Yogi Patel had a few years of experience under his belt at a law firm and in the legal department of a small construction company, but the idea of starting a solo practice was still daunting.
"I was thinking about the logistics," he said. "Where would I set up an office? Where would I find my clients? Previously, when I was working at my other employers, I never had to think about that. Not having clients and managing the overhead were my biggest fears."
Patel took the leap in February after receiving an enticing offer from the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law, where he'd received his J.D. in 2006. The school offered Patel a spot in its incubator — a program that helps recent graduates establish solo practices while also encouraging free or low-cost legal services to underserved communities.
The school offers low-cost office space in midtown Manhattan and staff support for up to two years to a select number of graduates aiming to establish themselves as solos or launch small firms. The program offers more than office space; participants have access to a large network of experienced solo practitioners who function as mentors, and they enjoy an internal support network among their colleagues in the incubator, which helps to reduce the isolation many solo practitioners experience.
"The setup lends itself to a ton of collaboration," Patel said. "There are a lot of attorneys in the office with different levels of experience in different areas. We help each other. I have other attorneys read everything that goes out of the office."
CUNY's program was the first of its kind when it debuted in 2007, but now law schools around the country have launched solo incubators, and more are on the way. The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law unveiled its solo and small-firm incubator last fall, and the University of Maryland School of Law introduced its incubator in January.
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