You Can Jump From the Big Law Ship and Land in Profitable Waters

This is a slight departure from my normal "Hang a Shingle Right Out Of Law School...or Shortly Thereafter" posts but because I also talk with a lot of Big Law Defectors it fits right in.  This article from Law.com talks about the jump from Big Law into solo practice which comes with another set of fears, maintaining the sophisticated high-end client case load which we've come to believe is only the province of Big Law...and certainly cannot be handled by a solo.  Mark P. Zimmett busts this myth and did so over fifteen years ago. (Oh, Mark, where is your website/blog!!)

"But you can leave a big firm and keep a big practice. Today, one can handle sophisticated high-stakes legal work in a small firm. Add profits that can rival those at top 10 Am Law firms and control over your professional (and personal) life, and striking out on your own becomes an appealing alternative."

Technology and business smarts is now encouraging solos to try and capture the Big Fish and maybe this frightens Big Law most.  Again, only through conversation with knowledgable people (not statistically supported data) a full fifty percent of Big Law associates and partners think about jumping ship.  With technology permitting solos and small firms to function at the highest level of efficiency is it really a stretch for Big Clients to be attracted by the allure of a more intimate attorney/client relationship?  If you are a scuba diver you know 'the proof is in the puffing.'  We'll see as more and more stories about the "Marks" of this legal world start surfacing.

Congratulations, Mark, for being a solo superhero to Big Law partner defectors.