Articles
Carolyn Elefant, author of the celebrated blog MyShingle.com, has been “inspiring solos, small firms, and aspiring solos since 2002.” She’s brought that inspiration plus a hefty dose of information to her new book, Solo by Choice: How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be. Organized to follow the way aspiring solo practitioners think, Solo by Choice is divided into five sections that reflect the many questions swirling in the mind of lawyers who elect to go it alone:
- The Decision: Should I go solo? What are the benefits? Can I hang out a shingle straight out of law school?
- Planning the Great Escape: How do I leave my current position? How do I actually begin a practice? Who will my clients be?
- The Practice: How do I handle clients and billing? How do I manage my cash flow? How do I grow my practice, and what happens if I get more work than I can handle, or if a matter involves an unfamiliar practice area?
- Marketing: Where will I find clients? Do I go with “traditional advertising” (Yellow Pages and billboards) or should I rely on the Internet? Where can I get the most bang for my marketing buck?
- Frequently Asked Questions: How can I compete with other lawyers and law firms? Will clients really hire a new solo? How do I learn the nitty-gritty parts of practice? How do I move from a large firm or government position to solo work? How do I handle part-time work and maternity leave? If my practice doesn’t go well, how do I know whether or when to throw in the towel?
A meaty appendix concluding the book adds a wealth of information and resources. (An index would have been equally helpful). Throughout the book, Elefant’s tone is consistent: she’s a mentor who’s undergone the transition, experienced the challenges, and prospered. By including experiences and tips from other solos, she subtly models one of her key messages: although a solo may be the only lawyer in his or her practice, every solo must have relationships with lawyers who can pass off overflow work, lend a hand with a legal or practice management question, and provide camaraderie and support. Aspiring solos will appreciate the simplicity of Elefant’s advice. For instance, she offers six reasons to go solo (including the desire for autonomy, practical experience, flexibility, and career satisfaction); five common motives for hanging out a shingle (a long-held dream, unhappiness in a large firm, wanting to be a stay-at-home mom, having been fired, and wanting to practice law on one’s own terms); several self-assessment questions to judge whether you have the solo temperament; and a framework for a financial and economic analysis of going solo. She then narrows this analysis to three essential questions:
- Are you willing to do what it takes to establish your firm?
- Are you confident with your lawyering skills?
- Will you regret it?
Elefant also substantively addresses the financial aspects of solo practice. Encouraging new solos not to adopt the billable hour model simply because of its familiarity, she delves into alternative methods of charging clients; how to determine an appropriate fee and how to get paid, as well as how to generate fast cash (through temporary agencies, requesting contract work, approaching legal services plan networks, public appointments, and more); and how to market for direct clients. Lawyers who’ve been sole practitioners for several years will find the marketing chapters particularly helpful. This readable book is an invaluable resource. If you’re wondering whether solo practice might be right for you, if you’re on the cusp of beginning your own practice, or if you’re struggling to make your new solo practice work, you will benefit from Elefant’s concrete, detailed, implementable suggestions. You’ll also be inspired—or reinspired—by your decision. Few books, no matter how useful, are destined to become classics in their field, but Solo by Choice is one of those few.
RESOURCE Elefant, Carolyn, Solo by Choice: How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be, Niche Press/DecisionBooks, January 2008
