Welcome to “Sailing Solo,” our new column addressing the concerns of solos and small firm lawyers. Please let us know what you think of our column, and tell us if there are any topics you’d like us to address here. You can email us c/o Julie T. Houth, Editor-in-Chief.
Most solo practitioners agree on three things: (1) law school does not teach you how to run your own law firm, (2) entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart, and (3) too often, we feel overstretched with work. And that’s before we add in our other commitments. When we add those, the idea of engaging in community service or pro bono work can seem daunting.
Remember law school? Many of us would have finished the sentence, “When I become a lawyer . . .” picturing ourselves in a lawyer cape righting society’s wrongs that we saw around us. Those memories explain why, for some of us, closing the door to service opportunities comes with a slice of guilt for not “doing enough” to advance access to justice. For others, opening the door when we know we probably should have said no can lead us further toward burnout and frustration.