Dear Advy,
I’m a solo lawyer with my own firm and I love it. The only drawback is that I can sometimes feel isolated. I would love to reach out to other solo or small firm lawyers who are in a similar boat to myself but I’m not even sure how I would get started. Any advice on this?
Sincerely,
Solo and Looking to Chat
Dear Solo and Looking to Chat,
It is wonderful to love your practice, but you are right that there are drawbacks to being completely on your own.
Loneliness is a recognized detriment to mental and emotional well-being. Communication and having
positive relationships with others, including and often especially our peers, is most helpful in reducing stress, checking our work/life balance, and feeling a part of the profession.
There are so many resources available to lawyers to connect with our peers. The CBA has a list of peer support resources available, specifically for solo and small firms.
You can also find provincial-based programs and peer support groups online. A good example can be found on the Lawyers Assistant Program BC, which offers weekly online drop-in groups. Some offer one-on-one peer support, like Alberta’s Assist program. These are excellent ways to make connections, especially if you reach out to someone in your small group (or the bigger group) and arrange a coffee or a zoom or telephone chat.
Similarly, the CBA provincial branches and CBA National have numerous committees with positions on the executive or just membership in the group. From that flows webinars, and other events put on by the committee(s).
The Well-Being Subcommittee regularly hosts programs and virtual roundtable events for idea sharing that are open to everyone. Joining a committee and participating in group discussions is an excellent way to make connections and contribute to and be a part of the profession.
There are professional development courses where we see our colleagues on the attendance list and can reach out in the private chat or by email afterward.
There are also mentorship agreements both locally and nationally. It is a wonderful way to connect one-on-one with a colleague and share experiences.
Although you practice entirely on my own, you can feel very much a part of the profession and well connected to your peers if you take any of the above steps.
Join a committee, sign up for a webinar or drop in to a group discussion. Whatever works for you, connections will be made, and your practice will be enriched.
Be well,
Advy