Adventures of an Older New Attorney

In the roughly six months since I posted about my first steps as a “new” attorney, I’ve been juggling multiple responsibilities, while working to set up my law office. I completed the last steps of startup by releasing my firm website last week, and yesterday I posted my first blog article on it. I plan to add articles on various legal subjects, including in areas where I don’t handle cases. This blog will remain my personal blog, where I feel more comfortable opining on political and social matters.

Starting a new virtual law practice, i.e., one without a physical office space, is challenging enough, and the intervention of the COVID-19 pandemic makes it more so. Mind you, I’m not complaining about my situation: I am not suffering the hardship that millions of people find themselves in, with loss of income or worse, the death of a family member. I’ve continued my pro bono work, having successfully represented a client in defending an eviction action. In addition to accepting cases from Legal Aid of North Carolina, I am participating in “North Carolina Free Legal Answers,” which is part of an ABA-sponsored program to answer legal questions online.

Last week I was engaged by my first paying client, who was referred to me by an attorney I met at the local bar association holiday dinner in December.

In the midst of so much that has changed in the last three months, it’s hard to believe that a year ago I was preparing for the bar exam. I feel for those graduating law students and others whose plans to take this year’s test have been uprooted, and for the bar examiner boards across the country that have to figure out how to balance the equities of those who’ve studied so hard with the risks of an often deadly disease.