My Shingle

Solo Stories from the Front

by Carolyn Elefant on April 21, 2005 · 3 comments

Here are a couple of first hand accounts on going solo: The First Year, a short blog post by patent attorney Russ Kraject (4/17/05) and Hanging Out A Shingle: Following the Dream of Starting Your Own Firm, Jaime Levy Pessin reprinted from Law Bulletin at the Legal Match Weblog (3/16/05).

anonymous

where does a newly-minted attorney w/out any experience find out about legal-malpractice insurance?
i’ve been having difficulty finding employment and have been contemplating starting my own law practice.
is it hard to get insured at a reasonable price if you have no experience?
Patent Attorney

Caroline,
Thanks for the phenomenal blog. I do want to clarify one point in this statement. The first person you referred to is a patent AGENT, not ATTORNEY. The Patent Office allows non-lawyers to practice before it if they pass the bar exam and meet other criteria.
Patent Attorney

Re: the insurance question:
Try your friendly neighborhood bar association. They often sell insurance as a benefit. Also, talk to attorneys in your practice area about where they buy their own insurance. I suspect that the cost depends on practice area, geography, etc. as well as experience level.