Becoming a lawyer is no easy feat. You train for years, and then once you’re qualified, you have the task of deciding whether to apply for jobs at current law firms, whether to freelance, or whether to start your own law firm. If the two later options seem more favorable to you then keep reading, as we’re going to talk about how you can succeed on your own as an attorney.

Step one: Launch your law firm

When you first start out, it might be worth starting your career as an independent lawyer, especially if you don’t have the funds to hire at the moment. You’ll still have your firm, but you’ll be the only lawyer operating within it. You have to start somewhere, so going solo for the time being and getting your name about is a wise move to make right now.

Step two: Build a reputable website

You’ll need to grow your reputation, and while your skills as an attorney will help you do that, you can also build a reputable website to help with this. The truth is, there are probably a handful of lawyers in your vicinity that have clients already, so you’ll need to make your mark, and you can do this through using local attorney SEO.

This will involve you using Google My Business regularly so that when people in your area are searching for someone with your services, your business is listed. You’ll also need to make sure that your website is easy to navigate, clear and concise, and full of useful content for potentially worried clients to read through.

Building your reputation through your website will also help you rank on Google outside of local SEO, meaning you might end up having clients coming in from far and wide to seek the skills of someone like you.

Step three: Hire only the best

Once you have built some cash and gained reputation through your website and the wonderful work you do, it’s time to think about expanding the team. After all, the more people on board to help your loyal clients, the better.

Don’t just settle for the first person you interview. Take the time to do extensive interviews, and make sure they share the same values as you do when it comes to helping people. They will become a new face for your business, so it’s important to get this step right.

Step four: Get insurance

While this is step four in this guide, this is something to do as soon as you launch your firm. Having insurance in your field of work is so so important. All law firms must have at least a 2 million professional indemnity insurance. This will protect you and any other lawyers working for you from any claims against negligence or poor legal advice.

Again, don’t sign up with the first insurance you come across. Do your research, and don’t be afraid to choose a premium that costs a little bit more but offers complete protection against the worst.

Starting a law firm isn’t a quick process, but with patience and the right steps, you could be running the most successful law firm in your area in no time!