Successful California Solo Taking Questions
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Poast new message in this thread
Date: February 15th, 2015 10:41 AM Author: lavender dysfunction
I've been reading these forums for years without posting and decided to answer some questions about going solo. Being solo is actually pretty awesome and if you have some social/business skills you can make very good money.
I don't really care too much about outing myself and may do so later even, so I'll give you some general (not too specific) details on my background.
I graduated from a T-20 school between 2008-2011. I was on law review (not on the editorial board), order of the coif, and summered at a big firm. I hated law review, and hated the big firm. I got no offered during the Summer because I came in every day at 9 and left every day at 4:30. I honestly was just there to collect my 30k over the Summer and then do something else after law school. I had decided at that point not to be a lawyer when I graduated.
After the bar I worked at a non-law job for about a year. I was getting paid 70k plus a small bonus working a normal 9-5 type job I found through a friend. During that time I started helping some friends with basic legal issues (DUIs, auto accidents, etc) on the side and found out I actually liked the work. Something about doing that type of work actually makes you feel like you're a real lawyer.
Once I had some clients, I quit my job and started my own practice. I handle criminal, personal injury, and a small about of civil litigation. I'm running about 100 active files on average right now. I keep my overhead low.
I have a $150 virtual office to meet clients/get mail. I have one full-time assistant (who works in my home office) and I use a handful of contract attorneys when necessary (appearances, motions, etc). I've done five solo trials (both bench and jury) and lost one of them.
My net income for 2013 was 200k and for 2014 300k. This year should be slightly better than last year. I have a few large PI cases (surgery cases) that have meditations coming up.
My quality of life is pretty awesome. Although I do work pretty much every day (including weekends). I usually start working around 8:30 (at home) and wrap up around 5. I schedule most of my client meetings on two days of the week and then going into my virtual office to do them all in a row. Most of my PI clients I never meet (we just e-mail and I mail them a check at the end).
On weekends I'll put in an hour or two per day when I have some free time. I don't mind that part though because I can fit it in whenever I want. I'm in SoCal so if I want to take a day off for the beach or Disneyland I can do whatever I want. Since my cases are mostly PI and criminal, I never have an emergency deadline for anything.
Anyways, I'm going out with friends today but I'll check my phone periodically and respond to any questions. Being a solo really can be a good job, and if you forget about prestige for a minute you might actually even enjoy your life.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27318976)
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Date: February 15th, 2015 10:59 AM Author: Sooty Selfie Business Firm
have you ever gone up against a biglaw "litigator"?
have you ever sucked a cock?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27319037) |
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Date: February 15th, 2015 11:06 AM Author: lavender dysfunction
Depends what you consider big law. There are a lot of large insurance defense firms.
I've had several cases against Macy's and they use Manning and Kass (which is fairly large). They always try to remove cases to federal court and then I get them remanded. The partner who works for Macy's, Jeffrey Lenkov (google him if you want to have a laugh), is a huge asshole (and really funny if you have thick skin).
He called me up and told me I filed a motion to remand because I'm a chickenshit (his actual words). I got the case remanded and called him to rub it in his face. We settled shortly after in mediation.
No cock sucking.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27319061) |
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Date: February 15th, 2015 11:10 AM Author: lavender dysfunction
First, I purchased malpractice insurance (you can get a $500 100k/300k policy through lawyers mutual your first year of solo practice).
Second, personal injury and criminal law are not rocket science. For the civil stuff I joined the local consumer attorney group and found a couple mentors. They gave me sample letters (rep letters, demand letters, drop letters, etc), and also sample litigation docs (complaints, discovery, etc). For the criminal stuff, I have a family member who does criminal law exclusively, and I would just call her and pick her brain as needed.
As for civil litigation, I started that after I had been litigating PI cases and had already done a trial. So it wasn't a mystery by then.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27319074) |
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Date: February 15th, 2015 11:15 AM Author: lavender dysfunction
https://www.caala.org/
Look under the tab litigation resources. See where it says "document bank & resource library"?
https://www.casd.org/index.cfm?pg=memberBenefitsNew
See where it says "document bank"?
