In at this time’s unstable political local weather, many attorneys are discovering themselves compelled to begin a agency on the fly — both because of a conflict of values with Biglaw or termination from authorities service or presumably even displacement by AI. Whatever the cause, these all of the sudden solos don’t have the posh of months of planning to get a legislation agency up and operating.
However the excellent news is that beginning a agency on the fly doesn’t imply it has to look fly-by-night. Along with a pc and Web entry, listed here are six indispensable know-how instruments, that value $20/month or much less, that may provide help to begin a smooth and streamlined apply in a weekend.
1. Self-Scheduling Instruments: Finish the Electronic mail Tennis Match Perpetually
Beginning out, there’s nothing extra mission-critical than getting the phrase out to as many contacts as doable. And whereas a bulk e-mail announcement is an efficient begin, one-on-one Zoom calls or in-person espresso dates usually tend to end in actual dialog and yield actual enterprise.
But nothing screams “beginner hour” fairly just like the coordination e-mail dance: “How about Tuesday at 2?” “Tuesday doesn’t work, what about Wednesday at 3?” “Wednesday I’m in courtroom, perhaps Thursday morning?” That’s why it is best to put money into a calendaring software like Calendly.com (free – $16/month) or AcuityScheduling.com ($16 – $49/month). These merchandise allow you to set your availability and hyperlink your calendar in all places (e.g., e-mail signature, LinkedIn profile, web site footer) so contacts e book themselves and not using a single coordination e-mail. And as an added bonus, you appear to be you could have your act collectively. Down the road, once you’re prepared, you possibly can even use these instruments for paid consultations with potential shoppers. (Right here’s a video on the way to arrange Calendly without spending a dime and paid consults.)
2. Cost Processing: Make It Silly-Straightforward for Purchasers to Pay
With no mechanism for accepting cost, your new agency is nothing greater than a pastime or a charity (and even charities have GoFundMe websites). And the power to simply accept paper checks received’t reduce it in an age the place the overwhelming majority of shoppers pay payments on-line. Observe administration platforms like Clio or MyCase supply built-in cost processors — however should you’re too overwhelmed to determine which one to select, you possibly can go for LawPay.com as a stand-alone product however Freshbooks, Stripe, Zelle, and even Venmo in a pinch will get the job finished. As for processing charges, some jurisdictions can help you go these prices on to shoppers however beginning out, you’re higher off consuming the costs as a price of doing enterprise.
3. On-line Presence: Cease Hiding Behind “Skilled Custom”
As of late, a web-based presence — extra so than a brick and mortar workplace — confirms that you simply’re actual. However you don’t want a $10,000 web site as proof. Beginning out, any social media website, whether or not on LinkedIn, Instagram, and even TikTok will suffice should you can inventory it with some helpful content material. In case your goal shoppers favor one thing extra conventional, you possibly can throw up a one-page web site without spending a dime utilizing Carrd.co. The location is straightforward to make use of however should you can’t get the outcomes you need, you possibly can enlist a contractor from Fiverr.co to design a website with Carrd for beneath $20.
4. Communications Instruments: Name Me, Possibly
Out of the gate, you’ll want a technique to talk with shoppers. However in at this time’s world, communicatons aren’t restricted to the telephone. You’ll be able to go for VOIP (Voice Over IP) platforms like Dialpad or RingCentral, mixed voice and video like Zoom or GoogleMeet, CaseStatus.com for texting, and in fact, good old school e-mail. As long as your engagement settlement makes clear to shoppers the way you’ll talk with them, there’s no have to make your self accessible by telephone 24-7.
5. E-Signature Functionality: Kill the Print-Signal-Scan Cycle Perpetually
Nothing kills momentum like administrative friction. Your shopper is able to rent you, enthusiastic about shifting ahead, and you then e-mail them a PDF with directions to “print, signal, scan, and return.” Half received’t have entry to a printer. The opposite half will let the doc sit on their desk for every week whereas they work out the way to scan it again. That’s why an e-signature platform is crucial. You can begin with the e-signature features baked into instruments you already use like Google workspace, Microsoft 365, Adobe, or a legislation apply administration platform.
6. AI Platform: Your Cyber Workhorse
Maybe probably the most indispensable software for beginning a legislation agency on the fly is one which wasn’t accessible even three quick years in the past: generative AI. A paid model of a general-purpose AI platform — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, or NotebookLM — can function your cyber-paralegal, advertising and marketing assistant, design intern, and enterprise coach rolled into one. With AI at your fingertips, you possibly can:
● Generate advertising and marketing content material (LinkedIn posts, press releases, shopper alerts) in minutes.
● Draft contracts, engagement agreements, and consumption kinds personalized to your apply.
● Create placeholder logos, slogans, or web site copy so that you look polished from day one.
● Troubleshoot tech issues, brainstorm technique, and even role-play shopper interactions.
● Summarize circumstances, statutes, or regulatory filings whilst you deal with shopper outreach.
Consider AI not as a gimmick however as your first rent — your proverbial chef-cook-bottlewasher that works 24/7 that by no means sleeps, by no means payments time beyond regulation, and by no means complains about working weekends.
Beginning a legislation agency on the fly isn’t ultimate. However with at this time’s tech instruments, you possibly can launch a agency that appears fly proper out of the gate and is nicely positioned to soar.
Carolyn Elefant is without doubt one of the nation’s most acknowledged advocates for solo and small agency attorneys. She based MyShingle.com in 2002, the longest-running weblog for solo practitioners, the place she has printed hundreds of articles, assets, and guides on beginning, operating, and rising unbiased legislation practices. She is the creator of Solo by Selection, extensively thought to be the definitive handbook for launching and sustaining a legislation apply, and has spoken at numerous bar occasions and authorized conferences on know-how, innovation, and regulatory reform that impacts solos and smalls. Elefant additionally develops sensible instruments just like the AI Train-In to assist small corporations undertake AI and he or she persistently champions reforms to degree the enjoying discipline for unbiased attorneys. Alongside this work, she runs the Regulation Places of work of Carolyn Elefant, a nationwide power and regulatory apply that handles selective advanced, high-stakes issues.
