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Solos in front of the conversation. Mainstream behind again!!!

Law.com has an article today called “When to Go VoIP? That Is The Question” As always, it seems some of the “mainstream” legal publications are behind the eight ball on advances in law firm technology.

Some of us have been discussing VoIP for law firms now for some time. Some of those bloggers include:

Bankruptcy Practice Pro

FutureLawyer

Kansas Business Lawyer

Third Wave - Chuck Newton

Greatest American lawyer

I know I have missed some. My point is this. Solos are in a position to try new technology before “big law” is. How much easier it is for the “partnership committee” of a solo firm to make a change and adopt new things. How much easier is it for the solo “technology committee” to adapt to new technology. We are the committee. I remember recently I received an email from Richard Georges of the FutureLawyer describing how he was having a partnership committee meeting on his way to his office. The meeting involved himself. No senior partners to contend with and no other committee to deal with. Topic brought up, discussion ensued, and decision made. How great is that.

For all of you law students who read this blog, and I thank you, don't overlook a solo practice. One of the best things about it, is you will be the firm and you can do things the way you want. You can pick the type of law you want to practice. You can pick the technology you want to use. Which will be Mac of course!!! And you are the one who makes the decisions that affect you and the future of your firm. You and no one else. There is a sense of freedom in that. And I know, there is a sense of fear too. The great thing about it for you law students is that you are not going at it alone. There is a ton of information and help out there and I have only mentioned a small part of it. If you don't read Build a Solo Practice, LLC and My Shingle, shame on you. They should both be required reading at law school.

Solos Need VoIP

There is an interesting post today over at the Sololawyer

By Chuck Newton

While I agree with Chuck’s position, I have not been convinced yet that I need it. Security is also a concern I have. Is a VoIP call secure from hackers? Will my normal internet security protect such calls from eavesdropping? I will have to visit some more with Chuck and Rick on this one.


No solo lawyer should be without VoIP as its chief source of communication.' If you are trying to compete without this service you are likely operating without many valuable services and you are paying too much for your phone and faxing services.' So I would like to
introduce you to the service if you have not considered it, yet.

Internet Voice, also known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), is a technology that allows you to make telephone calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line. Some services using VoIP may only allow you to call other people using the same service, but others may allow you to call anyone who has a telephone number - including local, long distance, mobile, and international numbers. Also, while some services only work over your computer or a special VoIP phone, other services allow you to use a traditional phone through an adaptor.

VoIP converts the voice signal from your telephone into a digital signal that travels over the internet then converts it back at the other end so you can speak to anyone with a regular phone number. When placing a VoIP call using a phone with an adapter, you'll hear a dial tone and dial just as you always have. VoIP may also allow you to make a call directly from a computer using a conventional telephone or a microphone.