I'm a member of both groups.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27319101) |
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Date: February 15th, 2015 11:22 AM Author: lavender dysfunction
The work is REALLY easy compared to BigLaw. However, the skill set is vastly different. If you're willing to spend the time to learn the knowledge isn't that hard to acquire. You could master both areas easily in a year if you're committed. Also, I hope you're comfortable in court because you'll be going there a lot.
The only hard part really is getting the clients. Networking with attorneys is almost worthless. Network with your non-attorney friends. Tell literally everyone you meet you are a lawyer and what you do. Build an e-mail list and send out monthly updates. If you're doing PI and criminal make friends with doctors, tow truck drivers, body shops, insurance agents and bailbondsmen.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27319126)
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Date: February 15th, 2015 11:38 AM Author: lavender dysfunction
I knew all the big concepts just fine from talking to my family member. But there are little things you just have to learn as you go.
Funny story. When I first did a DUI I didn't know you had to let the clerk know you were ready so your case could get called. I was sitting there for like 2 hours and all the other lawyers got called. I asked the clerk what was up and she said "are you ready now?"
Even though biglaw litigation is totally different, learning the basics of litigation will help you with shitlaw later. Corporate work will be zero help.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27319195)
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Date: February 15th, 2015 11:35 AM Author: lavender dysfunction
Well first off, my appearance attorneys charge me $75-90 per appearance. So if I have something far away, for the price of gas I can just have them do it for me.
Secondly, there are a lot of non-substantive hearings to do (proof of completion hearings, status conferences, case management conferences, trial setting conferences, etc) and you spend 90% of your time just sitting waiting to get called. The time is better spent getting new clients or settling good cases.
Also, writing motions is the worst. I hate writing, so I make my contract attorneys do it. There is almost no law and motion in PI anyways.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27319177) |
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Date: February 15th, 2015 11:42 AM Author: lavender dysfunction
The majority of what I do is getting clients, keeping them updated and happy, going to court for substantive hearings, and dealing with adjusters/attorneys/prosecutors.
I don't even draft complaints most of the time. I use form complaints for almost everything and my assistant just preps those and I sign them. My assistant has a complaint checklist. Here it is:
1. Summons*
2. Civil Case Cover Sheet*
3. Statement of Location (Los Angeles Only)*
4. Complaint*
5. Complaint for Motor Vehicle
a. Cause of Action
b. Attachment
6. Complaint for Negligence
a. Cause of Action
b. Attachment
7. Guardian Ad Litum (only if there is a minor)
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27319203)
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Date: February 15th, 2015 11:49 AM Author: lavender dysfunction
I love it and hate it. No more case management conferences and they don't do OSCs RE: service anymore.
The downside is that department 1 can send you out to any courthouse in LA the day of trial (so it makes it hard to settle a case since you don't know if it will be a plaintiff's friendly judge/jury).
You also only have like 20 minutes to make a 170.6 motion if you don't like your judge. Since the internet sucks in that courthouse it's hard to do research on the spot too.
Also, getting a trial in less than a year is basically impossible now with budget cuts.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27319233) |
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Date: February 15th, 2015 8:26 PM Author: lavender dysfunction
Appearances aren't usually for anything substantive. Here is a real e-mail I sent to my appearance attorney:
"[NAME],
Can you cover an appearance for me on Wednesday at Van Nuys, Dept 113 (8:30am)?
Client: [CLIENT NAME]
Case: [CASE NUMBER]
Facts: DUI was pled down to a speed exhibition. Client has proof of VIP and restitution hearing. I haven't been able to get in touch with the client for a couple weeks (he has brain damage from illness and is a little spacey) but he told me a month ago he completed the VIP program. If he gets me proof of completion prior to Wednesday I will e-mail it over to you. Also, victim is not showing up so the prosecutor will just take the restitution hearing off calendar. My client has auto insurance and believes they took care of it already.
Let me know."
