Most new attorneys choose to join an established firm after law school. Others explore the idea of starting a solo firm. How do you decide which is a better fit for you?
Here are some considerations …..
Universally, attorneys have a challenge judging how long projects will take. We underestimate nearly all of the time and don’t get as much done as we would like. Does that sound familiar to you? If so, I totally get it.
We all want to fit more in our day, typically with less than successful results which leads to frustration and guilt. Ugh.
The damage to your psyche, confidence, and wellbeing is real when you try to squish in too much client or CEO work into your day. I know you know! So, what do you do? Read on….
The foremost threat facing solos and small law firms today is the risk of catastrophic data breaches.
The second most significant threat is their own negligence.
Evolving security challenges coupled with law firms’ expanding digital footprints mean that solos and small practices have never been so at-risk for data breaches or so unprepared to prevent them.
Attorneys seem to understand this, yet bafflingly fail to act. Read on.
Sometimes a call comes in that I feel compelled to write about and this is one of those times. The question seemed simple enough. Basically, the callers wanted to know if the fact that a solo attorney was going to be added to their firm website as Of Counsel solely for marketing purposes would have any impact on their malpractice insurance premium. Well, as a risk guy, I couldn’t help it. I needed to know more. In response to a few follow-up questions of my own, I learned the following.
Recognize that change is constant. Sometimes change occurs gradually and at other times, for instance during a global pandemic, it comes at us like a tsunami. Regardless, in order to responsibly adapt to change, it must not only be recognized, the consequences thereof must also be understood. If change is too quickly normalized, the consequences too easily become minimized if not completely ignored.
Over the years I have visited more solo firms that I can remember, but no visit stands out more than the one that made me feel as if I had walked on to the set of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Read more….
This article will improve your odds of hiring the right person at the right time for the right seat – and developing them into a rock star team member. Smart hiring will reduce: ibuprofen purchases, “why me” crying episodes, the rapid outflow of cash better spent on pepperoni rolls in Pittsburgh’s Strip or the Reading Terminal, and wasted time that could be spent watching the 1978 Steeler season with your bubble mates.
Allow yourself a little grace for past mistakes and let’s map out the steps to make good things happen from here on out.
An insured recently called wanting to discuss third party payors because representation of his client had just ended and he didn’t know what to do with the excess funds that remained in trust. In light of that call, I thought it worthwhile to cover the basics. Afterall, when one person is asking, that implies others have questions as well.
Many solo attorneys join professional membership organizations and formal networking groups in order to attract business through referrals by fellow members. Maintaining contact with members of the group via Zoom meetings is valuable, yet there are many other ways to interact with these colleagues on a one-on-one basis between meetings. Read and learn.
I recently took two calls almost back to back, and was surprised by both conversations. One came from an attorney who was retiring in another month or so. He had a few general malpractice insurance questions. The second was from an associate attorney with a small firm that was about to be dissolved. This associate was quite concerned about some decisions the partners were making regarding the firm’s malpractice coverage. What struck me was, other than the associate who called, the attorney decisionmaker’s at both firms didn’t seem to understand what a tail and/or prior acts coverage are. How much do you really know?
Why Going Solo as a Young Attorney Could Be the Best Decision Ever with Susan Cartier Liebel from Solo Practice University®.
On this episode of New Solo from the Legal Talk Network, Adriana Linares interviews Susan Cartier Liebel from Solo Practice University® about how to stay motivated throughout the process of starting a solo law practice.
Motivation in life is very important. I share seminal moments which have shaped me as a human being and helped me become who I am today.
On this podcast from Lawpreneur Radio, Miranda McCroskey interviews Susan Cartier Liebel from Solo Practice University® about perceptions of fear, failure and other issues facing solos.
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