<p>Though I'm far from the process of even going to law school, I've considered the possibility of going solo after law school, if I am still as ambitious at that point. But my question is, is it necessary to go to a top 15 school if solo practice is my aspiration? I know it's tough to go out on your own in the beginning with no experience, but I really don't want to work for a big firm. I don't even want to be in corporate law - I'm interested in a wills, trusts, and estate planning practice.</p>
<p>You definitely do not need to go to a top 15 law schools if being a solo practitioner is your goal, however, it would be quite rare (though not completely unheard of) for someone to go out on their own immediately after graduating from law school. You will realize while you are in law school that you don't learn in law school the day-to-day things that you need to know to practice law. Most law schools teach you how to think like a lawyer and how to do research and find the answers that you need, but they don't (and couldn't possibly) teach you everything that you learn by just going out there and actually working. </p>
<p>There are very real reasons why it would typically take a junior attorney many hours to draft an agreement/will/motion/brief that it would take a more senior attorney to draft. Even then, the more senior attorney will likely see subtle issues and recognize how best to present the information in ways the more junior attorney simply wouldn't have the experience to see. Drafting wills and tax and estate planning is actually quite a complex practice area that can be rife with problems for the unaware attorney (ask any law student about the rule against perpetuities for one example) where experience is key.</p>
<p>Hypothetically, you'll get some experience in summer internships and stuff in law school, but putting theory into practice is hard. In the long run, working for a firm for a few years might make your remaining years in your own practice so much better.</p>
<p>one more practical consideration -- depending on the jurisdiction, it can be quite a while after you graduate before you learn if you passed the bar and even longer until the formalities of admission are complete. can't really start practicing as a solo attorney until you are a member of the bar. but you can work in a law office as an associate prior to passing the bar since you don't have to do things for which admission is necessary and there are admitted lawyers to handle things. </p>
<p>even if ultimately you want to hang out your own shingle, working for someone else, which can be in a small practice not necessarily a large firm, is a good way to actually learn the practice of law for the field in which you are interested. law school for the most part really doesn't teach you how to be a practicing attorney.</p>
<p>I suggest you read "How to Start and Build a Law Practice" by Jay Foonberg. This is the classic book for folks who want to start a solo practice.</p>
<p>Interestingly, Foonberg suggests that you hang your shingle straight out of law school. </p>
<p>I'm a solo practitioner and for what it may be worth, clients ask me only rarely where I went to law school. I hung my shingle after 4 1/2 years at BIGLAW. There was some value there (money, experience, and enough misery to know what I valued), but I'm not sure it was worth 4 1/2 years of my life.</p>
<p>So do you think, then, that it would be advantageous or even advisable for me to go to somewhat of a lower tier law school where I have a chance for some sort of scholarship, so that I come out with a lower debt, since starting up a fresh practice is already so expensive? This all seems to hinge on whether or not the repute of the law school one attends is career-defining, because I don't want to purposefully go lower rank if it will truly hurt me later. Any suggestions? :D</p>
<p>I would have two concerns about going to a less prestigious but cheaper school:</p>
<p>First, it does limit your options somewhat.</p>
<p>Second, it is possible that in your chosen area (trust and estates) that your pedigree does matter.</p>
<p>I should have mentioned that my practice largely consists of representing working class people on contingency. These people don't care where I went to law school.</p>
<p>I would imagine that to succeed in trust and estates, you need to attract a more moneyed clientele. It's possible that these sorts of clients worry more about having an attorney who went to a top law school.</p>
<p>Ultimately, the question will be how much extra money you would have to pay to get the prestige of having gone to a top law school. If the choice is between Yale for $20k a year and Quinnipiac for $5k a year, I would probably take Yale. On the other hand, if the choice is between Fordham for $40k a year and a free ride at NYLS, I would probably take NYLS.</p>
<p>itcan be done, my dad did it and after his first year has never made less than 200,000 you just have to be a good business man</p>
<p>Sounds stupid, you won't have any connections or any clients.</p>
<p>"I really don't want to work for a big firm. I don't even want to be in corporate law - I'm interested in a wills, trusts, and estate planning practice."</p>
<p>Keep in mind:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>There's a lot of middle ground between big firms and solo practice. Starting out as an associate in a small, specialized boutique might give you the training you need without the big firm brouhaha. It can help you build a local client base, too.</p></li>
<li><p>Big firms are not just about corporate law. Many big firms have trusts & estates practices (and that practice area has a justified reputation for relatively reasonable schedules and hours).</p></li>
</ol>