How to Start Your Own Law Firm
Starting your own law firm can be a rewarding next step in your legal career. It might seem intimidating at first, but a little planning goes a long way. For any law firm just starting out, you'll want to know something about running a business, which goes beyond the skills necessary for being a good lawyer.
Once you've made the decision to start your own firm, or even if you're still just considering, the resources on this page will help you get started—with everything from developing a business plan and getting your finances in order to finding a steady client base and thinking about the future longevity of your legal practice.
First steps to starting your own law firm
The first steps to starting your own law firm are critical. A passion for practicing law is essential, but beyond that, you'll also need to know how to run the business side of your firm. The more thought you put into these first crucial steps, the better you'll set yourself up for success in the long run.
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Blog
How to Write a Law Firm Business Plan
It's never too early (or too late) to write your law firm business plan. Set your targets and build your roadmap to starting your own law firm.
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Blog
How to Choose Your Legal Niche
Distinguishing yourself from the competition is essential when starting your own law firm. Define your motivations and align them with the legal services in high demand.
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Blog
How to Calculate Your Hourly Rate
How much you charge will determine the profitability of your new legal practice. Get access to industry benchmarks and learn when it's time to raise rates.
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Guide
How to Start Your Own Law Firm
Get a detailed guide on everything you need to know about starting your own law firm, including buying insurance, finding clients, and managing your day-to-day work.
Read guide 17 min -
Blog
How to Start a Law Firm With No Money
Learn how to start a law firm with all the rewards—and none of the costs. Discover the secrets to keeping expenses down and making sure you have a plan.
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Blog
7 Things I’ve Learned Since Starting a Law Firm
Learn important lessons about starting your own law firm from a lawyer who's found his own terrifying, exciting, and most of all, rewarding, success.
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Blog
11 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring a Law Firm Web Designer
Your firm's website is the cornerstone to online communication. Learn what questions to ask a developer, so you can get it right early, and save later on.
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Getting your first legal clients
When you’re first starting a law firm, acquiring your first clients is a critical factor to achieving profitability. Putting together a strong marketing plan will help ensure you find enough clients to generate revenues. To do so, you’ll need to be up to speed on the resources and strategies available.
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Blog
How Do Clients Find Their Lawyers?
When starting a law firm, knowing how to find clients depends heavily on knowing how they want to find you. Learn how to get found and get hired.
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10 Ways Lawyers Can Advertise Online For Free
Money can be tight when first starting a law practice. Minimize what you spend when finding new clients by making your firm more visible—for free.
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10 Ways to Improve Client Intake at Your Law Firm
Beyond finding potential clients, you need to have a plan for keeping track of them while ensuring they decide to actually hire your law firm.
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Webinar
Business Development Strategies for Law Firms
Once you've opened a law firm, how will you develop a consistent client pipeline to ensure steady work? Learn to overcome one of the greatest challenges lawyers face.
Watch webinar 53 min -
Blog
The Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media For Lawyers
Social media can be a powerful tool for finding new clients, especially for new law firms—if used correctly. Learn what lawyers need to know before diving in.
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Blog
The Quick Guide to Law Firm SEO
If clients can’t find you, they can’t hire you. Getting SEO right for your law firm, right from the start, can save a lot of investment later on.
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Guide
The Lawyer's Guide to Marketing Your Firm Online
Marketing your firm online offers an affordable, scalable option for finding new clients. Learn SEO, reputation management, and more from the legal industry's best.
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Managing your law firm finances
The financial status of your legal practice is a reflection of the overall health of your business. When first starting your law firm, it's best to get your books in order early. With the right systems in place, you'll be able to get the information you need to achieve your firm's goals.
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Blog
The Complete Guide to Year-End Law Firm Accounting
Even if you're just starting your law firm, the best time to think about your end-of-year fiscal accounting is now.
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Guide
Better Bookkeeping for Law Firms
Bookkeeping for any legal practice should be about providing clarity and peace of mind. Get a handle on the numbers even if you're just striking out.
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Blog
5 Ways To Be Your Accountant’s Favorite Lawyer
An accountant can be a huge help to new law firms. Learn how to work more efficiently with your accountant by following these important pieces of advice.
