Opening Your Own Law Practice

If you are considering opening your own law practice when you graduate, you will need to think about many things that have probably not been covered in your law school classes. To start and keep a successful law practice, you need to know more than the substantive law and how to use Westlaw and LexisNexis. For example, you also need to know about running a small business, including business plans, marketing plans, and budgets. Jim Calloway's Law Practice Tips Blog has excellent Advice to a Law Student About Opening a Law Practice.

Even if you don't plan to open your own practice, you will need to know how to work well with people in order to be a good attorney. As Jim points out, "once you get your license, you will have much to learn from court staff, other lawyers, judges, and even from your clients." Read Mom's Advice About Starting a Law Practice, which links to an Oklahoma Bar Association Management Assistance Program article, "Everything I Need To Know About Practicing Law I Learned From My Mom," also by Jim Calloway. Much of this article focuses on communicating with clients. I especially enjoyed the hypothetical dialog between the client trying to explain what he needs in his own way and the impatient attorney who keeps interrupting.

Thanks to Carolyn Elefant of My Shingle for pointing me to Jim Calloway's Law Practice Tips Blog.