Thinking About Building A Legal Niche as A Solo Lawyer?
Take This Self Assessment - Are You Ready To Niche?
Before you deliberately set out to build a legal niche, it is worth stopping for a moment and taking stock of where you actually are right now.
This short self-assessment is designed to help you reflect honestly on your readiness to niche.
There are no right or wrong answers. What matters is that you answer the questions based on where you are today, not where you hope, expect, or tell yourself you should be.
And do not overthink it. Although, let us be realistic. You probably will. We are lawyers too.
We are strong believers in niching as a long-term strategy for lawyers who want to stay relevant and profitable into the future.
AI is already stripping out more and more routine legal work, and that trend is not slowing down.
Clients are doing things themselves that they would have paid lawyers for not that long ago, and they will keep doing more of it.
That has real consequences for the bottom line of legal practices.
Which leads to an uncomfortable but necessary question. If AI can increasingly do the routine work, what are you known for as a lawyer? Ideally, something more than being another generalist offering less and less of the same work as everyone else.
This self-assessment is about testing the waters.
It is designed to help you work through whether niching makes sense for you right now, and how far along you already are in your thinking.
If you decide you want to move forward with a niche, we are happy to point you in the right direction.
If you decide now is not the time, that is fine too. At least you have tested out the idea.
Either way, let us start with an honest look at whether niching is for us.
The Questions
Answer each question based on where you are right now.
1. What best describes why you are thinking about niching?
A. I want to be known for something specific and meaningful as a lawyer.
B. I think niching might help, but I am still uncertain about how it will.
C. I am frustrated with general solo practice and feel like something has to change.
2. How clear are you on the type of work you enjoy most?
A. Very clear. Certain areas stand out strongly.
B. Somewhat clear, but I need more guidance.
C. Not clear at all.
3. How confident are you in your subject matter expertise in a specific area?
A. Confident. I can advise clearly and decisively.
B. Moderately confident, but I need more depth that I could develop.
C. Not confident. I still feel like I am still learning.
4. When you think about routine legal work being automated by AI, you feel:
A. Ok with it as already planning around it.
B. Concerned, unsure how it affects me yet.
C. Uncertain and fearful.
5. How easy is it for you to explain what you want to be known for as a lawyer?
A. Easy. I can articulate it clearly.
B. Somewhat, but it needs a bit more refinement.
C. Difficult at times.
6. If you started building a niche today, your biggest barrier would be:
A. Time management and daily habits
B. Confidence, messaging and visibility
C. Not knowing which niche to choose
What Your Answers Suggest
Mostly A’s
You are thinking deliberately, not reactively. You likely already have the confidence and real foundations to begin building a legal niche. Your next step is execution, not more thinking about it.
Mostly B’s
You are closer than you think. This level of uncertainty is normal. The work ahead is about clarifying your direction, testing some assumptions about which niche and building your confidence towards planning and executing.
Mostly C’s
Niching currently feels more reactive than strategic for you. That does not mean you should not niche. It just means there are preliminary stages to go through first like understanding your clients needs better, recognising patterns in your work that could lead to a niche and gaining more confidence before committing any further.
Next Steps
If this self-assessment raised questions, confirmed doubts, or highlighted uncertainty, that’s not a reason to delay, it’s a positive signal that greater clarity is needed.
You may find the following resources helpful:
Build A Legal Niche As A Solo Lawyer
A paid guide explaining why niching works, when it matters most, and how to do it properly - step by step.
Legal Niching Action Checklist
A standalone, practical tool showing exactly what to do to start building a niche that sticks.
If you want personalised guidance about your specific practice situation.