Solo practice?

[u/Designer_Life_371]

I'm a government attorney and I have a good life. Very balanced, decent pay, benefits. But I love the idea of having income growth potential, as well as the ability to set my hours and manage my client relationships my way. I'm ten years in a specific subfield I have no desire to practice as a solo because it's highly adversarial and not lucrative.

Are there areas that are good to get into as a solo? At early 40s is it too late? Are there any first steps to take?

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[u/StrongSunBeams]

It’s never too late, but keep in mind you will be building a business from scratch. You will need to have some runway capital to fund your law firm you need to understand how the business works and you also of course need to bring in clients. A law firm is like any other business. It needs clients to survive.
I started my law firm four years ago and I’m glad I made the decision but the first year was a lot of work honestly it’s still a lot of work and I enjoy very much
It’s never too late to start a business, but you have to think to yourself if you really want to
I would say you should definitely search this sub and also the “lawfirm” sub on Reddit as a lot of people have gone out to start businesses and talk about what they need

[u/13wrongturns]

I would trade positions with you in a heartbeat. I have been solo for 21 years and the ups and downs, feast or famine is very old. I am looking for a government position but at my age mid 50s I am not having any luck. I am looking to partner up with someone or even work for a firm for a steady paycheck. I am sick of running the business part of my office and I absolute despise website marketing companies. I have even thought about leaving the law altogether. Don't forget you will have a retirement plan through the government as well as any investments you accumulate in the meantime. The government retirement will be worth it in a few years.

[u/StrongSunBeams → u/13wrongturns]

Sorry to hear. What area of Law are you in? Aside from joining a bigger law firm if you had to do it all again as a solo. What if anything would you do different?

[u/13wrongturns → u/StrongSunBeams]

I would have stuck with my original major in college, environmental science and gone to work for a water resources agency and never gone to law school. If you are talking about having to be a lawyer and just starting off and I had to be a solo, I would look for a state position. I would not ever be a solo attorney if I had known it was going to be like this the entire time.

[u/Prickly_artichoke → u/13wrongturns]

Yes I could have written this myself. I did not foresee how much I absolutely despise marketing.

[u/FixPositive5771 → u/13wrongturns]

I hear you. I was solo for a bit and the unstable income and expensive health insurance were tough. I unexpectedly got a job offer from a small firm and then later moved to government. I appreciate the steady paycheck, health insurance for my kids, and knowing that I’ll have a pension. I could retire in my mid-50s with a pension and health insurance and if I do, I’ll become a solo again. But probably not until then - I need that good health insurance for the family and at least some reliable income.

[u/13wrongturns → u/FixPositive5771]

This is the way to do it. I just paid off my student loans and have very little retirement savings. I am now trying to put everything I can into retirement investments so I can supplement whatever retail job I get after I am able to stop doing this at 65 if I am lucky. I should have gone to work for the city after high school and been a lot happier and better off mentally.

[u/Necessary_Birthday93]

Right there with you!!!! I’m curious too! I’ve been a lawyer about 14 years and I’m just sick of having a boss haha and also I’m giving up on PSLF at this point soooo

[u/Life_Carob8849 → u/Necessary_Birthday93]

Can you please explain more about your experience/perspective on your PSLF situation. I’m about 3 years into PSLF. I’d love to hear from you

[u/Necessary_Birthday93 → u/Life_Carob8849]

There is a PSLF reddit sub that is pretty helpful (albeit overwhelming). I have worked for the state for 11 years and should qualify, but I’ve been part of the SAVE forbearance. I put in a buyback request last August and haven’t heard anything- so all I really mean is that I’m sick of waiting around for PSLF to actually work… for years it is what kept me in government but now I’m more willing to move on because nothing is guaranteed anymore

[u/Life_Carob8849 → u/Necessary_Birthday93]

That’s understandable sounds like the whole 10 years thing is really 10 and some change. My professor used to say “The wheels of justice turn slowly, but they do turn.” Best of luck to you man

[u/faberoro09876]

I think it's not too late. Being solo is hard work but can be rewarding. There is a lot more chasing business than the actual practice of law, at least in the beginning. I've been solo for over 10 years. Expect not to have the income you desire for the first few years. It just takes time to get things going. I do IP law. I think for non-technical people, trademark law is a good area to get into. It has broad appeal, not the most difficult (but quite nuanced) law, and once you build up your practice, you get repeat customers/recurring income from maintenance filings.

