Re: Taking "The Plunge"

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Thanks for...well the productive response.

I'm also working on getting a nighttime teaching position,
which won't be a lot of money, but it will add to my
income. I'm also trying to score a local solicitorship,
which, together with the teaching would probably get me to
about 50% of my current income, at about 1/20th the time and
effort.

I don't know about the whole go-fer thing, I know both the
attorneys in this practice very well, and they're both
highly respectful and professional people.

I have access to free office furniture, so that's taken care
of. I've set aside money for a computer, client management
software and a decent printer. I have an internet fax
number already. I already own my own webspace
(www.mynamelaw.com & www.myinitialslaw.com), and a
programmer friend of mine is putting together a simple
webpage. I'm looking at letterhead and business cards, and
I think I can squeeze them, along with some other office
supplies into my budget.

Health insurance is going to be on the back burner for a
little while, I'm getting married next year to my fiancee
who works in the court administrator's office in the county
courthouse. I own my own home, no mortgage.

I think $500 is a fantastic deal for a new attorney for
office space and the luxury of having someone answer his
phones for him. I personally know the receptionist, she's a
sweetheart. Oh, and the office is on the same block as the
US Federal Courthouse, and the County Courthouse is across
the street. Trust me, $500 is a steal.

I'm already a member of the local bar, and on the pro-bono
and court-appointment list, although I can't take them right
now, I'm in the rotation. I'm also looking to be put on the
guardian ad litem list in my county, which will afford me
oppurtunities to make an extra buck here and there (my judge
alone appoints 2 - 3 GALs a week), not a ton of cash, but my
first few years everything will count.

I've thought this through for a long time, I had the
oppurtunity to go with a law firm, probably get more cash in
the short run, but unless you're family (at least in my
area), the chances of succeeding at local law firms are
minimal.

For others out there who are worried about the sole
practitioner route, I can't speak for your area but in this
area I personally know more than a dozen attorneys who went
solo and made it big. That's approximately 2% of the county
bar that I know personally. The naysayers here are
apparently embittered by their own failures, don't let them
sway you from a calculated move to solo practice.