Adam Neufer (JD 09)
The most difficult part about going solo is making the decision to go solo. At least, it was for me. But once I made the decision and committed myself to build my solo practice, things began rapidly falling into place. I quickly realized I knew a lot more than I initially thought. I also realized that law school prepared me well to handle the things I did not know, as well as the things about being a solo practitioner that initially made me anxious.As a solo practitioner I am solely responsible for every aspect of my firm. When I first started, I was nervous about marketing my business, and I felt ill equipped to develop and implement an effective marketing strategy. My first marketing efforts were aimed at increasing my firm’s visibility to the public and potential clients. I published a website and took out a small add in the Yellow Pages, but they generated little response. At that point, I decided to focus my efforts on increasing my firm’s visibility within the legal community. I sent a mass e-mail to my former law school classmates and legal employers announcing my new firm. The response was immediate. I received a few client referrals within the first month of launching my firm. Now I have turned my attention to promoting my firm and networking with non-legal professionals whose services overlap with my own.
Representing clients without supervision was another anxiety-producing issue when I first went solo. Although I had gained a good amount of experience in my chosen field, calling the shots and making the hard decisions required an extreme amount of confidence that I did not have after I passed the Bar and decided to go solo. My first case was a multi-day trial for which I had only two weeks to prepare. Now that someone was actually depending on me to represent them, though, there was absolutely no time to get muddled down in fear and self-doubt. While it is important to be able to recognize your own weaknesses and areas where you might need to call in some help, self-doubt is extremely dangerous for solo practitioners and can get them in a ton of trouble! The trial taught me to trust my instincts. Without trial experience or any real experience as an actual attorney, my instincts were all I had—and those instincts helped me win the trial.
Going solo is a lot of challenging work. But at the end of the day I find the work rewarding and fulfilling, and I know being a solo practitioner was the right decision for me.
In Your Own Words is an opportunity for GGU School of Law students and alumni to share the wisdom they have gained from experience. If you would like to contribute a blog entry regarding your job and/or externship experiences or your job search, please email us or call 415 442-6625.
