Small Firm And Solo Lawyers This One Is For You

Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers Small Firm and Solo Lawyers: This One is for You Are you practicing in a small firm or on your own? If so, this blog is for you. Even if you are practicing law in a large firm, you likely know several lawyers in a small firm. Please share this post with them. I am speaking today at the Collin County, Texas Bar Association:  5th Annual Law Practice Management seminar, “Making Your Practice Work!”  The program is specifically for small firm and solo lawyers. As I was preparing my presentation, I thought about my own career. I spent more than 20 years of my career in small firms. In 1976, when I was finishing my work as a Judge Advocate in the United States Air Force, I was offered two opportunities to go in-house at major defense contractors and I was offered an associate position with a large Washington, DC law firm. I very purposely took a different path. I began my private practice career at a small firm, Martin, Hopkins and Lemon  in Roanoke, Virginia. In 1983, a friend and I started our own firm with a young associate and our two professional staff members. Over time we added lawyers. I frequently said I would never join a large firm, but I finally did in 1997, when I joined Jenkens and Gilchrist here in Dallas. It is interesting to look back now. My USAF friend who took the in-house job that I had turned down with the California based defense contractor is now happily retired. The lawyers my age who are working with the large Washington, DC law firm are doing very, very well. I still believe I made the right decision for me. I would not have fit well in an in-house environment and I never wanted to be dependent on senior lawyers for work. I actually liked the pressure of being required to attract, retain and expand relationships with clients to feed my family. Throughout my career I was always hungry and never content about what I had achieved. I suspect that many of the lawyers who will attend the Collin County event today are in the same position. I think they will pay great attention to each speaker throughout the day. If you are a lawyer in a small firm, or on your own, you might find my presentation slides Client Development for 2014 and Beyond valuable. You might also gain some insights from the Collin County Bar Association: Client Development for 2014 and Beyond Handout  I will share with the lawyers. Here are a few major takeaways:   I practiced law for 37 years developing a national construction law practice representing some of the top highway and transportation construction contractors in the US.