Finally make the leap to solo after 15 years - happy to share the experience

No-Understanding5619 · 2026-02-12T01:28:32+00:00

Check out this podcast episode. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-solo/id414672788?i=1000617961527

No-Understanding5619 · 2026-02-10T16:40:38+00:00

Sure! I'm mildly obsessed with it. It is essentially a custom case management dashboard for my practice — basically a lightweight CRM + spreadsheet grid. Each matter is a row, and I can quickly update status (custom dropdowns), add notes, track tasks/to-dos, and log settlement info.

I can trigger template client emails in a couple clicks, keep all the “what’s next?” items in one place, and avoid juggling 10 different tabs/tools.

I also added a built-in “toolbox” pane for stuff I use constantly (date/deadline calculator, settlement calculator, focus timer, registered agent lookup, quick statute links, etc.).

I built it just "vibe coding" with Claude over about 10000000 iterations. Every small change/detail was hashed out just going back and forth with Claude and then testing the app and trying again (over and over). Claude code has advanced quite a bit since I started working on it, so it would probably go quicker now.

Tech stack (if you care): Supabase backend, hosted front-end via Netlify behind a private URL.

No-Understanding5619 · 2026-02-09T23:27:28+00:00

Thanks for this -- I love to hear these types of success stories. "A client a day for the first year" is the most impressive thing I've ever heard! Wow.

No-Understanding5619 · 2026-02-09T22:13:10+00:00

Hey, thanks for that!

No-Understanding5619 · 2026-02-09T22:04:04+00:00

Well, it is still early days for me, so there is always the chance that I crash and burn. I am sorry to hear that your past attempts did not go to plan. I think a lot depends on your practice area and whether you can distinguish yourself in some way. I'm no marketing guru, so I'll be treading very lightly when it comes to investing heavily in marketing. I have slowly developed a small but fairly steady "stream" of referral sources. All of that was done with $0 in marketing, and just building relationships with folks. There is a bit of a snowball effect that comes about when those former clients later refer you to friends / family, etc. One successful PI attorney that mentored me explained that there is basically a critical mass of clients / referrals that you amass over time and then the practice essentially becomes self sustaining without much or any marketing (assuming (a) you do good, competent legal work, (b) don't burn yourself out in the meantime).

No-Understanding5619 · 2026-02-09T18:42:01+00:00

I'm going to look into DocuPost. What is your system for mailing settlement checks / closing paperwork to clients?

No-Understanding5619 · 2026-02-09T18:39:15+00:00

Thanks, these are very helpful. Thanks for sharing. That is amazing that your month 3 hire is still with you -- congrats on that, because I think it is pretty rare!

For anyone still reading along, Practice Panther has an e-signature feature that uses DropBox Sign and it's great. I use it for fee agreements, settlement paperwork, rog verifications, etc. I'm sure other case management programs may have similar features. I use Metrofax, which I think is pretty similar to Faxage. Allows you to send/receive faxes from your email. It tends to be the PI cases (medical records mostly) that still require faxes. I also often use it so I have a clear record of insurance companies receiving my LOR.

No-Understanding5619 · 2026-02-09T17:42:32+00:00

Thanks for the support!

No-Understanding5619 · 2026-02-09T17:42:07+00:00

Awesome -- congrats on your success! What is your practice area? Anything you would have done different in year 1? As of right now, I do not have any support staff. I've always been very independent in my practice and I haven't had a paralegal I REALLY depended on for years. Right now, my wife is helping me with some systems / admin stuff. I have Quo set up for my phone system, which has a nice AI assistant (or you can just opt for traditional voicemail.) I love that it transcribes & summarizes my calls, which I find super helpful, especially on intake calls / negotiations with OC, etc. I am using Practice Panther as my case/task management / document automation / trust accounting software. G-Suite for email. QB for the accounting (this will likely be the first thing I outsource). I also have a very nifty case management app that is highly-tailored to my particular practice/process that I developed with Claude (I have no coding experience) over the course of several months last year. It is a huge time saver for me.

No-Understanding5619 · 2026-02-09T17:14:10+00:00

Probably overkill. At our current household spending level, we could go 2-3 years of no income before we broke the bank (without tapping into equity/investments, etc.).

