Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Should I Do It?

My present job is a 2-year contract that expires next August. I work for an appellate court, and I like it, but I'm ready for some more trench-level action. I wouldn't have guessed I'd be at this point so soon, but I am considering going solo instead of trying to find a compatible employer.

The plus side is that I get to call all the shots.
The minus side is that I have to call all the shots.

My biggest worry is whether I'll be able to generate enough revenue to make a living. I'm attracted to the legal aspect of being solo, but unenthusiastic about running a small business on which my family's well being depends.

Thoughts? Advice?

UPDATE: I am leaning away from this option now. I am not anxious to do the administrative work that would be a huge part of a solo practice. I would like some trial training. And if I do 8.5 more years of public service work, my federal loans will be forgiven. Of course, if the job market continues this way, I may go solo out of necessity.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Do it.

beckett said...

I should have made clear: I am not leaving my job until the contract expires. So I have over a year for planning.

La Misma said...

I would like to weigh in on this but I don't know anything about the lawyering business. I feel some instinctive caution about starting up a business in this climate, but then I am probably over-burdened with caution.

Anonymous said...

Hm, interesting! I'm sure not ready for it, at the end of the same job. But that doesn't mean you wouldn't be, of course.

This long comment on a recent AskMetafilter thread has a lot of info on how expensive it is, generally, to start a solo practice.

beckett said...

thanks for the link, j