Inexperienced but Successful: Starting Your Own Law Firm

In the legal world, experience is a great teacher but it’s not the only teacher. There is something to be said for inexperience and fresh eyes. Therefore, it’s not impossible that someone could come out of law school and open their own firm with success. There are things they would have to learn on the job but that’s true for every attorney, no matter the experience level. 

There are perks of being an inexperienced attorney starting your own law firm. We’ve listed some of the ways a new attorney may thrive where a more experienced lawyer may stumble. 

Bad Habits

Just because an attorney doesn’t have decades of experience doesn’t mean they’re setting themselves up for failure. These new attorneys also don’t have the bad habits developed over years at a large law firm. For instance, forgetting to enter your time. This bad habit could cost you a lot of money at your own firm but might not affect you as personally at a larger firm. 

There is also the habit of pushing everything non-billable down to administrators or paralegals. While you want to spend as much time billing as you possibly can, there may not be anyone to help with the non-billable work. The solo attorney has to wear a lot of hats and for a lawyer who has been at a law firm for a while they may find that transition quite difficult.  

Embrace Technology

There is also a better chance of these new attorneys embracing technology. They are typically more open to shortcuts and look for technology and software that will help them spend less time on the housekeeping tasks of a law firm. Software such as Clio, Mycase, or QuickBooks can simplify your billing systems and make case management easier. 

To be successful, small firms and solo attorneys need to spend as much time as possible billing and networking. That’s why these systems can be a lifesaver for an attorney who doesn’t have an extra hand to spare. They’re easier and more efficient than hiring someone, especially if you’ve never managed an employee before. 

Vault of Wisdom

New attorneys have so many resources at their disposal to help them on the journey to starting their own law firm. I’m not just talking about the internet (even though that is pretty handy) but the collective wisdom of older, experienced attorneys. Even though you don’t need experience to be successful when you’re starting out, you should still listen and learn from practicing attorneys whenever you can.

Of course, in order to listen to these other attorney’s wisdom, small firms and solos need to network and get involved in the community, which is a necessity for small firms anyway. Attorneys need to network! I’ll scream it if I have to. When you’re starting out it can feel hard to connect to your community of lawyers but, you can: attend CLEs, join local groups, or office at a space like Engage, that has a built-in attorney network. 

Tips & Tricks

We’ve found that some of the best advice is given over a cup of coffee in a breakroom, so we asked our members for tips, and we heard some recurring themes: Be organized, continue to learn, and keep costs down.

The more prepared you are starting off the better it’ll be for you in the long run. So, start researching now, figure out the software you want to use and how to easily (and cheaply) advertise for clients. We heard from a lot of our members that advertising is extremely important and can be expensive so know when and where to spend your money.

New firms and new attorneys should make an effort to stay informed about their area of practice along with new and better ways to run their firm. Again, you have to be able to adapt and grow to be successful on your own. We also advise trying to keep your overhead costs down when you first start (or even 15 years down the road). The costs of a business can sneak up on you, even if you run a small firm: printer paper, envelopes, notary services, couriers, postage, ink, pens, etc. I could also keep going.

That’s why finding a space where you can get all of these utilizes flat rate is so important. This not only saves you money, but it saves you the time and energy it takes to order and restock these things.

Engage Workspace for Lawyers is an office space for lawyers built by lawyers. Unlike other coworking spaces, Engage charges a flat monthly rate for access to a full suite of resources and limits membership to a community of lawyers. If you are looking for law office space where you can focus on your practice and be surrounded by great colleagues, please contact us or book a tour.

© Elysium Consulting LLC dba Engage Workspace for Lawyers.  2018-2023.  Represented by intellectual property law firm, Klemchuk PLLC.