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Webinar
Better Billing for Lawyers Revisited
Learn to set up an efficient system for invoicing and collecting payment at your law firm based on best practices and what your clients want.
Watch webinar 60 min -
Blog
6 Top Lawyer Tax Deductions
Be sure to keep track of all your expenses when opening a new law firm. This list will help determine how to claim them come tax time.
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Blog
6 Reasons You Should Increase Your Hourly Rate
Once you've opened your legal practice, you'll eventually want to think about raising your rates. Here are six reasons to justify an increase in price.
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Guide
How to Manage Your Trust Accounting With Clio
When starting a law firm, managing client funds can be tedious and cumbersome. Learn how technology can help you keep meticulous trust ledgers that comply with professional rules.
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Leveraging technology for lawyers
Technology is revolutionizing the way we do business, and the legal profession is no exception. Starting your firm in the digital world means working more efficiently with better, more secure access to all the information at your firm. Learn more about the tools available, and how to apply them to your new legal practice.
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Blog
5 Time Management Tips for Lawyers
For any law firm, new or old, nothing is more important to a lawyer than his or her time. Get some quick advice on essential time management.
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Guide
Why Law Firms Are Moving to the Cloud
Software is shifting to internet-based services. For law firms just starting out, the benefits of practicing in the cloud can give you a competitive advantage.
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Blog
What Technology Does Your Law Firm Actually Need?
Technology offers many advantages to legal practices new and old, but too much of it can become a hindrance. Be sure to use only what you need.
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Webinar
Meet Clio: The Easiest Way to Manage Your Firm
Learn how practice management software can help you manage your law firm. Find new efficiencies and securely manage all of your firm information from anywhere.
Watch webinar 60 min -
Guide
The Mobile Revolution: What Law Firms Need to Know
Mobile technology has shifted how we manage information. Learn how handheld technologies should change the way you think about starting your own law firm.
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Blog
Apps for Preventing Lawyer Burnout
There's no question that starting your own law firm requires a lot of hard work. Learn how technology can help keep you at your best.
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23 Best Apps for Lawyers
We've curated the best 23 apps for lawyers just starting their law firms. Improve your legal practice and your productivity by browsing this list.
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Planning the future for your law firm
Starting a law firm is only the first step. Maintaining a profitable business is a task that will be ongoing. As you grow your client base, your revenue, and maybe your team, improving efficiency and keeping track of all your firm information will become even more important.
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Blog
How I Doubled My Law Firm’s Revenue (and Where We’re Headed Next)
Chris Trebatoski has seen incredible success, more than doubling revenues year over year without hiring additional staff. Read more to learn how he's done it.
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Blog
12 Data-Driven Ways to Improve Your Legal Practice
Data metrics can offer powerful firm insights. But which data is most important? Learn what information to pay attention to if you're just starting your law firm.
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Blog
Solo Practice vs. Building a Team—What’s Right For You?
When starting a law firm, you might want to think about whether you'll bring on more staff in the future. Learn how to weigh your options.
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15 Ways to Level up Your Solo Practice This Year
Once you've started a law firm, it won't be long before you ask yourself, "What's next?" Here's a list to get you thinking about how to improve.
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Blog
What to Do in the Event of a Malpractice Claim
It can be a worst-case scenario for any law firm, unless you're prepared. Learn how to best manage outcomes in the event of a claim.
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Webinar
Work Smarter, Not Harder
While there's no doubt that hard work pays off, working smarter can offer even greater dividends. Learn how intelligent workflows can earn more while working less.
Watch webinar 63 min -
Blog
6 Things Lawyers Must Do Before Going On Vacation
When you're just starting a legal practice, vacation might be the last thing on your mind. But when it comes time, don't forget these essential steps.
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Starting your law firm is only the beginning
When you make the decision to start your own law firm, know that you don't always need to get everything right the first time. Every decision (and every mistake) is part of the journey to finding and sustaining your success. The trick is to know where you want to take your firm, and identifying the key milestones that will get you there. This is where a little planning can go a long way.
Part of any legal start-up plan should take into consideration how you’ll manage the administrative side of your law firm. Storing case and contact information, setting up billing workflows, keeping track of your calendars and communications are all integral to running a legal practice. The better prepared you are to manage these functions, the more time you'll have to work with clients.