PS Lawyers... Anyone ever tried going solo?

[purelily]

Hi All!

I post (some) in LIW, but have only just decided to tip toe into this forum. I''ve noticed PS has quite a few lawyers. So, I wanted to ask a bit of advice. I hope this is within the policies...

As everyone knows, the economy is quite bad right now, so my law school classmate and I have decided to start researching the possibility of starting our own firm. Its kinda funny, he was top of the class and I was well... not

I''ve worked in various law clerk positions in various areas, but am most comfortable in criminal. We noticed that the state has PD contracts and referral programs. Plus, I have a background in marketing (sort of) and have worked at a very successful start up company where I was assistant to the CEO. In this position, I listened and learned about small business best practices.

The problem is... we do not have "real world" experience. Sure, we wrote motions, memos and even (once) second chaired a trial, but is it enough? Anyone have any advice they''d like to share about this?

 

[DivaDiamond007]

I''m not a lawyer (paralegal) but my SIL is and she recently ventured out on her own after being employed by a non-profit for a year or two. She''s a bright woman and has the potential to be a good attorney, but she certaintly does not have the work experience necessary to be completely on her own. I''ve been able to help her by sending her examples of certain types of documents and have given her the contact info for some attorneys that would be more than happy to mentor her.

I think it''s very ambitious to go out on your own, but be prepared that it will not be easy. My SIL has struggled to find clients that are willing to pay top dollar for her sometimes lacking skills. I like my SIL so I''m not trying to bash her, but I am truthful with her in that I think she needs to start small and grow from there.

If it''s something that you are really interested in then go for it - you have nothing to lose and a lot to gain if it works in your favor. Good luck!

 

[kittybean]

Hey, purelily! I think you can do it, but I think you need to find a mentor (or a couple mentors). You need someone you can consistently rely on to help you when you have no idea what you''re supposed to do. You need someone to walk you through the ins and outs of practicing in your court--especially if you''ve never done many of the things you''ll have to do as a trial lawyer.

Also, I suggest you do a ton of observation of experienced lawyers in your court. Watch them do voir dire (the most important part of a trial) and pick their brain about selecting a good jury. Watch and listen while they do direct and cross-examination. Watch their opening and closing statements. Watch them do sentencing, restitution, and probation hearings. Watch them interact with other lawyers and with the judges. Take lots of notes!

One thing I did while I was waiting for a position was to help a private criminal attorney with some of his cases. I just worked whenever he needed a hand, and he taught me a lot about how to manage a case.

Final suggestion: become familiar with the ethical requirements for handling client money if you aren''t already.

Good luck! I think you can definitely make it work with the right guidance.

 

[purelily]

Hai DivaDiamond,

Thank you for the information Yes, it is quite ambitious, but since the job market doesn''t look so good I just think it would be best to just go for it My father was a private practice medical practitioner for a while and my mom was his office manager. So, I have some experience working in the field. I''m more interested in possibly getting a public defense contract and working with indigent clients. My (potential) partner has big plans to expand our practice if it gets off the ground to environmental law :-p But I''m sure we are not quite there yet.

Thank you very much again for your thoughtful response.

 

[purelily]

Hi Kittybean!

Thanks Yes, I definitely think we need a mentor if we decide to go this route. I have requested a list of alumni in our state from my old law school. If we definitely decide to do this, i may tap my uncle who is a public defender down in California for information on how to proceed. In fact, this may not be that bad of an idea to do now I have connections in other states, but the state I'm in now, not so much.

Taking notes seems to be a plan. I may just hang out at the courthouse watching people. I used to follow one of the attorneys around court and was a judicial extern for a summer. So this helped a bit also to watch trial attorneys. but I still feel like real life experience evades me.

Thank you again for your detailed response. I will keep this in mind