If you have a dream of being your own boss and running your own law firm, think about hiring an attorney coach. Whether you are just out of law school or have been practicing for a few years, an attorney coach can help you navigate the unique waters of opening a solo practice (or small practice).
1. Doing it the Right Way the First Time Saves you Time and Money.
Using an attorney coach, particularly someone who has opened their own law firm, can ensure you follow the proper procedures and methods to get your practice up and running the right way. This will save you a lot of time and money rather than having to go back and fix anything you might have missed (on top of handling all of your actual cases!). Likely the reason you want to open your own firm is because you love practicing law and are good at it. So focus on that and let someone else come in and help you with the business side of things.
2. Personalize Your Relationship.
Your relationship with an attorney coach should be personalized. If you want someone to handle it all, explain that. You may, on the other hand, just want someone to check in with a couple of hours a month to make sure you are on track. Just because you hire an attorney coach doesn't mean you have to spend a ton of money; figure out what's important to you and structure the relationship around that.
3. It gives you more time!
Starting a solo practice is an incredible experience; it is exciting but it is also a lot of hard work. In the time you are getting things set up, you might be missing out on valuable clients you could be taking. Let someone come in and get you set up quickly and efficiently so you can start focusing on clients (and making money!) sooner rather than later.
Interested in what an attorney coach can do for you? Give us a call at (804) 447-0146 or email us at clbaudean@baudeanlaw.com to see if we might be a good fit for you and your practice.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Monday, January 12, 2015
Establishing Practice Areas
Something you will need to do early on is establish what type of lawyer you want to be in your new solo practice. For some of you, this might be easy because you're experienced in certain areas of law and enjoy it. For others of you, it may be more difficult.
When I opened my practice, I received advice to put my practice areas on my business card. While this is probably a good idea for more established solo practitioners, but for me it wasn't the best idea. Here's why.
When you start your practice, unless you plan to be a general attorney, you will need to decide what type of law to practice. For me, I started with estate planning, divorce and criminal defense. I had some experience in estate planning and divorce law and criminal defense was intriguing to me. As I progressed in my practice, I found myself interested in employment law and opportunities began to present themselves in that practice area. Today, two years later, I practice estate planning and divorce still but have dropped criminal defense and added employment law and business law. You see, choosing practice areas at the beginning does not have to mean limiting yourself; it is simply a starting point.
So how do you choose those initial practice areas? Ask yourself these questions and see what answers pop up:
1) Do I have experience in any area of law?
2) If so, have I enjoyed that area of law?
3) What types of law intrigue me?
4) What types of law do my mentors practice? (Note: if you don't have a mentor, read this).
5) What areas of law have I taken a CLE about?
6) What CLEs are available for different practice areas?
7) Do I enjoy being in the courtroom or behind a desk?
8) Do I enjoy problem solving or preventing the problem?
9) What type of work/life balance do I want?
Once you answer those questions you can start narrowing down practice areas. For example, if you hate the courtroom, you can probably cross off divorce and criminal defense from your list. If you hate problem solving and like preventing the problem, maybe you'll enjoy estate planning or business law.
If you are still having a hard time narrowing it down, ask your mentors to allow you to shadow some cases so you get a good idea of what all is involved in that practice area. And if you get into a practice area and hate it or struggle with it, then remove that practice area and move on. Remember, this is your firm and you get the control; your firm can transform as much or little as you want.
If you are thinking about flying solo or have recently opened your own solo practice and would like to talk about the process, please contact us at (804) 447-0146 or clbaudean@baudeanlaw.com.
When I opened my practice, I received advice to put my practice areas on my business card. While this is probably a good idea for more established solo practitioners, but for me it wasn't the best idea. Here's why.
When you start your practice, unless you plan to be a general attorney, you will need to decide what type of law to practice. For me, I started with estate planning, divorce and criminal defense. I had some experience in estate planning and divorce law and criminal defense was intriguing to me. As I progressed in my practice, I found myself interested in employment law and opportunities began to present themselves in that practice area. Today, two years later, I practice estate planning and divorce still but have dropped criminal defense and added employment law and business law. You see, choosing practice areas at the beginning does not have to mean limiting yourself; it is simply a starting point.
So how do you choose those initial practice areas? Ask yourself these questions and see what answers pop up:
1) Do I have experience in any area of law?
2) If so, have I enjoyed that area of law?
3) What types of law intrigue me?
4) What types of law do my mentors practice? (Note: if you don't have a mentor, read this).
5) What areas of law have I taken a CLE about?
6) What CLEs are available for different practice areas?
7) Do I enjoy being in the courtroom or behind a desk?
8) Do I enjoy problem solving or preventing the problem?
9) What type of work/life balance do I want?
Once you answer those questions you can start narrowing down practice areas. For example, if you hate the courtroom, you can probably cross off divorce and criminal defense from your list. If you hate problem solving and like preventing the problem, maybe you'll enjoy estate planning or business law.
If you are still having a hard time narrowing it down, ask your mentors to allow you to shadow some cases so you get a good idea of what all is involved in that practice area. And if you get into a practice area and hate it or struggle with it, then remove that practice area and move on. Remember, this is your firm and you get the control; your firm can transform as much or little as you want.
If you are thinking about flying solo or have recently opened your own solo practice and would like to talk about the process, please contact us at (804) 447-0146 or clbaudean@baudeanlaw.com.
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