When Working as a Solo Practitioner Became Cool

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.

Comments

[David Giacalone]

All three of them.