Edit: thought you said appearances. See the bottom of this thread for info on motions and how much I pay. As for getting up to speed, my cases aren't that complicated dude. I usually can do it in a 20 minute phone call.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27322495) |
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Date: February 15th, 2015 11:50 AM Author: hyperventilating dog poop
cr.
respect to OP.
there should be more shit like this on here.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27319239) |
Date: February 15th, 2015 11:50 AM Author: Idiotic diverse ticket booth masturbator
20 minutes to 8 in the morning on a sunday
wtf, i'll make my first post and answer questions
yeah, no
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27319240) |
Date: February 15th, 2015 11:59 AM Author: Flesh gas station
Do you send all your auto collision clients straight to the chiro for 2-3 months on lien and if so, do you care how transparent that is?
This is my biggest pet peeve so far.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27319291) |
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Date: February 15th, 2015 12:03 PM Author: lavender dysfunction
I have a ton of doctors who treat on a lien (chiro, neuro, ortho, podiatrist, MRI/X-Ray/CT).
I usually have them see an MD first who recommends them to chiro (usually 2-4 months). If it is a big impact and there is decent pain I send them for MRI and then ortho consult. If the policy is large enough I have them do pain management (epidurals, facet injections, etc) if they want it.
Insurance companies will always say your client overtreated, was overbilled, etc. Don't let that bother you.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27319304) |
Date: February 15th, 2015 12:02 PM Author: doobsian jet-lagged reading party
ty for this thread dooder.
Not in CA but would love to work for myself at some point, provided I don't end up like Jimmy McGill.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27319303) |
Date: February 15th, 2015 12:08 PM Author: talented sepia hunting ground dilemma
180 brother this guy knows his shitlaw and he probably knows who i am.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27319332)
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Date: February 15th, 2015 1:09 PM Author: Buck-toothed casino
This sounds like flame, doesn't ring true 100 active case files for a solo seems like an insane work load to manage and still have a high QOL. Also no way would overhead be low with that many case files.
I think this guy is "dream-lifestyle u jelly" trolling us. This guy would literally be in the 99.99%ile of lawyers from his class in CA, and would be on the cover of every lawyering magazine in CA.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27319624) |
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Date: February 15th, 2015 6:01 PM Author: lavender dysfunction
In California for a DUI there are parallel proceedings. One criminal and one civil (administrative per se hearing). You have to schedule the civil hearing within 10 days or you automatically get suspended for 6 months on a first DUI (30 days after the arrest).
The hearing is a joke though. It is run by a DMV employee who is the finder of law, finder of fact, and prosecutor. They rule on your objections and put on the case for the DMV. I've only won a couple of them and that's because the police made huge errors.
Biggest part of dealing with the license is helping my clients get their restricted license later on (sr-1, ab541 enrollment, etc).
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27321546) |
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Date: February 15th, 2015 6:37 PM Author: lavender dysfunction
First, I'm not two years out (said graduating class was in the range of 2008-2011).
I don't even discuss expectations with clients most of the time. When I get a call I explain the criminal law process (DMV hearing, arraignment, pretrial, etc), tell them a little bit about the department they are going to be in (I know most of the departments pretty well), and then e-mail them sign the paperwork or meet them in person to sign. I never ask someone if they want to hire me, I just treat them like it's a foregone conclusion - it works really well.
It may come as a shock but most people are scared and just want someone to make all the decisions for them. By the time they call me I don't have to do much selling.
It also helps that I get most cases via referrals so as long as I seem nice and knowledgeable on the phone they are probably hiring me.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27321749)
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Date: February 15th, 2015 5:51 PM Author: lavender dysfunction
Here is my P&L from last year since you guys think I'm a flame (I literally just pulled it from quickbooks):
http://imgur.com/yOCcqvH
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27321496) |
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Date: March 14th, 2015 10:03 AM Author: Tantric mewling patrolman
How do decide how much to pay yourself?
How often do you pay yourself?
