How to Start a Solo Law Practice

Posted by Charlotte Attorney
Written by Claytonwire

The Bar examination is the exam all practicing lawyers must take before they are eligible to practice law in a particular county or state. However completing the bar exam on its own is not enough to guarantee employment, and in the current economic climate it’s more difficult than usual to secure a job. One of the best ways around the current job shortage however, as many people are finding, is to go it alone and set up your own business. In law this might mean starting your own solo practice, and there are many benefits to doing so; so much so that even if you are currently a practicing attorney or otherwise employed, you may still be tempted by the idea of flying solo.

For a little bit of money up front, starting a solo practice can give you the satisfaction of working closer to the case, choosing your working environment and taking more profit as a result. It can also give you the flexibility to hone in on a niche area, gain business experience and choose your cases.

Fortunately if you have the determination to go for it then it’s actual not that hard or expensive even to set up your practice. First of all you will need to register with the government that you are going self employed and that will involve setting up tax. You will most likely want to register yourself as a sole trader, but should the need arise you can develop later into a limited company. The equipment you’ll need is fairly basic and setting up your home office won’t need to cost that much. First of all you need a computer and a printer, and most people already have both. Laptops are advisable as they’re far more practical and means you can have all your documents on you at any time and can have a ‘paperless law office’. Make sure that you have the necessary software for managing contacts such as Outlook and for managing your money such as GnuCash. Likewise ensure that your printer has scanning and faxing capabilities.

If you currently don’t have much experience as an attorney then it can pay to shadow a company that do something similar to what you want to do for a month or so. You won’t get paid for this but if you volunteer your services for free for a month a lot of places will be eager to have you. In return ask to be sent to their meetings and involved in their privy discussions.

Now that you have the experience and the tools you just need the clients. Often the easiest way to find clients to begin with is through friends and family going through divorces or dealing with traffic tickets. Ask them to spread the word and recommend you and hopefully you’ll start a domino effect. To make this process easier you’ll also need business cards so people can pass them onto their friends; friends can actually be some of the best marketers and best of all they’re free! Similarly by taking on pro bono cases (with out a fee) you can build a reputation for yourself and again get more good referrals (don’t take on more than you can afford however).

Today social networking sites like Facebook can also be a great way to communicate your service to a lot of people, and setting up your own professional looking website is also a must. Adverts on local radio and in local magazines are also intelligent ways to market and soon you’ll find that the work comes pouring in with no work on your part.