So, you want to start your own solo practice, but you are broke. Actually, you feel broke, but in reality your bank account is destitute. With this in mind, I decided to share some tips on starting your solo as cheaply as possible. It does not take a lot of money to start your own law practice. I know plenty of people that keep saying that they want to start their own practice but they don’t have the money for it now or they’re saving up so that they can have a professional look and compete with the big dogs. Those are all excuses. If you’re one of those people, then don’t bother reading the rest of this post. I’m writing this post for those who are ready to do what it takes to start their own practice and are not just talking the talk. So, if you’ve already gotten over your fears and you’re ready to start collecting money payable to your new practice, please read on.

After you decide on your solo’s name, go and get a post office box. You can find the rates for one at USPS. If you need to meet with a client, you can rent conference rooms by the hour or day at local churches. They’re always looking for extra money. Or, you can search online for virtual office services that rent rooms by the hour or day nearest you. Now, that you have a mailing address, you need a way for clients to reach you. You have two options here. You can get a cell phone, if you don’t already have one, and use that as your office line. Or, you can sign up for a virtual voicemail service, like Gotvmail, and have your calls forwarded to you via phone, fax, or email. They have a $9.95 a month plan that’s worth looking at and you can get a local or toll-free number. If that’s too rich for your blood, then just use your current phone line.

Even though many people have internet access for email, there are still some people that rely on faxes. So, you will need a fax machine. Try to get one that has the all-in-one fax, scanner, printer, and copier. As for your fax number, find out whether your local phone company has the distinctive ring feature where you can get another phone number added to your account. Use that number solely for your faxes and don’t add any features, such as voicemail, etc. to that number. Next, you need an email address. I’m sure you already know that you can sign up for free email accounts. I personally like gmail accounts. If you need an invite, email me at blog@dirtylawndry.com.

Eventually, you will want to have a website. To get your website online, you will need hosting. You can find affordable, quality hosting at $5.95 a month. If you don’t know how to design a website, send me an email and I’ll give you my tech guy’s contact info. Lastly, you will need to find out whether or not you’re required to carry liability insurance for the state that you practice in. Where I practice, attorneys aren’t required to have liability insurance. We’re only required to let clients know that we don’t carry liability insurance. If you’re not required to carry liability insurance, then you’re done. You now have a solo practice. Once you start making a profit, you can purchase liability insurance at that time, get incorporated, or anything else your heart desires for your firm for that matter. Congratulations!

UPDATE:  Oops!  I forgot one of the most important things in starting a solo practice.  Where to stash your firm’s loot?  You may already know that you’re required to maintain a separate business account for your practice.  But, in case you don’t, I’m telling you now.  Get a business account from a bank that is approved by the jurisdiction that you practice in.  Also, if you practice in a legal field that requires you to receive money on your client’s behalf, then you will also need a trust account.  For example, if you’re a personal injury attorney and your client’s insurance proceeds are being paid directly to you for you to distribute, then you will need to place the insurance proceeds in a trust account.  As for accounting software, if you need one, many banks now  offer the software for free when you open up a new business account and agree to online banking.  But, don’t let the accounting software scare you off if you can’t get it for free. This article is still intended for broke lawyers that just want to get started.  I started my firm without any accounting software because I was not willing to pay for something that my solar-powered calculator could do.  Eventually, you will want to look into purchasing accounting software as you get more clients, in addition to other kinds of software, to make life easier, but we’ll save that for another article.