Get a Successful Start as a Solo Practitioner

Starting or interested in starting a solo practice?  Here are some times on Get a Successful Start as a Solo Practitioner from Law.com.

• Get to know the disciplinary rules of your jurisdiction.
• In particular, become very familiar with the rule on the safekeeping of property - in most jurisdictions and the ABA Model Rules, that's rule 1.15.  It covers trust accounts and much more.
• Don't get too busy to keep up with your continuing legal education.
• Find an insurance broker who can help you with your malpractice and other types of insurance - remember you will NEVER have coverage for claims that arise during the any time when you go bare, that is practice without insurance.
  
• Establish an e-mail and document retention/destruction policy.
• Understand and implement basic security safeguards - this starts with physical security of your office or work space and spans to electronic security.
• Set up a good calendaring and tickler system - this is all the easier today with computer calendars and task management programs.
• Be careful about keeping your clients updated - lack of communication is probably the number one ethics complaint made by clients.  A good rule is to make sure you are in contact with your clients at least every month, even if it is to report that nothing has been done (with an explanation of why).
  
• Set up conflict check procedures and understand the conflicts rules (Rules 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.13. 1.18 - computers, and particularly file management programs, have made this task easier - if you keep up with entering file information into the programs.
• Carefully draft your fee agreement - by this I don't mean make an small print many pages fee agreement.  Tailor it to your clients and practice area.  A fee agreement for personal injury clients will be much shorter and simple than one for sophisticated business clients.
• If you are a new lawyer, don't go it alone. Join professional organizations; sign up for a Listserv; find a mentor.
• When you are at work, if you are not busy, don't surf the Web.  Market yourself.  Work social networking sites, write a bar journal article, create a CLE program, get involved with the Bar Association or Rotary - use this free time productively to get your name out in the community as an expert (and if you aren't an expert, use this time to become one).
  

For the full article with more explanation and links:  Get a Successful Start as a Solo Practitioner

- Peter H. Berge

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