The Dreams of a Solo

When did you decide you wanted to open your own law practice?

I am asking this question for a couple of reasons but mostly because I am curious of the thought process that current or soon-to-be solo attorneys went through before committing to the solo journey.  There are more than a few ways of arriving at proverbial fork in the road and the road signs say different things for all of us.  Some attorneys are practicing at large law firms, have years of experience, and an established client base when the thought of going solo enters their mind.  Others are soaking up torts or contracts in law school and are starting to think about paying back student loans when they see the light.  And the rest of us fall somewhere in the middle.  Whatever the case may be we all entertained the idea no matter how loud the voice of practicality and security grew.

The point of this post is to gather some feedback from all of you regarding your decision to open your own law practice.  It does not have to be limited to solo practitioners.  If you opened a law practice with one or more partners I am also interested in your story.   Please leave a comment to share your thoughts on this topic.  Maybe someone on the fence will identify with your reasoning and decide to follow their solo dreams as well.
 

Why Did You Decide to go Solo?

A couple of people have asked me that very question during my tour of introductory meetings over the last two weeks.  This is not an altogether unexpected question.  You would think that I would have a great response ready to go right away.  Well, the first time someone asked me that I did not have a response "prepared," but then again I usually roll off the cuff anyway.  I have never been a fan of prepared, packaged pitches.  They just do not sound genuine when I hear them.  I have heard over the years from various experts and other attorneys that you need to have a 30 second elevator speech prepared to describe what you do.  I do not entirely disagree with that approach.  I think it is extremely important that all attorneys, solo or BigLaw, spend time thinking about the best way to summarize his or her practice.  I just don't think that it should be exactly the same every time it escapes your mouth.  Reasonable minds will disagree on this one I am sure.

Getting back to my original purpose for this post, I answered with something along these lines when he first asked the question:

I decided to start my own law firm after I reached the conclusion that I had the unique ability to serve clients in a better and more efficient manner by limiting the size of my firm.  This allows me to deliver legal services in a more client-friendly way that will ensure the desired result and that the client remains informed and updated throughout the process.  It also ensures that the client acquires the requisite information, feedback, education and understanding as to why I am recommending the things that I do.

I know that it is weird to quote oneself in a post, but it serves my purposes so I am going to have to do it anyway.  I also understand that some of you will look at my response and you will not necessarily agree with it.  That is perfectly fine.   We are all entitled to our own opinions, right?

As I mentioned I will answer with some variation of the above when I am asked this question.  It is not set in stone, but that is basically the reason why I am now a solo practitioner.  I wanted to be in a position to design a law firm to carry out my ideas and plans for the practice of law.  My law firm focuses on the client and on finding a better way to provide legal representation.

I am interested in the responses that other solos give to this question.  I would also be interested in the responses of those of you who are planning to go solo or are thinking about it.  Please leave a comment as I believe this post and your feedback will provide valuable insight into the mind of a solo attorney (or a soon-to-be solo attorney).  Thanks in advance!