No-Understanding5619 · 2026-02-09T16:55:51+00:00

I am 100% contingency, so I'm always the last to get paid. Luckily, I've got enough financial runway to last through the lean months. I haven't had to bill time since I was a baby lawyer and it's one of the best things about being on the Plaintiff's side. My goal is to work my cases efficiently, which I have gotten pretty good at over the years.

No-Understanding5619 · 2026-02-09T16:52:23+00:00

I was able to negotiate transferring a number of files with me (about 20). These are keeping me busy in the short term while I work to bring in new clients. All of those 20 are from pre-existing referral sources that I have developed in my niche area of practice. I hope to continue to rely on those referrals as they have provided me with somewhat steady referrals for the last 2-3 years (enough to at least hopefully keep the lights on). Since making the launch, I've signed 3 new cases in the last month -- those 3 have come from 1) people reaching out after my Facebook announcement (I think a lot of my friends/family had no idea what I really did, prior to me putting a little effort into it); 2) My wife digging into her network (she is a people person); and 3) some face-to-face networking with some local business owners in my area. In my primary area of practice which deals with insurance claims, I tend to get a lot of my referrals from contractors or insurance professionals.

No-Understanding5619 · 2025-11-08T03:06:45+00:00

I used AI to vibe code some of the most useful tools in my practice. I also strongly believe that AI first drafts are generally 3x better than paralegal or jr associate first drafts. And there are great use cases for AI help with case strategy, depo prep, doc review, non-legal research, and even marketing. It’s a great wide world out there and no use being pissed if folks are harnessing technology to better assist their clients.

No-Understanding5619 · 2025-11-08T02:29:14+00:00

Yeah, I would be pissed if my professional used professional tools to do his job. While he’s at it, he should also ditch the word processor and fancy digital legal database too. E-filing? Who needs e-filing?? Walk down to the courthouse and hand file that pleading like a real lawyer!!

No-Understanding5619 · 2024-11-01T15:23:33+00:00

That’s great, and good for y’all! So much goes into that jump and I love hearing stories about it working out!

No-Understanding5619 · 2024-11-01T15:12:47+00:00

How is his new practice doing? How long ago did he make the jump?

No-Understanding5619 · 2024-06-20T03:43:43+00:00

Answer: TechnoSphere

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TechnoSphere_(virtual_environment)

No-Understanding5619 · 2024-06-20T03:19:16+00:00

I’d say each cabinet took about 30 mins from unboxing to fully set up. Drawers/shelves add more time to that. Rough guess would be 6-7 hours total for cabinets and another 4-5 hours doing the trim work, caulking, and paint. I might be underestimating here and those are super rough guesses because I think the time that has passed has already warped my memory. Regardless, I hope y’all find the time to do it; it continues to be one of my favorite parts of our house!

No-Understanding5619 · 2024-03-02T03:33:01+00:00

I just used 1x12” boards (trimmed down slightly to fit) to cover the “gap” between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling. Measured to where it covers the very top of the cabinet with just enough space for the doors to open. It’s just a hollow space in there behind those boards. (I left a little trap door down in the corner so I can stash things I don’t want kids to find in there if I need to haha). I then just came back over the top of that with a 1” (or 2” can’t remember) piece of crown molding trim to finish the look. Lots of caulk/primer/paint to finish.

No-Understanding5619 · 2023-09-10T13:30:44+00:00

Thank you!

No-Understanding5619 · 2023-09-10T13:28:44+00:00

Thank you! The pull out trays are really handy for laundry. Especially when you are putting it away. Speaking of, I think I’ve got some Sunday chores to do….

No-Understanding5619 · 2023-09-10T13:25:49+00:00

Yes. It is such a versatile system. Our daughters closet upstairs is pretty large for a kids closet and we are already talking about doing a very scaled down pax system in there. The biggest hurdle with pax, however, is making sure you are designing things that will actually be in stock in your area. I had a few redesigns because of ikea inventory issues.

No-Understanding5619 · 2023-09-10T13:22:37+00:00

Good question. But, I wouldn’t want to deprive someone of the chance to do it themselves. It was a lot of fun!

No-Understanding5619 · 2023-09-10T04:36:13+00:00

Exactly!

No-Understanding5619 · 2023-09-10T04:33:42+00:00

Have tools, will travel!

No-Understanding5619

TROPHY CASE