Starting Mason Firm, LLC

I started Mason Firm, LLC when I got tired of people telling me that I had an impressive resume but could not be hired at this time – and that was before the recession. Imagine if I went looking for a job now. With a lot of big law firms laying off associates and some new law grads experiencing difficulty finding a job, I like the position that I am in – a turning point – big firms are going under and small firms are on the rise.

Starting a solo law firm was not the easiest thing to do and because of all the ethical rules that lawyers have to follow, there were extra steps I had to take. I had to do a lot of research to ensure that I understood what type of business form would work best for me, my ethical responsibilities in terms of trust accounts, advertising and firm names and basic accounting concepts. Mastering these concepts helped me to make prudent decisions as I embarked upon my greatest challenge since studying for the bar exams.

I formed an LLC because I liked the idea of pass through taxation. However, because I could not limit my professional liability I was required to carry malpractice insurance. Having malpractice is always a good idea. You may think that these policies must be prohibitively expensive, but through research I was able to find a company which offered very affordable policies.

My next step was branding. From the start, I set out to brand my company and came up with a color scheme and a logo. This was important because it gave me a sense of legitimacy and that I could roll with the "big boys". Having a small company did not mean that my image had to be shabby. When everything was in place, I started networking and advertising in earnest. It has been a wild ride since I took the leap of faith in 2007 and I hope that you will follow me along for the ride!