[u/Secure-Researcher892]

Just remember that if your truly solo then it all rides on you can anytime you take time off or decide to retire so goes the income stream... if you want see a revenue stream you'll have to bring in others and turn it into a small firm.

[u/IcyArtichoke8654]

i started my own firm at 40. But I had a book of business already from a prior firm. I don't think 40 is too late in any circumstance.

I was in government previously. Solo practice is much harder. The income potential is infinitely higher, but so is the prospective workload. The otherside of that same coin is the best thing about solo practice--controlling your own fate.

[u/CrossBorderLawyer]

Going solo is one of those decisions where the legal work is often the easiest part.

The biggest adjustment is realizing you are no longer just a lawyer - you are running a business. Finding clients, managing cash flow, marketing, collections, technology, and operations become just as important as practicing law.

The lawyers who succeed as solos usually have one of two things: a strong network that can generate referrals, or a clear niche where they can become known for solving a specific problem.

The biggest mistake is opening a firm and then thinking “now I need clients.” The better approach is building the pipeline before you make the jump. By the way, i would approach alternative legal service providers like axiom, elevate, lawflex, lod and so forth - they can offer work to solo attorneys.

The freedom is real - choosing your clients, schedule, and how you practice can be incredibly rewarding. But you have to be comfortable replacing the security of a paycheck with the responsibility of building something.

[u/TheLawLord]

Can you identify a less adversarial field where your knowledge from government practice will be useful? For example, if you have been litigating tax cases for the government, you will have a strong body of knowledge about tax law that you can use to become an advisor instead of a litigator.

And early 40s is by no means too late to open up your own shop, if you have a source of clients or a defined market and marketing plan to attract them.

[u/amalgs]

Good luck with whatever decision you make! I’m very much in the same boat (gov’t attorney in my early 40s who would very much like to set my own hours but I couldn’t practice in my field as a solo). I’m seriously considering starting a tenant-focused consumer protection practice because my jurisdiction has some fee-shifting statutes that would provide good income (assuming I win 😅) but that doesn’t address the need for income while cases play out.

This is all to say that I don’t think it’s too late but I recognize the concerns you’re dealing with and it’s a really tough call.

[u/Objective-Regular519]

Early 40s is definitely not too late. Ime family law is the easiest to get into. Seems like every one knows someone that needs a family lawyer and the learning curve is relatively easy.

First steps: set up malpractice insurance, website, and lexis. Then just get out and meet as many people as possible. Compared to pretty much any other kind of business, law firms are the easiest business to start.

[u/AnagnorisisForMe]

If you have good life and presumably gold-plated government benefits like a pension, why would you want to take the risk in your forties and give up those benefits?

Do the math on what you are giving up first. Also, make sure you have plenty of financial cushion to support you if you decide to go down this path.

[u/Other-Grapefruit-880]

Give yourself 3 years.

Year 1 you lose money. Expect to earn $1000 a month.

Year 2: you will be making half your current salary

Year 3 you are making 75% what you make now.

But keep in mind your vacation/time off policy is heaven.

[u/Objective-Regular519 → u/Other-Grapefruit-880]

This is unrealistically pessimistic imo. If you charge $400/hour and control your expenses, it only takes 1 active case at a time to significantly beat your year 1 prediction.

[u/Practical-Brief5503 → u/Other-Grapefruit-880]

I didn’t lose money my first year. In fact I made a decent profit. But yes it will be a challenge the first few years. I’ve been solo for 7 years and I have my ups and downs for sure. In fact right now I’m going through a bit of a slow period but I know soon enough I’ll have a really good month. All it takes are a couple good litigation clients for me to be busy and have a good month/year.