“I’m done with the bar!!! Now what?”

The following items are required to apply for the Lawyer Entrepreneur Assistance Program (LEAP) incubator. If you are awaitingbar results, these items should be prepared in the meantime. Do not wait until after bar results to begin the process!

☐ Application

☐ Résumé

☐ Business Plan

☐ Interview (if selected)

APPLICATION

The Application itselfcan be found on pages6-7.

RÉSUMÉ

Is your résumé up to date?

  • Create a résumé to accompany your application. Tips on preparing a good résumé can be found at:

BUSINESS PLAN

Have you made a business plan yet?

  • A detailed business plan is vital to the success of a new solo practice. When writing a business plan, it is important to consider the items on page 7. Among other things, candidates should consider whether/how the practice will serve modest means clients, desired practice area, a basic operational budget and practice goals, cost and location of office space, marketing, and overall viability.

ENTREPRENEUR TESTING

STARTING A NEW SOLO PRACTICE IS NOT FOR EVERYONE!

  • You must consider if being a solo practitioner is really for you. To assess your aptitude for entrepreneurship, take the self-assessment quiz which can be found at
  • In addition, you should start reading from the list on page 9 to help you decide if opening a new solo practice is the best choice for you.

INTERVIEW
If your application is selected for consideration, you will be contacted by the Career Development Office of your law school.You should anticipate being asked detailed questions about your business plan and other materials.

What is LEAP?

Most law school graduates are equipped with a wide body of legal knowledge, but usually lack both the practical experience to effectively represent clients and the business experience to successfully open and operate their own firm and open their own offices. The Legal Aid Society of Orange County’s (LASOC) Lawyer Entrepreneur Assistance Program (LEAP) bridges this knowledge gap by offering practical training and supervision as the LEAP candidates work on pro bono and private cases and build their own practices.

LEAP candidates begin training by viewing LASOC’s how-to style YouTube videos, participating in its legal clinics, and working on new and existing case files. Additionally, LASOC offers MCLE trainings tailored for new attorneys and a wiki with a brief bank and other practical legal education materials. In addition to the LASOC attorneys who mentor the LEAP candidates, two retired judicial officers hold a weekly case review and offer office hours to advise new attorneys on their cases.

LASOC’s program excels at preparing new attorneys to interview clients and appear in court. This process provides participants with the confidence and skills to progressively take on more complex cases as they reach their potential as skilled practitioners.

LEAP is looking for bright and motivated attorneys who want to build small or solo law practices for modest means clients.

The collaborative approach allows LEAP candidates to take advantage of specific clinical expertise from participating schools. For example, one law school might have a specialized tax program and another may have a small business program; all participants may take advantage of the pooled resources. In addition, law school alumni who have worked at and/or started their own firms can provide participants with critical business advice and mentoring.

Participants win because they gain necessary skills, access to clients, and learning opportunities with relatively minimum overhead expenses. The community wins because people will have a greater access to affordable and competent attorneys. Finally, the legal profession wins by furthering the spirit of pro bono and modest means advocacy.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Where will the incubator be housed?

The base of operations will be the Legal Aid Society of Orange County (LASOC) in Santa Ana, with clinics and events happening both at LASOC and at the participating law schools. The office space will be located at the old Dairy Queen next to LASOC, and/or at available space within LASOC’s facility itself.

2. What is the duration of the program?

The program is structured to last twelve months.

3. Do I need malpractice insurance?

Yes. Participants will join the Lawyer Referral Service, and the state bar requires that LRS participants carry 100/300 coverage, which is available for $50 per month.

4. Do I need to form my own firm?

Yes. You must either form your own solo firm or create/join one with other attorneys. Participants are not employees of LASOC or of the law school(s) involved. In consulting with LASOC staff or other incubator participants, you will be expected to maintain client confidentiality consistent with participants’ status as separate firms.

5. What are the expectations of me as a participant?

Aside from complying with your ethical obligations as a lawyer, you are expected to contribute at least 300 hours of pro bono service during your association with the incubator.

6. What resources will be made available to me?

As a participant in the incubator, you will have access to shared office space at LASOC, meeting rooms, Westlaw access on-site at LASOC, free MCLE, an initial ‘boot camp’, extensive substantive law training, fax and related services, and waived LRS fee for the first year.

