I became a solo practitioner for a few reasons. First, I was already a CPA when I went to law school. I also went to law school at night. I had a young son soon after taking the New York Bar Exam and the extra money I could earn was helpful. I had CPA's in my family and my father-in-law was a CPA, so it was simple and natural for me to work for them while attending school. Both my uncle and father-in-law were also attorneys so they could help me learn transactional law and estates and trust law. So when I graduated from St. John's Law, I continued to practice accounting and do legal work that arose with these clients (usually transactional). I taught myself drafting in the estates area by attending CLE classes in drafting wills and trusts and asking questions of more experienced lawyers. Mainly I learned by doing.
2. What is the best part of being a solo practitioner?
The best part of being solo is being your own boss and not having to worry about office politics and making decisions for myself.
3. What is the worst part of being a solo practitioner?
The worst part of being solo is lack of an office staff, trying to bring in business when the economy is slow (like now). Also trying to keep costs down is a challenge.
4. What advice would you give to others looking to become a solo practitioner?
Keep expenses low when starting a firm. Don't take at face value claims of increasing Site visits by web developers, SEO experts etc. Remember most advertising you do will bring in nothing, so be skeptical. Also do not spend excessive money on legal resources you don't need. For example, if you handle one bankruptcy case a year you should not spend money on Lexis's service for bankruptcy. Form alliances with other attorneys in those fields so you can pool resources. Also explore free resources. For example, if I have a pressing and complex tax case, I can use the Hofstra Law Library free.
