I’ll admit that I’ve always had mixed feelings on the question of whether to solo straight out of law school. As I explained in this early post, from my perspective, it made sense for new grads with no work history and with significant student loan debt to take a paying job if only for a year or two and begin to build a reputation on someone else’s dime.
Of course, in today’s economy, my preferred employment-to-solo scenario simply isn’t feasible. And if that’s the case, I’ve always endorsed solo practice as a far preferable option to working as a paralegal or leaving the law entirely.
So how do new grads get a practice off the ground? Last week, Washington D.C. criminal defense attorney Jamison Kohler blogged about this topic extensively, offering solid advice on how new grads can find training, mentorship and plain old camaraderie to build a criminal defense practice (though it will take some time).
Coincidentally, just as Jamison was drafting his post, I was at a Tweet-Up in Minneapolis, Minnesota where I interviewed Anthony Bushnell as part of the MyShingle SoloCorps Project, who started his now five-year old criminal defense and civil litigation firm right out of law school. Though Bushnell initially intended to work for himself rather than sit around and wait for a job, turns out that by doing so, he wound up creating a job for himself:
SoloCorps Interview – Anthony Bushnell, Minneapolis Criminal Defense & Civil Litigation Solo from Carolyn Elefant
Did you go solo out of law school? Share your advice in the comment section below.
I went solo out of law school. I don't think I would have been able to strike out on my own for a long time if I hadn't done it this way. Once you get used to a steady paycheck, it seems harder to make the leap, even if you have a reputation and client base built up. I am lucky to have an incredible support system with my partner and family, but also really glad I went for it. I also think I've got a personality that is more suited to doing my own thing than working for someone else, and I have no shame asking other more experienced lawyers for help. I have found that most other lawyers are more than willing to share a few minutes of their time to point you in the right direction, especially if you bribe them with lunch or coffee. Building a solo practice right out of school requires some bravery and a lot of networking skills, but I think it's pretty fun.P.S. I really enjoyed your CLE when you were in Portland!