By the time you become a solo attorney having a law firm of your own, you need to be sure about the best practice areas for solo attorneys and which area you would particularly like to cover with your defined expertise. There might be a chance you want to go to the broader ends and plan to offer legal services from multiple areas of law. What do you think? Will that be helpful? Well, we won’t suggest you for the same. Having a solo law firm doesn’t mean reaching out wide range of legal services to the clients is a smart way to start. Instead having a legal niche will help you plant your roots stronger and deeper.
Not convinced? We can incite that interest within you as we discuss the point in detail in this post. Get some ideas on defining the specific areas of law you would like to offer legal services to your potential clients. However, you must be familiar with how to start your own law practice before you come to making a decision of a particular practice area.
To start from, let us talk about what does a “niche practice” exactly points at. It is the area an attorney chooses to offer unique and outstanding law services to the clients. Usually, a solo practitioner opting a niche law practice selects the particular area of his/her own interest, expertise, educational background, geographic location and several other dependable factors in mind. Developing a niche law practice is a proven way to get distinct popularity of your law firm, as you stand unique from the competitors running the business in your local area.
How niche stands out as a good idea?
As we all know, there are pros and cons when it is about any or every law practice areas in demand. True, some areas are known to be in high demand over the others during the phase of high or low economic conditions. Alongside, there are other popular areas that need only around specific geographic areas. As such, these situations lead to associated vulnerabilities with a niche law firm. Even then, a niche firm is a beneficial and smart choice when you are a solo practitioner as it offers a great platform for your specialization. If you are one among the several specialized attorneys, choosing a niche makes it easier for you to promote your services to the target groups. You need to understand that this distinction from others can bring fruitful results for your law firm evolving as a popular name among the specialized legal service providers with unmatched legal expertise.
Create a name
When you finalize to start with the niche law practice, you ought to have a name that would be associated with the area you choose from the best areas of law to practice. It again has supported negative and positive factors. Positive as you might eventually grow as the “go-to” attorney for particular legal matters, which further initiates client referrals. However, the other side of the coin settles for the negative front – you might find it difficult for transition into a different area (only if you want to make a change) when you focus as a niche attorney.
Have a look at some popular examples of niche areas for a solo law practitioner:
- Medical/Recreational Marijuana Law
- Animal/Pet Law
- Motorcycle Accident Law
- Citizenship/Immigration Law
- Homeowners Association Law
- Non-Profit Association Law
If you are still not convinced with the idea of choosing a niche practice as your area of law, we have some broader areas you might find interest in as a solo practitioner:
- Bankruptcy Law
- Elder Law
- Criminal Law
- Real Estate Law
- Divorce and Family Law
- Tax Law
- Employment Law
- Wills, Trusts, and Estates
Whichever area you choose, a niche or general area of practice, the more important thing to focus on is ensuring it differentiates your solo law firm from your potential competitors. You can do this by proving why and how your solo law practice is unique, creating an interest among people to reach you for legal services and advice over many other existing legal services in the region. Choosing the right niche law practice area and proper business plan for your Law firm can help you improve your solo law practice income eventually but steadily.
