How to Start a Law Firm

Because, you see, I am an expert (NOT!).

Nevertheless, I am starting a law firm. I will be doing foundational estate planning, probate, and trust administration. I will be a very good lawyer.

The question is where to begin. I have a list of about 10 very important things to do, and they all need to be done at the same time. Unfortunately, in my present circumstances, I can reasonably do about .8 things per day outside of the bare minimums that keep my family functioning a reasonable standard of nutrition and cleanliness. Tomorrow, should I get a new California phone number? Or maybe a fax number? Or maybe set up a client trust account? How starting training as a notary? Or maybe figuring out a cheap way to get a website up and running? Or maybe finding some clients who will pay me money to start all of this?

As is my wont when faced with a long, long list of very important things to do, I spend my time worrying and making lists instead of doing.

But I am very excited about this project. It's sort of like when I started teaching piano lessons when I was 14, except practicing law is a bigger deal than teaching piano lessons, at least in my opinion, and I have done both (come to think of it, I'm the only person I know who has done both). Starting a small business is sort of exhilarating.

It's like, right now I'm pregnancy stages of my firm, and I'm looking around at all of the other lawyers who have their own firms, and wondering how they felt when they were at the same stage. And after I have the whole thing up and running, I can name it and feed it and love it and, um, change its diaper. And watch it grow. The idea is that eventually it will go to college, get a job, and support me in my old age.