Working Alone As A Solo Lawyer - The Hidden Productivity Trap

Working Solo Does Necessarily Mean Being Alone

The more productive I became as a solo lawyer, the more disconnected I found myself from actual human contact.

It is very easy to sit in your office all day and work alone without actually speaking to anyone.

I’ve experienced this many times over the years, especially in the early days when I didn’t have support staff, and even now sometimes when I’m working from home.

Working alone makes me extremely productive. I can get through large volumes of work when I’m left undisturbed. But it also leads to something I’ve felt often as a solo lawyer - professional isolation and social disconnection.

There are moments when I’m working alone and thinking, “Gee, I wouldn’t mind having someone to bounce this off.”

Because of this, I’ve become really conscious of doing more of the simple yet genuinely enjoyable things that help break that isolation:

• Going out in the morning for a coffee in a busy café. Being around people, seeing familiar faces, and having brief interactions makes a noticeable difference to how I feel.

• Taking a walk around the neighbourhood where I live or work. Seeing locals, acknowledging others, and simply being part of the community helps me reconnect and step out of my own bubble.

• Scheduling the occasional lunch or after-work drink with fellow lawyer friends. This isn’t about networking. It’s about human connection with people who understand the work, the pressures, and the demands of our profession - like a fellow lawyer.

As everything shifts further online, and with clients rarely coming into the office anymore, shared human experiences are becoming less frequent.

Much of that personal, in-person connection has faded.

Solo practitioners feel this loss the most.

I am never shy about reaching out to fellow lawyers in my area. I’ve never seen them as competitors. I’ve always viewed them as colleagues I can get to know, collaborate with, or simply talk to. A sounding board. Someone to share a coffee with. Someone who understands the day-to-day realities of this profession.

Someone once commented that this view was naïve. I didn’t think so. I thought the comment itself was disappointing, because collegiality has always been important to me. I do not see anyone as my competitor.

Productivity is one thing. Extreme productivity is another. And isolation and disconnection can completely undermine the benefits of that productivity.

A day of moving from urgent to urgent, client to client, without stepping outside or speaking to anyone in person, is not healthy for any lawyer.

Sometimes getting up, going outside, having a coffee, taking a walk, going to the gym or beach for a swim, or meeting someone briefly can be far more valuable for the mind and body than another hour or two of uninterrupted work.

This is increasingly the reality for solo lawyers, and it’s something we need to acknowledge honestly. It’s even sadder when the practice is your own and no one is stopping you from doing all the things I’ve mentioned above.

Paul Ippolito is Principal of Ippolito Advisory. Paul is available for media enquiries, speaking and consulting. You can contact him here.