i got a bike tune up today so when we got done with early clients, (e:terry) and i took a ride to the waterfront, then had lunch at the new Mexican place on allen, don tequila. it is standard chain Mexican fare, nothing special but suits that occasional craving. happy Thursday!

I finally have a logo for my law firm! I'll show it off soon. I was checking out the ethics rules about whether I must list an address on my biz cards. The answer seems to be no, but in my research I came across this gem of an opinion. It's from 1972, before lawyers were allowed to advertise at all (1977, Bates v. State Bar of Arizona).

QUESTION

May a professional card of a lawyer be blue on blue, and may it
incorporate on its face an emblem such as the scales of justice?

OPINION

It is improper for the professional card or letterhead of a lawyer to
contain a distinctive monogram. N.Y. County 591 (1971); Wise, Legal
Ethics 145 (2d ed. 1970); DR 2-102(A) (1) and (4).

A lawyer's use of letterheads, professional cards and announcement
cards should conform to normal, modest sized lettering giving the
conventional information only, such as the name of the individual or
firm, the address, the telephone, and the cable code, if any. Wise,
Legal Ethics 169 (2d ed. 1970).

To permit embellishment of the usual simple professional card would
undoubtedly lead to the use of competitive symbols and the dignity of
the profession would be seriously compromised. The use of blue lettering
on blue stock rather than being conventional, customary and usual is
flamboyant and not dignified.

(emphasis added)

(e:terry) and I decided to rent the office across the hall to have some separation between the law firm and the consulting firm. The furniture got delivered today. I discovered that the artist next door actually exists and his name is Jack. he's a retired tax accountant. If you want us to do your taxes this year, schedule soon :-)

Allen Street Consulting (e:allenstreet)
- taxes
- payroll
- bookkeeping
- QuickBooks consulting

Law firm
- small business and nonprofit formation and advising
- tax representation

I met with a new client today at their house on a steep mountainside. I parked my truck at their workshop and climbed a narrow trail to the house. They have a driveway but it's currently unusable with snow pack. the house faces east over the valley.

Looking back at the trail


Valley view


Window seat in the office overlooking the valley.


Bonus: cutest mittens ever (thanks, Alex!!)

Random things from my work travels.

Happy bamboo-munching elephant :-)


(e:Terry) tried to install the plant hangers but ran into trouble with it.


We got this fabulous whiteboard cabinet from Buffalo Business Interiors but it needs some special attention before it can be hung. I've been using it anyway, sitting on the floor making pictures & lists. It has corkboards on the insides of the doors and hooks for hanging big pads of paper. It's really my dream whiteboard.

A lovely sunset from the office window. I used the solarize filter.

The PartnerTBNL says this phone is not retro enough to be used in our office. Thoughts?

We got guest chairs! Also from buffalo business interiors. I took a couple shots of the desk that the PartnerTBNL likes. We also got internet connectivity. It took about five hours total - an hour or so on Saturday and then four hours today. That's not including time on the phone with various parts of Verizon. However, I'm thrilled the office is set up and ready to work in.