Chris Small has been practicing law for five years, primarily in the areas of criminal defense and eminent domain. After moving from Lawrence, Kan., to Seattle in November 2008, Chris was finally able to realize his dream of opening his own practice.
CMS Law Firm opened on June 1, 2009. To chronicle his journey, and help others who decide to make the leap into starting a law firm, Chris started How to Start a Law Firm (http://startingalawfirm.blogspot.com), a legal blog.
1. What is the main challenge in running a small firm?
This one is easy — time management. As the owner of a small law firm, and right now as a solo law firm, I am responsible for all of the tasks of the firm. That means on any given day I wear the hat of business owner, attorney, paralegal, receptionist, marketing manager, finance manager and office supply manager, just to name a few. If there is a fire there is no one to put it out but me, which means on any given day the tasks I set out to do at the beginning of the day are pushed farther and farther back until they get pushed over to the next day.
To combat these problems, and to make life as easy as possible, I’ve put together systems for handling as many of the tasks I know I will be facing on a day-to-day basis. This makes it much easier to work on a daily basis and prevents fires from rising up on a regular basis. For example, I have a specific way every client is handled from when they view my website or call our office for the first time through case resolution. There are forms and protocols set up so that at any given time I know the exact status of each of my cases and what needs to be done on them next. Organization is the key to running a successful small law firm. It saves a lot of time and wasted effort that you can use on other things, like marketing.
2. What advice do you have for those considering opening their own firm?
Don’t just jump into it. Have a plan. Imagine what your firm will look like on a day-to-day basis and put together an action plan for handling all of the things that will come your way. Although it is possible to throw yourself out there and hit the ground running (and it may be the only choice you have), the more time and thought you can put into your business and what you want out of your business the better.
For example, one of the things I’ve found to be most important in opening my firm is my story. What makes my firm different from any other firm out there? Why should people call my office instead of someone else’s office? Your story doesn’t have to appeal to everyone (and if it does I bet it’s a boring story), but should make enough people engaged with your firm that they pick up the phone and call you. My story is about second chances. I do criminal defense, and when people ask me what I do, I tell them “I give people second chances.” When I tell them that they always ask what I mean and then I’m off, explaining how we help normal people who have made one bad decision put that bad decision behind them so they can continue to lead the productive life they always have.
Bottom line, don’t think like a lawyer. Think like someone who owns a business. To have a successful business you need direction. To have direction you need a plan.
3. What made you decide to open your own firm?
There are two primary reasons I decided to open my own firm: first, I’m interested in the entrepreneurial aspect of it; and second, I think I can do it better than everyone else.
I’m probably going to admit something that not many people will openly. I like money. I like the idea of making a lot of it. And I like the idea of building a brand and a business where I get to receive most, if not all, of the benefit of my work (monetary and otherwise). I didn’t start out on my own. I worked for several firms before going out on my own. I wanted the experience. And everywhere I went I saw the same thing — the people that owned the firm always did much better than the people that worked for the firm. I wanted to be one of the people that owned the firm.
Another thing I found constantly at my law firm jobs was I always thought there were better ways to do things. And I was always told no. I thought of ways to make the firms I worked for a lot of money and save them a lot of money at the same time, but rarely were my ideas accepted or implemented. I wanted a place where I could implement my ideas, reap the benefits of my hard work, and show those other law firms that there are better ways to do things than the old way. So I made one.
In the end, I also like the idea of throwing myself out there and seeing what I can do. It takes a lot of hard work, a lot of resolve and a little bit of luck, but opening your own law firm is definitely possible. Half the battle is deciding to start and committing to doing what you are going to do. From there, everything else will fall into place.
Attorneys in Transition Event on May 8, 2009
