Director of Employer Outreach
Have you ever considered opening a solo practice? Earlier this week, a panel of Bay Area solo practitioners offered their advice for launching and maintaining a successful legal practice. Below are some of the key takeaways shared during “Going (and Thriving) Solo,” hosted by UC Hastings College of the Law on August 12, 2015. Panelists included Rafael Climaco (Law Office of Rafael Climaco), Otis Landerholm (GGU JD 10) (Landerholm Immigration A.P.C.), and Jill McInerney (Law Office of Jill E McInerney). Tiela Chalmers, CEO of the Alameda County Bar Association, moderated the discussion.
Starting Out. Before launching your practice, speak with other solo practitioners about their own experiences, advice, and lessons learned. Consider reaching out to alums from your law school or find seasoned practitioners by joining the Bar Association of San Francisco’s “Solo and Small Firm” section. Supplement these conversations by reading any number of available guides, including “How to Start and Build a Law Practice” by Jay G. Foonberg.
Specialize. The panelists universally agreed that specializing in a particular practice area is fundamental to running a successful solo practice. Specializing enables you to become familiar with nuances of the law as well as build a strong community of support.
Gain Experience. If you are considering entering a new practice area, obtain substantive legal experience by performing pro bono work through a non-profit organization or your local bar association. Pro bono work also provides an excellent opportunity to network with other lawyers and meet potential future clients.
Space. Even if you plan to do most of your legal work from home, invest in a professional office space where you can conduct client meetings. Oftentimes solo practitioners will share office space with other attorneys to minimize their costs. Shared office space may also provide you with access to administrative support and office resources (e.g., copier, fax machine). Having a separate office location serves the dual purpose of reinforcing your brand as a legal professional and serves to maintain boundaries between your personal and work life.
Resources. When you are first starting out, keep overhead costs low by utilizing free legal resources. The San Francisco Law Library (1145 Market Street) maintains an extensive text and database collection for conducting legal research. The collection includes print resources of all 50 state codes, texts on a wide range of legal subject areas, professional practice sets, Restatements, law reviews, California and Federal Rutter Group series, and CEB professional practice and Actions guides. Electronic resources include access to Westlaw, Lexis, Shepard's, CEB OnLaw, Fastcase, HeinOnline, PACER, and Fastcase. More information about the library and its available resources can be found here.
Tell the World. Once you are ready to launch your practice, send out announcements to your network letting them know you are open for business. This includes reaching out to family, friends, and professional contacts. Include a description of your new practice, a professional photograph, business address, and contact information.
Apply for the Bay Area Legal Incubator (BALI) Program. BALI is GGU Law's new, two-year, modest-means solo-practice incubator program for attorneys recently admitted to the California Bar. BALI provides extensive support, mentoring, and education on how to successfully operate a low/flat-fee/sliding scale solo or small firm practice that serves the legal needs of the modest means community. Participating attorneys are provided a small stipend for the first six months of the program. BALI applications are due August 24, 2015 by 5:00 pm. Apply through LCDonline under the "LCDonline Jobs" tab. To listen to the Application Information Teleconference, call 641.715.3395 (Code 515791#) reference number - 3#, or download a mp3. The general BALI Information Webinar is posted here. For more information or questions about BALI contact Cynthia Chandler at cchandler@ggu.edu.
