Solo Practice

[Opie58]

Reading this book; good so far.

Solo Contendere: How to Go Directly from Law School into the Practice of Law Without Getting a Job
http://www.amazon.com/Solo-Contendere-Directly-Practice-ebook/dp/B004X6ZGDS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326902177&sr=1-1

Can get it in paperback or kindle.

[FalconJimmy]

Reading this book; good so far.

Solo Contendere: How to Go Directly from Law School into the Practice of Law Without Getting a Job
http://www.amazon.com/Solo-Contendere-Directly-Practice-ebook/dp/B004X6ZGDS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326902177&sr=1-1

Can get it in paperback or kindle.

Thanks for the heads up!  That looks like a good book. Says Ohio publishes a version for their members.  I should join the Ohio Bar and see if I can snag a copy.

[FalconJimmy]

Also looks like this is a good book on the subject:

http://www.amazon.com/Solo-Choice-2011-2012-Lawyer-Resources/dp/0940675625/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326911060&sr=1-1

[adrngoms]

The more you practiced the more you will be confident and get command over it.

[sollicitus]

would you say that either of those books gives you info that you can't get from asking the right questions to your profs and supervising attorneys in your clinics/externships?

Wouldn't the best way to prep for solo practice be to get an externship under a solo?

[jack24]

I don't think working with a solo is the best way to prepare.  The solos I've worked for have been good guys, but they really sucked at managing a firm.
An internship at a small or medium firm would be good, especially if you shadowed the paralegals as much as you could.   Figure out the nuts and bolts, the state and local rules, and then the law will come.   I had to do a probate case in another state, and nobody at my firm has ever done probate.  The substantive law was easy to learn, but the procedural crap wasted all kinds of time.

[sollicitus]

I don't think working with a solo is the best way to prepare.  The solos I've worked for have been good guys, but they really sucked at managing a firm.
An internship at a small or medium firm would be good, especially if you shadowed the paralegals as much as you could.   Figure out the nuts and bolts, the state and local rules, and then the law will come.   I had to do a probate case in another state, and nobody at my firm has ever done probate.  The substantive law was easy to learn, but the procedural crap wasted all kinds of time.

Yeah but the firm (unless it started out solo) won't tell you know to run a solo.
Maybe intern at both to get the full ropes?
Either way, books are just books. Ok to read and to use as beer coasters, but that's about the end of their real life applications.

[CWFirm]

Also looks like this is a good book on the subject:

http://www.amazon.com/Solo-Choice-2011-2012-Lawyer-Resources/dp/0940675625/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326911060&sr=1-1

I've read this one and was pleasantly surprised. Haven't read Solo Contendere as of yet though, so no feedback to give.

[IrrX]

An important post on this subject:

Monthly reminder: If you go to law school, you better be damn sure you want to practice law. And if you graduate law school, you better be damn ready to accept the fact that going solo right off the bat is a very real option. You'll be better off for it. Otherwise, without connections, no one will hire you for non-legal work.

All of you 0Ls waffling on *&^% like "Should I take $15k at a T1 or a full ride at a T2?" should really be considering "Am I going to really want to practice law, especially by myself as a solo without any practical instruction*? Am I going to have what it takes to deal with clients face to face on a daily basis?" It's really a matter of accepting your own ignorance and having the confidence to confront it. These threads have covered the money issues time and time again; it's all there and you can figure that out on your own, so just make up your mind and do what you want. If you have to ask, you probably shouldn't go since the money issue is easy enough to figure out on a personal level.

But harder still is accepting the likely fact that you'll have to either a) actually practice law and handle clients alone without any real, direct guidance, or b) come up with a way to explain a three-year gap in your resume that satisfies the curiosity of corporate recruiters elsewhere.


* Law school will never prepare you for actual practice, I don't care how many clinics you do.

[sollicitus]

I hear that last paragraph a lot but do people honestly do externships at places where people know anything worth teaching? (if so real life experience given and gotten right there) and law office managment courses? If not, get into a program where you can. Seem pretty open and shut.

Doing real life is real life. Period. If you don't get what you need, either your teacher was useless or you weren't prepared to ask the right questions. Clinics suck yes, externships shouldn't.