re: Being a small town attorney

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Insurance defense has problems, but if you want to do civil litigation and be on the defense side, I don't see how you can avoid it, at least not completely.

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I'm not knocking insurance defense. I don't associate insurance defense with much "Big Law". Big Law typically involves much more complicated areas like regulatory defense, antitrust defense, securities litigation, derivative defense, corporate tax, M/A, major corporate, transactional, etc. Most are associated somewhat with larger companies and the aspects of running large companies.

We don't have many major corporations in LA, so you don't see many firms servicing them. We also don't have any actual large cities.

My great uncle didn’t do PI, but he also didn’t advertise I don’t think. Things must have been much different then cause he made a ton!

(no message)

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Also, you could probably go to any old law school? Just don’t wind up in a ton of debt.

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No. And just

You can be a hero or a zero as a small town attorney.

You will have to practice "threshold law." Whatever walking through the threshold of the door, you take it.

You will need to know: criminal law, property law, personal injury (tort law), wills and estates, and contract law.

Network with the large personal injury firms in your state and other big city firms so you can be hired a local counsel in our Parish or County.

Be active in your community and church for the referrals and business.

When someone's family member is injured by that log truck / 18 wheeler, you better get the call vs them calling an billboard attorney. You can work it yourself or refer it to a bigger firm for a quick big referral fee.

Being a small town attorney can be a great living and a way to help a community.

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Unless you work big law, I have never understood why one would be an attorney. Make partner in 9 years and 1 million a year, or make shite money, with the stress, and try to get any client you can...

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That's a terrible quality of life. Most big firm partners don't make 1 million a year. A minority of them, sure. But a big law firm with 150 partners isn't paying all 150 partners 1 million. They'd be lucky if they grossed 150 million.

Meh... It reminds me of Jake Brigance, the character from John Grisham's novel A Time To Kill and its sequels. Scraping to get by on divorces, DUI's, wills, etc. and maybe hoping for a big case that will bring some attention, but not necessarily any money....Seems like a grind to me.

There will never be a shortage of lawyers. One is too many.

I work with a lot of small town lawyers. Most are from the town or at least have deep connections to the area.

It definitely can be a great position to be in but as an outsider I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as low hanging fruit.