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@tsolignani
April 26th, 2011
Today we’re tweeting w/ @tsolignani: Italian lawyer, writer, blogger, dad, geek, Apple user
- @Tsolignani, thank you for joining us on Twitter. Tell us, who is @Tsolignani?
I was born in 1969 in Modena, Italy, where I currently live and work. I like to innovate the practice of law whenever I can
– - Tell us about your law practice.
A small multipractice firm, with around 12 atty’s, located in the sorroundings of Modena, powered by Apple and Ubuntu pc’s
– - What type of clients do you represent?
Several. I like family law, but also traditional estate cases and generally matters where new technology is involved.
– - And what would you say is the single most important legal issue affecting your clients?
Well, I guess you cannot find a single one. When hiring a lawyer, people would just like to know whether or not their …
candidate could be able to handle their issues, which are always different, as a matter of fact …
we don’t care so much about specialization: trying to be clever, brilliant and able to work together are better skills l
– - Interesting perspective. What do you tell every new client before you start working for them?
Again, people just wanna know 3 things: whether you can handle their issue, how much time and money it’ll takes…
So, this I what I usually tell them, then they have to accept my fee and other conditions and eventually we start…
Whenever I can, most of the time, I do flat fees, so that people can exactly know the cost in advance. They like it.
– - Tell us about one of the more significant client representations you’ve had.
The italian code of conduct forbid to mention people you worked for as a lawyer. So that I cannot tell names. But one …
of the most interesting experiences I had was being expert witness before the Crown Court, in the UK, into an extradition…
case requested by the italian government, where the court denied the extradition as for my advice
– - Why do your clients hire you?
It’s up to them and it’s always different. Someone wants a «young» firm, someone else a lawyer one can email or DM …
on twitter. Some others are Italian but live abroad and need a lawyer in the country. There really are many cases.
– - What’s the most active area of your practice at the current time? Is that typical?
I guess family law and, yes, it’s typical, but, again, beware family could embrace every branch of the law: think …
f.i. to a divorcing couple who owns a corporation whose main assets are intellectual goods; it’s a divorce, but you …
surely would need to work with an IP lawyer.
– - Indeed. How has personal (family) law in Italy changed over past ten years? What do those changes mean for your clients?
Not as much as the society did and there would be really many things to change. Other european countries, such as Spain…
and France did the innovation we missed, f.i. in marriages, allowing homosexual couples, but there would be much more
– - And how is the legal profession evolving in Italy? Do you see similar challenges as we do in the US (eg fixed fees)?
Unfortunately, the legal profession in Italy is not evolving at all: rather it is getting worse day by day, due to …
several reasons, such as judiciary system inefficiency, huge numbers of practitioners and many others …
fixed fees: a law was enforced about that and some laywers like me do fixed fees, but the most still do not
– - Change is hard everywhere…. How do you describe what you do to people you meet at a cocktail party?
I know many lawyers create an «audio logo» to spend in such cases, but I prefer not to mention my work while partying …
when someone insists, I talk about what I do, which is not necessarily the legal profession, but maybe a book or article
– - When did you become active on Twitter? What were your objectives then? Have they changed?
3 years ago. When trying some new «net toy», my aim is just to have fun and satisfy my curiosity. But I have to say …
twitter later did the trick for me. I use it everyday, have fun and many a good clients found me over there
– - You blog at http://bit.ly/dUDVl1. Who do you write it for? Why should they read it?
For the common people, not for other lawyers. They can read to understand some basic notion and principles of the law
– - You mentioned clients finding you on Twitter: can you quantify the new engagements you’ve got from Web 2.0?
Well, it is far for getting near my core business but it is promising and worth keep working on it
– - Tell us about “Guide to Separation & Divorce.” It’s a difficult subject. How do you make it less so for your clients?
If there’s something we lawyers exists for, if any, is explaining the law to common people in an effective way. We have …
change our language and literally translate in simpler terms what we are used to think in a more complicated form, but …
I guess it is worth it. A lawyer is a good one only if he or she can communicate with everyone and turn simple what is not
– - Very well put. What is the most significant issue currently facing the legal profession?
The fab 5? 1 get hired 2 do the work 3 get paid 4 try to save some money from bills and taxes 5 still keep smiling
– - 🙂 What will the legal landscape look like in 10 years?
We Italians live in an idle country where, when something changes, often gets worse. I have no idea, I just know I have …
2 children and I hope neither of them gets to be a lawyer, there are many more funny and interesting things to do, as yet
– - What would you do if you weren’t a lawyer?
I adore writing and sometimes I think about trying some short stories or even a novel, but I do not think I ever will 🙂
– - How do you want to be remembered?
As a man with whom you could talk to and get some answer, some advice, some suggestion or even comprehension. A man who …
helped someone, sometimes.
– - What do you do when you’re not working?
As of today, mostly playing with my children. But I like «creative idling» too and «practice» whenever I can
– - What advice can you pass along to lawyers currently under- or unemployed due to the economic crisis?
First off: choose whether you still want to practice or not. There are many other interesting things to do and where you …
you can earn the same or even more money. If you decide to stay a lawyer, then prepare to do much more the marketing side
– - And our final question of the interview: what advice do you have for people going to law school today?
Try to get the best from the school experience and, once out, choose very carefully the career, maybe trying with stages
Very good advice, for both groups. Thank you for tweeting with us today; I enjoyed learning about you and your practice
I have learned so much too. Thank you for interviewing me. Have a nice day.
