Month: April 2011

Google Voice: Not Ready for Business

So, my idea was to use Google Voice for my phone and fax number, so that if I move to a new office, I won’t have to change numbers.  And…so much for that idea.

First, it won’t work as a fax number because Google Voice is digital and fax technology is analog.  OK, I can live with that, but now I realized that anytime people call my Voice number, they do not get my receptionist and go straight to voice mail.  That is not a good thing.  Apparently this is an ongoing issue for the service which has no easy fix.  So, I am just giving up using the service altogether and using my regular office number.

Lesson learned – technology is great, but make sure you vet everything carefully before you decide to use it.  Google Voice is free, so no money lost there, plus I just caught it in time to print my business cards correctly with the new number.  Most newer software and services offer a free trial, so make sure you give them a good practice run before deciding to move forward with them, whether it’s a software download or software as a service.

Welcome!

This is the first of what I hope will be many posts on several topics including: employment law, solo practice challenges, law practice technology, social media, news, sports, and anything else that seems interesting or worthy of comment.

There are several markets I hope to serve with this law firm:

1) Provide legal advice and counsel to employees who have claims against their employer for discrimination, unpaid overtime or unpaid benefits

2) Provide legal advice and counsel to small business owners who do not have the benefit of full-time legal or human resources staff to help them understand the complex web of employment laws

3) Provide legal advice and counsel to highly compensated individuals who need assistance negotiating a severance or changing positions under a non-compete or non-solicit agreement with a previous employer

These first couple of weeks have been hectic, mostly because of all the setup tasks that need to be accomplished, as well as determining which clients would be bringing their cases to my new firm.  Now that this website/blog is up and most of the initial setup of the firm is done, I can focus on serving clients and marketing the firm.