What are the Benefits of Participating in the Program?

  • Intensive boot camp to help you start your practice
  • Substantive law training
  • Procedural law training
  • Weekly case review
  • Mentoring
  • Supervision
  • Free MCLE
  • First year of Lawyer Referral Service dues waived
  • Office space (incl. printers, internet access, and Westlaw)
  • Access to malpractice insurance
  • Free year of CLIO for case management
  • Access to Continuing Education of the Bar’s OnLAW
  • Opportunities to appear in courton pro bono and other cases

LASOC LEAP APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION

Basic Information:

Name: ______

Home Address: ______

City, State, Zip: ______

Home Phone: ______Cell Phone: ______

E-mail address: ______Year of JD degree: ______

Law School Attended: ______

Date of admission to California Bar and California Bar number(s):

______

Other bar admissions and dates (if applicable):

______

When are you available to enter the LEAP Program and begin your practice? (January preferred)

______

The following documents must be submitted with this application:

1. A current résumé.

2. A statement of one to two pages indicating why you want to be a solo or small-firm practitioner. (If applicable, discuss how a former work experience in the legal profession [either through an externship, internship, clinic program, or work experience prior to law school] influenced your decision to start your own practice.)

3. A statement of no more than one to two pages indicating why you should be selected to participate in the LEAP Program.

4. A statement explaining how and the extent to which you expect to serve underrepresented, low- and moderate-income members of the community (including providing pro bono and “low bono” representation) and how, if at all, you anticipate using alternative delivery methods in your provision of legal services (e.g., unbundling, sliding-scale fee structures, etc.).

5. A business plan

Please initial each statement below indicating your agreement:

______I understand that eligibility to enter or continue in LEAP requires that I continue to be a member of the California Bar in good standing. I agree to notify the LEAP director immediately of any change in my status or of any action by the California State Bar Office of Disciplinary taken against me.

______I agree to carry at all times while I am part of LEAP malpractice insurance in an amount of at least $100,000/$300,000, and to pay for any tail if the policy is a claims-reported policy.

______If I am selected as a participant in LEAP, I agree to abide by and remain compliant with all the rules governing the program.

______All statements in this application and accompanying attachments are true to the best of my knowledge and reflect realistic projections based on information reasonably available to me. I understand that any material misstatements herein may subject me to termination from the program should I be selected.

______I expect to provide at least 300 hours of pro bono work during my participation in LEAP.

______I understand that I am creating my own law firm, that I am not an employee of LASOC or of any participating schools or partners, and that I have not been promised and am not guaranteed any payments. I understand that I will be responsible for developing my own clientele and that LASOC and the participating schools or partners cannot guarantee business. I further understand that in interacting with LASOC staff or others who are not members of my firm, I will be expected to maintain client confidences consistent with my status as the principal of my own firm.

Printed Name: ______

Signature: ______

Dated: ______

Business Plan

A business plan is vital to the success of a new solo practice. Have you made a business plan? You should consider the following (and more) when you are writing the business plan for your new solo practice:

  • What is my monthly budget?
  • What is an effective marketing plan?
  • How will people know that I’m out there?
  • Why will they choose me?
  • Research cost and location of office space.
  • What areas of practice am I interested in?
  • Whom will I serve? (Example: Moderate to low income clients)
  • What is the viability of my new solo practice?

Examples of actual business plans can be found at:

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Suggested Reading List

  • The E-Myth Attorney: Why Most Legal Practices Don’t Work and What to Do About It, Michael E. Gerber
  • The E-Myth Revisited, Michael E. Gerber
  • Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service, Ken Blanchard, Sheldon Bowles and Harvey Mackay
  • Getting to Yes, Roger Fisher, William L. Ury, Bruce Patton
  • Getting Past No, William Ury
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, Stephen R. Covey
  • Swim With the Sharks Without Getting Eaten Alive, Harvey B. Mackay
  • Solo by Choice, Carolyn Elefant
  • The Four Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, Timothy Ferriss
  • The Fire Starter Sessions: A Soulful + Practical Guide to Creating Success on Your Own Terms, Danielle LaPorte
  • The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future, Chris Guillebeau
  • Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions, Guy Kawasaki
  • Finding Your Way in a Wild New World: Reclaim Your True Nature to Create the Life You Want Paperback, Martha Beck

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