FORMulate your future

Lets talk forms. Tulsa's law library (and I'm sure OU/OCU do also) has beaucoup forms from which students can learn. Of particular import is the OBA-form book. Here is a link to its contents and order form:
A new form book comes out every year and you can purchase them from the above link...but in the mean time, why not peruse the free one.
Other form books include Vernons, etc.
Additionally, law student s with unlimited westlaw/Lexis access would do well to take full advantage of that access and explore the many practice forms avail. on those services. Familiarize yourself with how to find them quickly/easily to save you costs later on.
Hey and while your at it, grab that OBA form book and print yourself out an advance directive and an estate plan. No better way to gain experience than to fill them out for yourself.
NOTE***Other form links/websites/tips are especially welcome by OklahomaSolo.

Yellow Pages, a good deal-of money

Yellow Pages - I've recently gotten a few quotes from ATT Yellow Pages (formerly SWBYPS). In order for people to let thier fingers walk to my name it is gonna cost. Yellow page rates have jumped drastically over the past few years and competing phonebooks in many area haven't seemed to to calm the market. Hardened salespeople sell these ads and don't call unless you are ready to talk turkey...and money.
In Stillwater, I was informed that they "sell" that book in the fall with an ad deadline around October 1st. The book hits doorsteps on Dec. 1 and is good for 1 year.
They typically sell ads on a 12 month contract, (to avoid sticker shock).
PRINT COSTS:
Just By virtue of having a phone number...you will be in the yellow pages free! Remember that. And if you last name starts with an "A" then you will be near the front. So ha!
PER month prices
- Dollar bill size ad (1/4 page) $83.00 B/W $121.00 Color
- Full Page size ad $801.00 b/w $1042.00Color
- Dual Page ad: $1843.00 Color only
This is a ton of money. My friends/sources tell me that advertising pays. Just keep in mind that if you pull out a $1000.00 per month ad you just took a first year salary 12,000 dollar haircut.
NOTE: these rates are negotiable. This are the "MSRP" rates. The salesperson will be working off commission. A well placed bunt may get you to 2nd base.

ONLINE COSTS:
SWBYPS' "Smart Pages" are online yellow pages that people search just like a book.
Cost: about 25 dollars a month.
Skinny: The sales rep told me that last year approx. 1800 people searched the Stillwater Smart pages for Attorney. I'm not exactly sure as to the value of this medium. Personally, I'm going to pass and put my money into my website.

ONLINE ALTERNATIVES:
You can pay Google/Yahoo/MSN et. al. to have your domain "rise to the top" on thier search engines. This costs money. But I've a friend who does more Oklahoma internet marketing than anyone and he tells me that the business is coming in faster than they can take the money.
This takes time/money/ and internet sophistication that I believe is unavailable for most aspiring solos...but hey, your call. Comments on cost of this type of advertising are especially welcome.

Double your money....Now!!

"The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it back in your pocket" - Kin Hubbard

LEGAL RESEARCH:
After meeting with my Westlaw rep this week I've decided that thier services are not for me. He said that I could expect to pay around 115 dollars a month for basic Oklahoma case law (with 10th cir. and US Sup. Ct.) with a two year contract. OUCH. That is a $2760 bill before I've even made my first dollar! Pass. www.OSCN.net is still free and though not quite as search friendly as Westlaw...It'll Git r done.

OFFICE EQUIPMENT:
Recently I got a fax quote from a very friendly copier salesperson...or leaseperson rather. Anyway, this industry is even more confusing than how cellular companies charge for minutes and coverage plans. You pay per copy after you first 5K copies. Plus you need a service agreement to guarantee service w/in 72 hours. Sheesh! I can't believe that you have to pay to have something serviced that they own. It is like buying your landlord a new fence. Fuggedaboudit.
I've been shopping the All in one machines at the office stores and there are some great ones!!! You can expect to pay between 3oo to 1000 dollars for one of these (and they come w/a warranty...imagine that!)
Features:
Most important features:
- ethernet for networking (preferably wireless)
- Top loader (so you can set a stack of papers on top and walk away)
- Laser - (this will save you approx. 4 billion dollars a year)
- Multiple trays (one for legal/one for letterhead)
Beyond that ....it is up to you what bells and whistles you like...just remember..you buy 'em you pay for em.
Super frugal tip: Ebay has lots of these units check them out. or alternatively, see if you can find a local "copier repair" shop. They buy older machines and grease 'em up to work like new.
Lastly, The city of Tulsa has a bi-annual surplus sale. I came across 4 huge new looking copiers for about 125 dollars a piece.

website...a must!

