Bona Fide Office
You can only practice law in New Jersey if you have a bona fide office in the State. Despite the extremely rational reasons that are put forth as to why this rule is necessary, the real reason for the requirement is to screw lawyers from Philadelphia and New York City. Heavens to Betsey! All them big city fellers would come over the bridge and steal all our bizness!
When I first started my practice, this rule scared the bedoodies out of me. You had to have a bona fide office in New Jersey with someone to answer the phone. I was working out of my dining room, using my home line for business and had no support staff. Every day I was in fear of the office police busting in and dragging me off to some dark smoky room where I would be called to account for my blatant flaunting of the rule.
Over the years this rule has cost me a fortune but my expenditures happen to be a good chronology of technological advancements since the early 90's. First I got a pager, no phone call goes unanswered. Then, after a judge wanted me to fax him something pronto, I bought a fax machine pronto. Then I got a cell phone, back then the charges were enormous so I had many professional calls that consisted of "Be in Court tomorrow at 9am, bye.", click. Somewhere along the way my answering machine turned into voice mail, la tee dah. I added call forwarding to give the illusion of always being in my office. Then I added remote call forwarding so I was in my office anywhere on earth. I got dial-up internet for the e-mail. Then I got a lap top so I could always have access to my e-mail. Then I got a PDA so I had even easier access to my e-mail. Then I got broadband internet so my e-mail was even faster. Thousands of dollars to create the illusion that I was always in my office.
Now lots of people have home offices and it's hard to get a live person even in big law offices. The rule remains the same but technology has changed how we practice law and what is acceptable. I no longer fear being busted. I kind of miss living on the edge. Today I hung out a sign by my driveway. Take that, zoning officer.
When I first started my practice, this rule scared the bedoodies out of me. You had to have a bona fide office in New Jersey with someone to answer the phone. I was working out of my dining room, using my home line for business and had no support staff. Every day I was in fear of the office police busting in and dragging me off to some dark smoky room where I would be called to account for my blatant flaunting of the rule.
Over the years this rule has cost me a fortune but my expenditures happen to be a good chronology of technological advancements since the early 90's. First I got a pager, no phone call goes unanswered. Then, after a judge wanted me to fax him something pronto, I bought a fax machine pronto. Then I got a cell phone, back then the charges were enormous so I had many professional calls that consisted of "Be in Court tomorrow at 9am, bye.", click. Somewhere along the way my answering machine turned into voice mail, la tee dah. I added call forwarding to give the illusion of always being in my office. Then I added remote call forwarding so I was in my office anywhere on earth. I got dial-up internet for the e-mail. Then I got a lap top so I could always have access to my e-mail. Then I got a PDA so I had even easier access to my e-mail. Then I got broadband internet so my e-mail was even faster. Thousands of dollars to create the illusion that I was always in my office.
Now lots of people have home offices and it's hard to get a live person even in big law offices. The rule remains the same but technology has changed how we practice law and what is acceptable. I no longer fear being busted. I kind of miss living on the edge. Today I hung out a sign by my driveway. Take that, zoning officer.
posted by The Legal Diva | 7:32 PM
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