Over the past year I’ve spoken with attorneys who have been laid off from Biglaw firms and are seeking new positions or attorneys who have just passed the bar and are having trouble finding a position to launch their legal careers. Both groups of individuals are working hard to establish or reinvent themselves within the legal profession and are seeking my advice about using a virtual law practice as a way to do this. They want to operate a solo virtual law practice “in the meantime.”
Solo virtual law practice is not for everyone, and while I love the independence that it provides me, I recognize that other attorneys have different goals for their legal careers. Therefore, I try to give useful advice that would apply to the attorney’s individual goals and circumstances.
Can a virtual law practice be used effectively in between phases in an attorney’s career — from firm to firm? Will the attorney be able to take the virtual law practice with him or her when that dream legal job comes along? Will it pay the bills if the attorney is only going to be delivering legal services online on a temporary basis? If the attorney is a newly graduated attorney can he or she work online and learn an entirely new practice area of law without having worked in an actual law office?
These are difficult, but critical questions for attorneys in such situations to ask before embarking on a virtual law practice. I’ve combined some of my responses to these questions below. (more…)