tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195596452011-12-14T19:01:11.295-08:00Against the advice of counsel, I am waiving my right against self-incrimination and openly sharing the trials and tribulations of my first year of solo law practice in California.Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.comBlogger481100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-41622886351858890912007-03-15T08:59:00.000-07:002007-03-15T09:03:49.050-07:00

You may wonder why I haven't posted in over six months...uh, make that nine months. The reason is this: despite my insane attempt to quit the company where I work and go solo, I was "saved" by an 11th hour job offer that has kept me on board with the bank. The new job uses my legal education and takes advantage of my 15-ish years experience with the company, plus I keep my paid vacation and

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com49tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1151701219061093812006-06-30T13:52:00.000-07:002006-06-30T14:00:19.063-07:00

It's been about a month now since I decided to start a solo practice, and I'm currently in a holding pattern waiting for the house to sell. Just my luck to pick the first real estate slowdown in ten years to list and sell my property.I'm amazed at the work Jennifer and I were able to do to get the house ready. It looks great. Too bad it took selling the house to get us to finally do the paint

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com48tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1151700721740443452006-06-30T13:44:00.000-07:002006-06-30T13:52:01.753-07:00

Received a belated response to my nystagmus/disability email from SOLOSEZ:No. Sorry, but it needs to be said.Trial work is perception, to the judge, to the other side and to the jury. Anything that detracts from that perception is a risk you cannot force on your clients. It would be one thing if you had a more visible disability that would explain itself. But you risk looking like something

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1151700237308209862006-06-30T13:42:00.000-07:002006-06-30T13:43:57.310-07:00

After meeting with the client I accepted the case. The potential issues I was afraid of turned out to be unimportant in the end.I'm still refining the presentation I give to prospective clients. I had a few rough edges today, but there was more good than bad by far. Some basic observations:* Helps to lead with the business card when you are meeting PCs for the first time. * Also helps to

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1151700127075374382006-06-30T13:40:00.000-07:002006-06-30T13:42:07.086-07:00

I sought and received counsel in preparation for my client meeting this week. After thinking it over, as long as I believe I can help and there are no ethical issues I'm going to take the case. Probably the best part about being a solo is getting to choose your clients, but I didn't become a lawyer for the power trip of turning people away at the door.Still, I am aware that I need to be careful

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1151451880237240072006-06-27T16:35:00.000-07:002006-06-27T16:44:40.266-07:00

My mom read last Wednesday's post and has forbidden me from moving to Montana or South America. Before you people from Helena or Uruguay write me angry letters, I don't think she has anything against you personally, she just doesn't want me to move my family out of driving distance. Over the weekend I picked up two new referrals from friends at church. Because of the negative stereotypes, people

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1151384460467530932006-06-26T21:59:00.000-07:002006-06-26T22:01:00.480-07:00

I got to "play" with Abacus Gold today, and I'm impressed. Although there is ample documentation provided out of the box, I was able to install and run the software myself (no consultants needed) without spending hours reading first.Abacus has an estate planning module, which I didn't buy but am now considering very seriously. I'm fairly happy with my existing trust software, but the upside to

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1151383608080209872006-06-26T21:44:00.000-07:002006-06-26T21:46:48.096-07:00

I drove to Sacramento to meet my friend Adrianne and her fiancee Killian. They are getting married the weekend after next and asked me to perform the ceremony.This will be the fifth wedding ceremony I have conducted (California lets anyone who pays $25 register as a Deputy Commissioner of Civil Marriage). I guess I'm a little bit of a romantic sap but I really like weddings. Officiating at a

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1151019495667103682006-06-22T16:36:00.000-07:002006-06-22T16:38:15.680-07:00

Today is day #3 that the house has been on the market. Here is a link to our listing on our realtor's site. Still no idea where we are going to end up when the dust settles. Today I joked to Jennifer that when escrow closes and we get our money we should surprise everyone by moving to someplace unexpected like Montana or South America.Tonight was my one night to come home from work and relax -

