My Law Practice

It was not even a week after I took the bar examination that I wrote my first blog post about attending law school. My first paragraph in that August post ended with a quip - I would be lucky if anyone would read it.

Now look at my blog. It has been viewed by over 1,300 people. Yet, I still must admit that I believe some of my close family and friends are the one's responsible for that number - a rabid mouse click on the website over and over.

Nevertheless, this political and legal blog has given me an outlet to write something other than a petition for writ of habeas corpus. Do not get me wrong; I thoroughly enjoy what I do. I just find that it is therapeutic to write on a topic that does not have a court mandated deadline.

Yes, I write legal documents for a living. And argue; I can't forget that I argue for a living. But when I was thinking of a topic for my 20th blog post, I thought that I would touch upon a more personal subject. Over the course of a few months, I have been practicing law as a solo practitioner in the Los Angeles Valley. I thought that I should share some of my experiences.

Having a small law firm is not just writing and arguing. When you run your own practice, you have to become more than just an attorney. You have to think like a businessman, market like a Mad Man, and socialize like a crazy man. There are a myriad of things that a solo practitioner must do to pay the bills. Let me explain.

It was probably only a couple of days after the bar passage mania that I realized that I would have to come up with a plan. Fortunately for me, and by the blessing of God, I was working with two other attorneys as a law clerk. They believed in me and gave me work to do. With a steady stream of income coming in, I knew that I could open my own practice without having to worry about meeting my obligations. Having an office to work in also helped.

The lure of working for myself was an opportunity that I could not pass up. There is something special about being your own boss. It is also fantastic that I wear my gym shorts and Dodger t-shirt while I work from my home office. The main problem was making sure that I had clients and cases to work on. I began to work on that immediately.

With my associates providing me cases; an office; and advice, I began the process of marketing my practice. I paid for a website, wrote content, and had my beautiful fiance help me with the design. It truly was a remarkable feat when it was finally done, after having worked on it for days. That was just the website...

After creating my social media pages, I began to work on advertising and marketing. Frantic calls were made to the major legal directories that would give me an opportunity to gain more exposure. I forget how many search engine optimizers I talked to in the month of January.

With some of the basics done, I had to focus on the business of running a solo practice. I opened my business account; developed ideas for payment methods; and began the process of documenting my revenue, costs, and profit. Start-up costs were paid with the cases that I had already been working on; and luckily, from cases that I picked up from my own advertising.

Of course a solo practitioner has to "network." The 21st Century word bears new meaning. I began to attend Saturday conferences in downtown Los Angeles; marijuana defense seminars in Tarzana; and medical malpractice luncheons in Beverly Hills. I handed my card to anyone and everyone. I may have accidentally given my card to a mannequin at Versace of Beverly Hills.

It has already been a good ride. I owe a lot to Elizabeth, who has given me constant support and love. I cannot wait to marry her! And just like my blog post in August, I know it is just the beginning. I have already made mistakes and know that I may make more. I just hope that I am lucky enough to stay on the path. If not, I'll always have this blog.