Episode 127-Law Firm Operations and Launching Your Own Firm-With Diane Camacho

Counsel to Counsel - Career Advice for Lawyers

In the legal press and even in popular media, larger law firms tend to get a most of the attention. In truth, a high percentage of lawyers in the United States practice in firms that are under 20 attorneys. And many of those are solo practitioners or very small firms that have broken away from larger firms.

While I know that there are many lawyers who are satisfied with practicing in a large or mid-sized firm, as technology has continued to improve over the last two decades, I have seen many attorneys realize the benefits of running their own practice.

Being your own boss is not for everyone, but I can say as a solopreneur, it can be very rewarding.

I have worked with quite a few lawyers who have left comfortable law firm jobs to go out on their own or join forces with a handful of colleagues. Most of them are happier on the other side.

The challenge for lawyers who are contemplating this type of move is that they have never run their own business. Where should the practice be located? What services should the firm provide? And perhaps even more challenging: What technology should you be using to run your practice? Should you hire anyone? What are your obligations to employees? How should you set up your books? Who should do your website or maintain it? and What things should you be outsourcing?

To answer those questions and provide some tips on how to be successful as you launch your own practice, I invited Diane Camacho. Diane is the owner of DLC Consulting Services, LLC. She and her team work with established law firms to improve operations and increase profits. They also help attorneys start their own firms.

Diane has worked with many partners who have decided to break away from much larger firms. She has helped them get set up so that their launch is smooth, and they are set up for future success.