Where to Begin When Starting Your Law Firm

First Do Some Reading on How to Start a Law Firm

As I think I've said before, my primary motivation for starting this blog is twofold: (1) to chronicle my journey through the process of opening a law practice; and (2) to provide my thoughts, feelings and ideas about starting a law practice to you, through a detailed step-by-step discussion, so you can transition to solo practice as easily and smoothly as possible. That's why this post is so important.

If you are like me, even before going to law school and deciding to open your own law practice you had an itch or a thought or an inkling that owning and running your own business would be a great thing to do. Not only do you reap the financial rewards if successful, but you get to make all the big (and small) decisions that inevitable shape the business you create and do it when you want, how you want, and where you want.

But once those thoughts and ideas turn into more of a possibility, reality hits. For me, at some point I said to myself, "I know I want to do this, I know I can do this, but how do I do this?" Here is how I got started actually planning opening a solo law practice.

The first thing I did was get a copy of Foonberg's How to Start and Build a Law Practice. It is a great book that deals with not only the fears and anxiety associated with opening your own practice, but the practical requirements as well. Home or traditional office space, announcements, marketing, choosing clients, and the importance of trust accounts are all discussed. And to add to it, Foonberg has included numerous forms to help get you started. It is a great book with great information, and I highly recommend taking a look at it if you begin to get serious about opening your own law practice.

Although the book is a great start, the human element is missing. There are no personal stories of successful law practices opening, no "real world" examples of the suggestions in the book getting put into practice. That is where the legal blogs come in. As you might expect, there are no shortage of people venturing out to open their own law practice, or excited about others following in their footsteps. Some of these people, seeing the great power of the Internet, have decided to tell their stories and share their information through blogs and websites. If you look to the left, you will see many of the sites that have helped me so far, and continue to help me shape what is right now an idea into a reality.

I would suggest checking these blogs out. Go back in the archives (particularly for
Dreams of a Solo) to see someone else's journey to opening their own practice. You will find that they dealt with a lot of the issues you will be facing and may provide a fresh perspective on a problem that seems impossible to resolve.

Be careful when you do this though. If you are like me you will get sucked into these blogs, in some ways living vicariously through their experiences. Read them with the purpose extracting information so you can start your law practice with an increased likelihood of success.