Location Independent Lawyering - new business model for achieving freedom

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A

alphascout

Sparrow
^ not trolling. ya the site seems rather dodgy, probably a scam, i'm thinking more about opinions on the concept. did not say i was going to do this. i dont think you even need to be a lawyer to run an arbitration hearing/

where would this be used you ask? Maybe if the 2 parties are in different countries, and both parties want arbitration but don't want to fly out with arbitrators to X location to go through with it. which of course, can be quite expensive. i have no clue though.

enforcement for arbitration awards is through the courts of whatever country no?
 
M

Menace

Crow
Gold Member
highandtight said:
Menace:

I'm a patent attorney, too. Have you spent much time looking into overseas work? I see the occasional opportunity, for example:

http://www.patentlyo.com/jobs/2011/01/us-patent-attorney-law-firm-munich-germany.html

and

http://www.nony.fr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=13&lang=en

But I don't know anyone personally that has made this sort of jump. What are your thoughts? Resigned to just staying stateside?
Click to expand...

Good stuff. I'm not really looking to move overseas for a variety of reasons. Besides, the money here can't be beat. I just found out my firm is more flexible (read doesn't give a shit) about doing work while not in the office, so I should actually be able to travel more than I thought although I couldn't do a month long stay, for example.
 
F

Freedom

Robin
This guy works remotely Scott Edward Walker walkercorporatelaw.com I found him through a entrepreneur blog and emailed him. He personally called me the next day. His website shows multiple offices across the nation but he's based out of Beverly Hills.

To get a business address with a mailbox and scanning service I found Earth Class Mail that starts at $20/month so that's cheaper than the $150 option you found.
 
K

kdolo

 
Banned
alphascout said:
I'm trying to figure out what type of career to pursue. My goal is to be location independent and earn a good salary.

I applied to several law schools and have been offered scholarships for almost all my tuition. Though I have the grades to be admitted to a top 10 law school in the US, I refuse to take on any significant amount of debt.
I have absolutely no interest in slaving away in some corporate law firm to pay back 200k in debt, and that is if im lucky enough to land a job in today's economy. What a nightmare. I also don't want to be trapped in the dystopian hell that has become the anglosphere.


Instead i want something different,
my goal is simple: Location Independent Lawyer. I just want to be able to charge 30-80$ for legal work I can do online.


Im wondering if anyone has tried or knows of anyone who has done virtual lawyering?

Of course, this is completely new and largely untested strategy for location independent income. But it makes perfect sense because lawyers deal 100% in intangible goods. Like a programmer or web developer, there is no physical reason, provided that the person is trained in the said state and knows the law, cant do the work online. All the books and cases are available online now a days.



The obstacles are:

(1) BAR requirements to maintain residency and office in the said state.
(I know there was a recent decision in NY which found it unconstitutional for NY to force residency requirements on NY Lawyers. any other states like this?)

(2) BAR requirements to ensure confidentiality. will have to invest in good encryption technology no doubt. blackberry server would probably suffice.

(3) Existing Law firms not being okay with the location independence, and basically forcing you to stay if you want to keep be a lawyer at the firm which you need to gain some experience (I think starting my own firm is the way to go).

(4) Earning clients trust while abroad, I think this can be remedied by charging drastically less $$.

(5) Taxes, who gets to collect tax? the state where I am practicing law or The state or the place where I happen to be living.?

(6) Keeping student loans to a minimum to avoid debt slave situation.



My plan right now is to basically do the opposite of what everyone else is doing right now in law school to avoid being outsourced (focusing on pleading, going to court, etc...). I will focus on precisely everything that can be outsourced, so that I can ultimately outsource myself.

good or stupid idea? If anyone knows or has any experience in virtual lawyering, it would be gold.
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Dont do it. Forget the law altogether and find a business to do.

the idea of law school is what you are using as a crutch to deal with the psychological discomfort you feel about wanting to take the risk and leave the country. Just work on a business concept and go and do it. Forget the 3 years of law school -
 
H

Humanist

Sparrow
I'm a lawyer. Being a lawyer is almost always a location-dependent occupation, because clients don't just need someone to draft documents for them, they need someone to appear in court for them, negotiate with an opponent, use their finesse and hard-earned expertise to broker an agreement, etc. If you are (to use someone's phrase above) just a location-independent "party boy," you are of no use to clients.

Stay away from law. It's a terrible field to get into these days.
 
P

pikachufanboy

Sparrow
I graduated in law last year at Australia's top law school. Didn't get top marks and now I'm a little stuck as to what I should do.

Only 30% of law grads actually practice as lawyers. All the challenging legal work and big clients are the exclusive domain of the most prestigious law firms. Who wants to do conveyancing or wills and estates in the suburbs?

As people have pointed out, the legal industry is a pyramid scheme. Even if you get a top law job it does not get any easier. You will have to compete with at least 10 other people on your level over billable hours if you want promotion.

I've been advised to look inhouse or find a small legal firm. I would love to work overseas eventually. I studied law because I was very good at humanities subjects. However, high performance in one area doesn't translate neatly into another, especially law.
 
A

alphascout

Sparrow
mikecf: obviously the firm would not be marketed as location independnetm living on the beach, etc... the firm would be marketed just like wlakercorporategroup, no offices/low overhead and passing on those savings to clients.

freedom: interesting site walkercorporatelaw.com, so it looks like it is possible to be completely location independent and a lawyer. You just have to focus on a niche, you can't be a general practitioner. a lot of really talented/experience people in that firm, i bet they are all living the life sitting on the beach somewhere (obviously they will never put that info up on their site!). thanks for the earthclassmail tip.

westindian: thanks, very useful info. i will definitely check out that listserv. so IP seems to be the way to go.

pika: what are you doing now? since your options are limited/unpalatable and you are stuck, are you interested in trying out new business models for law? did you pass the bar yet?
 
K

kdolo

 
Banned
Dont go into law.

it for the intellectually lazy and timid. If you dont have a mind for numbers (STEM), learn it - easy to do know on the net.

Go into business. Forget the law - for most people its a crutch because they are not imaginative enough or creative enough to coem up with somehting else to do
 
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