Solo Practice

Above Ground

By Michael Grossman

Sorry for the radio silence, but there has been lots going on. Temporarily sick little children, a vacation or two, and… oh… my job. I’m still at my government law firm job. But this will change very soon.

See up there, in the masthead, it says, “Becoming an Underground Solo Attorney?” Well, I’m going to have to change that. Sorry, folks. It WAS my plan to begin my solo office in my basement and then renting conference space on an as-needed basis. Well, I realized that I’m just not very productive at home. I need to be out of the house to get serious, consistent work done. To that end, I rented space.

I feel quite good about the decision.  I didn’t rent a typical office in a typical space, located where attorneys typically live. The space I’ve found is a short bicycle ride from home, near where my children attend daycare, and within steps from the train that heads downtown. It’s a shared office - one that was formed by a gentleman who was in a similar situation as myself. He wanted to get out of his home office and work in an environment that was more productive and more communal. I’m the only attorney in the space, surrounded by a wide range of professionals - computer programmers, financial people, advertising consultants, etc. But everyone has a similar gestalt, in that they are unsatisfied working from home, they enjoy the dynamic of having other people around, overhead must be low, and they are attempting to start a small business. Even though I’m the only attorney in the room, it feels very comfortable. Maybe that’s BECAUSE I’m the only attorney in the room. Hmmm….

Anywhoo, my lease is supposed to begin today. I’m renting space, beginning today, for my own solo law firm. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? WHERE WILL I FIND CLIENTS? WILL THEY LIKE ME? WILL I LIKE THEM? IS MY TIE STRAIGHT? WILL I BE ABLE TO SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS? HYPERVENTALATING…. BREATH. GASP. COUGH. GASP. Breath. Deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. Sigh. Breath.

Sorry. That’s been happening a lot lately. My wife has been taking to slaping my face when it occurs, but she’s not nearby at the moment. Please, bear with me. That may come up again at other times in the near future.

Okay, so, I take lease today. I’m not leaving my job until the end of August. I didn’t want to lose this space so I snatched it up. The time will allow me to get settled, knock out some announcements, do a little work on the weekends, and generally get prepped for when the time comes to settle in.

And speaking of settling in, I’ve been thinking about it non-stop. The operations of my solo firm, that is now within reach, occupies most every moment of my churning mind. I might as well write about my thoughts on these topics in the upcoming days. Perhaps I can get some input from my two readers (hi wife and mom!). Even if it’s just cathartic, and helps me breath a little easier without needed anti-anxiety medication, then all will be good.

Full post as published by Practical Lawyering on August 01, 2007 (boomark / email).