This week in Young, Hungry and Committed, virtual office NYC attorney, Vivian Sobers, explains that in solo practice, it is sometimes better to be lucky than good.
I’m lucky.
There, I said it.
While many attorneys attribute their success only to themselves and their work ethic, I am smarter than that.
In the words of Hillary Clinton, (as stolen from another culture) “It takes a village…”
Part of my success is attributed to luck.
Why am I lucky?
Well, I’m lucky because I have a large family in the U.S. and in Venezuela who have always loved and supported me and I have great friends, some of whom, have stood behind for close to twenty years, no matter how crazy my ideas seemed (that’s a long time to put up with me!)
But, why should you care about my luck?
Many people believe that luck centers around happenstance. They think luck is a coincidental meeting in a random location. They think luck is out of their control.
I am here to tell you that luck is something you earn.
Luck requires work.
Being lucky is not a passive action, as many people think. In fact, luck is proactive. To be the recipient of luck, you have to work hard to put yourself in the right place at the right time. In that way, luck is in our control.
First, I am lucky to count Stephen Perih of Law Firm Suites as an actual friend.
Again, why should you care about this?
An integral part of success is maximizing pre-existing relationships.
I am lucky to know him because this blog is about taking advantage of relationships in your professional and even personal lives. My relationship with both Stephen and Law Firm Suites is now symbiotic. Frankly, it has helped financially shape my entire practice.
I first met Stephen when he started working at LFS after I had become a virtual office client.
If you’ve read this blog before you know I have a virtual office through LFS and have been there since I began my practice.
You may also know that part of the benefits of being there is that Law Firm Suites fosters an environment between their attorneys, most notably creating a referral exchange among its clients.
So how does the Law Firm Suites environment help my practice?
When I have a practice area question, I ask him first. Why? Because he knows the entire roster of attorneys and who would best be able to help me. If I have a case I can’t handle, again, he’s who I ask for help on who to refer it to within the community.
Frankly, he is my legal wingman.
And this blog that you read (hopefully often) is edited by Stephen Perih every week.
That has translated into new cases for me that I would have otherwise not have access to. This really means money. While I may run a solo law practice, I ultimately run a business. This is a distinction many lawyers often overlook.
Stephen wasn’t working at LFS when I started there. My luck came when he was hired. At that time, the community wasn’t what it is now. In fact, there was no community for virtual office lawyers.
Now, we have monthly practice area development meetings. We have monthly networking meetings. We actually have a community. This is the luckiest part of all.
When you work from home, you soon realize that isolation can prevent success. But, when you have a community and a Stephen to manage it, you breathe a little bit easier knowing that someone has your back.
As lawyers, knowing someone has your back is important. If we make a mistake, we can lose our homes. Knowing that all I had to was pick up the phone and I could find help, makes practicing that much easier.
When I realized I could go to him without reserve and ask all these questions LFS became my go-to place to send cases. I chose to start this blog with LFS hosting it because the working relationship, well, works. They give me more than just a place to check my mail and meet clients. Luckily, Law Firm Suites has given me access to the tools and resources to be successful.
**Disclaimer**
I write about my experience with LFS not to tap dance for a random company, that’s not the purpose of any of this.
Every day, we deal with people that are not necessarily attorneys, (although Stephen is one) but that can add something to your business or even your life. I have learned that one key to a successful solo practice is keeping your eyes open and taking advantage of luck when it falls in your lap.
While luck may not make a practice, it sure as hell goes a long way to maintaining one. And sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good.
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Vivian Sobers is a commercial litigator pursuing a solo law practice right out of law school. She is a client in Law Firm Suites’ Virtual Office Program. Vivian’s weekly blog series “Young, Hungry and Committed” documents the trials and tribulations of a young attorney navigating her way through the challenging world of self-employed legal practice.
