Brown: Leaving, launching and leaping: law firm entrepreneurship

Whether it’s burnout avoidance, disillusionment with law firm culture, or an inability to ignore the entrepreneurial itch, it might be time to leave your firm and start your own.

Over the next 3 issues of the Indiana Lawyer, I will take you through a “Leaving, Launching, and Leaping” series that will explore thriving in the journey of law firm entrepreneurship.

While stories of failed restaurant startups are ubiquitous, there’s not much chatter about law firm startups failing to gain traction. In sharp contrast to the restaurant industry, there are limited fixed costs and no perishable inventory required to start a law firm.

In the demand for legal services, Indiana was ranked 44th in the country for the state with the fewest lawyers per capita in the American Bar Association’s 2023 “Profile of the Legal Profession.”

Opportunities abound for lawyers in tune with specific market demand for legal services. While certainly not for everyone, starting your own firm may be a way to tap into some of the legal and non-legal talent overlooked by large firm hiring departments or otherwise make your mark on an industry begging for (r)evolution.

Part I: Leaving

How to know if you need to leave your firm

Many of us landed in the practice of law, in our particular practice area, and at our law firms by coincidence or good fortune and too many of us remain there as a result of what can only be described as inertia.

We tell ourselves (and prospective law clerks) our carefully constructed narrative about what keeps us at our firms. But, for some of us, a chasm has developed between what we say and how we truly feel. If you’re happy where you are, fantastic! If you feel it may be (past) time to reevaluate your work, read on.

While certainly not an exhaustive list, these are some considerations to take into account before leaving the familiar and stepping into what’s next.

While it may be tempting to work through this in isolation, tapping into your network (legal and otherwise) will help get you beyond your own feedback loop, assist you in gathering real facts and information, and help clarify next steps.

Whether this exercise transpires over a matter of weeks, months, or years, these questions may be helpful in your journey.

Are you in the right practice, the right firm, and the right profession? Do you love your firm but need to explore another practice area? Do you need to leave the practice of law altogether and explore a second career? Or, are you simply too far from the client work, distracted by other firm demands, and need to reprioritize the balance within your existing gig? Do you need to supplement your day-to-day work with pro bono activities?

Are you ready to leave the “platform” provided by your current firm? Take the time to honestly assess how much of your identity is tied to your role at your existing firm. There’s no right or wrong answer here but denying that reality is punting on an inevitable reckoning. Likewise, do an assessment of the resources, tangible and intangible, available to you at your firm. Are you ready to give those up? Will some remain available to you post-departure? Are adequate (or even better) alternatives available outside of your current firm?

Are you ready to leave your colleagues? While some of your relationships will survive your departure, many will not. That’s not necessarily anyone’s fault but there’s a difference between being in the day-to-day trenches with work colleagues and maintaining a personal or professional relationship with former partners and co-workers. There just is.

Do you have the right combination of skills required for practicing law, managing staff, and running a business? A deep dive into understanding your personal strengths, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities is key. There are ample consultants and coaches you can call upon to focus on these topics regardless of whether you opt to stay or go. A learner’s mindset and curiosity about the business of the practice of law will sustain you through the growing pains and periodic frustrations associated with insurance, copy machine leasing, and inadequate document management solutions.

Are you ready for the flexibility (of time, of practice, of client development, of billing, of talent, of decision making) that comes with having your own firm? While this flexibility may be the primary source of wanting to start something new, it’s important to consider whether a lack of structure will become a drumbeat of dread or motivation over time.

Not only will these considerations help clarify whether you should leave, but it also will help define why you’re leaving if you opt to go.

Knowing your “why” is essential. Your why should concisely describe what you are running toward and not about what you are leaving behind.

Your why will be a source of endless curiosity from others, essential to your ongoing branding efforts, and will serve as your guiding light as your fortitude is regularly tested. Use this time to get clear about your why.

Next Issue: Part II – “Launching.” My column in the May 22 issue of Indiana Lawyer will explore key areas that will either generate early traction or stifle your growth as a law firm entrepreneur.•

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Jenifer Brown is co-founder of Brown Glier Law, LLC in Indianapolis. After practicing in BigLaw for 22 years, Jenifer and her partner, Christl Glier, co-founded their firm focusing exclusively on business immigration.