In at this time’s unstable political local weather, many legal professionals are discovering themselves compelled to begin a agency on the fly — both as a consequence of a clash of values with Biglaw or termination from government service or presumably even displacement by AI. Whatever the motive, these out of the blue solos don’t have the posh of months of planning to get a regulation 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 expertise instruments, that value $20/month or much less, that may assist you begin a modern and streamlined apply in a weekend.
1. Self-Scheduling Instruments: Finish the Electronic mail Tennis Match Ceaselessly
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 lead to 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 you need to spend money on a calendaring device 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 every single place (e.g., e-mail signature, LinkedIn profile, web site footer) so contacts e-book themselves with out a single coordination e-mail. And as an added bonus, you appear to be you will have your act collectively. Down the road, once you’re prepared, you may even use these instruments for paid consultations with potential shoppers. (Right here’s a video on tips on how to arrange Calendly free of charge and paid consults.)
2. Cost Processing: Make It Silly-Simple for Purchasers to Pay
And not using a mechanism for accepting fee, your new agency is nothing greater than a interest or a charity (and even charities have GoFundMe websites). And the power to simply accept paper checks gained’t minimize 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 fee processors — however in case you’re too overwhelmed to determine which one to select, you may go for LawPay.com as a stand-alone product however Freshbooks, Stripe, Zelle, and even Venmo in a pinch will get the job carried out. As for processing charges, some jurisdictions can help you move 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”
Nowadays, a web based presence — extra so than a brick and mortar workplace — confirms that you just’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 in case you can inventory it with some helpful content material. In case your goal shoppers favor one thing extra conventional, you may throw up a one-page web site free of charge utilizing Carrd.co. The positioning is simple to make use of however in case you can’t get the outcomes you need, you may enlist a contractor from Fiverr.co to design a site with Carrd for under $20.
4. Communications Instruments: Name Me, Possibly
Out of the gate, you’ll want a method to talk with shoppers. However in at this time’s world, communicatons aren’t restricted to the cellphone. 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 after all, good old style 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 cellphone 24-7.
5. E-Signature Functionality: Kill the Print-Signal-Scan Cycle Ceaselessly
Nothing kills momentum like administrative friction. Your shopper is able to rent you, enthusiastic about transferring ahead, and you then e-mail them a PDF with directions to “print, signal, scan, and return.” Half gained’t have entry to a printer. The opposite half will let the doc sit on their desk for every week whereas they determine tips on how 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 regulation apply administration platform.
6. AI Platform: Your Cyber Workhorse
Maybe essentially the most indispensable device for beginning a regulation agency on the fly is one which wasn’t accessible even three brief 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 assistant, design intern, and enterprise coach rolled into one. With AI at your fingertips, you may:
● Generate advertising content material (LinkedIn posts, press releases, shopper alerts) in minutes.
● Draft contracts, engagement agreements, and consumption types 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 when 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 additional time, and by no means complains about working weekends.
Beginning a regulation agency on the fly isn’t splendid. However with at this time’s tech instruments, you may launch a agency that appears fly proper out of the gate and is effectively positioned to soar.
Carolyn Elefant is without doubt one of the nation’s most acknowledged advocates for solo and small agency legal professionals. She based MyShingle.com in 2002, the longest-running weblog for solo practitioners, the place she has printed 1000’s of articles, assets, and guides on beginning, operating, and rising unbiased regulation practices. She is the creator of Solo by Alternative, broadly thought to be the definitive handbook for launching and sustaining a regulation apply, and has spoken at numerous bar occasions and authorized conferences on expertise, innovation, and regulatory reform that impacts solos and smalls. Elefant additionally develops sensible instruments just like the AI Teach-In to assist small companies undertake AI and she or he constantly champions reforms to degree the enjoying subject for unbiased legal professionals. Alongside this work, she runs the Regulation Workplaces of Carolyn Elefant, a nationwide power and regulatory apply that handles selective complicated, high-stakes issues.
