bumped: So you want to go solo

First, let's get this out of the way, I don't know anything about running a firm solo or otherwise.  I do, however, know where to find informaton about it.

One of the first stops should be Solosez, a listserv.  It's a great resource and everyone there is pretty nice and helpful.  All you need to do is set up gmail to receive, send, and index the emails, and you are set.  Then stop at Solo Practice University.  It's a pay site, but from what I hear it is great.  Build a Solo Practice is worth checking out as well (I just saw that it is part of Solo Practice University now).  Lawyerist is a good site too.  Sometimes it is short on substance, but it does provide some helpful pointers.  For example, I found out about Doublepane there (it has nothing to do with lawyering, just making good use of screenspace). If you work in New York the New York Official Reports should be bookmarked.  It will keep you up to date on the law and it's free. [edit] Last but not least (and I don't know how I managed to forget to post it) is My Shingle, a tremendous resource that has been around forever.

Seth Godin's blog has nothing to do with lawyering, like Doublepane, but it's worth reading to keep you motivated and keep your mind sharp.  So are Mr. Self-Development and Dumb Little Man.

If you want to start a blog, but don't have the time and resources to do it on your own, head over to Real Lawyers Have Blogs.  It's what I would use if I had the money.  But I don't and I like doing things myself anyway.  For interesting business cards take a look at Moo.  I've used them before and they are quick and the quality is good.  A little pricy though.  For CLE on legal writing go to Garner.  It isn't cheap, but I think it's worth it.

Finally, and to save you the time of clicking search, here are the google search results for start your own practice.  There you will find other blogs, books, websites, etc.

Of course the most important thing is to be a good lawyer.  A fancy website, blog,  business card, or even a great CLE won't do that for you.  It takes exceptionally hard work.

[Edit] almost forgot, you might be interested in the cloud storage options available.  Everyone knows, or should know about Dropbox (sign up though that link and I get free storage) which syncs documents and saves deleted docs and versions which is great.  I use it and haven't had any problems with it.  I've been using their 50 gig option, but you can get 3 gigs or so for free.  SugarSync is similar, but you get 5 (free) gigs of storage to start out (I get free storage if you sign up through the link).  Personally, I like Dropbox better right now, but I haven't played around with SugarSync too much.  Evernote is good and free with a basic account, but different.  It isn't necessarily a storage app.  And there is box.net, which has a free version but offers more paid storage and is less expensive than the pay options for Dropbox.

I just installed Word 2011 for mac and I think it's a huge improvement over the last version.  Also, the mouse and keyboard can make a huge difference.

Well, as it turns out, this wasn't really a post about starting your own firm, but rather a post about me talking about tech shit, again.  Finally, if you are working with 1-2 gigs of RAM, add more. It's cheap and easy and it will make your time at the computer less aggraviating.

If anyone thinks I should add something else, feel free to email me.