Starting a Law Firm | Your Stories

Here's another Friday edition of your stories of starting a law firm. I'll comment a bit at the end.

I graduated from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 2009. I had an excellent job lined up with the United States Army JAG Corp. I had a wonderful live-in boyfriend and President Barack Obama spoke at my graduation. Hope flourished and happiness abounded.

Then I found out that my student loan lender would not approve a bar study loan. Lender told me something about my debt being very high and not having enough credit to justify the extra $5,000 being tagged onto my educational investment of over $100k. I worked three jobs while studying for the Indiana bar to make ends meet. My failure at that exam came as no surprise in retrospect, but was absolute heartbreak in the moment. The Army let me keep my appointment, if I passed the February Bar.

I geared up to take the February Bar. My living expenses became easier to manage when my boyfriend took on all of the rent. I cut down to one job, then to none to have time to study. I worked hard, doing all of the prescribed BarBri lectures and exercises every day. Then one evening in January my mother called. My father was in the hospital. Yes, he was alive. No, there was no cure. He had about one year. Come home when you can. Daddy needs you now. I can’t take care of him alone.

I failed the exam again. My world ripped apart. No more Army job. No more dreams of paying back my debt and traveling the world. My boyfriend moved with me into a two room apartment over top of a Chinese restaurant near my childhood home in upstate New York. He complained I spent all my time with my parents and that he shouldn’t have to find a job to pay rent for that shitty apartment. After sleeping on my couch for a month, I threw him out. I begged for (and thankfully got) a flexible job as an administrative assistant, which brought in $10.40/hour, but allowed me to leave when my dad would have his spells.

It was the fall of 2010 by then, and I felt like a complete failure at life. I had a miserable family, enormous debt, a crappy job, and a broken heart. People either avoided me entirely or started every conversation with “I’m so sorry…”. The depression was very strong, and some days felt like an eternal hell. I slowly found my way out, by focusing on the small things I did have.

I have a wonderful dog. I have an awesome chicken soup recipe. I met a nice guy who kept asking me out to dinner, despite my melancholy aura and clearly-sad-but-trying-to-be-happy smiles. He asked me about the law and how I felt about the morality and ethics of current events, just to see me perk up enough to argue with him. I started to remember why I went to law school in the first place. I began to feel feisty again.
With A LOT of support and encouragement from him, my mother and my co-workers, I took the New York State Bar. I’ve never been more scared, as I truly believed my entire value as a person lay within that test result. I passed. I’ll be sworn in next month (July 2011). I still cry when I think about it.

I’m in the process of setting up my own practice. I’ve learned a lot about myself and life in the past years, and my priorities are certainly much different. I refuse to be beholden to a job and I will not slave away at law firm trying to earn my dues by reaching a prescribed set of billable hours. I have spent years feeling beaten down and unworthy of success, emotions I will not accept as excuses anymore. I am a professional. I can provide services to my community to help ease suffering and preserve dignity. I plan to focus my practice on family law, with some criminal misdemeanors – my passions since my law school days.

I have been conducting informational interviews with local counsel for several weeks. I’ve found that most lawyers in this rural area are hungry for work, but almost all of them refuse to go to Family Court - too much drama. A majority of the local attorneys don’t have websites. If they do, it isn’t functional or it’s just a one page ad to call them. Most refuse to bill flat fees.

*To note, I live in a very rural area in Upstate New York, where a lot of people don’t have access to the internet and still utilize the public library for computers. I don’t know how much business a website would pull in, but at least nobody else would be competing with me through that forum for clients (or so I hope).

I’m still in the planning phase, but I’m trying to make sure I check off at least one “to-do” every day to make sure I am working toward my goal of opening my doors by August 1. I’m slowly deciding on my practice model – flat fee billing is currently winning me over. I’m getting the word out to my professional contacts that I’ll be practicing family law and criminal misdemeanors. A few colleagues have already asked when I open my doors, and if I’ll handle their traffic ticket cases, so I’m hoping that’s a good sign.

I quit my admin assistant job, effective July 1. I bought domain names and am learning how to make a website that works and (hopefully) looks good. I found inexpensive but beautiful office space next to an attorney who is looking to retire and travel. My father left me his entire office (he was a city planner), which negates all of my initial office overhead expenses, like most furniture and office supplies. I bought a Lexis account. I bought a discounted iPhone ($50 for last year’s model sounded fine to me). I’m looking into malpractice and health insurance. I guess I need an e-Fax service? Then I can order business cards and letterhead.

