You've made the awesome decision to open your own law firm and now you're in the thick of figuring out logistics. Here are a few things to watch out for when setting up your office:
Shared Office Spaces. State Bars have regulations on using a shared office. First and foremost, confidentiality must be maintained. Secondly, your clients must know that the receptionist and other employees are not your full time staff. Third, if you use it for a mailing address only, you need to let your clients know it is only a mailing address and not your full time office space. A shared space may be right for you but remember, you and you alone are responsible for making sure your office space is in accordance with your state bar regulations. There are similar issues when using a phone answering service that you need to consider as well.
The Cloud. Backing up to the cloud is becoming more and more common even in the legal field. It sounds easy and there are tons of services that you can pay to use. Again, you MUST ensure confidentiality is kept. No one else should be able to access your files. It should be a secure upload so that it cannot be hacked into. It may also be a good idea to back up to another source as well (again, make sure it is safe and secure).
Clients v. Non-clients. It can become very easy to talk with people over the phone or in person about a legal issue they may be encountering. It's important you make it clear to those you talk to that an attorney-client relationship may not be formed at that time. An easy way to make these relationships clearer is to use engagement letters, non-engagement letters and closing letters. Set it out in writing what the relationship is and what the expectations are for that relationship.
Conflicts of Interest. Issues regarding conflicts of interest usually stem from not making the attorney relationship clear with prospective clients. Set up a way to keep track of everyone you consult with (whether you use a case management system or a simple spreadsheet). If you've consulted with them, you could face conflict of interest issues in the future. BEFORE you speak to any new or potential clients, run your conflicts check to ensure there is no conflict of interest. You should also keep the potential for conflicts of interest in mind when you consult with a mentor on a case. Even when you client your client's identity confidential when talking with your mentor resources, a conflict of interest could arise from that consult.
This is a non-exhaustive list of things that should be on your mind when setting up your law firm and beginning to practice. When in doubt, err on the side of caution and ask more experienced attorneys (remember, your state bar likely has an ethics hotline you could consult). If you are opening your own firm or thinking about "flying solo" and would like to talk about the process, please contact us at (804) 447-0146 or clbaudean@baudeanlaw.com.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Monday, July 14, 2014
Flying Solo: Get Certifications
You may have never wanted to do criminal law before or maybe you don't think you like divorce work. When you're starting out, you may have to get past your likes and dislikes in the law. Even if you don't like the practice, get certified for court appointed work. This includes misdemeanors, felonies, and guardian ad litem work (for more information on GAL's, read here).
As a court appointed attorney, the court will give you some amount of work. The pay is not the best for attorneys but it is a good supplement for income to keep your head above water at the beginning at least. It will also provide you with valuable training that can extend into other areas of law that you want to practice. For example, as a guardian ad litem, you will interact with judges and attorneys who regularly practice divorce law. You can observe those attorneys, learn from those attorneys and gain confidence in the courtroom.
Depending on your jurisdiction, the requirements for these certifications will vary. If you can't figure out what is required, ask more experienced attorneys, someone in the court system or call your state bar. Typically, there is a requirement that you obtain continuing legal education in those areas every few years or so. Remember, just because you are on a court appointed list, does not mean you cannot seek help from more experienced attorneys, aka mentors (read here for more information).
If you get into an area of law and find it's not for you, there is no requirement that you continue to practice in that area of law. So when you're starting out, as long as you feel competent to handle the case, try out different areas of law and use your mentors to guide you along the way (you can always request someone co-counsel with you if you feel you will need a more experienced attorney).
If you are a solo practitioner or thinking about "flying solo" and would like to talk about the process, contact us at (804) 447-0146 or clbaudean@baudeanlaw.com.
As a court appointed attorney, the court will give you some amount of work. The pay is not the best for attorneys but it is a good supplement for income to keep your head above water at the beginning at least. It will also provide you with valuable training that can extend into other areas of law that you want to practice. For example, as a guardian ad litem, you will interact with judges and attorneys who regularly practice divorce law. You can observe those attorneys, learn from those attorneys and gain confidence in the courtroom.
