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Additional Posts in Small Law / Solos
Any contract family law attorneys in Kentucky?
Do solos get to write off pro bono work at all?
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Consider doing freelance work for firms or having an of counsel relationship. Plenty of shops are entertaining these kinds of arrangements now. Just be cognizant of the ethical rules (conflicts).
I’ve always understood the terms to be that Of Counsel is a more formalized and ongoing relationship. Freelance being more fluid and project based.
I am in the same boat. Planning to open my own firm this year, and the thought of my family starving is always in the back of my mind. So I’m mostly here for the ideas and reassurance from others. But I will say that you are better off taking contract legal work than a PT non-legal job. Stay in your lane and develop some experience you can use to build your practice.
Litigation and investigations with a bent toward white collar/fraud. I want to transition to representing individuals facing professional license revocation or misconduct charges. Also have some background in class actions and want to take some shots at consumer fraud issues I’ve been seeing.
Does your area have assigned counsel? Court appointed assignments where I live can pay $150/hour. There was a shortage of public defenders and attorneys to do guardianship hearings for incapacitated people. Several solos I know did that, and for some of them, that was exclusively how they paid their bills. I did it too while working for a firm but more for the trial experience.
I started my own firm right out of law school with a friend and we each made about $50k our first year. I left to government but he’s doing amazing now (7 years out). I don’t think you’ll starve for 2 years unless you’re doing exclusively contingency work or something. We did a mix.
Coach
That takes a lot of guts to go out on your own right after law school. Do you know what type of practice your friend does? I’m considering going solo after 2 years of practice.
I hear ya man. I made 100k on one case in a state my employer isnt licensed in. I figured that was my time to jump and I still could not stomach it.
Idk how the rainmakers do it, honestly.