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CAREER COUNSELOR’S CORNER
Going Solo [Rebecca Luczycki] Help available for graduates going into private law practice.
A growing number of people fresh out of law
City University of New York School of Law at
school are considering another option to the
Queens College in Flushing, N.Y. - the first
“Civil Justice has helped me in so many
traditional law firm, non-profit, government,
such project established. He said he doesn’t
ways,” Holland said. “The people there have
or corporation legal job choices -- solo prac-
generally encourage brand new law gradu-
opened doors for me. They have lent me
tice. And law-school based support programs
ates to take advantage of the workshop and
moral support when I was full of self-doubt.
are making that choice easier to make these
networking services offered by his program.
They have shared their pleadings and their
days.
Rather, he hopes they will gain some hands-
war stories with me. They showed me how to
on experience before making the leap to solo
better market myself. They showed me how
The Law School Consortium Project was
practice. However, he said today the option is
to earn a living while fulfilling my mission of
created in 1997 to help law schools support
appealing to many new graduates.
why I went to law school.”
is to use grant money to provide mentoring
Due to a lot of factors beyond our control,
Holland is excited that the idea is gaining
and networking, client referral services and
including the economy and personalities of
interest at more schools.
training and assistance with office and busi-
graduates, some people are choosing to [go
ness management, to graduates fresh out of
solo at graduation],” he said. “If that’s the
“Imagine what it will be like when we have an
school or a few years into their careers, who
case, we will be there to support our gradu-
army of lawyers across the country who are
want to hang out a shingle and work with
ates.”
in private practice, but who are committed
alumni who decide to go it alone. The idea
moderate income clients.
to public interest legal work,” he said. “As That support has included providing project
the students begin to see us as role models,
Today, 10 law schools have these programs
members with free legal office management
they will continue to change their percep-
to support graduates in solo practice doing
software and training in how to use it, giving
tion of what is a respectable job and they will
that kind of “low bono” work. Another 20
them donated hand held personal organiz-
continue to build aspirations to do something
schools are making plans to establish similar
ers, and holding monthly seminars on topics
other than mergers and acquisitions or what-
services in the near future.
of interest to people going it alone. Elaine
ever the big firms are doing.”
Cates, a 2002 graduate of CUNY, joined the “It’s difficult for a lot of people who want
CUNY group and took the classes in how to
This story appeared in the March, 2003 edi-
to do something that offers a combination
run a small legal business.
tion of The National Jurist, www.nationaljurist.com
of community service and entrepreneurial private experience as well,” said Lovely Dhil-
“There is a database of graduates online
lon, executive director of the Consortium.
where you can post a question and responses
“This offers them a chance to see something
back,” she said. “I have gone in and looked at
else other than firm work or pro bono with
the interaction and it seems very helpful, and
an agency. They can see that they can create
very hopeful for us.”
something for themselves, that there are other options and there are ways that you
Peter Holland graduated from the University
will be supported.”
of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore 10 years ago, joined that school’s Consortium
Fred Rooney runs the Community Legal
group, Civil Justice, and started his own
Resource center, the Consortium project at
practice.
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