How do you determine what is a business expense vs. something you should pay for out of your member's draw (e.g., cell phone, car lease, T&E, etc)? Since you said you give your card to almost literally everyone you meet couldn't every meal and drink be T&E?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27487615) |
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Date: March 14th, 2015 5:02 PM Author: lavender dysfunction
I base my salary on what I want my SEP limits to be for retirement. Since I wanted 50k I set my salary at 200k (because you are capped at 25% of your salary).
I pay myself once a year. Basically in December I write one check to the franchise tax board (around 20k), one check to the IRS (around 80k), one giant check for me (around 110k) for after tax salary, one check to Vanguard for my SEP (50k), and one check for my distribution (31k).
I then put around 25k aside for the next year and save/invest the rest of my salary/distribution. Besides the 25k I put aside, we live off my wife's salary.
As far as deductions, I am probably on the more conservative side. Yes, I could probably write off more meals and vacations, but for the nominal benefit I would get, it isn't worth the risk of an audit. Also, meals and entertainment are only 50% deductible anyways. I stick to basic things like internet, cell phone, office supplies, auto expenses, moderate meals/entertainment, association dues, etc. If I get audited I would have zero worries.
I have a few friends who write off basically all their personal expensive (Costco trips, market trips, the movies with their kids, etc). They are terrified of an audit though and it is not worth the extra stress to save a few k. I'm already doing very well and being able to sleep at night is worth being more conservative.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27489280) |
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Date: February 15th, 2015 6:52 PM Author: lavender dysfunction
I do zero SEO/google ad words/avvo/etc. I get almost no traffic from my website.
Most of my paid advertising (which is only about 6k/year) is attorney referral services.
The majority of my clients come from word of mouth.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27321810) |
Date: February 15th, 2015 6:36 PM Author: provocative parlor telephone
WTF r u doin paying urself a 200k salary on that revenue? You are pwning urself tax wise. U could get away with paying 100k and taking the rest as distributions. Save at least 10k in taxes, prob more.
Also how much you pay for your asisstant? She works full time?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27321741) |
Date: February 15th, 2015 6:52 PM Author: burgundy theater
have you ever had to handle extensive discovery?
what's your fee arrangement like with contract attorneys?
typical size ($) of your cases? largest case?
you definitely sound like a shitlaw guru who's been practicing for 10+ years. hard to believe you ~30 yrs old?
how did you learn all these different practice areas so thoroughly? i know you had mentors but in my experience, it's often tough to ask for help on a lot of these things without having to pay or bring them in.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27321808) |
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Date: February 15th, 2015 6:58 PM Author: lavender dysfunction
I don't know what you mean by extensive. But no, I've never had a case with crazy discovery that couldn't be answered in less than 10 hours.
I pay my contract attorneys $75-90 per appearance anywhere in socal. I have a few contract attorneys that charge me anywhere for $15-25/hr for law and motion. There are a lot of attorneys out there looking for work.
My average PI case settles between 10k-20k. My largest PI case so far is 300k (although I settle a lot of 100k cases all the time), and I settled a contract case for a million in 2012 that was blended so I got 5% of that plus hourly.
I learned by handling a shitload of cases. I've done over 500 cases since I started. I have way more litigation experience than a lot of biglaw partners at this point. Shitlaw lawyers are generally pretty cool dudes. They are the few genuinely happy attorneys I meet. I can always call/e-mail them with questions. Also, I used to post all the time on my listserve for advice and people would always help.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27321826) |
Date: February 16th, 2015 4:43 PM Author: Arousing Dun Dopamine Toaster
"I have a few large PI cases (surgery cases) that have meditations coming up."
FYI, that's called med mal and it is very expensive to litigate. For that reason alone, I am calling BS on some of this.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27327960) |
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Date: February 16th, 2015 5:04 PM Author: lavender dysfunction
Also, if you think I'm BSing on some of this stuff then prove me wrong. If you look at time stamps on my responses to substantive questions they are pretty quick. It would be hard, if not impossible, to do all this research if I didn't know what I was talking about.
As far as how much money I'm making and my caseload, I posted up my P&L for last year. Would be hard to make that kind of money without cases.
