Starting Out Solo (SOS)

New Educational Program to Help Solos & Small Firms Get Things Done

Gabriel Cheong — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:05:35 +0000

Learn to “Get Things Done!”
Designed for
Solo & Small Firm Attorneys

Is 24 hours not enough? Do you want to get more done? This FREE program is designed specifically for solos and small firm attorneys.

In six meetings over twelve weeks, you will learn critical time management skills, including hot to:

Prioritize & Organize
Set & Implement Goals
Overcome Self-Defeating Beliefs & Habits
Combat Procrastination & Time Wasters
Leverage Technology to Increase Efficiency
Reinforce Your New Behaviors

Each meeting will feature a time management presentation as well as opportunities for discussion, goal setting and getting to know fellow attendees.

Starting: Friday, September 14, 2012 from 12:30 to 1:45 PM.

Openings are limited, so we ask participants to commit to attending all six meetings.

Upon completion of the program each participant will receive a FREE copy of David Allen’s Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.

To Sign Up or Learn More Please Contact:
Lottie Rutherford
(857) 383-3250
lottier@lclma.org

Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, Inc. with its
Law Office Management Assistance Program

Opening Stories – Christopher Earley

Gabriel Cheong — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:27:05 +0000

After being admitted to theMassachusettsbar in December 2004, I met an older lawyer who was close to retiring and we agreed to operate as a loose partnership. The partnership exposed me to different areas of law. I decided personal injury is what I liked most.

Then, in early 2005 I saw the partnership was not working (I was not making any money!) so due to necessity, I opened up my own practice and decided to handle only personal injury cases. I didn’t have any idea of how to run a business, much less a law practice. I had very little money and no clients. I had been born and raised in New Jerseyso I had few contacts in Massachusettsoutside of college and law school. Finding clients was really hard at first.

To make matters worse, personal injury litigation requires capital to finance the litigation of each case, and, a personal injury practitioner only get paid if a case settles, or wins in court. However, with some luck and much nerve, after a year I was still in business. I was able to stretch a few settlements I received to help me float through the long weeks of not settling any cases.

I read books and blogs about lawyer advertising. I decided that I could find clients online, at little to no cost. I started one of the first legal blogs in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Personal Injury Blog in 2006, which was recognized by LexisNexis last year. The blog helped me to meet lawyers, and to find clients. Soon, lawyers were calling me and asking me personal injury questions. That led to referral relationships that grow each year.

I had a litigation associate from 2008 – 2011, but found that I am better suited to working for myself. It is just me, and my secretary Tamara, who speaks fluent Spanish as a large segment of my client base speaks Spanish.

Now, in 2012, I look fondly at those first years. I am by no means rich, at all, but, I am able to work for myself, and provide for my family. My son Oliver Patrick Earley was born this past February so I feel blessed beyond words. My wife is able to stay at home and not work.

I never work past 5:00 p.m. and I never work weekends. I have been that way since I started my practice. Life is too short, and especially now that I am a father, I want to have free time to spend with my family.

If you are a new solo, or considering going solo, I am always available to talk and help those who may be struggling. The road of solo practice is full of twists and turns. It is exciting, but can also be isolating. Make your journey easier my reaching out and meeting as many lawyers as you can.

*Chris Earley, Esq. is a personal injury lawyer practicing in Boston. His office can take clients who speak Spanish.*

Opening Stories – Kira Gagarin

Gabriel Cheong — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:17:38 +0000

I graduated Law School in 2009 and the prospect for jobs out there was bleak, to say the least. I decided that my best option was to wait it out a year, get a Masters degree (hey, can never have too many letters next to your name, right? Or at least that’s what my parents always say…) and I was certain that by the time I was done with that the job market would be better and all my friends from school would have jobs and would be able to get my resume on some desks.

So off I went to Madrid for a year to study International Law and intern at Ernst and Young. If I was going to get another year before the real world, I may as well take advantage, right? Fast forward to a year later and all my friends were still jobless and the prospects of getting ANY job, let alone a job where I could actually put my skills to work, were depressing. I did some document review. I may have even shed a tear being rejected for a job after the third interview. I did some more document review. I filled my refrigerator with “thanks, but no thanks” letters from jobs I had applied to as far as 6 months back and had forgotten about. I did some mooooore document review.