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1150934453386268382006-06-21T16:59:00.000-07:002006-06-21T17:00:53.396-07:00

The best part about SOLOSEZ is the massive number of solo lawyers who post to it. That can also be the worst part, since the number of emails generated by the list can be overwhelming. I suspended delivery back in December, opting to read the archives online instead.Before I sent yesterday's message about nystagmus to the list I changed my SOLOSEZ settings to deliver a daily digest instead - one

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1150844913601876592006-06-20T15:55:00.000-07:002006-06-20T16:08:33.623-07:00

SOLOSEZ is a listserv set up by the ABA's GP Solo and Small Firm Division. The list is a great resource for solos like myself. Today I sent the following email to SOLOSEZ to troll for suggestions on how to deal with an issue that has been nagging at me for some time:I was born with congenital nystagmus that causes my eyes to shake (yep, just like the police look for in the field sobriety tests

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1150755629278297092006-06-19T15:12:00.000-07:002006-06-19T15:20:29.300-07:00

I politely declined the paralegal job interview today. After talking with the supervising counsel, it turns out my instincts are correct and there is no career path from paralegal to corporate attorney.This job came to my attention courtesy of an aunt on my mom's side of the family. I was hoping to use a little nepotism to overcome the disadvantage of not attending an ABA school, but things

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1150498125876850902006-06-16T15:46:00.000-07:002006-06-16T15:48:45.886-07:00

I shared earlier that I am not a solo by choice - I have always preferred the relative security of a regular paycheck and paid benefits. As time passed, and the rejection letters piled up, I became more comfortable with the idea of being my own boss...but I admit that every now and then a little shadow of doubt has crept in. Today's tiny cloud was courtesy of a conversation where somebody told

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1150433024628608152006-06-15T20:21:00.000-07:002006-06-15T21:43:44.696-07:00

Nothing much to report today - more packing and cleaning around the house. Why didn't anyone warn me how much work is involved in getting a house ready to sell?

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1150323552795835562006-06-14T15:15:00.000-07:002006-06-14T15:19:12.813-07:00

A day of packing and more work around the house. We finally have the house in decent shape to sell, thanks to about two weeks worth of hard labor, and our agent signalled her approval by dropping off the "for sale" signs today. They will go up sometime this weekend.I received this site from a colleague on a marketing listserv for solo practitioners, and thought it amusing and appropriate:

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1150232721488057982006-06-13T14:03:00.000-07:002006-06-13T14:05:21.503-07:00

I got another client today, and what makes this notable is she was referred to me by an existing client...my first referral! Hopefully the first of many.This whole "mild mannered bank employee by day, lawyer by night" scenario can't end soon enough for me. I'm not devoting much time to the actual practice of law right now, but I spend a lot of time on business planning and selling our house.

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1150129742558820012006-06-12T09:28:00.000-07:002006-06-12T09:29:02.576-07:00

On Friday Jennifer and I loaded the kids into the van for a weekend trip to the Central Valley (Fresno). A college reunion was the main event for the weekend, but at the time we planned the trip we also intended to use the opportunity to look around northeastern Fresno and Clovis to see if we could make a life there. We are not strangers to the valley - Jennifer grew up there, and we met while

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1149809559060101212006-06-08T16:29:00.001-07:002006-06-08T16:32:39.090-07:00

As if it isn't hard enough figuring out what to do with my life, now I have to figure out how to pay for everything?Well, OK, we've already got that figured. But it wasn't easy. I put my love of spreadsheets and budgeting to good use and In the end my wife and I decided to sell our house and use the gain to finance the first three-plus years of my practice. By then I should know whether I am cut

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1149780190989039142006-06-08T08:22:00.000-07:002006-06-08T08:23:11.016-07:00

Tonight I attended my first official county bar association function - a Board of Directors dinner meeting. I was invited to attend along with several fellow East County lawyers to discuss any issues we are facing in our practice. It was a very interesting evening, and I especially enjoyed hearing from and talking to other East County lawyers.The ten years I have lived in Antioch have been a

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1149658967035030072006-06-06T22:15:00.000-07:002006-06-08T08:34:16.286-07:00

There are a lot of decisions left to be made, but one thing is for sure: I can't work at home. I have tried in the past, but the result would drive both me and my family nuts. For the last few weeks I have been looking for a small office to lease to give me a place to meet with clients, think, study and plan.I have chosen to set up shop in the community where I live, which is both good and bad.

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1149549530010192752006-06-05T16:17:00.000-07:002006-06-05T16:18:50.026-07:00

I have decided to quit my comfortable, well-paid (but non-law related) office job and open a law office as a full-time solo practitioner. I made the decision a few weeks ago, but I have been holding off making any announcement until I had a chance to notify my boss so he would hear the news directly from me and not third-hand or through the magic of Google.Like a lot of solos, working for myself

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1147821316056419752006-05-16T16:07:00.000-07:002006-05-16T16:15:16.086-07:00

I have been working on a project for the past three weeks that will change my legal future in a huge way. As of now I still can't blog about it, but when I get clearance to post the news I will start blogging status updates every weekday - much more regularly than the weekly posts (or so) that I have been writing to date. Also, I am considering rebranding the blog to more closely align with the

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1146260323315697552006-04-28T14:18:00.000-07:002006-04-28T14:38:43.373-07:00

I've been spending the last few days thinking about where and how I will set up my law office:Home office - least expensive, but I'm prone to distraction. I also have three kids, and not sure clients would be OK stepping over the Legos to get to my office, or the occasional shout out from the living room to fast forward the program because SpongeBob SquarePants went to commercial.If I end up

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1146200949229704032006-04-27T21:58:00.000-07:002006-04-27T22:09:09.240-07:00

"Thank you for your interest in [firm name]. We enjoyed reviewing your resume and wish to compliment you on your achievements thus far. Unfortunately, we do not have a position at this time which matches your educational background and work experience. We do, however, wish you every success in the future."=====Met with my second client in two nights tonight, and I have started to realize that

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1145943357782338942006-04-24T22:29:00.000-07:002006-04-24T22:35:57.783-07:00

Got this letter in the mail today - short, sweet, and to the point:"Thank you for submitting your resume and related information for consideration. We were impressed with your strong credentials and accomplishments; however, we are unable to extend an interview invitation at this time."=====On the bright side, business is picking up with my solo practice. I have two new client appointments this

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1145942820193053692006-04-24T22:15:00.000-07:002006-04-24T22:27:00.213-07:00

First, let me welcome anyone who wandered in this way from my friend Lee Rudnicki's Blog 7 site. Thanks to Lee for the kind mention. Lee and I both work with the San Francisco Renegades Drum and Bugle Corps, and I'm sure Lee would appreciate me mentioning the Renegades' upcoming Loud Music Symposium concert on April 30 at the Heritage Theater in Campbell, CA.OK, the pleasantries are out of the

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1145421468110608092006-04-18T20:46:00.000-07:002006-04-18T21:44:28.896-07:00

The resumes started going out the door last week. So far I've already received one very polite rejection letter: "Our Firm is in the fortunate position this year of having a large number of highly qualified applicants for our associate positions. As a result, we must often make difficult decisions that eliminate from consideration candidates possessing the potential for becoming successful

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1145251171482165222006-04-16T21:50:00.000-07:002006-04-16T22:19:31.516-07:00

Some updates on various marketing items:WEBSITE: About a month ago I purchased a domain name (brandonwilsonlaw.com) and parked it with InMotion hosting for some day down the road when I decide my solo practice needs a web presence. That time came sooner than expected, as I talked myself into letting InMotion build a site for me. The cost was $899 ($299 + $50/month for 12 months), which beat all

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1143957603701738712006-04-01T21:34:00.000-08:002006-04-01T22:00:11.083-08:00

For the past five months I have been leading two lives. Not exactly Bruce Wayne/Batman stuff, but technical project manager by day/lawyer by night is still a mouthful.I've read and heard a lot of opinions on part-time law. Almost a half-year into my practice, I'm still not sure where I stand. On the positive side, since my "day job" pays all the bills, I can afford to offer my clients very

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1142449746900989392006-03-15T11:06:00.000-08:002006-03-15T11:14:54.503-08:00

I hate paper. There, I said it.My life suffers from a proliferation of paper. Occasionally I find myself almost literally buried under it, both in the office and at home. So go buy a scanner and be done with it right? Close - I bought two scanners: one for home, and one for the road.My home scanner is a Brother MFC-7820N. Two exceptional things about this device: first, it has a 50-sheet ADF (

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1142018370613102422006-03-10T11:18:00.000-08:002006-03-10T11:19:30.640-08:00

The estate planning side of my practice has been going very well. Despite the complex nature of succession planning and the shifting nature of the law (especially the uncertain future of estate taxation, which cannot be described rationally to a client because the rules are insane), I am getting a lot more comfortable with the process. The most difficult part has been dealing with the "D word."

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1141403488870490862006-03-03T08:06:00.000-08:002006-03-03T08:34:33.023-08:00

I got a surprise on Wednesday when one of my freebie clients (wrote them a trust package for free to get the experience) insisted they pay for my time and gave me a check that covers my first year's liability insurance premium. Maybe this law practice is going to be something more than an expensive hobby after all.I've been spending a lot of time focusing on practice marketing. At the core, what

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1141253490047721322006-03-01T14:03:00.000-08:002006-03-01T14:51:37.206-08:00

So far my professional legal career has been a mix of low and non-paying side jobs. I've been doing quite a bit of estate planning free of charge to get experience, but I'm finally at the stage where I'm ready to go public so I've been thinking about how to get the word out. My thoughts have centered around the following:Website. Definitely going to do this, just a matter of how to go about it

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1139266337640095212006-02-06T14:51:00.000-08:002006-02-06T14:52:17.663-08:00

Here's some things I wish someone had told me when I decided to go solo right out of law school. Some are culled from my own experiences thus far, and others are from my observations of other new lawyers:Don't overpromise. Being a new lawyer is exciting, and yes, you'll want to help people. But there is a fine line between giving the client confidence that you'll zealously pursue his claim, and

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1138404805025104452006-01-27T15:24:00.000-08:002006-01-27T15:33:26.526-08:00

Right out of the gate, and already in some trouble with "the man." That's where I found myself when the mail came on Wednesday night.Back in November, fresh off my swearing-in ceremony and my shingle still dripping with wet paint, I made some business decisions that I thought needed to be made to get my practice off the ground. One such decision was to subscribe to Westlaw. I still don't know

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1137633918610782722006-01-18T17:24:00.000-08:002006-01-18T17:25:18.620-08:00

When I found out last May I had passed the California bar exam, I entered a state of limbo while I waited for the State Bar to process my Rule X Moral Character examination (a requirement before you can practice law in this state). It was a series of small disasters...I applied later than I should have; my application was subsequently lost or mishandled; and finally I was informed I had missed

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1136568873480695242006-01-06T09:24:00.000-08:002006-01-06T09:34:33.533-08:00

Jonathan Stein reminded me to mention that he had recognized The Fifth Estate with an award in The Practice blog, but I am purposely not going to do that. If you read the article you will know Jonathan's feelings on self-promotion. This presented me with a real dilemma...if I don't mention the award, he might think I am not pleased by the mention; but if I do, isn't that bragging?So I have

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1136566217074670722006-01-06T08:48:00.000-08:002006-01-06T08:51:18.813-08:00

It's official. I am volunteering my services at John F. Kennedy University's Elder Law Clinic. After meeting with clinic director Virginia George on Wednesday, I started Thursday and already have two clients. Going forward I will keep two office hours a week on Thursday, and attend team round-tables one or two Saturdays a month.It's been a long time since I learned how to do anything new, so the

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1135882213996038672005-12-29T09:33:00.000-08:002005-12-29T10:50:14.066-08:00

And now, a moment of introspection: why is blogging such a big issue in the legal business right now? I'm sure there are as many reasons as there are blogging lawyers, but it seems that there are at least a few common ones, in no particular order:Because we like to show off what we know. Ever had someone ask a simple question in a social situation and give them back an exhaustive treatise on

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1135798892400408742005-12-28T11:25:00.000-08:002005-12-28T11:41:32.443-08:00

CEB offers free OnLaw access for twelve months, along with several other tremendous benefits, to new California lawyers. I have been using OnLaw for about two weeks and really finding it to be helpful and full of information - much easier to use, and more applicable to my practice, than Westlaw.OnLaw currently includes 80 titles covering Business Law, Civil Litigation, Criminal Law, Employment

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1135315114367444642005-12-22T21:18:00.000-08:002006-01-06T08:52:05.713-08:00

Job interviews are pretty standard. The questions about your past, your experience, generally boil down to one thing. It can be asked in various ways, but the idea is always this: What makes you think you can do this job? The interviewer wants to know what characteristic or experience I have that will enable me to succeed at the task at hand. After much consideration, I believe it comes down to

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1134764497060100172005-12-16T12:21:00.000-08:002006-01-29T15:37:42.113-08:00

Today's article focuses on data security from two perspectives: (1) protection against intrusion/theft; and (2) protection against loss.Protection against intrusion/theft. By now we are all aware of the danger that malware (the general name applied to viruses and spyware) poses to any networked computer. Because of our duty to protect the confidentiality of client information, one particular

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1134427795159224512005-12-12T14:49:00.000-08:002005-12-12T14:56:31.293-08:00

Producing quality documents is critical to an estate planning practice, so I have been spending a lot of time evaluating trust creation software. I started by searching the web for "lawyer trust software" and got a few hits, including Daniel Evans' helpful listing (http://evans-legal.com/dan/wtt-new.html, but one caveat: the page was last updated in May 2004, so the list contains several dead

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1134347600149566942005-12-11T16:33:00.000-08:002005-12-12T14:56:58.070-08:00

At a family gathering yesterday my brother-in-law were talking about blogs and he asked if I was going to publish this blog in RSS format. To be honest, I don't know much about RSS other than what the acronym stands for (Really Simple Syndication) so I did some quick research last night. I still don't know a bunch about syndication, but I got the blog published.Blogger automatically publishes

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1134244128633739632005-12-10T11:48:00.000-08:002005-12-12T14:57:25.930-08:00

I found a source for malpractice insurance for young lawyers in California: Lawyer's Mutual Insurance Company. LMIC offers a "Strong Start Program" for solos in practice less than three years with premiums starting at only $500 in year one, scaling up to $3,785 in year six. Adding this $500 into my estimated expenses for year one brings the current total up to $7,537.50. Looks like my ongoing

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1134089303937292772005-12-08T16:48:00.000-08:002005-12-12T14:58:10.073-08:00

I'm facing a lot of expenses in starting up my practice. Even though I plan to work from a home office and save rent, there are a ton of other bills to be paid:Bar Association dues. California charges $395 a year to maintain active status. There are also add-ons like section memberships for legal specialists ($65 - $70 each) and some "suggested" donations that for some reason don't appear all

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1133757441877677962005-12-04T18:41:00.000-08:002005-12-04T20:37:21.980-08:00

In my introductory post I mentioned work-life balance as the reason I was leaning toward private practice instead of an associate position with a medium or large firm. Associates are expected to bill around 2,000 hours per year (sometimes more or less, depending on the firm). New lawyers may have to work two hours or more to total one billable hour, so a 60-80 hour work week is not out of the

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19559645.post-1133676129429445222005-12-03T21:23:00.000-08:002005-12-03T22:02:09.446-08:00

Welcome to my little place on the web. I have been inspired to blog by reading the works of others, most notably some great law blogs (please do not call them "blawgs") like The Practice and Home Office Lawyer. Hopefully I will have something to say that can add to the content available in cyberspace, and not just be a waste of bandwidth.My background: After spending thirteen years in banking as

Brandon Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01012909006170796556noreply@blogger.com0