Resolutions

Dear Visitor:

Thank you for coming and seeing what I have to say about business law. Sorry I said so little. Blogging is not nearly as easy as it looks. Coming up with ideas is easy. Convincing myself that anyone wants to read my thoughts about those ideas is hard. Also, I have a serious case of the Perfect-is-the-Enemy-of-the-Good syndrome.

Being a lawyer by vocation and identity impedes blogging productivity for a bunch of reasons. I’m scared to be wrong. I’m afraid of typos. I don’t want other lawyers to find me insubstantial. I want to publish content that is relevant.

Also, the subject matter in which I’m most immersed is off limits – I can’t talk about my clients. If I did, I would risk damaging their trust in me. My posts about them could be perceived by the bar association as an advertisement for legal services. And, being someone’s lawyer means that none of the work is about me – so I don’t have license to discuss it.  Since my work is so fun, I wish I could write about it; I wish I could introduce you to my clients, some of whom I adore. Like the modern artist who has stormed major museums with persistence and talent. Or the two guys on their way to improving the energy usage of thousands of businesses. Or the auctioneer with the spectacular eye for mid-century modern furniture. Or the gun maker who strives to make the products smarter. Or the priest who works a second job to give people jobs and job training. Or the organization that fights deep in the trenches to make all families equal. Or the developer of my favorite task management system, which just gets more beautiful and more usable and keeps me on track. My love for the law and the American entrepreneur renews every day, mostly because of these clients. Unless one of them (or anyone else I represent) volunteers to allow me to talk about them, I never will. But, I’ll try to spread the feelings of hope and ambition that they inspire.

So, in 2012, I vow:

1. To post 3 x per week
2. To help 1,000 people understand business law
3. To help people create 1,000 American jobs

If you have a topic or a question, please send it. I’ll do my best to answer it. And, please come back again and again.

Happy New Year,

Coco Soodek

Chicago

UPDATE: 1/4/12 – 7:12 P.S. I’m sitting in my office looking at my personal collection of “wikis” on various aspects of law. There are a ton of them and I intend to start emptying out my vault onto this blog. But, to keep me honest, I’m going to install an editorial docket, so at least the gods can see what I promise to write and publish.