I do have specific questions I need to find answers to, such as:

How do I develop intake sheets and a standard retainer?

If I bill flat fee do I still need a trust account for each client with traditional billing follow-up letters stating the amount removed for services rendered?

Should I bill hourly before making the leap to flat fee?

Should I accept credit cards?

Do I really need to invest in Quickbooks yet?

Do I make my practice a PLLC or should I stay un-incorporated for now?

How do I create a business plan for a solo firm?

Do I need a credit card?

Of course, most of these questions assume I’ll have clients, which seem like mythical creatures at the moment: Where do they come from and how do I find them?

I bought a number of books about starting a firm (Foonberg’s, Elefant’s and some others that looked reputable). I like Solo By Choice, but the others give very outdated technological advice and mandate things I don’t understand the purpose of, like “make sure a photograph of your family is on your desk.” (Um, so my client knows who to hold hostage if they’re unhappy with me? Or to remind me the people in the picture need to eat too, so I better find work?)

I am reading blogs for encouragement, advice and support. Yours has been an outstanding resource, and I love digging through your archives to read about your early days. Thank you for chronicling your journey. If you or any of your readers has advice about starting as a solo in a rural area, or marketing in a rural area, I’d appreciate the knowledge. Thank you for the opportunity to ask you my questions.

First of all, I just want to congratulate you for as far as you've come so far. You haven't been given any breaks in life, and it takes a lot to keep picking yourself up off the ground. I'm proud of you.

Now, on to the practical stuff. It sounds like you've been thinking about this for a while and have started doing some planning. That's great. You've got an idea of what you want to practice that's focused enough for your geographic area (doesn't sound like many people want to do family law) and you've already been getting out there and letting people know about it. Let's just get right into answering your questions.

1. How do I develop intake sheets and a standard retainer?

Get out there on the internet and make something up. What kind of information do you want to find out when a potential new client comes in? That's what you make your intake sheet ask. And there are tons of retainer agreements out there.

2. If I bill flat fee do I still need a trust account for each client with traditional billing follow-up letters stating the amount removed for services rendered?

Nope. I still have a trust account just in case I need it, but if your fee is earned upon receipt it's yours. Put it in your bank account. Check your local rules of professional conduct to find out exactly what that means (Washington State, for example, requires specific language in the fee agreement about when the client might be entitled to a refund - if I die or lose my license, for example).

3. Should I bill hourly before making the leap to flat fee?

It's your law firm, it's your choice. Weigh the pros and cons and make a choice. If it doesn't work, change it up a little bit.

4. Should I accept credit cards?

Yes.

5. Do I really need to invest in Quickbooks yet?

I say no, particularly if it's just you. Your finances will be prettyhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif easy to take care of - how much money is coming in, how much is going out? A spreadsheet will probably work at the beginning.

6. Do I make my practice a PLLC or should I stay un-incorporated for now?

I personally chose to create an entity at the beginning. I think it just makes everything cleaner later on. If it's just you it's a pass through anyway. It doesn't make things that much more complicated for running the business.

7. How do I create a business plan for a solo firm?

I've blogged about this before. Here is a post I found on starting a law firm business plan. I've got some other posts out there. There's a bunch of stuff out there on the internet. Remember, a law firm is no different than any other business. You need to know what kind of business you're going to run (area of practice), how you're going to run the business (processes), and how you're going to get clients (marketing).

8. Do I need a credit card?

I have no idea. Is it important to establish your credit as quickly as possible? Yes. I have a credit card I put monthly expenses on and pay off every month. Helps to build up some points for fun later and helps to establish good credit. At the end of the day it's up to you.

Hope these questions helped. And remember, you can read all the information and books that are out there but eventually you're going to just have to start trying stuff and see what works for you. Good luck!

Marketing a Law Firm | The Use of the Golf Course

Before I get going on this, you don't have to be a golfer to get somehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif great information out of this post. In a lot of ways this post is supposed to help you do some of the things you like to do while getting new business, making more money, and at the same time expensing an activity you really like to do - which is one of the great things about starting a law firm - you can actually do all three at once.

I don't know if I've talked about this much, but I love to play golf. One of my goals is to play on the senior PGA tour some day (I've 19 years to get ready). The golf course, for me, is a great place to hang out with friends, release some of my competitive energy, gamble, and drink all at once. What more could you ask for?

