspects of Schwartz & Perry LLP's practice.

Mr. Heller is also active in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), successfully representing employees in mediations sponsored by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the courts, and a number of private dispute resolution entities. Mr. Heller has appeared on behalf of individuals in arbitrations before The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA, formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers) and the American Arbitration Association (AAA).

Mr. Heller lectures on employment discrimination, litigation, contracts, workplace torts and trial practice before attorneys of all experience levels and practices, contributing the skills and insights he has gained during his tenure Schwartz & Perry LLP.

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.

Robbie is a caring and dedicated Long Island attorney. He strives to provide his clients with the finest legal service at a reasonable fee. He is currently focusing on Real Estate and Bankruptcy Law. He handles Real Estate closings and Bankruptcy filings throughout Long Island, Queens and Brooklyn. You are welcome to browse his website, Rlvaughnlaw.com, to learn more about his Long Island Real Estate & Bankruptcy law practice. He looks forward to assisting you with your specific legal need(s). If you would like additional information, or a free consultation, please do not hesitate to call. Robbie is Of Counsel to Cassidy, Romano & Love, P.C.

Robbie is also a Real Estate Broker and Owner of Bayview Estates Realty of Long Island, NY. Serving Suffolk County, Nassau County, Queens and Brooklyn.

With 25 years of experience, I represent financial professionals and firms in all aspects of their operation, compliance and litigation matters, nationwide. I also represent individual brokers from virtually every major firm in their contract negotiations, employment termination, U-4 and U-5 issues. In specialized situations where the facts or law present novel issues, I also represent investors.

Locally, I represent small and medium sized businesses in their formation, operation and litigation, using my Wall Street background to assist those business entities.