I don't think I've posted a single thing that is inconsistent or unbelievable.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27328143) |
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Date: February 17th, 2015 8:21 PM Author: lavender dysfunction
I covered this already but I basically started doing work for friends on the side while I held a non-law job. Once I ramped up sufficiently I left to go out on my own.
It is possible fresh out of law school but you would need some cash to hold you over until you build your pipeline.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27336676)
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Date: February 17th, 2015 8:27 PM Author: lavender dysfunction
Usually carriers want to do a minors comp if the settlement is 5K or more. Because of that I almost always file a lawsuit when my plaintiff is a minor. There is no downside. Since I'm going to have to pay the filing fee anyways for the minors comp, I may is well litigate the case a little bit and get a better offer.
For example I have a case right now with 5k in meds and the offer is 6.2k (minor impact soft tissue - we call the MIST cases). I told State Farm I would take 8k. They told me 6.2k is their highest. Since I have to pay for the minors comp anyways I'm just going to file. They will end up paying me 10k plus they're going to have to pay their own attorneys' fees.
Also, when I trust the client, sometimes I will indemnify the carrier against future claims when the minor turns 18 in exchange for them waiving the minors comp. Although, I only do that on smaller cases where I can't get too screwed.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27336734) |
Date: February 17th, 2015 9:28 PM Author: lavender dysfunction
Here is a stub for a check I received a week and a half ago:
http://imgur.com/6WjwJYh
My fee was $21,666.66.
Hopefully this motivates some of you to try out practicing on your own.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27337234) |
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Date: February 17th, 2015 10:27 PM Author: lavender dysfunction
Lol. A few things.
First, most of you are tainted from going to law school. In reality most people are impressed when you say lawyer, regardless of what you do. 99% of people have no idea what the difference between Latham and my law firm is.
More importantly, I don't really care what they think. I never cared for prestige or money. My wife is an attorney and pulls ~100k working an in-house job 5 minutes from our house. We keep our expenses between 5-6k/month (we have an 800k house in LA we bought for 650k close to the bottom of the market so our mortgage is only 3.2k). We live off her income (I contribute about 1500/month) and we save/invest almost all of my income.
Edit: Plus when I'm at a party and I talk about my criminal cases people seem to be really impressed and interested. I doubt war stories from Skadden have the same effect.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27337747) |
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Date: February 18th, 2015 1:11 AM Author: Comical Spot Karate
Most people don't have the luxury of living off an attorney-spouse's income.
I did the same thing starting out but I come from a much different background--flat broke. I was literally waiting tables when I started picking up co-worker DUIs (one of my first cases was doing a DUI for a waiter bro) and car accidents (motorcycle accident for another waiter bro).
You either need a decent earning spouse like you, a lot of savings to fall back on, or be able to live off of virtually nothing (like me).
I have a quarter million in loans I'm trying to pay back so eventually I decided I needed something more consistent in terms of salary. And I never had any money to market myself so I didn't ever have great PI cases walking in my door.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27339228) |
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Date: February 18th, 2015 11:57 PM Author: Comical Spot Karate
I did the solo thing for five years out of necessity. I had almost zero overhead because I had zero capital. I hustled multiple work-for-office-rent deals. The craziest was this bankruptcy attorney for whom I did 341a meetings of creditors in exchange for an office.
Let's say the attorney's name was Mark Smith. It was the Law Offices of Mark Smith. My boss was also named Mark. Mark Jones. He had his TJSL diploma on the wall. Eventually I started to suspect Mark Jones was not a lawyer.
I confronted him one day and asked him whether he was a lawyer. He said, "Yes and no." Turned out he passed the bar, not the moral character and fitness.
So when people called asking to talk to Mark Smith, the receptionist would put them through to Mark Jones who would answer, "This is Mark." The real Mark Smith quit law and became an elementary school teacher. He renewed his license every year so his high school buddy, Mark Jones, could continue to play lawyer.
My point is that I don't think it is as easy as you have made it out to be. You are taking one or more things for granted and are assuming others. But otherwise, congrats.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27346971) |
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Date: February 18th, 2015 10:44 AM Author: lavender dysfunction
I didn't need to live off my wife's income. I had a decent paying job that I kept until I had enough clients to generate decent income every month.