Oh, you want to market your law firm too? Fine. You can do that too.

First things first, you've got to approach this type of marketing, often referred to as "networking" with a specific state of mind. In fact, I don't even like to call it networking. I like to think of it as "relationship building," because that's what it really is. The purpose isn't for someone to necessarily give you business that day but to create a relationship of trust and respect so that when they or anyone they know needs your particular kind of help they'll call. If you think of this as a hassle, as a means to get another business card, then you are doing it all wrong. No matter what kind of event I go to I always try to meet two to four new people and really get to know them a little bit. Then I have a happy with them and get to know them more. And on and on, eventually, maybe, to the golf course.

The great thing about starting a law firm and marketing a law firm is that almost anything counts toward both. So long as there is a business purpose behind what you're doing, it's a business expense. And, whether you realize it or not now, identifying as many things as possible as business expenses will really help your bottom line.

Finally, to the point of the post - how to use the golf course for law firm marketing.

I use it for two reasons. The first thing I use it for is to establish new connections. There is no better way to get to know someone than to spend 4 hours with them out on the golf course. You get to see how they handle stress (the three foot putt for par), success (when they knock one close or hit a great shot), and failure (we've all duffed a shot here and there). And they get to see the same from you - it's a great way to form a bond right from the get go. Typically I do this by having someone I know invite a couple of people out so we can meet and play - no obligations. At the end of the round I give them my business card, get their card, and follow up with a happy hour or some other kind of meeting - instant business relationship, and I got to play a round of golf.

The second way I use golf for marketing my law firm is as a thank you. We are not allowed to pay people for referrals where I practice, and I don't. But that doesn't mean I can't thank the people that mean the most to my practice - those that refer me business. Every once in a while I'll just call a couple of people that refer me business and ask them if they want to play a round. I'll introduce everyone to each other, solidify the bond, and make sure to say "thank you" for thinking of me when someone they knew needed help. It's completely random and I often invite people that haven't referred me business in a while, so it's not a reward for the specific business, it's simply saying I appreciate you.

Hopefully it's not too difficult to see how this could translate to whatever it is you like to do. A baseball fan? Invite some potential referral sources or good clients to the ball game. Like the opera? Do the same thing. Paintball? Organize a game. Whatever it is, imagine how you can use that to form some business relationships and run with it. You'll be better at selling yourself because you'll be in a comfortable place (and by selling yourself I simply mean making meaningful connections - showing people that you are trustworthy and know what you are doing in your business) and you'll have fun at the same time.

See you Friday - we'll have another starting a law firm story. I'm off to court!

Starting a Law Firm Stories | The Bankruptcy Lawyer

Another day, another successful starting a law firm story. This week, though, we're going to have an added feature - I'm going to break down this guy's website and give him some ideas for improvement. I won't do this for everyone, but this guy's in my city, he wrote me what seems like forever ago, and I didn't get back to him until today because I suck. So he gets a little bonus as an I'm sorry.

And I apologize for this, but this one's going to be long (though it's going to be packed with some ridiculously great information).

First things first, this guy, as the title implies, is a Seattle bankruptcy lawyer (if you want to see his site, click on the link). As you might expect, this is a highly competitive niche. There are at least hundreds of people out there trying to get exactly the same clients he is. And that's okay - as long as you're better than they are. Here's his story:

Hi, my name is Joe (name changed) and I recently started my firm in Seattle, WA. My law firm primarily focuses on helping people solve their debt problems by helping debtors file chapter 7 and chapter 13 bankruptcy or helping debtors settle their accounts. Additionally, I am looking to get more work in trademark, business and entertainment law.

I moved back to Seattle around November of last year after going to law school and working for a few years in Denver, Colorado. I had the pleasure of graduating from law school in one of the worst economies ever (2008) but was lucky enough to find a full time associate attorney job in early 2009 doing real estate litigation insurance defense. Unfortunately that job only lasted 6 months as I became the first attorney ever laid off by that particular firm due to the said economy and lack of business.

Fortunately I had a buddy who had recently started a bankruptcy firm in Denver and he offered me part time work while I looked for full time work. I was looking for over a year, was a finalist for a few jobs I interviewed for, but unfortunately there was always another applicant with more experience. I finally came to the conclusion that I had to go out on my own if this whole law thing was going to work out.

