Small Law / Solos

Lawyer who would like to acquire a law firm and could use advice from someone who has done it. Feel free to to pm.

Any lawyers acquire or take over a law firm and just operate and not practice? Particularly interested if not your practice area

Morning! Do any solos/smalls here pay for attorney-only lead generation services such as Bark or Courtbuddy? Does anyone know of any success with these?

Nagging clients... Is this done yet? Is this done yet? Multiple weeks before the deadline when I have other competing superseding deadlines for other clients.

How do you tell an otherwise good client that their ta… more

Private equity acquisitions of boutique law?

Run a boutique law firm in California. I keep getting email and LinkedIn solicitations as a potential purchase target by p/e firms. Seems very sketchy.

Honestly, I don’… more

Plaintiff side employment lawyers: Are you working on contingency, or do you require a retainer and bill your clients hourly? I currently do defense work, but thinking of striking out on my own and … more

In your experience does a good website generate any clients?

Anyone have insight on salary ranges for lawyers 4-5 years out handling discrimination cases in the tri state area like PA and NJ?

I’m a biglaw litigator who specializes in brief writing. I’m considering going out on my own as a full-time freelancer, i.e., I would market myself to other lawyers as a writer for their cases. Has an… more

Does anyone know what (if any) fertility/IVF/egg freezing/adoption/surrogacy benefits any of the following firms offer: Cohen Ziffer, Elsberg, Holwell, Susman Godfrey, Friedman Kaplan? TIA!!

All you plaintiff side solo/small lit firms, hows it going regarding settlements? It feels to me as if insurance are a bit tighter than usual with the purse strings. Additionally settlements are takin… more

Reactions from your boss/partners when you gave notice to start your own firm?

Feeling so overwhelmed and stressed, thinking “I hate my job, I don’t want to be a lawyer anymore “ far too often. Feel too old to start over in something new, but not quite old enough for retirement… more

Help! I just hung my own shingle (literally today) I’m already being inundated with calls! I’m switching from high-end practice in a major city to generalist practice in my rural home town. I have no … more

I’ve had a great career as a solo for the past 25 years - it’s hard to believe that it has been 25 years! I’m 67 now… and thinking of retirement. Anyone else out there also thinking of retirement? Is … more

How do you find part-time/freelance/fractional litigation support? Specifically, someone who can handle state and federal filings?

7-year litigator here. I built Atlex—a lightweight, visual court-deadline tracker that sits between Big Law bloat and small-shop spreadsheets. Want to kick the tires? Comment “beta” and I’ll DM you.

Is it reasonable to expect to make $150k total profit your first year solo with 4 YOE. I have not been able to get reliable information. I plan to bill myself at $250-300/ hr

Hiring an associate. Early 30’s. Accepted the position. We accepted her delayed start date (obligations in current employment). Then she ghosted us. Just no response to the usual on boarding and eve… more

How much did you have saved up before making to jump to solo? Or if you struggled, how much would you recommend having saved?

Tips on how to bring in your first client in federal criminal defense?

Solos whose target clients are businesses…what do you do to attract business clients?

My law clerk is getting ready to start her 2L year. (This is my first time having one.) I’m looking for some ways we can show our appreciation to her for all the great work she did this summer.

Her pl… more

Any tips on getting new clients without a marketing budget?

Can anyone, from experience, recommend a company that receives and scans a law firm’s mail?

Between general commercial litigation and a transactional practice like real estate or funds, which is better for going solo? I am finishing my 3rd year in big law and have exactly 1.5 years of transa… more

Has anyone used a solo/small firm accelerator program or coaching program or practice management consulting service such as the Lawyerist or 3a? Would you please share your experience? Thx!

Is there a rule of thumb for setting of counsel/IC hourly pay? If they are billing out at $300 (4th year small town), what would appropriate hourly pay be? This associate is transitioning from FT earn… more

I’m sure this has been asked, but the search function is failing me. Any ex-BigLaw ECVC attorneys out there who quit to hang their own shingle? What year did you make the move, and do you think that w… more

If I'm working for a company as a 1099 contract attorney, am I considered a solo practitioner?

I’ve found that there is more discrimination and less diversity at smaller firms. Has anyone observed something similar?

Solo estate planning and probate attorney, making decent money but can't seem to get over the plateau I'm at these past 2 years. My projection for this year is the same. My biggest hurdle is … more

Just got done with a jury trial. My client was found guilty on count 1 and not guilty on count 2. They are going to appeal as there’s grounds for it. I’m having a hard time recovering from the stress… more

I currently work at a smaller law firm in west Texas with 5-6 attorneys. The firm is owned by one attorney. Me/the firm primarily practice complex commercial litigation. I have good work life balance,… more

I’m currently an in-house AGC, but I’m trying stand-up a solo practice on the side. Currently, I have two clients for contract review, nothing crazy. However, I made a connection with international co… more

Are there any all-in-one legal software programs that offer timekeeping, document generation, PDFs, templates for a solo/small firm? I’m slowly started to get everything in order for my new business b… more

Is cybersecurity/incident response, maybe focused on uninsured SMBs, a viable solo practice?

Are there any law firms looking for some accounting and billing assistance? You can contact me for assistance.