What was your primary motivation for going solo or starting a small firm? Would you say it went as planned?

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

I wanted flexibility in how I worked. I never wanted to feel like one person could fire me and I would lose everything. I moved from nyc to Flordia, I live on a beach, make 4x as much money set my own rules and my own sechudle.

To be honest it didn’t go as planned. Within 6 months I had two F500 clients. My expected income went above 500k for the year and the client base rapidly expanded. It still is I am landing about 1 large client a month.

like

Where in FL? I’ll fly down there and be your associate!

I don’t anyone ever makes real money working for someone else.

like

I had about 14 years of experience and the prior 7 years I had managed a department handling everything from substantive supervision to hiring and firing.

A promised partnership had fizzled out and I realized I didn’t want to devote seven more years promoting someone else’s business only to realize it wasn’t the right fit for me.

If I was going to put that much time and effort into a brand, then I wanted it to be my brand.

The firm and I parted ways somewhat amicably and I started my own firm until I could “find something else,” but also to see if I could do it on my own. If it didn’t work out then I would know that I need to swim with the current somewhere else for someone else.

Within the first two months I had two big flat fee clients, which paid the firm bills for several months.

I had already established myself in the community. So, an announcement on LinkedIn that I had started my own firm brought professional referrals over, which brought clients over.

The business was pretty self-sustaining from the beginning. I’m two years in and not making much net money, but I am going slow and steady so I can spend time with my kid, who I ignored working for the first five years of life.

The business is showing good growth while I invest back into it and my husband and I are committed to seeing a long haul profit rather than a first two year profit. We’ve lived poor before and that doesn’t bother us too much as long as we are happy. We live an incredibly modest life, which leaves us better flexibility to roll with the punches.

All in all, it’s been good. But, it can be pretty lonely. It’s good to have some groups to be involved with so you don’t feel so out there on your own.

likehelpful

A4: elder law and estate planning - but mostly elder law.

Main reason was I couldn’t find a law firm in town doing what I wanted to do so decided to build it myself. I always knew I wanted a niche and would rather start now than 10 years from now. I also love incentives and my last firm didn’t have a clear incentive policy nor did they follow through with bonuses on cases I originated that were promised. The risk is high but then so is the upside!

Been out on my own for six months and have already netted more than I made in three years at my last firm. Will obviously pour the majority of that back into the firm so I can do it again (I represent plaintiffs’ on contingency, so it’s not a steady flow of cash) but still feels good to prove my old boss wrong (who told me it would take 7 years to land my first client and that the cases I brought in before only came in once every 5 to 10 years lol)

like

Sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and sexual harassment

F

Related Posts

Suggestions on Product based Companies for "Business Analyst/Product Owner/Project Manager" Roles under US Healthcare domain would be of great help 😊

like

Doesnt Fidelity Investments have good development projects ? Me being a developer wasnt assigned any dev tasks till now. Its been more than 3 months since i joined.

like

is there any AML KYC or Financial crime or Fraud investigation roles open for Team Lead level in JPMC? can someone refer me with one? issue is if they are accepting Team Lead experience without it being on papers..

like

Any book recommendations on how to tame/work with being an overachievers? I'm assuming a lot of us have a hard time switching off the problem-solving voice in our head (I know I do!) and wonder if there anything good to read about this.

like

Does anyone know what’s happening? 😰

Post Photo
like

Anyone know/live in the Eugene in Hudson Yards? Thoughts?

like

Hi All , just wanted to know if Adidas provides offer letter in email format only and not the usual pdf .
Is it a normal process in Adidas or should I ask for signed PDF offer letter .
Please provide suggestions .

Waiting for BBBY to blow its top again 🚀

like

Any reference google program manager role ?

any crossfitters here ?

I love the idea of crossfit...but I have a bad shoulder from years of swimming so I wonder if it’s a good idea...

Anyone know if deloitte allows part time CPT? My full time CPT ends in May and been emailing immigration but no response.

like

How does a person change their mindset to be more positive? I feel like I’m meant for my job, but blame all my life problems on it….having no energy, being single at the age of 30, etc. and it seems like a never ending loop. I look for new jobs, realize I have a good job then am ok for a bit then start it all over again. When I’m off of work I’m fine and realize I have it pretty good. Only real negative is I can’t vacation with my family in March due to my busy time.

like

What advice would you give a new L7 in cyber coming from D? Will it be hard to rebuild a network?

