It has been quite some time since I've posted on here, and with good reason. Not much has been going on. If you've read any of my previous posts, you'd know that I recently moved from Kansas to Washington state because my wife had the opportunity to take a great job. Because we were moving out there and starting anew, I thought it would be the perfect time to take the shot to start my own law practice.
My wife moved out to Seattle in mid-July of last year, and I moved out in November, after finishing up some work at my old job (which included a jury trial which I won!). Once I got out to Seattle, I had plans of opening up a little consulting company to pass the time until I could get my bar exam results (I ended up having to take the WA bar exam - my third bar exam if you can believe that), but a strategic error has significantly slowed the progress of that consulting company.
So right now I am about five weeks away from (hopefully) getting my WA law license and opening up my own practice.
As a little background, to catch all of you up that may or may not be reading, I have been practicing for a little over 4 years now, and have a pretty wide range of experience. I started out in a general practice firm doing a little of everything, with an emphasis on criminal defense and personal injury/civil litigation. It was in a very small town which afforded me great experience but little in the way of pay. So after a year I took a job with a civil litigation boutique firm (insurance defense primarily) and worked there for about six months until the firm itself seemed to reach financial ruin (the work really dried up).
After that I took a job with a state agency, becoming their property attorney, with a large focus on eminent domain. I worked there for about a year and a half before moving out to Seattle. So I have a little bit of background in a lot of stuff.
One of the things I enjoyed about my first and last jobs was the variety of cases and people I had the opportunity to meet. Not really ever knowing what is going to happen is both scary and exciting at the same time. Because of that, I have planned on having a dual "specialty," if you will, in eminent domain and criminal defense.
Both are related in that courtroom experience is a must, and both involve high stakes negotiation (one for the sale or taking of someone's property, the other for the loss of someone's liberty). And both are also related because in a way both parties are fighting steep odds to retain something they care about. I'm not saying that all state agencies try to take property for less than what it's worth, or that prosecutor's try to get the maximum punishment all the time. But they do get it wrong. A lot. So I feel like I can be that someone that looks out for their rights and needs, and isn't afraid to take a little heat.
Now, back to this. I've read a lot of books on starting a law firm. I've read a lot of blogs on starting a law firm. And, while some have been pretty helpful, none really get to the level of specificity that I'm looking for.
I'd love to have a play by play at my disposal of what happens every day leading up to the opening of a law firm, from decision to doors open, to help really guide me through what needs to happen, what works and doesn't, and what pitfalls to avoid.
Since I don't really think one of those exists out there, I'm going to make one for the next round of attorneys who want to start a law firm but have no idea how. I won't be trying to sell you anything (although I will let you know where I get my products from). The point of this is not to make money, but to chronicle my journey moving forward and to allow you to see what it actually takes to open a law office on your own.
Here's to moving forward!!
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