Starting Your Own Law Firm
When I created this website, I sought to make it a resource for new attorneys who want to start their own firms, and for established attorneys who want to grow the firms they have. There are many resources for learning the mechanics of starting a firm, so I spent more time writing on the topic of promoting your law firm. The biggest psychological barrier attorneys face when thinking about starting a firm is whether they will be able to find enough paying clients to make a go of it, so that has been my emphasis.
I love that I get so much positive feedback for the marketing information I provide, but a large percentage of the questions I receive are not about marketing the firm, but rather how to start a firm in the first place. Here are some typical questions:
What should I do about office space, and how much will it cost me?
Can I work out of my home?
Is there an inexpensive way to furnish my office?
Do I need a receptionist to answer the phones?
Should I use a laptop or desktop computer?
For the past few weeks, I’ve been writing a series of articles on the mechanics of starting your own law firm. I originally envisioned it as a series of short articles, but as I got into the writing, it soon turned into a book length tome. Indeed, my plan is to keep adding to it and eventually publish the information as a book.
To keep my nose to the grindstone, I wanted to announce that I am planning to release the series here by August 18, 2014. If I’m not completely done by then, I will release what I have so far.
If you are subscribed to my newsletter, I will send you an email to remind you. If you’re not subscribed to the newsletter, then do so now (the form is in the right sidebar) or mark your calendar. Even if you have a thriving practice already, I think you’ll find some new practice ideas in the series.
It comes down to this. If you are confident that you can generate just ten hours of work per MONTH, then you have nothing to worry about starting your own firm. I will show you how to keep your overhead so low that you will be profitable from day one. If you’re not even sure you can bring in ten hours of work per month, I’ve even got that covered. I’ll show you how to make your phone ring with new business on day one of your new law practice (assuming the phone guy showed up).
I have a few things going for me that many “How To Start Your Own Law Firm” authors can’t bring to the table. I started and ran successful businesses before I ever went to law school, so that gives me a business perspective; I was Editor-in-Chief of Law Office Technology Solutions and Contributing Editor of Law Office Computing, and a writer for a number of other computer magazines, so that gives me a law firm technology background; and I’ve been running my own successful law firm for more than 20 years, so I’ve already learned from just about every possible mistake.
What do I ask in return for bringing you this information? Nothing. I’m a giver. Give, give, give; never take. Okay, if you want to give me some feedback on the materials so I can make it even better for the book, that would be appreciated, and perhaps you’ll occasionally click on an affiliate link so I can justify to my wife the time I spend on this blog.
[UPDATE:] The Definitive Guide to Starting Your Own Practice is here, right on time. In the right-hand column, look for the Starting Your Own Law Firm Series, or just click the start button to the left to be taken to the first article.