The only reason I brought up my wife was to explain that I don't care too much for money. Even though we made slightly over 400k combined last year, we are only spending 70k to live.
We could be spending a lot more but I'd rather save the bulk of it and retire early. My goal is to stop law around 40 and become a teacher (I really enjoy teaching). If I can pay off my house by then, and save/invest a lot, I could teach full-time without sacrificing the quality of life I have now.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27340363) |
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Date: February 19th, 2015 1:47 AM Author: lavender dysfunction
My mortgage is 3.2k, I paid off my student loans last year, and all my car and phone expenses are paid through my firm.
So basically I just have food, cable, utilities, and entertainment.
70k easily covers that. I'm talking about 70k actual, not pretax.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27347553) |
Date: February 18th, 2015 10:49 AM Author: lavender dysfunction
I made a gmail account if anyone wants to e-mail me for advice, mentoring, or just to say hi. If you're an insurance defense attorney in LA drop me a line too:
calishitlawguru@gmail.com
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27340390) |
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Date: February 19th, 2015 8:53 AM Author: lavender dysfunction
Tom Feher went to high school with my wife. He is killing it in trials, not sure how much he is making though since he is an associate over there and all the money goes to the Simon brothers. Definitely will make huge money in the future though.
The Simon brothers are insane too, they just hit a 17 million dollar verdict. I think they are young dudes too, like late 30's early 40's.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27348230)
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Date: February 19th, 2015 12:11 PM Author: nighttime associate
I handle divorce & family law cases in NY. Graduated about the same time as you. Firm is the partner and me so I'm getting a lot of depo, trial, court experience.
I've been thinking about expanding to my own practice area. PI work and crim have an appeal for sure since I like lit and especially like managing clients expectations and settling cases.
I know some well established PI/Crim guys (including a great firm right across the hall). I'd approach them, but don't want to come off as trying to leech their business.
Do you have any tips or suggestions on breaking into those practice areas from my position?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27349074) |
Date: February 20th, 2015 5:08 PM Author: lilac cracking personal credit line ceo
What part of Cali? And why work so much (enjoy it, workaholic, need the money, etc.)
I make about half of what you do in TX but I only work about 20 hrs/week. Not sure if I could ever get used to working alot (more than 35 hrs/week) again. Did the Downtown Firm thing in Dallas after graduation from Michigan in 2006.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27357961) |
Date: February 20th, 2015 5:34 PM Author: Cerebral Rehab Foreskin
i pay myself $36K and have a 500K net income for my shitlaw practice. also work mon-fri 11am-3pm with occasional 1pm-2pm on weekends.
preftigious ?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27358106)
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Date: February 20th, 2015 5:41 PM Author: Cerebral Rehab Foreskin
corp + some patent stuff - i have very regular clients that have been feeding me work for 3+ yrs. dont even bother to advertise or maintain a website anymore. basically acting as their inhouse.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27358154)
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Date: February 20th, 2015 6:10 PM Author: Cerebral Rehab Foreskin
best is to start on the side doing crap work - the court system is a good feeder route for public defender cases. i wouldve done it that way if i didnt have a client supply.
once youre in court regularly people see you. bonus is you get paid. night court once a week if you cant do daytime work like friday night or something.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27358332)
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Date: February 20th, 2015 6:21 PM Author: Cerebral Rehab Foreskin
you dont start a law practice based on what you want to do. you start it based on your circumstances and what work you will get. beggars cant be choosers and all that.
like i said - if i didnt get a corp practice break, i wouldve started a crim practice. the idea is to do something solo, not to pick and choose on what you end up with finally. youre going to fall into a niche somewhere if youre successful - youre not going to be able to select what you do necessarily in advance or maybe not at all.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27358383)
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Date: February 28th, 2015 6:25 PM Author: lavender dysfunction
Here are some things I pulled from this thread (and I added a bit):
Get a mentor. Choose someone who is patient and will be willing to answer all your questions, regardless of how many you have. A good place to start is join a local attorney group or bar association. I practice in Los Angeles and joined CAALA (www.caala.org). Organizations are great because attorneys share legal documents.