Then a friend suggested something crazy. Why don’t we open our own law office?? We sat down, did some math (as much math as a lawyer can do), and the idea started getting less crazy and more exciting and feasible. Document review (and living with my parents, shhh!) had certainly allowed me to save up a good chunk of funds. Why not take the plunge? Ok, there are a few reasons why not… But, my family had immigrated to the US from Russia in 1989 and made their own path so why was I so scared to make my own when no opportunities were coming my way.

After much thinking and much more dreaming, the idea slowly became a reality. My friend, whose “crazy” idea initiated the brainstorming, ended up not being able to follow through because of a 90 thousand dollar public service grant she would have to repay if she went into private practice. Nonetheless, I took off running (maybe zig-zag style at first) and have never looked back. I even moved out of my parents’ house! Now, I am grateful for the lagging economy and the opportunity to create my own opportunity and build and grow something I am proud of.

I treat my clients the way I think people should be treated. I have been confused (to say the least!) and reached out for help and am so thankful for the generosity of seasoned practitioners. I go to court as the lead attorney on my cases. I have argued a case before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (and won!). I can take an afternoon off to go for a walk with my mother. And, if I am at work all day on a Saturday I know it is for my own business, not so that someone else can take credit for my work. I still have days where I think it’s a crazy idea, but crazy doesn’t always have to be bad, right?

*Kira Gagarin, Esq. is an immigration attorney practicing in Framingham. She is fluent in Russian and Spanish and is conversational in Portuguese.*

Richard St. John’s 8 Secrets of Success

Gabriel Cheong — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 19:48:39 +0000

The Power of Words

Gabriel Cheong — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:58:36 +0000

This video illustrates not only how the words we choose to use affects marketing, but it affects the way people perceive us. Choose your words wisely when it comes to marketing. Choose your words wisely when it comes to drafting documents, talking to clients or other attorneys. Attorneys are wordsmiths. Choose your words wisely.

Staying the Course When Deciding to Go Solo (Part II)

Gabriel Cheong — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:58:23 +0000

*Guest post by Susan Cartier Liebel – Solo Practice University*

In part one of Staying the Course When Deciding to Go Solo (Part I) I talked about creating that mantra that helps you to work through your fears of starting a solo practice, those fears which inevitably surface after the initial rush of adrenalin you get when you first make the commitment to do so.In part two we are going to talk about how to break habits which have held you back from achieving your goal of solo practice and replace them with new habits geared towards your success.

1. Make a plan with a definite timeline: We’ve all heard it before. A goal without a plan and a timeline for achievement is just a dream. We all have dreams. But you have to have real goals with action steps that create a bridge between where you are today and where you want to go. If you have a goal for a solo practice it’s time to create that bridge, a plan and a timeline for success.

But there is yet one more important ingredient. You have to stay focused on the end game, which is not solo practice in and of itself. The end game is achieving those ‘dreams’ solo practice promises. Is it more time with the family, making your own schedule, building an empire, never having to ask for time off? Whatever your idea is that solo practice promises…you have to stay focused on the end gratification in order to get you through the processes. These very processes are the ones which can dishearten you and cause you to forget your motivations.
Regularly think about your plans for the future as it provides a powerful way to stay truly motivated. It allows you to keep your engines revved, the same way you felt when you first decided solo practice was the right choice for you.

2. Become Automated: As lawyers, we are very practical and analytical. We have to be. But in many ways this doesn’t serve us when it comes to opening a solo practice. (What, you’re saying?) That’s right. Opening a solo practice requires a certain leap of faith, faith in ourselves to not necessarily have all the answers but to understand we are trained to ‘figure it out.’
So, on some level we have to silence our practical and analytical mind in the face of others’ opinions, statistics and more. We simply have to have a singular reaction when an obstacle presents itself (real or imagined.) Instead of focusing on the immediate reaction, ’I don’t know’ simply tell yourself, “I’ll find a way.” If you tell yourself ‘there is no obstacle I can’t address’, you have pre-determined you will surmount whatever obstacles present themselves in order to succeed.
Sometimes it is as simple as putting our heads down and placing one foot in front of the other. I’ve often had to do that when climbing a hill. If I look up and see how far I have to climb, I stop and imagine all the reasons why I can’t do it. If I look at my feet and just place one foot in front of the other, I get much further along without distraction from my purpose. I quiet my thinking and just ‘do.’

