Updates and News!

Hello friends and followers! I apologize for the lack of posts lately, but this crazy thing called life happened and I welcomed my second son into the world. He is a happy, healthy little darling, and I have loved every moment I get to spend with him.

I have also been in the process of reinventing my firm. I have decided to emphasize my passion for helping fathers in family law matters. Fathers tend to have an uphill battle in family law matters, and I want to focus on helping them navigate the legal process in custody, divorce, child support, paternity, and other family law matters. Check out my new and improved website for more info: http://www.sarahdemerslaw.com/.

I also have started a new blog that will continue to have updates about my practice, but will also have resources about fathers' rights in family law. I hope you all will continue to follow my story at http://fatherfriendlyfamilylaw.blogspot.com/

Good luck to any begining solos out there, please feel free to email me or Rita with any questions. We love to hear from you!

The People Part of Legal Practice

Image via Wikipedia ~ Rita's Post ~

I planned to discuss my second goal for 2012 in this post, but - as often happens in solo practice - something happened last week to highlight a timelier topic: client relations.  Working with clients has been the best part of launching my own practice.  If I'm wearing my "marketing" hat and tiring of the seemingly endless services and resources available to get the word out about my law firm, nothing lifts my spirits like a call from a current or potential client.  This is so because it reminds me why I'm in business: to help people.  This desire, according to Jay Foonberg, author of a book I'd highly recommend - How to Start & Build a Law Practice, must be the driving force of your law practice for it to succeed in the long run.  This week illustrated for me why this is so.

 This past week, I heard directly from or indirectly about three people who are dissatisfied with their attorneys.  It's hard to know if the attorneys weren't working hard for their clients or if they failed to relate to their clients the work that they were doing.  Ultimately, client perception is crucial to client satisfaction. 

Clients retain attorneys because they don't know how to navigate the complex legal system.  I believe that an attorney is a guide as well as an advocate.  Guiding clients includes educating them on the process and informing them of the work you're doing for them.  A client's questions should never be met with an irritated sigh or other behavior that indicates answering such questions is an imposition.  I assure you that there are wonderfully caring attorneys in the legal profession.  In my experience, they make up the vast majority.  But a bad experience with one attorney can cloud someone's view of the entire legal profession.

I urge attorneys to be mindful that what may be basic and obvious to them is often unclear to their clients.  Top-notch legal work needs to be coupled with open client communication to achieve the desired end result: a satisfied client.

First Hearing! And Fee Setting

Sarah's Post

I had my very first hearing yesterday, which went even better than I expected. It was against a pro se mom who was asking for a modification to child support. The magistrate was very nice to me (I think she either sensed that I was brand new, or saw that I was 9 months pregnant and didn’t want to upset me and send me into labor).

 I am amazed at the amount of information that has been shoved into my head in the last three weeks! I knew I would need to learn both procedure and substantive law very quickly to survive as a new solo practitioner, but I don’t think I really understood how different family law would be from the civil litigation cases I was much more familiar with. I feel like the next time I deal with a motion to modify, I’ll have a much better idea of what’s important, what to do, and how the procedure works.

One thing both Rita and I have gotten some questions about is fee setting. To share with the group, I set my hourly rate based on asking at least half a dozen attorneys in downtown Minneapolis what they thought the rate should be for a brand new attorney. My hourly rate is $150.00/hour, which is actually lower than most of them suggested. But I feel comfortable with it until I have more experience under my belt.

I have also done a few cases now where I’ve set a flat fee. To do that I ask the more experienced attorneys in my office how long it would take them to do the task the client needs, then multiply that by my hourly rate. Then if it takes me three times as long as it would take an experienced attorney, at least the client is only paying for the amount of time it should have taken me. Since flat fees are dangerous, especially in family law where things seem to be more volatile than some other areas of law, I only do them when it’s for a single motion, or a single appearance. I draft the client agreement so they know I only will be writing this one motion, making this one appearance on a specific date, etc. Then we both understand if there are more issues afterwards, they will either have to renegotiate with me to help or they may be on their own. So far, this has worked well, because the clients are just happy to have someone helping them and to know up front what the cost will be.

  Everything with the practice is about as expected – I have some clients but not a lot. I have about four active cases I am working on currently, and two people I am waiting to get confirmation on that they would like to retain me. So I’m still doing some contract work to make sure I stay busy. Assuming I can keep the pace that I’m at, getting 3-4 new clients a month, the practice will be growing at a pace that I am comfortable with. And I definitely like my boss, we get along well.

Goal 1 for 2012: Getting the Word Out

Image by *Sally M* via Flickr

~ Rita's Post ~

I’ve heard that three keys to a successful law practice are: (1) letting people know what you do, (2) doing excellent work, and (3) sticking around long enough to reap the benefits of (1) and (2).  My first goal for 2012 is aimed towards the first “key”: getting the word out.  After three years of having to tell people that I couldn’t give legal advice as an unlicensed law student, it’s time to let people know that I’m open for business!

