What would you do? Worked at a small family law firm for 8 months. Hated the work and I didn’t get trained at all. I was poached by an immigration firm (I never wanted to do immigration but needed a way out). Fast forward 4 months, I love immigration but HATE the toxic work environment. I feel like a failure for ending up in another situation that’s not good for my mental health, which sucks because I really really love the work. Am I being too ambitious for wanting to go solo in one year?
No. Do it.
I went solo after 4 years - three years transactional and 1 year litigation. It’s a lot of work, especially if you are still new to your area of expertise but as long as you can handle trial and error, you will be fine. Grab as many templates as you can before going solo. If you have the funds to purchase Westlaw, it’s easy to pull templates from it as well.
I litigate in federal court so I search the type of motion I need on the westlaw docket search and then pull the actual document from Pacer and use it as a template. I normally pull 2-3 and then create my own template.
Your next big investment should be an experienced paralegal. Mine is honestly my lifeline.
I am nearing my first year of being solo and I’ve never worked more in my life but I was suffering from extreme anxiety prior and my mental health was terrible. I still get anxiety, mainly bc now I everything falls on me but overall I am in a much better place.
I handle tax law so I pitched myself as an out of house “in house counsel” to a handful of firms and provide them with tax advise on an ongoing basis. I have another firm that pays me to review their clients tax audits for potential litigation. If their clients needs advise in a state I am licensed in, they also have the option to set up a call between me and their client. Each firm pays me a set amount every month.
I handle litigation for each firm on a case by case basis. I review their claims in detail and if I feel we have a case, I’ll take it on for litigation. If I don’t feel that litigation makes sense, I provide them with a detailed explanation. If I take on the case and litigate, I engage the firm on a lower contingency basis.
I went solo when I went to a local Young Lawyers event in my practice area and realized peers practicing in high ranking firms were asking questions that I thought were common knowledge and easy questions. It gave me the confidence to say “If *they* can do this work, I DEFINITELY can!” Don’t wait if you feel even the littlest bit competent. Knowing what you don’t know is an asset too - you can always look it up or call on a colleague.
There are some people who will stay in toxic situations & never have the guts to make the switch. It will be a lot of work for you, without a doubt. But, like F&MP said above... your mental health can be better even if you're working harder. It's a matter of getting rid of the toxicity, if that makes sense. It's ambitious in the best kind of way that you want to protect your mental health & take this big step.
I went solo after 5 years in-house and 1 year at a firm. I do patent prosecution, business transactions, and consumer protection.
I hated practicing law until I became my own boss. It's definitely encourage you to do it. But like FMP1 said - grab all the templates you can, as well as any flowcharts/process guides and training docs, if there are any.
Make sure you have malpractice insurance, and see if the bar can help you get a mentor.
Get good practice management software. I use Zola b/c of its security features and the free billing portal, but there are plenty of other solid choices.
Make sure you review your specific RPC to make sure your engagement letters (especially the fees portion) are compliant. Don't rely on templates for that - you'd be amazed how many sophisticated firms have terms that could get them in trouble.
Good luck - you've got this!
No! Make a plan and go for it!
Why wait a year? Go solo now.
That might just be what you need. You're not being too ambitious at all. You're just a strong-willed individual who knows how not to settle for less. I admire you for this. Advance Good luck in advance with your new endeavor!
We all have to start somewhere. See if you can find a more experienced immigration attorney to partner with?
Never stop seeking for what's best for you. Life is a constant search. Once you finally found it, you'll realize that everything that has happened to you is all worth it.
I went solo after my first associate job! I started working for an immigration attorney in my small town. Brought in work and completed several delayed cases. She never paid me. I got one paycheck for $300. I tried to talk to her about it twice, and during the third conversation I quit. I worked there for a month. So, I started my own firm and never looked back. It's so hard, but totally doable.
I don't think there is a such thing as being too ambitious. That is just me personally. So if I were you, I would go for it. There is no better feeling than being your own boss and calling the shots. Best of luck to you.
I went solo 6 months after passing the bar. I left a toxic workplace after 3 months, and just did it. 4 years later now. If you seek out mentors, and work social media for some free advertisement, and WFH so little overhead, it’s been great. I will preface to say my spouse can support us, so I never felt the stress of needing X amount of clients.
Hmm. I think you are already ready to go solo. Go for it, OP!