3 Stay Focused on the Long Term Goals: Life presents many distractions designed to throw us off track. It takes commitment, discipline and a real desire to become an entrepreneur to stay the course. Deciding to fulfill your own goals instead of those who write you a paycheck is a major life transition. It takes a certain spirit and tenaciousness, a change in mindset.

4. Keep Your Goals in Context:
One of the hardest things to do is keep your goals in perspective. The goals we set out for ourselves personally and professionally 5, 10, 15 years into the future are to help us improve the quality of our lives…but not just for the future. They are also set out to improve the present. If we focus solely on enjoying the fruits in the future we fail to enjoy the present. Then we start to get angry and want to toss our long term goals believing our goals to be wrong. No. It’s not the goals. It is our singular focus on the goals.

Remember, building that million dollar practice and the tools to do so are the means to an end, not the end in and of itself As you already know, freedom to do as you wish on your own schedule is one of the primary goals of most solo practitioners. And as a solo practitioner you should plan to start enjoying those benefits as soon as you hang a shingle.

About the Author

Susan Cartier Liebel is the Founder & CEO of Solo Practice University®, the #1 online
educational and professional networking community for lawyers and law students designed
for those who want to create and grow their solo or small firm practices.
A coach/consultant for solos and small firms, an attorney who started her own practice right
out of law school, an Entrepreneur Advisor for Law Without Walls, an adjunct professor at
Quinnipiac University School of Law for eight years teaching law students how to open their
own legal practices right out of law school, a columnist for LawyersUSA Weekly, the
Connecticut Law Tribune, The Complete Lawyer, and Law.com, she has contributed to
numerous legal publications and books on this topic as well as the issues facing women in
the workforce. She speaks frequently to law schools and professional organizations around
the country on issues facing solos, offering both practical knowledge and inspiration.
Connect with Susan Twitter Facebook LinkedIN Google Plus

Staying the Course When Deciding to Go Solo (Part I)

Gabriel Cheong — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:38:37 +0000

*Guest post by Susan Cartier Liebel – Solo Practice University*

When you first commit to the whole concept of entrepreneurship, starting a solo practice, you are simultaneously ecstatic and frantic and giddy and fretful. Once the decision is made, though, it seems you can’t get started soon enough. You want to realize your dreams of self-employment, the autonomy, the flexibility.
You may start by scouring the internet for resources, telling all your friends, fantasizing of how you are going to tell your boss and co-workers your plans, maybe hire a coach or join a listserv, buy a domain name and business cards. You think about how you are going to make a difference in this world, maybe even that one case which changes law and people’s lives into the future. You even envision what you will earn and how you will spend it. Yet after a few weeks, or even days, your initial euphoria and energy dissipates and you start wondering if you’re making or have made a mistake. You question if you can do it. More importantly is it worth losing the (false sense of) security you have as an employee with work handed to you versus what you envision solo practice to be all about. After all, a bird in the hand…..

How do you keep yourself motivated and on track if this is what you truly want to do?

When I work with clients we do a very important exercise:

Envision where you want to be 5, 10, 15 years from now, not just professionally, but personally.

This is not an exercise in fantasy. It is creating a road map. If you don’t know where you are going, how do you know if you’ve arrived? If you don’t have a destination, how can you plot a course. The destination can change as can the course, but you have to start somewhere.

Going solo is unlike working for another in ways you may not have considered. Your personal and professional life must mesh seamlessly as whether you like it or not, you are ‘on’ 24/7. This is not necessarily a bad thing. But what you must wrap your head around is this: in order for it to work there must be little to no tension between your work life and your personal life. The way this gets done is by not changing who you are or what you want to achieve, but constructing a whole life that accepts who you are and respects where you want to go. Isn’t it better to float downstream than to swim against the tide? It’s certainly less tiring leaving more room for enjoyment.

