Is This Town Too Big For A General Practitioner?

Conventional wisdom says that lawyers need to specialize. Conventional thinking holds that, because there are so many lawyers, the only way to stand out in a crowd is to do one thing and be the best at it. Particularly in a major, metropolitan area like Chicago, with many thousands of attorney-specialists, conventional opinion predicts the decline and fall of the solo, general practitioner. Nevertheless, that is what I have decided to do for a living. Can conventional wisdom be wrong?

Lucky for me, conventional wisdom, like any generalization, is usually wrong! I believe that there will always be room for the general practitioner in any market, Smallville or Metropolis. I have chosen a general practice because I enjoy its variety and challenges; particularly, marketing legal services to the general public, and reading and researching many different areas of the law. I try to use technology and inspiration to help me compete.

I believe that marketing to clients is the hardest business process facing any lawyer, but that marketing to the general public is even harder! Marketing is one area where technology has been of great benefit. I have a web site and try to keep it current and relevant. LegalMatch provided me with a new way to interact with potential clients. It allows me to screen cases without wasting a lot of time on the telephone, and to script a thoughtful response to potential clients. For inspiration, I turn to the many blogs on the subject of marketing, including Tom Kane's "Legal Marketing Blog," Matt Homan's "[non]billable hour," and Carolyn Elefant's "My Shingle," to name just a few. Many of these bloggers feel, as I do, that conventional thinking needs to be challenged, and I am inspired and educated by them on a regular basis.

I also use technology to help me keep up with developments in various areas of the law. I get email updates from the local bar associations on many practice areas, and use on-line legal research extensively. Ever since I have been a solo, I've longed for the resources that I used to enjoy at the big firms. I was inspired to create a pet project named "wiki-PLEAD-ia," in homage to the wonderful www.wikipedia.com, an on-line encyclopedia. My vision is to create an on-line knowledge base, replete with forms, instructions, procedural explanations, and other practical information. The knowledge base would be edited and managed by practicing attorneys, law students, judges, clerks of court, or anyone with knowledge of the subject matter. Ideally, an editorial staff comprised of experts from law schools, the bench, and bar would serve to oversee contributions. With such a resource, it is my hope that solo practitioners and general practitioners could enjoy even more variety in their work, and dare to take on new and different matters with more confidence. Thanks to the good people at Peanut Butter Wiki, you can visit http://johnstarkweather.pbwiki.com/index.php?wiki=FrontPage to get a sense of what shape wikipleadia might take. I hope it inspires attorneys of all stripes to contribute.

Conventional wisdom says that variety is the spice of life (and while I personally agree with that notion, I have just criticized conventional wisdom above, so now I'm in a pickle). I'm grateful to those who challenge the conventions that limit our creativity, independence, and choices. Those of you who have worked to create new ways of communicating, connecting, learning, and inspiring, have given me the confidence to attempt to be a general practitioner in the big city.

John P. Starkweather practices in Chicago, Illinois. You can contact him at john@starkweatherlaw.com or by visiting www.starkweatherlaw.com.