When I was in law school I never imagined that I would have set out on my own. That is, to start my own law practice with out much more than a modest savings and experience I had in the private sector. Yet, a great desire to be a "free agent," an independent practitioner, not to mention an entrepreneur, gave me the motivation to fully engage in this endeavor; having had my first child, Matthew, and quality time with my new family, was the icing on the cake.
Years ago I can vaguely remember the words of an older and assumedly wise attorney, as I hardly knew him and whom I still cannot remember his name for the life of me, once utter to me in the law library, "Unless you are willing to take risks, you will never be a great attorney." I am not sure whether he meant this to mean in the practice of law alone or in the business of the law, or both. Nevertheless, I later absorbed his words into my psyche to mean both, although this did not really become so until I found myself as a solo practitioner.
Years ago I can vaguely remember the words of an older and assumedly wise attorney, as I hardly knew him and whom I still cannot remember his name for the life of me, once utter to me in the law library, "Unless you are willing to take risks, you will never be a great attorney." I am not sure whether he meant this to mean in the practice of law alone or in the business of the law, or both. Nevertheless, I later absorbed his words into my psyche to mean both, although this did not really become so until I found myself as a solo practitioner.
There are those days where I truly question the risks taken and there are others where I cherish having taken the leap of faith in myself, especially so when I have the time to spend with my son that I never would have had otherwise, not so especially when I go through the office expenses. But the pros have at any rate outweighed the cons sparing me from second guessing myself to the point of insanity. I find solace in this as well as from the anecdotes I pick up from colleagues in the same boat that amount to much of the same.
There is no "candy coating" it; working for myself in my own Estate Planning practice has been a true, but not unobtainable, challenge. Effective marketing, "rain making" for clients, has posed as much a task for me as the legal practice itself. However, I have come to find inexpensive means of accomplishing this vital aspect of owning one's own practice with good networking and my leads group, LeTip of Longmont, among other things. Needless to say, it helps to have friends who I appreciate greatly for sending me business. Additionally, the pro bono work has also unexpectedly reaped for me some benefits and has proven to be rewarding in its own right despite working without a paycheck at the end of the day.
So, why blog my "light weight" views and perspectives on doing a solo practice given my incredulous spot light in this gig? Well, I suppose I could keep a journal and keep it all to my self, but this got me to thinking; there has to be a lot of others out there going through what I am now, and have had to endure, for my short tenure as a solo attorney. I can be frank at the very least without coming off as dubious in my intent in stating that this blog is not about an expert sharing his or her tips on how to be successful as a solo legal-all-star. It is, however, about exchanging information in the spirit of creating a community of interest for the oftentimes more pensive than exuberant kindred like as my self. This is not to suggest a lack of satisfaction or else I would have thrown in the towel a long time ago, merely I find value to not just opine but to share relevant stories concerning "the day and the life of the job" which is far less a job than it is doing business independently - working for me. Venting can likewise be a catharsis that ought never go underestimated, and some days it feels better to be understood than to understand.
As much as I enjoy a reading a good rant and rave about being a solo attorney I enjoy telling them as well. On a professional level, sharing best practices, changes in law, innovations, "legal shop talk," in my area of law that I picked up and also publishing the same after reading about others' whether in my area or in various areas helps everyone of interest. What is more, passing along the "how to get more business" ideas "that work" so that everyone can benefit from these "valuable gems of information" is something I feel passionate about. Sometimes it feels as though we have forgotten how in serving others we serve ourselves.
I really encourage a collaboration in sharing and exchanging information from all angles and varieties of practitioners out there who are willing. If you read this far and have the time to earn some 'karma points' for the day send in something. Thanks for reading and have great one and a safe one.
I really encourage a collaboration in sharing and exchanging information from all angles and varieties of practitioners out there who are willing. If you read this far and have the time to earn some 'karma points' for the day send in something. Thanks for reading and have great one and a safe one.
--Frank A. Cseke