So, back to motivation.1. Create an internal support system. You need to change your internal dialogue (you know, those phrases you say to yourself which feeds your fear or defeatism) to a new dialogue which applauds your aspirations and challenges you to move forward through your fear. This will keep you on the road towards your goals because eventually this new internal dialogue will permanently replace the old.
2. Find your inspiration -
It’s very important to find your inspiration, that carrot which keeps you moving forward even when you don’t feel like it or think you can’t. I’ll share mine because it left an imprint on my entire life.Many years ago I went to a health spa, nothing fancy. They had a climbing tower in the back. Not a rock wall but a full fledged tower you climbed. You participated as part of team to build trust. Falling backward with your eyes shut, etc. At the end we had to climb the tower and rappel down. Great. I was going to get to the top of the tower if it killed me. Nothing was going to stop me. We were told to pick a word or a phrase which we should call on for motivation, something emotionally meaningful, when we felt our strength waning or when we didn’t think we could push ourselves anymore. I knew mine.I started to climb with enthusiasm and speed until I realized it was more difficult then I expected. I got anxious, a little nervous. I thought, “I can’t do this.” I froze. I thought, ‘this is as far as I’m going to make it.” The coach said, ” see if you can just get passed where you are now? Are you further than you expected to be?” I realized I was. Then I thought, “Wow. I can do this.” As I climbed higher and higher, I got more nervous. I’d never been that high climbing straight up, the only safety net was this group of strangers whom I was asked to trust. The coach said, ‘don’t look back or down. Keep going. Is your motivation to get to the top?” Of course, it was. So, I continued to climb. Before I knew it I was just under the platform. Now I had to swing over the top but it required me to use considerable upper body strength which I didn’t have. I kept trying and trying frustrated and miserable that I couldn’t seem to do it. Time ran out. I didn’t get to the very top and had to rappel down.I said to the coach, “I didn’t do it. I just didn’t have the upper body strength. I failed.” She said, “you did?” Of course, I did. “No, you didn’t. The exercise wasn’t to get to the top. The exercise was to get you beyond where you thought you could go. BINGO. I used my internal dialogue, my mantra, to encourage me to go beyond my perceived limits.

What emotional, yet meaningful mantra do you have to help push you further towards your goals?

“I figure we all have enough of our own fears, so I couldn’t let other people’s worries get in the way of what I wanted to do.”
—–Emily Kimball, age 76 who at age 61 rode her bike cross-country in spite of being told by everyone she was ‘too old.’

In Part II I’ll offer some suggestions to help you stay focused on the end game, your own solo practice.

About the Author

Listen Up – An Easy Way to Show Clients You Care

Gabriel Cheong — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:44:13 +0000

I rarely get to see other attorneys do initial client intakes because of course, I’m not privy to that sort of communications. However, I can extrapolate how other people do it but observing how they talk to their clients in court when I’m negotiating with them. What I’ve seen and found is astonishing.

Next time you’re in court and you’re negotiating with the other side, really pay attention to opposing counsel and how they talk to their clients. Many times I see attorneys talk at their clients and then when their clients talk back, they start to write on their yellow legal notepad. The whole time the client is talking to them, it’s just a lot of writing. Even when they look up at their client, they’re still writing. Now, writing down notes is important but there’s a time and place for it. When your client is talking to you, your full attention should be on your client and NOT on taking notes or your notebook. You can jot down notes later.

Keeping eye contact and reflecting the facial expressions of your client back at them is important in fostering a good attorney-client relationship because it shows the client you care about their case and you also care about them. Don’t forget that attorneys are in the business of customer service above all else – we just happen to practice law.

Tech Review – TrialPad 2.1 for iPad

Gabriel Cheong — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 02:24:13 +0000

I love the iPad and I am starting to know more and more trial attorneys that love their iPads as well. One of the most useful tools to a trial attorney when it comes to conducting trials are their Trial Binders and the ability to use Audio/Visual to capture the jury or judge’s attention. Many courts, including the Federal Courts, are starting to provide hook-ups in the courtroom for laptops so that attorneys can use tools such as powerpoint in their trials. For the iPad lawyer who conducts trials, there is no more useful app than TrialPad.

TrialPad acts as your trial binder, laptop and powerpoint presentation, all wrapped up in one. The visual aspect of the app makes it very intuitive to use. Basically you make folders of your cases that are going to trial and you put your exhibits inside the folders. TrialPad is also fully integrated with Dropbox which makes the ease of transferring your trial binder documents into TrialPad that much easier.

As you can see from the picture below, I’ve selected some documents (just from my forms folder on my dropbox so I’m not showing you real client files) that I can select and port into the folder I’ve created. In real life use, I would probably not port all the files all at once, but just like making a trial binder, you should be doing it as the litigation progresses so by the time trial comes around, you have a full trial binder and minimal work is required to jazz it up.

