Starting your own law practice is intimidating, but there are freely available resources that help make it possible. A great place to start is by joining your state and/or local bar association. Almost all state bar associations provide its members with free or highly-discounted access to an online legal research service, usually either Casemaker or Fastcase. Use this map to see what your association provides you with.
Also be sure to check out the Law Library's research guide on Free and Low-Cost Legal Research. In addition, make use of government websites, including those of state legislatures and federal and state courts. Many materials can be found for free using these sources.
ABA Solo and Small Firm Resource Center: The American Bar Association maintains this resource center specifically for individuals who are solo practitioners or working in a small firm. It has many helpful resources:
Solo Practice University: This is an online educational program founded by a solo practitioner who wanted to make it easier for others to start their own practice. Subscribers can enroll on a monthly, semi-annual, or annual basis. Subscribing will provide you with access to online courses on a variety of topics, CLE credits, and an online networking community. Enrolling is costly, but the website also maintains a blog that can be helpful if you do not want to spend the money to join.
My Shingle: This long-running blog is a fantastic resource for solo practitioners and those who think they may want to start their own practice. You can look at the Start a Law Firm Guide that will walk you through all the steps of the process--planning, fees, marketing, and ethics to name a few. The site also maintains a forms library, including some state resources. You can also browse through archived blog posts by topic.
Lawyerist--Starting a Law Firm: Similar to My Shingle's Start a Law Firm Guide, this blog provides you with steps you need to take to start your own firm, and then links you to blog posts on those topics.
Above the Law--Solo Practitioners: These are posts from Above the Law's general blog that will be of interest to solo practitioners.
Flying Solo by
The contributors share time-tested advice on approaches, methods, systems, and perspectives that have resulted in thriving solo and small firm law practices in the real world. This book contains proven solutions for problems and issues that, sooner or later, every practitioner will have to face.
2013 Solo and Small Firm Legal Technology Guide by
This annual guide is the only one of its kind written to help solo and small firm lawyers find the best technology for their dollar. You'll find the most current information and recommendations on computers, servers, networking equipment, legal software, printers, security products, smartphones, the iPad, and anything else a law office might need. It's written in clear, easily understandable language to make implementation easier if you choose to do it yourself, or you can use it in conjunction with your IT consultant. Either way, you'll learn how to make technology work for you.
Starting an IP Law Practice by
Intellectual property is one of the most rapidly growing areas of legal practice, and one that is particularly suited to small and boutique firms focused exclusively on IP cases. Many attorneys are considering going off on their own in this dynamic practice specialty. Starting an IP Law Practice provides the right questions to ask in deciding whether to go out on your own. As you evaluate your options, Ann M. Mueting explains what other practitioners have faced in setting up various types of practices focused on intellectual property in a variety of settings. Using a case study format, the book covers a range of career options, from solo and small firm practice to patent prosecution to IP practice in-house and at a general firm. These real-world accounts cover all aspects of starting a practice, from office equipment and staff to fees, getting and keeping clients, and firm management. Looking at the unique conflicts and liabilities of an IP law practice, the book includes practice-proven tips, tactics, links, advice, and tools such as interview questions and a new-practice checklist.
Run Your Firm Like a Business by
Use Run Your Firm Like a Business to address the challenge of practicing law while managing the administrative and business demands of your practice. Powerful systems developed and refined over years help resolve the tension between the tasks of the business, and actually doing the legal work for which you were trained. This book shifts the paradigm of avoiding the administrative part of the profession and allows you to plan your business strategy like you plan your case strategy. Revolutionary systems, how to design them, implement them, and stick to them are all outlined in this helpful guide. The book provides detailed advice on: Effective information management system Choosing good clients and employees Marketing Timekeeping, billing, and collection systems Business operations including outside resources to consider, and more."
Practicing Law in Small-Town America by
Practicing Law in Small-Town America, in three distinct and thorough parts, paints a picture of what small-town practice is like in its rich diversity, examines how local practitioners got to where they are, and details what an aspiring small-town lawyer needs to know and do in order to locate in--or relocate to--a small community. The book includes everything information on everything from Where to locate to what to do when you get there. The book also includes appendices on what's out there, a small-town due diligence checklist, best and worst places to relocate, additional information sources and a thorough bibliography, and an in-depth look at the history of one of the representative towns featured in the book, Canandaigua, New York.