Networking with non-attorneys is far superior to networking with attorneys. Attorneys don’t give away good cases. If you only get cases from other attorneys you will always have a small dollar value caseload. Think about your practice areas and where you would get clients. I do personal injury and criminal law so I mostly network with tow truck drivers, insurance agents, chiropractors, bail bondsman, and pawn brokers.
Make a nice website and business cards (wordpress and vista print are fine). I hand out business cards to everyone I meet, tell them a story about a success I had as a lawyer, and make sure they know exactly what areas I practice in (the back of my business card actually has all my practice areas).
Make as many profiles online as you can (yelp, avvo, manta, google+, facebook) and ask clients to review you as you finish their cases. Even if you don’t get clients from the internet, potential clients will look you up and be happy to see you have good reviews.
Be nice to everyone you meet, don’t treat people like shit. Even if you turn down a case, don’t be a dick to the potential client. I have gotten 50k PI cases from people who first came to me with a case I would never take. They called me back months later remembering that I was nice and helpful.
Answer your phone and email! This is the biggest complaint clients tell me about their former attorneys. If you get a call and don’t answer, the next attorney they call with get hired. I answer my phone 24/7, let my clients text me, and respond to e-mails pretty fast. I got a new client two weeks ago because I got a voicemail at 1am getting out of a movie. I called the guy back and he hired me for a 5k felony (said he tried 5 attorneys and no one responded since it was late).
Read books on sales techniques. A solo is just a glorified salesman. I would say 70% of my practice is getting and maintaining clients (and admin work), and 30% is actually practicing law. The areas I work in are very easy. Most of my day is selling. If you don’t have the personality for this, it doesn’t matter how good you are at law – you will fail.
For people considering personal injury. Don’t worry about the cost of litigating a good contingency case if you don’t have a bankroll. If it is a good case you will have no problem finding another attorney with money to jump into the case with you. The hardest part is finding those great cases.
Buy malpractice insurance, it’s cheap. Try lawyers mutual, they have a $500 strong start program for a 100k/300k policy. It costs $1,000 in year 2 and $2,000 in year 3. It is based on when you start as a solo, not how long you have been in practice. So if you are a 5th year opening your own firm it is still $500 the first year.
Use Quickbooks and buy checks you can print. I save a ton of time printing checks instead of handwriting them. Once you get good at Quickbooks accounting is very easy. I just have one business account and one trust account.
Keep your overhead low. Get a virtual office for mail and so you have a conference room to meet clients. The truth is most clients don’t want to meet you in person, they want to just sign up. I close 90% of my cases over the phone and send them a retainer via e-mail. Get an high volume scanner (you can get a nice brother one for a couple hundred bucks) and use an eFax. You can get a good VOIP phone for like $20/month.
This is all I could think of off the top of my head. Let me know if you guys want any other info.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27407681)
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Date: March 17th, 2015 5:44 PM Author: irradiated cheese-eating house party of the first part Subject: Paging CA solo dude
In these so called MIST cases as you say, what's the reasonable expectation/outcome for a client? E.g, a typical rear-end type accident, and standard neck/back pain and such--assuming the car has to be totaled out due to the damage?
I have a friend who's being dicked around by the at-fault driver's TTT insurance company, but I'm not so sure there's much to warrant hiring a lawyer over this but perhaps you have some insight?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27507475) |
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Date: March 17th, 2015 9:20 PM Author: lavender dysfunction
There is no "standard." Value depends on a ton of factors. How soon did they treat, what kind of doctors did they say, what were the MRI findings, what kind of treatment did they receive, how much were the medical bills (and how reasonable were they), how well did they recover?
However, if it was a total loss the case definitely has some value even if treatment was light and there were no MRI findings. How much? I have no clue without a lot more specifics.
Sorry I can't tell you more. If you e-mail me the specifics I can give you a better answer (my e-mail is posted in this thread).
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2808970&forum_id=2#27509103) |
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