After selecting the files, it then gives me the option to put it into folders. TrialPad lets you have multiple cases at the same time. What you see below is the case I created just for this review called Smith v. Jones. The other two folders you see are the instructions that come with the app.

Once I get the files ported into the correct client folder, I can start to manipulate it as if I was at trial. If I had this hooked up to a projector in the courtroom, you can see that it has one of the most important function for documents in a trial attorney’s arsenal - the call out. TrialPad lets me easily select a line or block of text and the program automatically does the animation to pull it out and draws attention to it. This used to be a multi-step process when done in powerpoint but now, it’s simply a touch and drag option.

Similarly, the highlight function is useful to highlight selected text. You can combine the highlight and then call-out function to really draw the audience’s attention to the selected text. In the past, all this animation had to be pre-planned and done in advance on powerpoint. TrialPad’s intuitive touch and drag makes the process more organic and fluid and you can adopt your presentation depending on the situation. For example, if you’re questioning a witness and they reference something in a document, you can quickly go to it in your folder, highlight it and call it out. There’s no need to pre-plan.

TrialPad also let’s you display 2 documents, side by side, to aid in comparison demonstration.

While in dual document mode, you can use any of the annotation tools such as call-out or highlight on both documents. This can be extremely useful if for example, you want to present evidence of forgery by comparing signatures side by side.

Another often used function is the pointer option. We used to have to carry around a laser pointer and while navigating a presentation, use it to point to things on a screen. Now that pointer is built in to the app itself.

If you’re ever in a trial and instead of referencing a document, you need to explain a complicated idea to a jury or judge, there is also a whiteboard feature in TrialPad. It lets you easily create chalks for trial.

In addition to documents, TrialPad also supports photos and video. This is especially useful as you can see below. You can quickly and easily use Google Maps to pull the jury’s attention to the exact spot where an auto accident occurred and then illustrate what the witness on the stand is saying by drawing on the photo itself. This is dynamic, reactive and in real-time for everyone to see in the courtroom.

The call-out function also works for pictures if you want to direct the jury’s attention to a specific detail in a photo. For this, I would recommend a very high resolution photo.

Lastly, you will notice that on the bottom of all the slides above, there is a button or slider that’s labeled “Output”. What this does is control what the audience sees and it’s not necessarily what you see on your iPad. This basically replaces the old cardboard or notepad placed in front of the projector trick. As you can see from the picture below, with the output turned on, the audience only sees the graphics part (or the right panel) of your screen, not the entire contents of what you see and functions on your iPad.

A very useful resource I’ve found in trying to figure out all the options of TrialPad or any other app is to search for it on Youtube. There are many video reviews for apps which provides a good how-to on all the features of an app.

Have fun with TrialPad!

Starting Out Solo and Calling It Quits

Gabriel Cheong — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:00:16 +0000

Guest post by Attorney S.H.

This is the story of a girl who went solo and called it quits. My story begins in May 2008 when I graduated from law school. I spent that summer studying for the bar and planning for a wedding. I got married in September 2008 and started my two year clerkship term in October 2008. My plan was to finish out my two year term as a clerk and hopefully start to work at a law firm focusing on employment law.

Knowing that my clerkship was going to end in October 2010, I started to look for a new job in the beginning of 2010. After sending out countless cover letters, resumes, and writing samples, it quickly became clear that the job market was very competitive, and there was not much out there. I only received one interview after sending out many, many applications. Things were not looking good.

Then my job search came to a halt in June 2010 when I had my son. I decided to take a break from the job search, and I took the summer off for maternity leave. I returned to work at the end of the summer, and ended my clerkship in October 2010. I was sad my clerkship was ending, but I was happy to lose my three hour round trip commute each day. While I love Boston, it was too far away from my home and I hated losing all that time each day commuting.

The job search began once again. I quickly realized that almost everything that was posted was in Boston and I did not want to work in Boston. It was also very discouraging to send out application after application and receive not one interview. So slowly, but surely, with encouragement from my family I started to think about hanging my shingle. My husband had steady income and he carried out health insurance so it was an option. I attended the MCLE course “Hanging Your Shingle” along with the LOMAP start-up meeting. Both of these courses were excellent resources. I read some books, talked to some friends, and away I went!

