3 posts and columns on Vanessa O’Connell

Building eBay for Lawyers

in News on March 23, 2011 at 12:22 am PT

Auction sites like eBay work pretty well if you’re looking for a hard-to-track-down piece of flatware. But can they work for lawyers’ services? Many attorneys have doubts, but a 21-year-old law student named Robert Grant Niznik is putting his money–or more candidly, he says, his parents’ money–behind a Web site called Shpoonkle that will let lawyers bid for clients.

Early Holiday Spending Suggests Strong Season for TVs, Videogames

in News on November 24, 2009 at 5:00 am PT

Consumers are generally cautious heading into the critical holiday shopping season, with preseason trends suggesting that electronics sales may be solid while sales of apparel, particularly women’s styles, could get pummeled. Spurred by the release of a hot videogame and earlier-than-usual promotions on televisions, U.S. shoppers spent 6.1 percent more on electronics in the first half of November the month, through Nov. 14, than a year ago.

The New Must-Have Accessory

in News on November 2, 2009 at 1:26 pm PT

A self-described iPhone freak, designer Norma Kamali spends each morning reading the day’s headlines on her gadget’s current-events application. To unwind, she plays Scrabble on a game app. When her miniature dachshund Zeke acts up, Ms. Kamali looks up her iPhone’s encyclopedia on canine ailments.