Finding first clients, setting fees, and building a practice from zero.
You have a case to refer and another attorney willing to pay you for it, and then the paperwork stops you cold. Here's what a compliant referral fee agreement actually contains, clause by clause, so the document stops being the scary part.
When someone searches for a lawyer in your city, three results sit above everything else: the map pack. For a new attorney, winning a spot there beats almost any other marketing move. Here's how local SEO and your Google Business Profile actually work.
A new solo can't outspend established firms, and doesn't need to. The channels that actually produce first-year clients are mostly free and mostly relational. Here's the playbook, plus what not to buy yet.
The first client of your solo practice is the practice itself, and its first legal question is entity choice. Here's what a PLLC or professional corporation actually does for a lawyer, what it never does, and how to decide without a week of agonizing.
The office decision is the biggest fixed-cost choice a new solo makes, and the most emotional one. Here's an honest comparison of home, virtual, and leased offices, what each actually costs, and the framework for choosing without overcommitting.
The legal work was the easy part; now the invoice is 60 days old and the client has gone quiet. Collections problems are mostly made at intake and cured by systems. Here's the prevention-first approach, plus the escalation ladder for when prevention fails.
Attorneys use the word "retainer" for at least three different arrangements, each with different trust accounting treatment and different risks. Here's what each one actually is, when to use it, and how to paper it correctly.
The first court appearance looms larger in your head than it will in the courtroom. Here's how to prepare the substance, scout the room, handle the logistics, and follow the unwritten etiquette, so the nerves have less to work with.
The feeling that you're one hard question away from being exposed is so common among new attorneys it's practically a licensing requirement. Here's why law practice manufactures self-doubt, and the practical habits that build earned confidence.
CLE hours are mandatory; wasting them is optional. A deliberate CLE strategy turns compliance time into a curriculum for your niche, your courtroom skills, and your professional network. Here's the three-year plan.
For a new attorney, pro bono work is the rare opportunity that serves everyone: clients who need counsel get it, and you build real skills, real experience, and real professional relationships. Here's how to choose pro bono work strategically.
While your private pipeline fills, court appointments offer what new solos need most: immediate income, real courtroom experience, and visibility with judges. Here's how appointment lists work and how to get on them.