I was very, very cautious about spending money. It took me almost three months to decide on a location. I thought about virtual office space, but there was nothing close enough to my house that would be convenient. I looked into renting office space, but I was way too nervous to commit to a one year lease when I did not have one client. On a whim, I emailed a local attorney I had never met and asked if I could use her space to meet clients and I would pay her on a per use basis. She called me right away and said that arrangement would be fine with her. She also agreed that I could use her office for my business address. It was essentially a virtual law office, but only 10 minutes from my home and I could use it as often as I wanted. I was so excited!

As for the rest of my expenses, I purchased a new computer, printer, scanner, and Dymo LabelWriter. I changed my home phone number to use for my business phone, got a fax number through an online service, set up a website and email through godaddy.com, and ordered some business cards. I purchased my liability insurance and set up an IOLTA account. I also went to an IOLTA training seminar through the Office of Bar Counsel. I set up my office in the basement of my house and I was ready to go.

I decided to focus on real estate since I knew some people in the real estate industry. Even though the real estate market was not the best, I figured it was a way I could get a steady stream of income initially. I contacted some real estate attorneys and got advice about how to become an agent for a title insurance company. I attended some MCLE courses and read everything I could about Massachusetts real estate.

I received my first real estate deal in March of this year. It was the first time I had to make all the decisions in the workplace. I had no coworkers or boss to look to for guidance. I felt very vulnerable and nervous. Luckily, I had a friend who was a real estate attorney. I also reached out to a fellow Starting Out Solo member who basically saved my life. She walked me through everything I needed to know. I was up very late the night before my first closing balancing my HUD and going over my final numbers with her. I will forever be grateful for how much she helped me! I would not have ever got through that deal without her.

I knew I needed to build up my business so I joined some bar associations and my local chamber of commerce. I am a social person, so going to networking events was always fun. I gave out my business card and made small talk. However, I had a hard time dealing with the lack of results for the amount of time I felt I was putting into networking. I remember Jared from LOMAP stressing the marketing aspect of the business. However, marketing was just not my thing! The marketing aspect of the business quickly became a thorn in my side. I realized that I am an impatient person who does not like rejection. Summer came along, and I started to rethink going solo…

And them BAM, my husband got laid off. I tried to be calm, cool, and collected but inside I was panicked. He carried our health insurance. I was making barely any money. How could this work? How could we afford health insurance if my husband did not have a job? The job market was awful, and every day more gloom and doom reports came on the news about how things were not going to get better any time soon. Our son was 14 months old, and doctor appointments at that age are a frequent occurrence. I was already rethinking going solo, and at that point I knew I had to start applying for jobs.

So I applied. And I applied. And I applied. I applied to everything everywhere. Attorney positions. Non-attorney positions. I did not care. As long as the job had decent pay and health insurance, I was applying. I received many rejection letters and one interview. The job was for a non-attorney position with a very reputable company. I had high hopes, but I did not land the job. I tried to remain positive, but when you have a young child and a mortgage and bills to pay, you start to panic.

And then it seems that all the stars aligned. A job was posted for a firm looking to hire a litigation associate only 25 minutes from my house. No litigation experience necessary. I applied right away, and two days later I got an interview. Then I got a second interview. And then I waited for a phone call….

It was Labor Day weekend. We packed up the family and headed to my in-laws up North. Once we arrived my husband got a phone call. He received a job offer for a better position with health insurance benefits. We were so excited! We celebrated all weekend. And then the week after I received a job offer from the firm close to my house! I could not wait to receive a steady paycheck again.

I started with my new firm at the end of September. I had some real estate closings to wrap up for my firm and I just did my last closing last week. I am now in the process of fully winding down my solo practice. It was a one year journey that I will never forget. I loved being my own boss, making my own hours, and calling all the shots. I did not like the marketing, rejection, and anxiety that came along with having my own practice. I simply could not handle the business aspect of the business. I wanted to practice law. I did not want to run a business and I am glad I quickly came to that realization. I am happy I tried it, but I am also happy that I made the decision to close up when I did. Going solo works out for a lot of people. It did not work out for me and I am ok with that. I am proud of myself for putting myself out there and trying to do something very difficult.

I am thankful that I had the support of my family, friends, and most importantly Starting Out Solo. I do not know how I would have made it through this year without this group of attorneys. I have never met many of you, but I feel like I know you well. You made the scary journey of going solo not as scary and provided many laughs along the way! I cannot thank you enough.