This blog generally covers trademark, branding and social media issues. But I also sometimes try to shed a little light into our office and into what it is like to manage and run a small trademark law firm.
Recently, I have been thinking about the elements of work every day that have little or nothing to do with law school, bar exams, and other traditional education. I am more cognizant of these issues, I think, because we are a small practice and because we work with interns each semester and expose them to not just trademarks but also a little bit of what it is like to work in and manage a small law firm environment.
Here is a partial list of things I have worked on in the last month that I was not taught about in law school:
Fixing a printer
Many kinds of marketing, including writing (blogging)
Submitting a speech proposal
Ordering new letterhead
Negotiating and explaining to the client the pro’s and con’s of various outcomes and options
Ordering a new server
Fixed computer/server issues
Negotiating office lease terms with landlord
Hosting a conference call
Recording a video and posting it to YouTube
Submitting a FOIA request
Writing a letter to congress
Management of the firm’s docket calendar
Proper filing and storage of physical and electronic documents
Speaking with prospective clients
Drafting retainer agreements
Working on the Board of the Chamber of Commerce
Handling billing and collection issues
Opening new case files
Managing staff
Speaking on a panel at a CLE
Paying bills and taxes
Interviewing and hiring interns
I actually enjoy many if not most of these things. One reason I enjoy them is that I feel it connects me to most of our clients, who are frequently small businesses and entrepreneurs and do many of the same things and more the same way: learning by doing.
