How to Start Your Own Law Firm: Just Do It, Successful Solo Says

It doesn't necessarily take a lot of money to start your own law practice. But it does take determination.

The one most critical factor in establishing a solo practice is deciding to do it, attorney Deborah Blommer tells the Wisconsin Law Journal. She has taught a course at Marquette University Law School on starting and managing your own practice based on her own experience as a successful solo.

More than 15 years ago, Blommer decided to take the plunge into solo practice because it was easier that way to juggle family responsibilities, including her then-1-year-old son, the article recounts. Since then, the Brookfield, Wis., firm now known as Blommer Peterman has grown from her basement to her living room to separate offices and currently has seven attorneys and 50 employees.

Picking a practice area—preferably, one that ties in with the needs of potential clients already in your social and professional circle—is important. And it also helps to be creative when marketing a shoestring practice.

Working out of her home to save on start-up costs—as she informed clients up front—Blommer volunteered to make house calls on clients, pointing out that this saved them time and the unpleasantness of having to deal with adverse weather. Many found the unconventional arrangement both convenient and pleasant, she says, and “I made something that was very negative for some people into a fantastic selling point.”