My goal as I post is not to scare attorneys into staying where they are. It is just so important to me that if you ask my advice, I give you accurate information. Being solo is hard work. It’s hard to get started, it’s hard to keep going, and sometimes I question my sanity. But on the flip side, I am exactly where I want to be regarding my career and schedule, I get to interact with my clients directly and regularly, and I am in control of my destiny (pretty much).

Lee Rosen, an attorney from North Carolina who seems to spend a lot of his time teaching lawyers how to be business people, nails it in his post 10 Things No One Tells You about Hanging Out Your Shingle.

You have to know these things so you aren’t surprised. I may not be the busiest when it comes to clients coming through my door, but I am great at connecting with other attorneys to get the support I need. Setting up a solo practice directly out of law school meant I had even less knowledge of what to do than many of my classmates who are now also solo. They spent time in firms. I did briefly as a clerk over the summers.

If you’re going to make it solo, find your tenacity and your determination. Be like a terrier after a rat: keep digging and don’t let go of the scent no matter how difficult it becomes to track.