Questions To Ask Yourself Before Starting A Solo Law Practice

Thinking about going solo as a lawyer is one thing.

Being ready to start and run a solo law practice is another.

Before you make the move, there are practical questions to work through about your background, practice area, clients, pricing, referrals, systems, budgets, support and timing.

If you are thinking about going solo, there are some questions you need to ask yourself early.

What is your background?

How does that help you going solo?

Why do you need to?

Do you want to?

What areas of law do you want to practise in?

What work have you been doing that you can leverage off?

What is a realistic start date?

You need at least three to six months, optimally, to get yourself properly set up.

Where is the work going to come from?

From whom?

From where?

Can you build it consistently?

What about pricing?

What about a workable operating setup?

What are your top three priorities for the first three months of operating?

What worries you most about going solo?

What do you think you are underprepared for?

Have you thought about offices, home office setups, compliance systems, referrals, networking and structure?

What about the challenges of sporadic income in the first few years?

What about budgets?

What about tax, overheads and expenditure?

Who is your ideal client?

What is your unique value proposition?

Can you work alone?

What sort of admin. support are you going to need?

Where do you see yourself in solo practice in one, two and three years’ time?

What services will you be offering?

How will you be using AI?

How are you going to pay yourself regularly?

Are you going to build a niche for yourself?

What client relationship management system are you going to use?

What tech stack are you going to use?

Who are the other people who need to support you? Lawyers, accountants, financial advisers, bankers etc.

These are all the practical questions that sit behind the decision to go solo.

Going solo can be a very good move.

It is about whether you are ready, what you need to put in place, and whether you have thought properly about the work, the clients, the money, the systems and the support around you.

All before you take the plunge and leap of faith.

If you are thinking about starting a solo practice, we have put together practical resources to help you work through these issues, including a self-assessment, a guide on timing and a set-up checklist.

You can find them on the Starting A Solo Practice page.

We work directly with solicitors, barristers, and consultant lawyers as well as small law firm principals on the decisions that shape an independent practice - structure, positioning, pricing, systems, capacity, financial control, AI use, and strategic direction.

This is practical, experience-based advisory work for lawyers who want a stronger, better-run practice and clearer judgment about what needs to change next.

You can work with us through a Strategy Session or a Solo Law Firm Tune-Up.

We also offer practical tools, guides and webinars for lawyers who want to get on top of these issues properly.

Details are on www.paulippolito.com.au