Anyone working working as a product design engineers/developesr. What would be some good technical skills to learn on the side while I do my day job right now. ( Such as code languages, or software, or certification). Do you have any other recommendations or personal experiences to share?

like

How do you approach the initial conversation with your doctor? I have taken a variety of both anti anxiety and anti depressants. Nothing works. I’ve been reading online and in this bowl, and a lot of ADHD symptoms really resonate with me. They have for a long time, frankly, but I couldn’t get my former provider to take me seriously when I was in college/law school. I’m hoping the context of being out of school helps, but I just want to make sure I maximize my odds of getting help (cont)

like

Is it considered mental abuse if your partner is depressed and instead of getting help or addressing the issue, they let their emotions out on you and expect you to change and be their therapist? Causing you to have severe mental health issues and lowering your own mental health?

like

What is a competitive salary for a tech recruiter with one year of experience specialized in data analytics in the southwest?

like

Hi Fishes,
I need a referral for job 601407, Engr III - AI Engineering in
Verizon, Hyderbad location,
can anyone help me with it.
Thanks in Advance.

like

I’m currently working in due diligence and have a long term goal of moving into corporate HR. What skill sets would be most useful and what books/ thoughts leadership should I read to develop into a HR leader?

like

Additional Posts in Small Law / Solos

This is not my main area. How much to charge for a simple trust in California? Couple only has a house. Thanks

like

Managing attorneys in small firms - how much do you make?

I'm in South Florida. Currently a 6 year associate at a small firm (~12 attorneys, 55 staff). Making a move towards Managing Attorney position that they are considering hiring from outside the firm for. I'm going to make the case that they should promote from within and give me the position. I'm objectively a good candidate for it. Question is... what's a good salary for that position? What do you make? Thanks.

like

How targeted is your marketing company? Can they directly target people if they visit X website? My marketing company seems kind of lazy in this regard, more of a set it and forget it mentality. Want to see if there are more proactive agencies or whether my expectations are too high.

like

Has anyone does a course from New Law Business Model? If so, what did you think?

like

Young solo here w/ a question about fees: 1. A local solo criminal defense attorney has offered to pay me to go and make appearances before the Court on some of her cases to make announcements. (For example, “ready when reached”). I’m open to doing this and this attorney is asking what my fee would be? Does anyone have thoughts or opinions on what a reasonable fee would be to do something like this? Hourly? Flat Fee? 2. I want to ensure this is ethical. I don’t see an issue with this. Thoughts?

like

Which practice area has the most amount of room for creative problem-solving? (And enough $$)

like

When potential clients tell you they’ll hire your firm but they want to be 100% reimbursed from you if you aren’t able to get them the outcome they want - how hard is it not to laugh?! 🤦🏽‍♀️🙄

like

I have my own practice for past 5 years and have spent a lot of time building up brand and reputation. I'm thinking of bringing on partners but am trying to figure out how to structure compensation, profit sharing and equity while maintaining control. I dont want to do associates bc I need someone with more experience than I can afford. Does anyone have any ideas on how one can up a law firm?

like

Any international trade/customs lawyers out there? Would love to pick your brain and learn about an easy way for a solo to break into this field.

like

Do solos get to write off pro bono work at all?

like

Solos - what does your day look like? Do you work traditional hours? Do you take breaks during the day for personal things such as errands and working out?

like

Has anyone received equity as contingency comp? I have a potential client with a founders dispute. He doesn’t have cash, and the other founder ripped him off and is now running the company. He wants to sue for equity and wants to pay me with whatever equity he wins. I’ve never done a deal like that. Is that even enforceable? CA law. The startup is actually quite promising.

like

Anyone have their Trust and Operating accounts with Regions Bank? Are you able to transfer funds online from your Trust to Operating easily?

like

Started my law firm this month. Have a few of-counsel positions and want to do mostly litigation (civil and commercial in NY). Besides word of mouth and networking, have any of you found any websites or services that generate legitimate leads?

like

Does anybody have a resource available for pricing and billing? I am 2 years out of law school, working as a corporate attorney, and wanting to go solo. Ideally, I will take my corporate client with me, but am working to build work on the side during the transition. Also, do you have any recommendations for document preparation? I would like to draft wills, trusts, and other estate planning documents, but would like a resource that has boilerplate provisions to utilize as a reference.

like

At what point do you talk to the partners at a small firm when you’re looking for other positions. I love the people at my firm, and I’m close with them— but I’ll eventually be leaving to be closer to my s/o. They’ve historically taken things VERY personally when people leave, and I’m trying to avoid hurt feelings (or getting let go before I have something else lined up). Send help plz.

like

Best way to go about getting contract work for new solo/startup? Should I just ask around the area for people doing that type of work and see if they have anything?

like

Has anyone used a coaching service for their firm? If so, any recommendations?

like

The past two days I’ve spent to my entire day doing things that really can be done by a paralegal. So I hired a freelance para. Any tips to make this a success? What’s your tips to train and get your para up to speed?

like

Does anybody have a good guide or resource they can point to in regards to show clients how to organize their documents for our firm? A lot of time is wasted here going through discovery documents we receive from clients because the docs are disorganized and not annotated - it just becomes a whole scavenger hunt and it’s eating into our time like crazy.

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal