Young Lawyers Division 2000-2001





NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1999

You Are Not Alone!
Professional Support for Solos

by John Austin



You're alone. It's late. There are sounds all around you. You'd scream if you thought that anyone would hear, but there is no one within earshot. You're scared.

No, this is not a scene out of the Blair Witch Project. It's the feeling of some attorneys who practice solo or in small firms. However, the simple truth is that solo and small firm attorneys are not alone.

According to Dwight Smith, chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Small/Solo Practices, 60 percent of all attorneys in the United States are in firms of five attorneys or less. Consequently, solo and small firm practitioners potentially have a vast network of resources and mentors available to assist them when questions arise.

Although the majority of attorneys are in small firms, solo and small firm practitioners account for only 30 percent of the ABA members, said Smith at the Fall Affiliate Outreach Project (AOP) in Las Vegas last month. Leadership within the ABA and the ABA YLD would like to foster solo and small firm practitioners' involvement in the ABA so that they do not feel isolated and vulnerable.

According to Ronald Ledgerwood, co-chair of the ABA YLD Standing Committee on Solo and Small Firm Practitioners, Chair Rachelle DeVaux Bedke has placed a special emphasis on providing assistance to these lone rangers of the legal community. The ABA YLD has attempted to help solo and small practitioners in three areas.

First, the ABA YLD established the Standing Committee on Solo and Small Firm Practitioners this year to reach out to this practice group. Second, the ABA YLD created three scholarships for solo and small practitioners to fund trips to the Fall and Spring AOPs as well as the Midyear Meeting in Dallas. This year's scholarship winners are John Carr of Iowa, Cary Hall of Maryland, and Michelle Holmes of Connecticut. Third, the ABA YLD has strengthened its ties to the General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Section and Standing Committee on Solo and Small Firm Practitioners of the ABA. In so doing, the ABA YLD has increased programming geared toward solo and small practitioners.

"Hopefully, by providing substantive information through publications and by providing some discounts for the business needs of small firms, we can help young lawyers who want to set out on their own," Ledgerwood said.

Ledgerwood, who practiced three and a half years in a small firm, started his own firm two and a half years ago. He cites autonomy and freedom in client selection as the biggest advantages of starting his own firm. He also likes the fact he does not have to build a consensus for his legal strategies. "I don't have to defer to anyone's opinion but my client's." Ledgerwood says he also likes to "pursue [his] own interests." However, the financial rewards can be "a roller coaster."

"You certainly keep all you kill," he said. But-"I can't bill this," he quipped, referring to the time spent during the interview.

According to Ledgerwood, the newly formed committee has been working with the ABA's Standing Committee to create a half-day of programming at the Professional Development Conference in Dallas this February. "We are also working with both the Standing Committee and the General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Section of the ABA for additional programming for the Spring AOP in Washington, D.C.," Ledgerwood added.

Larry Ramirez of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and immediate past chair of the General, Solo and Small Firm Section, says, "We want to work with young lawyers to help them start their own firms." The Section emphasizes its work in establishing mentoring programs for young lawyers in cooperation with state and local bars. Such programs are implemented through "G.P. Link," an outreach program geared toward state and local bars, or solo/small practice committees within those organizations. The goal of G.P. Link is to foster better resources and interconnection in that practice group, according to Ramirez.

In addition to G.P. Link, the Section sponsors a newsletter editing conference every year and presents a leadership conference every fall for state and local bar leaders. During the leadership conference, "we talk about creating meaningful CLEs and publications that provide better information" to solo and small firm practitioners, Ramirez says.

Another goal of the Section is to put a publication in the hands of its membership every month, according to Ramirez. Every Section member receives the following publications: Technology and Practice, twice a year; Complete Lawyer, four times a year; and Best of Sections, twice a year. Technology and Practice focuses on new and cutting edge technology that may improve the efficiency of the solo and small firm practitioner. Complete Lawyer focuses on developing the attorney's skills, such as trial advocacy and witness interviewing techniques. Best of Sections summarizes breaking case law and legislation from other sections so that Section members can be aware of those changes.

Ramirez has been in practice for twenty-three years but has only been on his own for the last three. A partner in an eleven-member law firm, Ramirez now says he is able to manage his time commitments between work and family better without sacrificing financial rewards. "I am more able to judge what I can do, and what I want to do," he says. "I now have a better balance with practice and family."

The scariest aspect of solo practice, according to Ramirez, is that there are "no other people to rely on, professionally or personally. There is comfort in numbers." The second scariest aspect is the financial insecurity, he added. The Section can add some comfort level. "The Section provides professional support to the solo/small practitioners," Ramirez says. According to Ramirez, the Section and the ABA YLD have plans for future joint programming and social functions. "Many of our council members are from the YLD," he said.

In order to bolster involvement, Ledgerwood said the YLD committee plans to increase the YLD involvement in the Solo and Small Firm Practitioners' Day at the ABA Annual Meeting. "It's an annual event, but the YLD has never been really involved," Ledgerwood says. "We'd like to change that."

For more information on the YLD Standing Committee on Solo and Small Firm Practitioners, contact Ron Ledgerwood at 303/758-1090. For information about the ABA General, Solo and Small Firm Section, contact Susan Stewart at 312/988-5636. Finally, for information about the ABA Standing Committee on Small/Solo Practices, contact Alex Agiaomini at 312/988-5461.