I had learned some applicable skills (especially in SEO with the Denver firm ranking #1 for most terms) through my work experience and decided if I was going to go out on my own I should do it in my hometown of Seattle. I launched my website, www.bankruptcy-law-seattle.com last September and packed up and moved from Denver to Seattle last November. I started getting serious about the firm in January of 2011 and so far things have been taking slower to develop than I initially thought it would.

I have tried to focus on SEO and getting my website ranked on the first page of Google with mixed success. I am on the 1st or 2nd page for most terms I am looking to get ranked for, but have had a little help with getting on the Google Maps. I have been trying different marketing techniques with mixed results and am always looking for things that might produce good results. I have also been contracting with several out of state firms which I am hoping will lead to profitable business.

So far I have too much free time, but if that changes and I get too busy I figure I can always hire some help so that would be a good problem to have. This month has been my best month so far, so I hope things continue to be on an upward trend.

Before we even get to the website, let's talk about the story.

1. Your Story

I think it's probably pretty indicative of a lot of stories out there. Economy sucks, can't find a job, make a job. That's totally cool. But, let's dig in a little bit further and talk about a couple of things.

1.1 Area of Legal Practice - Bankruptcy and ...

Your description of the bankruptcy work you do is great. The rest of it, not so great. If you want to pursue business, entertainment, and trademark law, you're going to have drill down more. There are many practices that focus on just business, just entertainment, and just trademark, and even with special niches within those practice areas. If that's what you want to do great, but don't expand your practice areas just because you aren't getting the business you want right now. The last thing you need to do is lose your focus on your bankruptcy practice because you're pursuing a couple of shiny objects out in the distance.

My advice, not knowing anything other than what you've written, is to give it six months of just going after bankruptcy exclusively. We'll come up with some ways to fill some of the free time you have right now. :)

1.2 Marketing a Bankruptcy Practice

And here's how.

1.2.1 Start a Blog

First things first, you need to start a blog. Bankruptcy attorneys are a dime a dozen. You need to show people why they should hire you over someone else. And it shouldn't be because you are the cheapest. Start a blog today (here's a post on starting a law firm blog), and put up some video posts on there. Don't be afraid to be interesting! Think about the things that potential clients are interested in and write about them.

For example, I don't know anything about bankruptcy. If I were going bankrupt these would be some of the things I'd want to know:

1. Am I going to lose my house?

2. Am I going to lose all of my money?

3. Are there things I can do to keep more of my money and wipe out more of my debt?

4. What can you do that no one else will do?

Answer these questions and you'll have a great start.

1.2.2. Get Off Your Butt and Market

How can you do this? There are a couple of things I can think of righthttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif off the bat. First, make a list of all the places people facing bankruptcy go. I have no idea what they are but I hope you do. Now, call those places and offer to do a presentation on how to save your ass-ets if you're going into bankruptcy. If they aren't interested ask them if you can post a flyer. You'll have a room full of potential clients immediately.

Second, go to a local farmer's market and open a booth. Make a sign that says "Bankruptcy Lawyer - Questions Answered for Free." All they have to do to get a question answered is give you their contact information and take a card. It will blow your mind how many questions you'll get - and clients.

That should give you plenty of things to do. And here's my experience with marketing a law firm by going to the farmer's market. It was great.

1.3 Your SEO Efforts

I'd love to hear more about what you are doing for this. If I were you, my goal would be to be number one for "Seattle bankruptcy lawyer" and Seattle bankruptcy attorney." When I just checked you weren't on the first page for either (maps doesn't count). If you're not on the first page you might as well be on the 10th page.

Starting the blog will help. Follow my instructions and you'll build yourself a great site to link from (kind of like this). But you've got to write from the heart, and you've got to write regularly, no matter how much it sucks.

I hope part of your SEO is getting links to your site, and I hope, I pray, that it doesn't involve commenting on anyone else's site or Avvo. Those are bogus. We'll talk more about it when we have our happy hour, but you're wasting your time if that's what you are doing.

1.4 Make a Law Firm Marketing Plan and Stick to It

From your email it looks like you are trying a whole bunch of things half way and hoping one of them sticks. For example, this "out of state business thing" makes no sense to me. Maybe you're talking about standing in pro hac vice for someone or something. But I'd focus my efforts locally if you want to have a consumer bankruptcy practice.