Goal number one for 2012: getting the word out.  I’ve already taken steps towards this goal.  After seeing friends and family over the holidays and enjoying the opportunity to reconnect, I realized I need to use social media.  I have such wonderful family and friends who are interested in what I’m up to, I needed to make it easier for them to check in with me!  So I am once again on Facebook.  While setting up my personal profile, I also built a Facebook page for my law office.

This morning I finished addressing, stuffing, and stamping hundreds of letters announcing my firm to family, friends, former professors, and colleagues.  While working on my announcement letters I found myself thinking that having a law office is certainly not all they make it out to be on Law  & Order.  But menial tasks like this one are necessary to get to the end goal: using my law degree to help people.  

Happy New Year!  If you’d like, post a comment or email us (solospectacular@gmail.com) to share your goals and plan of attack for 2012.  Sarah and I love hearing from our readers!

My First Motion!

Sarah's Post

Last week I filed my very first motion with my name on it! It was very satisfying to sign my name, and have my law firm information on a motion.

                Then I walked out of the court house…and the worrying began. What if they rejected it? What if I didn’t serve the parties correctly? What if the judge hates everything I said, and passes it around to every clerk, judge, lawyer, and janitor in the building as an example of what not to do? I can take being denied on the merits of my claim, but the idea of ridicule was not something I had really thought hard about before and now I’m very nervous.

One of my mentors who started a solo practice right out of law school said she lived in absolute terror the first two years that she had screwed something up. Then, as everything worked out and she got more comfortable with the procedures, she calmed down. I am definitely in the stage of panic and terror:  no one is looking over my shoulder, no one is correcting my work. It’s just me. But it sure is fun advising my own clients. Even if it takes me longer than other lawyers to produce a result, it is a result that in the end I’m proud of.

I have worked on a handful of cases now, and I also find it frustrating to have no idea what to do procedurally with a good case. I can recognize right away that there is something I must be able to do for the client; I just don’t know what that action is yet. I look forward to the day when I can say “Not only do I know that you have a good claim, but I know exactly what to do to help you!” Until then, I am relegated to spending vast amounts of time researching statutes, rules, and procedures, and then asking other attorneys what actions to take. Although I was aware starting my own firm out of law school would involve asking a lot of questions, it’s still frustrating to know the law but not the procedure.

Happy New Year to everyone! I’m ready to rock 2012 – bring it on!

Solo but not Secluded

~ Rita's Post ~

I celebrated another milestone this week: on Monday, I closed my law firm’s first case.  The resolution allowed a family to be together for the holidays, and having a role in that outcome feels amazing!  

Having Sarah to share my excitement with certainly added to the event.  I’ve said it once and it bears repeating: sharing an office was one of my best decisions to date.  Being a solo practitioner can be very isolating, but many opportunities arise to connect with others.  The solo practice community is especially warm and inviting.  If you reach out with enthusiasm, you find yourself warmly received.  

Knowing that I have a great network of mentors and friends in the legal community is comforting.  More experienced attorneys than I have been very generous in making time for me and sharing their wisdom.  But ultimately I am responsible for everything that my law firm produces, and I am always mindful that I shoulder that responsibility.  So although I have enjoyed fielding calls outside of my criminal defense & DUI defense focus areas, I only help where I can, referring the remainder to other attorneys who regularly practice in those areas.  The satisfaction of helping others navigate their legal situations makes the hard work of launching a law practice worthwhile.    

Thank you for reading!  Sarah and I write this blog for you, and welcome your emails and comments.  We have some questions for you: How are we doing?  What do you like reading about?  What aren’t we telling you that you’d like to know? solospectacular@gmail.com

Next post, I'll talk about goal setting and the resolutions I've made to get the most out of 2012.  Until then, enjoy the holiday season with your loved ones and I'll do the same! 

We're in business!

Sarah's Post

This has been an exciting week! I have at least one client for sure, two that are almost for sure, and one I’m still waiting to hear back from. I’m definitely feeling like a real lawyer, giving legal advice and the whole 9 yards!

For anyone who is really thinking about opening a solo practice, the way I’ve gotten almost all my first clients is referrals from lawyers who know me and really want to see me succeed. So having existing relationships with people who have some business to refer to you is absolutely essential. These types of referrals are not enough to sustain a business on, however, and there are other things I’m doing to try and grow my client base. But getting people to know, like, and trust you – and remember your name and what you do when they need legal help – takes time and patience. So while I’m waiting for my efforts to get my name out to the masses to bear fruit, it is essential to have established connections to lawyers willing to give me contract work and referrals.

 I’m also doing low flat fees for people who otherwise would not be able to pursue their claim, or would have represented themselves and would really prefer not to. This is great because they can pay much less than they would for most other lawyers, a more experienced lawyer would be hard pressed to take their case since it would not be economically advantageous for them, and I get the legal experience I need as well as some incoming cash to sustain the business. It’s all around a winning situation.

So hopefully things keep building up. At this point I’m hopeful, and less nervous than I was about succeeding. I think it will take more time than I originally anticipated to have the income I want, although if I keep going at my current pace of bringing in 2-3 clients a month (and get some clients that are paying a full rate) I should be right at my income goal. So here’s hoping this keeps up!