Family Law Practice Guide

Family Law is primarily practiced by solo attorneys who either focus exclusively on this one area of the law or they combine it with another practice area, such as Bankruptcy. This means that practitioners are often, to some extent, reinventing the wheel in figuring out how to build a successful law firm because they are not usually able to assume an already well-function law firm. There are a number of things to consider before beginning and several important steps that will have a large impact in deciding whether you will be successful.

Before you begin your solo Family Law firm, make sure that you are thoroughly familiar with the law. The pace of practice is incredibly fast, and the last thing that you want to have happen to you is not to understand the law. For the most part, many of your cases will be uncontested divorces and simple custody and property cases. If you are able to attract significant business, you will find that you may become quickly challenged with far more complex cases. If you need to spend a large amount of time researching the law, you are susceptible to coming to a standstill and not being able to fully run the rest of your firm.

Assuming that you are sufficiently familiar with Family Law, you will then need to focus on the business aspect of your firm. Remember that one of the top reasons that businesses fail is because of lack of initial starting capital. You need to make sure that you are frugal with your finances in the beginning. In an ideal scenario, you will probably spend your money and time on acquiring the bare necessities for your office, and then spend the rest of your resources acquiring new clients.

While you can work out of your residence, you will probably be more comfortable in an inexpensive office. For a location, you may have to weigh three factors: a place that is readily accessible to your clientele, that is inexpensive yet presentable, and that is occupied by other attorneys who can assist you. (Having other attorneys can be invaluable as they may refer you cases and be a helpful resource to give feedback on legal questions that you may have.)

Perhaps the trickiest factor will be advertising. There is no formula for how much you should spend on advertising, and how you should allocate your resources among the various types of advertising. Because you will be just starting your own business, you will not be able to rely on word of mouth in order to get large clients. Many clients with smaller cases often look on the internet before making their selection. In addition to a good internet presence, you should make sure to inquire about niche magazines in your area. The smaller the publication, it is usually the case that it is read more closely, and the less expensive it will be for you to advertise in them.

The above material is intended for information purposes only. It is not intended as professional legal advice and should not be construed as such. Attorney William H. Beaumont practices in New Orleans, La.