Some time ago my wife had the foresight to buy up a few domains. We laid down about $4.00 (FOUR MEASLEY DOLLARS) for each one per year. We are developing www.anthonylaw.net (not up now...for obvious reasons). Anyway...this is a great thing to do during the plannig stages for a firm. The cost is almost nothing! There are TONS of great domain names out there but thousands get snatched up every day. So if you think that you might start up a firm...go ahead and grab a great domain before you get stuck with www.lonelyinternetlawyer.biz (boy I hope that isn't a real link!)
Some generals:
- .com domains cost the most and are most commonly taken.
- .net/.org/ are popular but slightly less expensive
- .tv/.biz/etc are all dirt cheap and no one will likley use these. My general impression is that if you have one of these domains...then you services/business are kind of sleazy.

- Domain hosting is done by MANY companies. One of the most popular is www.godaddy.com
Just follow that link and from their frontpage you can put in your desired web address...and Poof...in seconds you know if it is taken or available (how much it costs) and alternative suggestions are provided as well.
- Lastly...if your preferred site is taken ...you may be able to purchase it if you really want it. You can learn who owns the domain and thier contact numbers. (the mass buying/selling of domains is a business).

WEBSITE CONSTRUCTION:
Ok there will have to be more on this later. But just as a quick start.
Yahoo Site Builder is free and easy to use.
Alternatively....The university of Tulsa offers all students MS Office PRO for 7 dollars. You should buy this and use the included software FRONTPAGE. Frontpage is web site software that you can use to build your domain up after you have bought it.
If you are a student...GET THIS CHEAP SOFTWARE. It will save you hundreds of dollars when you start up. I'm sure that OU and OCU have free/cheap software avail. to them as well. If not...ask your dean why not.

High Hopes...

This blog has at least two purposes. The lesser of these is to be a sounding board for me. But the higher purpose of OklahomaSolo is to serve as a forum where you (and I) can get and share information/tips/advice about how to start a practice. I am a 29 year old law student who only desires to return to his hometown (Stillwater) and start a law practice serving the needs of my community. I am anxious. I am unsure. There are things I can know: I can know how much a copier lease is (or if I even need one). I know how much my rent will be for the office space I have selected. I know how yellow page ads cost in Stillwater and when to buy them. Then, there are the unknowables. Will I EVER have a client? Will I secure a bank loan? How many hours can I actually expect to bill those first few months? The unknowns frighten me. Today is the first day that OklahomaSolo is in existence. Today I have emailed many in hopes of raising awareness of this forum. So please....COMMENT on this blog. Give links to your favorite sites. Link this blog to yours. The collective sharing of information and support is the only way to make starting one's own practice seem sane. My highest hope is that during this year before my practice opens, enough information will be placed on this site to allow subsequent people who aspire to open their own practice to have a cobbled road on which to walk.

Link of the year...

Jim Calloway (and others) have put together a list of links concerning starting one's own practice. Page after page of useful info here. Thanks Jim.
www.okbar.org/members/map/practice.htm

Simple things first.

Ok, if you need a place to start. Buy..don't check out...BUY J. Foonberg's "How to Start and Build a Law Practice". This is crucial. There is a link to purchase from the ABA on this site (under links). The list price is about 70 dollars, but with a student membership to the ABA (20 dollars annually) you can pick it up for under 30 bucks. In my dealings with attorney' swho have "gone it alone" this book is referred to as "THE BIBLE".

My lovely wife Belle, and me. 

My First Post

Hello everyone. OklahomaSolo will be about starting and building a law practice in Oklahoma. I am currently about 1 year away from opening the Luke Anthony Law Firm in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
I will be opening my law office immediately after graduation (Dec. 2006...plus time to pass bar). There are lots of great bloggers out there ; but none addressed a step by step process for opening up a law office.
I'm pretty nervous. I don't have all the answers. I just know that I want to have a quality law firm with my name on the door. I'll be posting all my thoughts, successes, worries.
SO....come join me. Watch, read, advise (oh please advise!), and link up to OklahomaSolo.