Welcome!
From the moment I decided to go to law school, I knew I wanted to run my own firm. For one, I love the creativity involved in the business side of running a law firm. Creating marketing content, deciding which software to use, and experimenting with new ideas is exciting and fun for me.
To be honest though, another major reason I wanted to start my firm was because I wanted to be in charge of my own time and do things the way I that I want to. The idea of sitting in a freezing cold office, having no say in when I take breaks, being required to show up at a specific time, use outdated software on an old computer, only getting a few weeks vacation time per year, AND only keeping a portion of the money I earn? That’s a hard no from me.
Of course there are the “cons” of having your own firm. The inconsistency of income is a major tradeoff, but I’ve come to find strategies to help with this, especially in the beginning (more to come on this topic!)
While networking or catching up with law school classmates, I often hear attorneys share the same sentiment: “I would love to start a firm one day but I have no idea where to even begin….how did you do it??”
I credit much of what I know to Suffolk Law’s one-of-a-kind, “Accelerator to Practice Program,” a course of study that equips students to start their own law practice after graduation, and to attorneys that came before me and shared their experiences. However, most of what I’ve learned up to this point has been from trial and error, paired with hours of research.
I started this blog on substack to share my experiences and answer that question of, “How do I start a law firm?” but I have since moved it over to this website.
In addition to covering each step you should take to create and start running your firm, I will also share my experiences along the way. My hope is that this will be a valuable resource for those looking to start their own practice, as well as a community for those of us that are on this adventure of running a law firm together.
Some topics I plan to talk about include:
How to decide on a name for your firm
Why it’s so important to have an address that’s NOT your home (fun and somewhat shocking story to share on this one…)
Setting up your Bank Accounts
Deciding on a practice management software
Website & Branding
Bookkeeping
The debate on weather or not to charge for consultations & how to decide what’s right for you
Estimating Taxes
and so…much…more!
If the idea of starting your own practice interests you, I invite you to join the conversation and subscribe!