To all lawyers, all people in pre-law and law school students, all of those out there that ever thought you wanted to go to law school but did not want to live with the demands of a Firm, this article is worth reading. This is a 6 step guide to “going it alone”, “going solo”, “starting your own firm”. While there may be a lot of ways to do it, I think that this is the best way. I speak from experience as a woman that began her own law practice from the day she swore into the Texas State Bar. While I am only a Texas Lawyer, this guide does applies to anyone in the United States that wants to start his/her own Firm.
Here are the 6 steps in sum, but do not sell yourself short and fail to read the even more important explanations of the steps. Here are the mighty 6 steps:
- Step 1: Figure Out Your Ideal City To Live in
- Step 2: Call/Research the Local County Court and Find out How the Court Appointed Attorney System Works
- Step 3: Move to Your Ideal City
- Step 4: Put on Your Bravery Cap, and Go Sit in the Court House
- Step 5: Begin Your Law Practice
- Step 6: Refine Your Practice to the Field You Wish to Practice in
Step 1: Figure Out Your Ideal City To Live in
Do not just start your career in any old convenient boring spot just because you grew up there. Once you get this law practice going, you absolutely do not want to start over. This is a labor of love, time and money. You want to pick the right city and plant yourself there. If you are not a city person, I advise that you become a city person. I was not a city person, so I moved to San Antonio, Texas, where the 7th largest city in the United States of America feels a lot like a suburb with close by shopping malls. If cities are out of the question for you, consider not opening your own practice. You need a place where there is a lot of petty crime (to be explained below). Small towns just do not have it.
Step 2: Call/Research the Local County Court and Find out How the Court Appointed Attorney System Works
Because this guide advises you start with criminal defense work, you need to make sure there are appointed criminal defense cases in the city you are going to go to. Call the county court house and make sure they do give appointed work to individual attorneys. Learn how to start getting the work yourself.
Step 3: Move to Your Ideal City
You cannot gain the connections, knowledge or legal work you need to have your own law firm if you are not in the city where your Firm is going to be. Move to the city where you want to be. Think of how brave and happy you will feel.
Step 4: Put on Your Bravery Cap, and Go Sit in the Court House
You must go to the court house and devote your time to it. Learn about the judges, the court coordinators, and the criminal defense system. Learn how much money you can expect to make from court appointments as that will be your only source of income until you have enough money to do other things. Be a waiter if it isn’t enough to pay the rent. You will have plenty of time to do an extra job if you need to.
Step 5: Begin Your Law Practice
Make business cards, letter heads, and set up a law practice, even if it is out of your car (see the movie called the “Lincoln Lawyer”). Begin doing excellent work for the appointed clients that you have. Learn the system, eventually get referrals to get hired criminal work.
Step 6: Refine Your Practice to the Field You Wish to Practice in
Now that you know the criminal defense system, you know 100 times more about being a lawyer and running a law firm. Now you can use the money you have saved to advertise for any field of law you wish to practice in. Put up a blog and a billboard, and begin your dream.
If you are interested in seeing my Firm’s Blog about criminal defense to see a place where at least one lawyer that went solo is doing fine, go to http://LawyerDefend.me
For a great piece of various perspectives on how to start your own practice, go here: http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/podcast_monthly_episode_22
To read about some people that love running their own practice directly out of law school, go here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43442917/ns/business-careers/t/law-grads-going-solo-loving-it/#.UGiZdxhAxe4
