What online resources are available if you want to launch your own practice?

Certainly you need a good business plan that addresses how you will finance your business, how you will manage it and how you will market it, as well as outline the technology that you will use to run everything.

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Here is a selection of sites that will help you craft your business plan and go solo:

Liveplan

(liveplan.com)

Screenshot of LivePlan websiteThere are any number of websites that have resources on starting a business, but liveplan is an interactive one that assists you in creating your business plan. It also has 500 examples that you can draw on (every lawyer likes a precedent, right?)

Law Society of BC

(lawsociety.bc.ca/page.cfm?cid=17&t=Practice-Support)

Under the practice resources section, we have a number of resources on starting and running a law practice, including a law firm budget spreadsheet precedent as well as resources on drafting a business plan.

CBA Practice Link

(cba.org/CBA/PracticeLink/2014-01-yl/rogue.aspx)

Michael McCubbin is featured in an article on the CBA’s PracticeLink resource pages entitled “Going Rogue Year One: A New Call Who Started His Own Law Firm.” This is just one example of how the CBA continues to build PracticeLink, which is a great resource for Canadian lawyers.

ABA Bar Association

(americanbar.org/publications/law_practice_magazine/2011/july_august/10_steps_to_prepare_yourself_for_a_graceful_launch.html)

John Snyder wrote an interesting article for the American Bar Association (ABA) entitled “10 Steps to Prepare Yourself for a Graceful Launch.” It is an example of the deep resources available on the ABA’s practice websites: Law Practice Magazine and Law Practice Today. Their books and other resources can be found on the Law Practice Division’s website at americanbar.org/groups/law_practice.html.

Jay Foonberg

(foonberglaw.com)

Jay Foonberg is a lawyer who has probably helped more lawyers start up a practice than anyone else in history. His seminal books How to Start and Build a Law Practice and How to Get and Keep Good Clients have been well-acknowledged and well-read.

MyShingle.com

(myshingle.com/resources/startalawfirm)

Screenshot of MyShingle websiteMyShingle.com is another website with a tremendous collection of resources for someone looking to start their own firm.

Entrepreneur.com

(entrepreneur.com)

Law school didn’t teach you how to be an entrepreneur or how to run a business. You need to expand your informational intake from just law and start changing your thinking. Fortunately, Entrepreneur magazine and their website is a great resource on how to start thinking differently.

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