Starting a law firm means that the buck stops here . . . with you. If you aren’t so good at being diligent and extremely forthright in everything you do, maybe starting a law firm isn’t such a good idea.
When working at my prior firm, I will admit that, as an associate attorney, I often had an unwise attitude that the partners were ultimately responsible. I thought I could just work hard and try and generate a lot of business for the firm and everything would be fine. While that certainly made the partners happy and gave my wallet a boost, it didn’t lead to learning skills necessary to be a good lawyer. I forgot, at times, to take ultimate responsibility for my actions. Looking back on the experience, I realize that I often needed a lesson in accountability.
Accountability also means that the client comes first. Always. The client is the boss and you are their paid servant. I don’t mean that they dictate your ethical and legal responsibilities, but lawyers are accountable to their clients and their case from beginning to end. Now, if you are not getting paid for your legal fees, you don’t have to keep working for free, but you owe a duty to withdraw your attorney appearance in an ethical fashion as an officer of the court.
Accountability also means being there for your staff. On more than one occasion, when I first began practicing, I have had issues with staff where I dictated a legal document or asked my assistant to do something and then I forget about it. I may even have failed to read the letter I had dictated or, perhaps, the assistant simply misunderstood or just plain failed to complete something.
When this happens, I naturally got very frustrated with the mistake. After all, I had just sent a legal work product that I knew contained mistakes to the client, opposing counsel, or filed with the court. But, guess what, in the eyes of the law, the mistake was mine. I signed the document. I should have slowed down and read the document and corrected the mistake. If I had realized my level of accountability, I would not have made that mistake.
Finally, I try to think about situations where others failed to be accountable to me and my law firm. Have you ever, like me, spoken to court staff about a particular issue that they said they would do and, somehow, it never got done. Have you ever asked for a title search on a parcel of real estate from the title company by Friday and never gotten it? Have you asked your clients to bring in paperwork, sign a document, or generally be on top of things and they completely blew it off? I would guess that many of you have experienced this and just shook your head in disbelief.
But, I often think of being a solo lawyer as being a babysitter for the mass of humanity. People make mistakes and screw stuff up all the time. I do. I bet you do. That is why there are laws and that is why I have a job. If I can’t accept that I have to be accountable for the silliness of myself, my clients, and the judicial system writ-large, then I should get out of practicing law. (yes, at times, I have considered it).
In conclusion, I try to be accountable every single day to myself, my clients, and my law firm. Starting a law firm is a lot of work – but it starts with being accountable from the get go.