Solo Practice University™ is the #1 educational and professional networking community for lawyers and law students, designed by lawyers for lawyers and dedicated to helping you build your very own solo practice.
The common preconception among law students and new lawyers is that starting a solo practice is unwise, if not downright impossible. Conventional wisdom says you should work for someone else for a few years to learn the ropes.
For founder Susan Cartier Liebel – and for thousands of other law students and new lawyers who want to call their own shots practicing law right now – shuffling paper under someone else for the next few years wasn’t an acceptable option.
And so formed the idea behind Solo Practice University™, while Susan was teaching a class at Quinnipiac University School of Law called How to Hang a Shingle Right Out of Law School.
Solo Practice University™ was created to replace the apprentice experience – without sucking up years of your life. It’s a single online destination where lawyers and law students learn the basics of running a solo practice, take classes and get expert feedback from professionals in specialized fields.
These Solo Practice University™ students take charge of their professional futures. No waiting necessary.
Solo Practice University combines all the benefits of an educational community, legal blog, a professional network, and a legal conference. You’ll find teachers who are well-known and highly regarded in their fields teaching through video, podcast, live lectures, and other media to bring the experience of the classroom home to your computer.
We strive to make Solo Practice University™ even better and more informative than your law school experience through a few important distinctions.
- Availability – At law school, it’s often hard to get your teachers (especially the most well-regarded) to take the time to discuss anything beyond the immediate coursework – and sometimes it’s hard to even get that much.
- Breadth of knowledge – Law school focuses, and rightly so, on learning the law. Unfortunately, a sound legal knowledge isn’t everything you need to start your own solo practice.
- Affordability – Big or small, law schools have one thing in common: a huge price tag. Not so at Solo Practice University™.
- Convenience – Remember clamoring to get that last spot with the only professor who taught a class on your special area of interest? That race never happens at Solo Practice University™.
At Solo Practice University™, our primary focus is on creating relationships between you, your teachers, and your fellow legal professionals. Every question is worth asking. Every individual here has the time.
Solo Practice University™ takes over where law school leaves students. We offer courses in particulars of law on which you need clarification or expansion, and we also offer courses in marketing, technology, branding, copywriting, blogging, work/life balance issues and more.
At Solo Practice University™, you get all the expertise you need to get started.
We believe you should get the knowledge you need to start your own solo practice without paying for law school twice over. That’s why we offer all our classes, courses, study groups, faculty hours, communities, and blogs for one low monthly fee – or an even lower quarterly or annual fee.
Our live classes are recorded so you can view them at any time, and all of our previous video classes, podcasts and other media are available 24/7 whenever you’re ready to learn, read, discuss, or ask questions. There’s no such thing as a one-time class at Solo Practice University™.
At Solo Practice University™, we work hard to make sure you have only the best experts in the fields that interest you. We have classes on everything from entertainment law to marketing for lawyers to trial technology to operating your solo practice from home.
Even better, we’ll keep adding the classes you want from the most well-respected professionals we can find.
Ultimately, Solo Practice University™ has just one goal: to help you open your own solo practice. We’ll keep making this community stronger, better, and easier to use until we get you there.
Testimonials
“While I would like to believe the SPU faculty (while includes this humble blogger) is SPU’s biggest draw, the real benefit of SPU is its vast community of attorneys sharing insight, solutions and collegiality. If you have never experienced social networking, here is your chance to jump into “professional networking” with both feet. SPU promises to be simple, fun, educational and, if you are not careful, an unparalleled practice builder.”
, BlawgIT
“I love Solo Practice University – it has made all the difference in my self-confidence and my belief in my ability to eventually succeed in my law practice.”
“In early 2006, when I first seriously pondered leaving BigLaw and opening a solo practice, I found a great deal of information and support through various listservs and blogs. Even still, making the leap was daunting, largely because I had little training or experience relevant to the unique, day-to-day challenges running a solo practice brings.By launching Solo Practice University, lawyer coach and consultant Susan Cartier Liebel aims to solve that common problem.”
, The Texas Appellate Law Blog
“This weekend I finally had a chance to spend some real time listening to some of the classes that interest me and I am very impressed. You have done a phenomenal job bringing such quality instructors to teach here at Solo Practice University. I look forward to future classes.”
“It feels like the campus has been totally redone since SPU launched! The look and feel are great, and the news that has been coming out only serves to solidify SPU as ”the” place to be for solos and wanna-be solos. Absolutely phenomenal.”
“I am finally here and I am like a kid in a candy store. There are so many courses I want to take and groups I want to join. What a wonderful resource you have created. Thank you again.”
Want to read more testimonials? Check out the signup page.
Preview Videos
The following videos are short previews of actual classes.
From Introduction to Special Education Law:
From Consumer Bankruptcy Law:
From The Basics of a Real Estate Transaction:
From Personal Injury 101:
