Solo, Small Firm, and General Practice
The term "general practitioner" brings to mind a lawyer in the mold of Abraham Lincoln-a pillar in the community who represented shopkeepers, farmers, businesses, and accused criminal defendants while also finding time to be involved in politics and local government. Today's small firm and solo practitioners, whether in rural or metropolitan areas, handle a myriad of legal problems, may serve as part-time prosecutors or government employees, and are active in bar associations and other community activities.
While large firms often generate the most coverage in legal publications and the popular press, and large firms have a high profile at many law schools because of their participation in on-campus interviewing programs, solo and small firm practitioners make up the bulk of the legal practice. A 1994 report published by the American Bar Foundation (a 1994 Supplement to the Lawyer Statistical Report published by the American Bar Foundation and the American Bar Association State Ranking Report) reported an estimated 946,000 lawyers in private practice; of that number, 44% were in solo practice or in very small firms of five or fewer lawyers. Of the approximately 690,000 lawyers in private practice, solo practitioners accounted for 45% and small firm lawyers represented an additional 15%. Thus nearly two-thirds of the lawyers in private practice were in solo practice or in small firms.
Many solo practitioners and lawyers in small firms have general practices in which they service members of their community by handling a variety of legal matters, just as Abraham Lincoln did. They may assist individuals and small and mid-size businesses or may provide special counsel to a large business. They may assist individuals by drafting wills; setting up estate plans; handling tax matters; dealing with divorces, child custody issues, adoptions, and other family law issues; conducting real estate closings; and providing representation in personal injury or employment law matters. They may assist businesses with their incorporation needs as well as with contracts, tax, employment law, and collection issues. Other solo and small firm practitioners specialize in representing individuals or businesses in particular legal areas, such as family law, estate planning, personal injury, or employment law.
Whether they are general practitioners or whether they specialize in a particular area, solo and small firm practitioners face a unique set of challenges and find an abundant array or rewards in their practices. Solo and small firm practitioners are highly involved in both the representation of their clients and in the entrepreneurial challenges of establishing and maintaining a law practice, as well as the administration of a law firm. They must think about issues such as how to develop and keep clients; how to finance their practices; how to hire, train, and effectively manage a legal staff, including support personnel, paralegals, and law clerks; how to bill their clients and collect their billings; and how to plan and budget for the future.
The rewards are rich and diverse. Solo and small firm practitioners have the satisfaction of being completely responsible for their own business, from determining their office decor and the associated overhead to determining their work style and pace and the associated lifestyle benefits.
Solo and small firm practitioners can often build flexible schedules that allow them to participate in community leadership, whether with the park district or the school board or the community caucus, and yet have time to spend with their families. Another reward of solo and small firm practice is that the practitioners have the opportunity to work closely with their clients on a daily basis. Like Abraham Lincoln, who signed his letters to clients, "Your obedient servant, A. Lincoln," solo and small firm practitioners have a genuine opportunity to use their talents to guide fellow members of their communities through our legal system.
Reproduced from The Official Guide to Legal Specialties with permission. (c) 2000 Thomson Reuters/West. For additional information on this publication please visit 
http://west.thomson.com/products/law-students. Copyright granted via e-mail by Donna Gies, September 16, 2008.