It wasn't until the late '90s that solo practitioners began to get some respect. Carolyn Elefant of My Shingle explains in an article on Law.com titled "A Decade as a Solo"--
In the early years of my solo practice, solo attorneys were looked down upon by large firm attorneys as fly-by-night operators or worse -- losers who couldn't cut it at a "real" firm. By 1997, however, this changed. The dotcom era erupted full scale around that time. As the dotcom boom acquainted the public with the concept of a successful businesses growing out of a garage, I noticed that clients and other attorneys shifted their focus from superficial matters such as the physical location of an attorney's office to whether the attorney could get the job done. . . . Solo practice enjoyed new-found respect.
In the article, Carolyn recounts her ten years as a solo and suggests some changes for--and concerns about--the future. It's required reading for any lawyer or law student who's not afraid to think a little differently.

All three of them.
Posted by: David Giacalone | September 20, 2004 at 10:07 AM