Practice Pointers
Launch a Law Firm in a Day With These Basic Steps
February 08, 2022
If your legal career has been disrupted by the pandemic, the economy, or personal events and you need to quickly establish yourself as a law firm in the District to serve one or more clients, here are the essentials to get up and going in a day or two.
1. Become a Sole Proprietor
The fastest way to get started is to become a sole proprietor because there is no need to file papers or register with D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. You will need to understand estimated taxes to set aside the proper amount immediately, but you can come back to that issue once you are up and running. If you want to create an entity, you can always do that later.
2. Name Your Law Firm
Review D.C. Rules 7.1 and 7.5 and be sure the name is neither misleading nor confusing. Legal Ethics Opinion 332 states that a single attorney may use the word “firm” in the name. In selecting your firm name, do not mislead, do not confuse, and make sure you are able to factually support any claim you make associated with your name. If you find yourself needing to explain the meaning of your firm name, you may want to rethink your choice.
3. Establish a Professional Address
Assuming you are a D.C. Bar member and reside in the District, you may use your home address, subject to any contractual, zoning, or code restrictions. But if you don’t want clients to know where you live, or if you reside in a jurisdiction where you are not barred, then you can obtain a professional address from Carr WorkPlaces, a D.C. Bar member benefit. Be sure that you are licensed to practice law in the jurisdiction where your professional address is located.
4. Obtain an Employer Identification Number
This can be done online through the IRS website.
5. Open a Commercial Checking Account
The fastest way to get this done is to use a bank you currently do business with. It will be more efficient because the bank already has your profile. This account will be for earned legal fees and to pay for your firm’s overhead.
6. Open a Trust Account if Necessary
If you are going to charge advance fees, then you will need to establish an IOLTA account. It is best to have your operating account and IOLTA at the same bank. That bank must be IOLTA-compliant; refer to this list.
7. Consider Malpractice Insurance
While professional liability insurance is not mandatory in the District, it is a good idea to have it. Consider USI Affinity, a Bar member benefit.
8. Set Up Your Email and Case Management System
You can quickly establish a commercial email account with Gmail or Microsoft Office 365. The D.C. Bar has several resources for case management and telephone services. Commercial email, ideally using your website’s domain, is more professional and secure than free email.
9. Create a Website for Your Firm
Wix, Weebly, and Yola are some of the free website builders available for you. It’s also possible to build a simple, attractive website using a template on Squarespace or WordPress. Other possibilities include Mockingbird Marketing, GNGF, AttorneySync, and RyTech LLC.
10. Grow Slowly
If you slowly roll out your firm, you’ll be able to see how your positioning lands, who you attract to your services, and what kind of work you actually want to do. From there, you can slowly tweak and modify your efforts as needed. You can get organizational and case management systems in place and grow in a sustainable way.
If you have questions about getting your firm started, contact the D.C. Bar’s practice management advisors at [email protected]. They help lawyers with confidential business issues at no cost.
