More on Katrina Related Small Firm Impacts

As a follow up to this earlier  post, it’s been three weeks since Katrina and solo and small firm practitioners are starting to contemplate the consequences and plan for the future.  This article,  Many Small Law Firms May be Gone, Adrian Angelette, reports on small firms’ biggest problem – loss of clients.  From the article:

The task of restarting a law practice will be particularly daunting for one-lawyer offices or small firms whose clientele was made up largely of New Orleanians who evacuated. Many lawyers will also have to cope with files and equipment destroyed by wind or water.  "A lot of lawyers lost their clients. I’m afraid many solo practitioners and small firms will be forced to leave the state," Baton Rouge Bar Association President Greg Bodin said. "There are probably a number of small firms that ? have already moved once. How can they afford to move again?"