Way Worse Than Starting a Law Practice

Although almost half of all lawyers are unhappy in their career or law practice, only a small few are willing to do something about it. When I say do something, I don’t mean applying to another firm, government agency or corporate legal department. You and I both know that’s just kicking the unhappiness can down the road. I mean really figuring out what you want in your life and what truly makes you happy, i.e. uncovering your passion.

Contrary to all the self-help guides and strength finders assessments out there, you will not find your passion in a book. Experience informs passion. So the only way to really know if you are meant to do a particular vocation is to do it.

If you think you want to travel and teach English, you won’t know if you like traveling and teaching until you do it. If you think you’d like to be a chef, you won’t know if you really do until you are working in a commercial kitchen cranking out dinner plates.

I know what you’re thinking. If the only way to find my passion is to experience it, how do I fund those experiences and still have time for a well-paying job? I say ditch that job you hate, hang out your shingle, and start a law practice. Here’s why:

Your Current Position Is Way Worse Than Starting Your Own Law Practice

Let’s face it. The only thing you like about your current job is the excellent paycheck. And because of the long hours you put in as an associate, you’re not even sure if the paycheck is really all that great.

Solo practice is much, much better. You get to decide what cases and clients you take, how much you work, and what your practice looks like. This means you can build in time to try out your interests instead of sacrificing every spare minute for work. Also, you can make a living running a solo practice pretty easily and quickly. By tapping into my legal network when I started my practice, I was able to replace my salary as a prosecutor within 5 months.

The Only Thing Stopping You From Starting A Practice Is Fear

As lawyers, we are all deathly afraid of making mistakes. Any error could mean ethics complaints, malpractice lawsuits, and general mayhem. No one wants trouble or even the threat of trouble, so we stay at the firm.

But the deal is, it’s not the firm structure that keeping you from getting into ethics trouble. It’s you. Because you are a smart, capable lawyer, you are the one doing what is required to represent your client’s interest and prevent ethics issues. The only thing the firm is doing is paying your malpractice insurance bill, and you can pay that yourself. Trust me, free malpractice insurance (which isn’t free anyway) is not worth several years of misery. It’s time to go.

Legal Services Sell Themselves

One thing that I took for granted when I started my law practice is that I didn’t have to sell my services. I had to market them meaning I had to let a lot of people know that I was open for business. But I didn’t have to convince clients of the value of legal services.

Lawyers are part of the cultural conversation. So people know what we do, that we charge a premium, and that they need our help. Therefore to capture legal business all I had to do is let a lot of people know I was open for business, answer the phone when a potential client called, and viola I was off to the races. You can do this too, and you’ll be much happier if you did.

You Have Enough Experience

Another issue holding lawyers back from starting a practice is that they fear they don’t have enough talent or experience to operate a firm. But nothing can be further from the truth. What you learn in law school is that successful advocacy is about finding the right resources, using those resources effectively on behalf of your client, and never giving up. You already know how to do that. You do it for your clients right now as they each have their own unique issues. To start a practice, you just need transfer that same determination to your private clients. It truly is that simple.

Ready to start your solo practice and uncover your passions? I can help. CLICK HERE to schedule a complimentary strategy call with me.