Ask Your Peers: What Suggestions Do You Have for Fellow Lawyers in the Process of Going Solo? if You Had to Do it All Over Again, What Would You Do Differently?

• Citation: Vol. 30 No. 1
• Publication year: 2024
• Author: Arezou Bakhtjou

ASK YOUR PEERS: WHAT SUGGESTIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR FELLOW LAWYERS IN THE PROCESS OF GOING SOLO? IF YOU HAD TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN, WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?

Arezou Bakhtjou^*

Setting up your own law practice can appear daunting. The good news is that you are not alone, and you do not have to go through going solo, solo! Many of your peers who have already embarked on the journey you are thinking of embarking upon, have a wealth of knowledge and experience that they are willing to share. All you need to do is reach out and ASK YOUR PEERS.

In writing this article, I reached out to our peers and received a great number of helpful responses.

Some of our peers' responses include, but are not limited to the below:

ATTORNEY JEN GRONDAHL LEE:

Design the practice you want before trying to go through a checklist that includes bank accounts, insurance, entity selection, etc. Design includes figuring out your why, who you want to help, who you don't want to help, if you'll be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9AM-Noon, if you'll only be open on Saturday mornings from 10AM-11AM and want to be at the beach the other 6 days of the week, etc.

ATTORNEY JESSICA EAVES MATHEWS:

There is nothing more important when launching your firm than doing it in a thoughtful, deliberate way that helps plan your specific life, desires, goals and dreams. What you focus on is what grows, so have a clear intention about your practice and your life. This goes way beyond things like a website, an assistant, an office space, or what software programs you use. Those are tools/tactics. You first need a vision and value statement for yourself and your new firm, then a strategy about where you want to end up as a firm and firm owner before you start deciding what tactics or tools you will use.

First: Spend time thinking through the life you are about to create for yourself and what you want it to look like. What you want the experience to be. What is your "why"? Why are you launching your firm? Who are you doing it for? What are your short and long term goals and dreams? Read Know Your Why: How to Find Your Place in the World by Simon Sinek and really know this before you move ahead. You can do it in a weekend.

Second: Then ask yourself more granular questions: Do you want to limit how many hours a day you work? Do you want to be at your kids' games or performances? Do you want to close your firm every December for 2 weeks? How many days of vacation do you want? Do you want the freedom and...