Re: Taking "The Plunge"

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Go for it...sounds like you have a good plan. I think your
chances of success are higher than the average solo.

On 9/28/06, Clerk Dubs wrote:
> 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&37; 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&37; 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.