Here's my suggestion. First, turn off your computer, your television and your phone. Second, sit down with a piece of paper. Third, think about who your ideal client is - write that at the top of the page, and be specific. Age, gender (if applicable), occupation, education, etc. If you know a foreign language that's a great niche to get yourself into. Fourth, think about all of the places your type of client hangs out - write them down. Fifth, think of ways you can get into those place to get in front of said potential clients - write them down. Sixth, execute plan to get ideal clients.

If the idea won't get you in front of your client, don't do it. Give your ideas at least 3 months to see if they work. Everything in marketing takes time to stick.

Okay, have I beat you up enough? :) No? Okay, let's talk about your law firm website. But, before I do that I do want to point out that this is all meant to be constructive criticism. I am excited that you had the guts to go out on your own and I want to see you succeed. Now on to more criticism!!

2. Seattle Bankruptcy Lawyer Website Critique

I'm going to break this down page by page (though I won't talk about every page). Before I even get there I want to talk about the general layout and give you a couple of suggestions.

2.1 Overall Layout

First, your site is way to busy. When you are putting this together you need to think about what it looks like from the potential client's perspective. When I first saw I simply thought "information overload!" Scale it back a little bit. Say more with less. And, if you can, square everything up. The diagonal lines are a bit disconcerting.

2.1.1 URL

Second, your URL is bankruptcy-law-seattle.com, but you have links on here for business, trademark and copyright, and sports and entertainment, in addition to a button on the right that says "business law." I don't know about you, but I am not calling a bankruptcy lawyer to talk about business formation - there's just something ominous about that. This is a website about bankruptcy - don't gum it up with a bunch of other stuff.

If you want to be a business lawyer and a sports lawyer that's fine - but build out separate websites for them. Bankruptcy clients don't care that you know trademark law, and sports clients don't care that you know bankruptcy. They want to know how you can help them with their specific problem.

If you want to tie it all in create a home site that let's you link out to all of your other specific sites (another great SEO trick). You've already got it for your email.

2.1.2 Left Side of Page

Do we need to keep telling people what you do? Maybe that should be "Five Critical Questions Answered" or something like that instead of "Practice Areas."

"Resources" - just make the word a link to your resources.

"Tell us about your case." Do you really need the security phrase? Are you getting spammed that much? For me it immediately says "I don't trust you."

Think of some educational and helpful things to put over there.

2.1.3 Right side of page

Okay, I like what you have here. The only problem is, what am I supposed to do and why is it so lawyerly? Take off the "consumer bankruptcy" and "debt settlement" titles and put in three words really big - CLICK HERE TO - and then leave the rest of the stuff underneath. And don't send them to more information, send them to your contact page or have a window pop up where they can put in your information.

Here's the key about bankruptcy - they don't care HOW you do it they just want you to do it. (Add those pages the button links to to your resources - About Consumer Bankruptcy, for example)

Take off the business law button and replace it with another bankruptcy subject people can click on.

2.1.4 Footer

This is another great area to put in some keyword links. Remember to use the words you think people will be using to find you - Seattle bankruptcy lawyer - for example. Your words aren't descriptive enough right now.

2.2 Bankruptcy Lawyer Home Page Critique

Let's just go from top to bottom.

"Call us today: (206) 390-9451." Why are we calling? To get a quote? To get a consultation? Just to talk? Tell them WHY they should call today. And make it bigger.

2.2.1 Text in Middle of Page

The text portion of your site needs to be updated big time. I like the big bold print at the top, but remember you aren't talking to a bunch of lawyers you're talking to regular people. For example, just change the word "obtains" to "gets" and you've made a huge step. You could also just say "We Can Make the Phone Stop Ringing from Debt Collectors in 48 Hours. Call Now to Find Out How!" That's catchy. That is enticing to people. That makes people pick up the phone. Obviously if that's not true then don't say it, but think about why people are coming to your site and then tell them how you can solve their problem, if they just pick up the phone.

The text itself is not great. It's too wordy. It's too lawyerly. It's too much like what everyone else says. Let's break it down sentence by sentence.

"We are a Seattle based law firm practicing in the areas of Consumer Bankruptcy, Debt Settlement, Business and Intellectual Property (Trademark and Copyright) law." That sentence took me fifteen minutes to write because I fell asleep three times. First, people know what you do, you tell them that in the bold print! Second, no one cares about the other practice areas. This sentence is a great place to piggyback from the bold print. Do it. I'd say something like "Phone ringing at all hours of the night? Afraid to leave your car in the driveway because it might get repossessed? Wondering how you're going to pay the bills next month? We can answer those questions for you. We can help you get your first good night's sleep in months. We can help you get rid of the debt that is weighing you down like a ton of bricks." Isn't that way more appealing?

