One of my very first law students was a New York policewoman I’ll call Amy who left the police force on a disability pension. Amy was from a small, blue collar town in upstate New York whose population was declining ever since the area’s largest employer had relocated. It hardly seemed like the ideal place to open a law practice. But because she was committed to caring for an elderly aunt and because she owned property there, she returned to her hometown.
Yet the situational analysis we did revealed otherwise. First Amy converted an old barn on her property into an office. Then she established a relationship with the only other attorney in town who was elderly, close to retirement, and unable to take on every case that arose. Soon, he began referring cases to her; she hopes to buy out his business when he retires.
Meanwhile, the quality of her daily life is precisely what she hoped it would be. She lives near her friends and relatives those who know her best. For her, this real estate is “prime” because it satisfies both her personal and professional needs and will for decades to come.
The Best Real Estate Is Near Those You Know
In the legal business, location has little to do with securing the priciest real estate to impress people you have yet to meet. It has more to do with being in close proximity to those who already know you best. Before you can even make a decision about location, however, you have to fully digest and totally internalize three very important concepts:
You are the product. Clients are buying you, your personality, integrity, enthusiasm, compassion and commitment to advocacy. Everything else is overhead, changeable, portable, expandable, but most importantly, expendable. Your product and business are an integral part of your persona and therefore travel with you; they aren’t tied to a physical location. 62% percent of your business will be referrals from friends, relatives and coworkers.
Whether you realize it or not, all your life you have been conducting a marketing campaign, marketing yourself 24/7. The people who know you best want you to succeed. They are proud to say they know a really great lawyer. The qualities which have attracted your friends, spouses, business partners to you and helped foster familial relationships are the very qualities which will encourage them to refer their friends, relatives and coworkers to you when a lawyer is needed.
Successfully locating your practice has everything to do with achieving balance in both your professional and personal lives. You need to select a location where you want to build a personal life or where you already have an established lifestyle for you and your family. If you are like most people, you will ultimately choose to live close to those you have grown up with, whether relatives or friends. Starting your practice close to your support system offers emotional comfort and the opportunity to attain true life/work balance.
Virtual And Home Offices Offer Inviting Possibilities
Today, a lawyer who wants to put down roots in her sleepy home town isn’t limited by her physical location. Thanks to technology, it’s possible to create a virtual law office (VLO). With access to a computer, lawyers can maintain and broaden their practice areas while maintaining their desired lifestyles.
Operating in cyberspace is very freeing for both lawyers and clients. Untethered to specific locations and restrictive schedules, solos can work non-traditional hours while saving on commuting costs. In this era of climbing gas prices, working from a virtual office can benefit your clients as well. Think how grateful they will be to not have to drive to consult with you. In this way, you’ll be addressing not only their legal needs but their unspoken needs as well.
At the same time, home offices are on the rise for a myriad of reasons. For instance, a lawyer who works from home can more easily achieve greater work/life balance, has low overhead, and can raise and enjoy his or her family.
Investigating these various options can further enhance your practice but you have to find what works for you. Not everyone has the freedom to work from home, or to open a hometown practice. Commitments, financial or familial, may force you to open your practice in a less than ideal location. But one of the rewards of being your own boss is the flexibility you enjoy to create a workable solution for yourself, just as Amy did. There’s never just one ideal location; with a little bit of creative thinking and the right computer technology you can make many different locations work for you.
This article was written by Susan Cartier Liebel, the founder & CEO of Solo Practice University which is the #1 online educational and professional networking community for solo lawyers and law students.
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