Depending on your jurisdiction, the requirements for these certifications will vary. If you can't figure out what is required, ask more experienced attorneys, someone in the court system or call your state bar. Typically, there is a requirement that you obtain continuing legal education in those areas every few years or so. Remember, just because you are on a court appointed list, does not mean you cannot seek help from more experienced attorneys, aka mentors (read here for more information).
If you get into an area of law and find it's not for you, there is no requirement that you continue to practice in that area of law. So when you're starting out, as long as you feel competent to handle the case, try out different areas of law and use your mentors to guide you along the way (you can always request someone co-counsel with you if you feel you will need a more experienced attorney).
If you are a solo practitioner or thinking about "flying solo" and would like to talk about the process, contact us at (804) 447-0146 or clbaudean@baudeanlaw.com.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Flying Solo: Mentoring
In my last post, I discussed the importance of networking and getting your name out there. As a result of practicing what I preach, I was asked to write an article for Law Technology Today. For today's post on mentoring, I will direct you to that article: Mentoring: From Mentee to Mentor.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Flying Solo: Network and Get Your Name Out There
When you work for a law firm, you may or may not be given some clients and you may or may not be expected to bring in some clients of your own. When you go out on your own, you will absolutely NOT be given clients and you absolutely WILL have to bring in all of your clients yourself. The importance of letting everyone know what you do cannot be overstated.
Get your name out there. Call your family, friends, acquaintances, teachers and anyone else you know. Let them know what your doing and how you can help them and their family and friends. Make it a personal conversation and have this conversation often. How many times have you been in a situation where a friend needed a referral and you knew you knew someone who could help them but couldn't remember who it was off the top of your head? Everyone has a lot going on in life and needs to be reminded of what exactly it is that you do.
Network. Network over the Internet (Google+, LinkedIn, etc.). Network in person. Just do it. Meet as many people as you can and be prepared to explain briefly and in layman's terms what it is you do. Networking goes both ways so be sure to have a sincere interest in what it is that person does as well. You can do this informally through acquaintances or you may choose to join a formal networking group. Depending on where you practice and the type of law you practice, you may choose different forms of networking.
Your phone simply won't ring if people don't know how you can help them. Push back the initial reaction to be shy about it and be proud of what you do and how you help people. Form long lasting relationships and show an honest sincere interest in other people.
Finally, never stop networking. It's easy to push networking on the back burner when you get busy but don't do it. You constantly need to have new clients coming in and networking is one way to continue to spread the word about what you do and the types of people you can help. Schedule time in your week/month to devote to networking and stick to your networking plan.
If you are a solo practitioner or are thinking about "flying solo" and would like to discuss the process, please contact me at (804) 447-0146 or clbaudean@baudeanlaw.com.
Get your name out there. Call your family, friends, acquaintances, teachers and anyone else you know. Let them know what your doing and how you can help them and their family and friends. Make it a personal conversation and have this conversation often. How many times have you been in a situation where a friend needed a referral and you knew you knew someone who could help them but couldn't remember who it was off the top of your head? Everyone has a lot going on in life and needs to be reminded of what exactly it is that you do.
Network. Network over the Internet (Google+, LinkedIn, etc.). Network in person. Just do it. Meet as many people as you can and be prepared to explain briefly and in layman's terms what it is you do. Networking goes both ways so be sure to have a sincere interest in what it is that person does as well. You can do this informally through acquaintances or you may choose to join a formal networking group. Depending on where you practice and the type of law you practice, you may choose different forms of networking.
Your phone simply won't ring if people don't know how you can help them. Push back the initial reaction to be shy about it and be proud of what you do and how you help people. Form long lasting relationships and show an honest sincere interest in other people.
Finally, never stop networking. It's easy to push networking on the back burner when you get busy but don't do it. You constantly need to have new clients coming in and networking is one way to continue to spread the word about what you do and the types of people you can help. Schedule time in your week/month to devote to networking and stick to your networking plan.
If you are a solo practitioner or are thinking about "flying solo" and would like to discuss the process, please contact me at (804) 447-0146 or clbaudean@baudeanlaw.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)