"We offer a compassionate and dedicated Seattle bankruptcy lawyer in the areas of chapter 7 and chapter 13 bankruptcy as well as an attorney well versed in business matters to ensure you have a partner in navigating your way through the complex Washington state and federal legal system." Wow. That's all I have to say.

The rest of the text is just as bad. Scrap it and start over. Tweak it until an 8th grader can not only read it but will want to pick up the phone and talk to you.

One other thing about your text - work in some of your keywords to tell Google what the page is about. I'd try to say Seattle bankruptcy lawyer and Seattle bankruptcy attorney once on each page. Don't link it out on your home page (sort of like it is now), but do it on your subpages linking back to your home page. And never link your firm name - no one cares about that.

2.2.2 Areas of Practices Section of Page

I would change this to say "Seattle Bankruptcy Lawyer" "Seattle Bankruptcy Attorney" "Seattle Business Lawyer" "Seattle Sports Lawyer" etc. Don't people to click on them because they won't and that's not the point. Point the links toward the relevant site and then you'll start to get some great Google juice from your home page.

2.3 Wrapping Up the Seattle Bankruptcy Lawyer Website Critique

I'm too tired to keep going, but I think you get the drift. You've got good bones here, but it can be so much better. Take of your lawyer hat, but on your businessman hat, and start thinking about what your potential clients are interested in seeing.

Can't wait for that beer!

Starting a Law Firm | Your Story Friday

As I promised, this is the first of hopefully many posts from you all about your journey to starting your own law firm. I want to know why you decided to start a firm, the story behind, and how it's been. We can all learn from each other here, and I know there are more great stories out there to be told.

So, without further adieu, here is Scott's story. Looks like he's an Albany personal injury attorney and Saratoga Springs Employment lawyer. Enjoy!

I just read your post, and read your blog with some frequency. Here's my story:

I am 32. I worked for a small(ish) firm out of lawschool for about 5 years. It was a great group of people, and I am greatful for the lessons that I learned during those years. I had always thought about going out on my own, and found myself very interested to talk with friends who had made the decision. My largest concern, obviously, was business, and that was the one thing I was not really picking up at my firm - how to develop business.

With some hesitation I left the firm and took a position with a larger firm as a partner, co-leading the litigation group. I initially enjoyed the work, which allowed me to represent plaintiffs in employment and serious personal injury cases. I quickly realized, however, that the firm was not a good fit for me. Once I realized that I decided it was time. After talking it over with my wife, who is also a lawyer (and my biggest supporter), I gave notice and was on my way.

I opened the doors to Peterson Law Firm around April 1. (I didn't literally open them, I worked from my home office until I found space that I was comfortable with, both financially and professionally). I was fortunate to have had a handful of great clients come with me, but since I represent mostly individuals in employment and personal injury cases, there is always that underlying concern over where the next case will come from.

So far business has been consistent. Some days I feel overwhelmed being on my own, but I've tried my best thus far to leverage technology to help. I quickly signed up for a cloud based file management system, which also does time keeping. I've set up dropbox for offsite file storage (love the iphone app), and I've outsourced my phone answering service as well as my dictation. I'm not quite ready for live help, but my goal is to be able to comfortably hire an assistant at the end of my first year.

It's been a crazy couple of months. There is absolutely nothing like working for yourself, and I honestly don't know that I'd ever work for someone else again (unless I had to). Thus far my biggest struggles have been with time management (it's been an adjustment coming from always having a full time assistant) and staying on top of my marketing. I have good contact with the legal community, and am going to begin writing a monthly column for my local bar journal next month. I have two blogs, although they have not been updated nearly enough. I built my website for the time being, and I have to say I'm enjoying seeing it moving up the search rankings (although not fast enough for me).

You are right on point about outsourcing. I constantly get messages from vendors trying to sell me a package which will "get [me] on the first page of google." Problem is, when I search for some of their clients (always ask for this), they are not on the first page of google.

For what it's worth to those considering going out on their own, I have had no less than 10 attorneys at larger firms tell me how much credit they gave me for, in the words of one, "doing something that most of us don't have the b*lls to do."

What's your story? What made you decide to start a law firm? How's it going? Let me know, tell me something interesting, and I'll post it.

Have a great weekend!