Don't Call it a Comeback

I really cannot believe that it has been over a year since I have written a post.  Time flies I guess.  The truth is for the last eight months I have not been able to write anything on this solo/small practice niche blog because I am no longer in solo practice.  In the Fall of 2008 I closed the doors on my law firm and joined a 14 attorney firm in Madison.  What I've come to realize during that period of time has been both expected and a surprise.  What I mean by that is we all know what we give up to join an existing firm.  I expected to give up some freedom and independence.  I also expected to have more resources at my disposal, colleagues to bounce ideas off of, and the security of a guaranteed income.  I was surprised to find that some of those this are illusory at best.  Every firm that I have ever been a part of has virtually the same dynamic when it comes to each attorney's role and each attorney's respective practice.  Yes it is beneficial and comforting to know that you have additional resources and sounding boards for questions/ideas, but in my experience it is really nothing more than a collection of solos or small firms that occupy the same office space. 

That may sound at first glance that I am rethinking my decision to trade in the solo life for the opportunity to join a firm.  The reality is that my mindset has largely not changed at all from the way at looked at things 8 months ago.  The fundamentals that I wrote at length about for over a year are still applicable to building a practice while employed or from within a typical law firm.  You may find another layer of bureaucracy from time to time, but if you position yourself correctly this can be limited more often than not. 

I'm not entirely sure what my mindset was when I first began this new endeavor in the Fall.  I can safely say that I didn't have the focus that had grown from my passion to build my own practice.  It took me almost 3/4 of a year to realize that the opportunity for growth existed.  The solo practice life is very difficult in the early stages.  My practice was open for 15 months.  It was an exciting and stressful time.  I thoroughly enjoyed many parts of the business and not a day goes by when I don't think about what I could have done better and whether I could do it again.  Ultimately, I decided to close the business, as most businesses do, when I was presented with an employment opportunity and it was apparent that I was behind my projections.  I'm doing my best not to romanticize what happened because it wasn't the happiest of days.  It is never pleasant to admit that you did not meet your expectations.  It is less pleasant to admit that you did not meet your expectations and you can identify things that you should have done differently or that you could have worked harder.  I take full responsibility for the fate of my solo practice. 

Like so many things it is amazing to see what comes out when you stop bottling up your thoughts and emotions.  My dream job was/is being a solo practitioner.  The ship hasn't sailed, but it would take a dinghy to get to it from the pier right now.  At the present time I am going to focus on building a practice in my new city and with my new firm.  I also plan to refocus on this blog.  Part of this plan is to expand the blog topic areas to include not only starting a solo practice but the building of a "solo" practice within an existing firm.  We'll see where this road takes us.    

Comments

[Susan Cartier Liebel, Esq.]

OK. So it's not a comeback. But I am interested to read what you've learned as you continue to reflect and build your practice within your law firm.

[Deflated BigLawyer]

This is the first time I read your blog, and I must say it is rather disappointing. I have been thinking about starting a solo practice and have this idea that I could make it work and thrive. Your story makes me more skeptical of taking the plunge, leaving behind a high paying job at biglaw...instead of just relaying that you closed your doors and the fact that you could have done things different, why don't you spell out some of the things you could have done differently? What was your downfall? Etc?

[Solo Dreamer]

Deflated BigLawyer,

Thank you very much for you comment. I am very sorry to have disappointed you. That obviously was not my intention. You've inspired me to explore the reasons behind my decision to close my practice and to share those with the readers.

I still strongly believe that the solo practice route is a great and viable choice for many attorneys. I hope that you'll stay tuned in the coming months as I follow you advice to explore why I decided to close my solo practice.