Finding first clients, setting fees, and building a practice from zero.
The habits you build in your first years tend to stick, for better or worse. Many new attorneys build unsustainable ones, overworking until they burn out. Here is how to build habits that let you keep going for the long haul.
A settlement check is client money passing through your hands, often with liens and claims attached. Mishandle it and you face one of the most serious violations there is. Here is how to handle settlement funds correctly.
To a prospective client or referring colleague, one new lawyer looks much like another. A personal brand is what makes you the one they remember and choose. Here is how to build a professional brand deliberately, from the start.
New solos try to be lawyer, paralegal, bookkeeper, and receptionist all at once, and burn out doing it. Outsourcing the right work builds capacity without the commitment of hiring. Here is when and how to do it.
Eager to please and afraid to lose clients, new attorneys often let clients take over their evenings, weekends, and peace of mind. Boundaries are not unkind; they are what make a sustainable practice possible. Here is how to set them.
Attorneys can and do advertise, but the rules governing legal marketing are stricter than for most businesses, and crossing a line can bring discipline. Here is what the ethics of attorney advertising actually require.
File return sounds simple until a client demands their file, you are owed money, and you are unsure what you must hand over. Getting it wrong invites complaints. Here is how to return a client file the right way.
Being fired by a client stings, and it can trigger a defensive or resentful reaction that only makes things worse. It also triggers real professional duties. Here is how to handle a termination with professionalism and care.
How you set up your firm's bank accounts is not just an administrative choice; it is a compliance decision. Get the operating and trust accounts wrong and you risk commingling and discipline. Here is how to set them up right.
Opening a law firm is not just about your bar license. There is a set of business registrations and requirements new solos routinely overlook, and missing them causes problems later. Here is what a new firm typically needs.
Malpractice claims are frightening, but they are not random. The vast majority trace back to a short list of preventable failures. Here is how new attorneys sidestep the most common causes and protect their careers.
The letter from the bar arrives and your stomach drops. A first complaint feels like the end of your career. It usually is not, but how you respond matters enormously. Here is how to handle a bar complaint the right way.
