When
I
first
started
my
own
law
practice
over
six
years
ago,
several
attorneys
were
instrumental
in
helping
me
launch
my
law
firm. Some
lawyers
gave
me
valuable
advice
in
the
early
months
of
launching
the
firm,
and
other
lawyers
referred
work
to
me
that
helped
generate
revenue
in
my
first
years
of
self-employment. Over
the
past
several
years,
I
have
also
assisted
numerous
lawyers
launching
their
own
practices
with
referrals
or
advice. Helping
other
lawyers
launch
their
own
practices
is
not
only
the
right
thing
to
do,
but
it
can
also
yield
a
multitude
of
benefits
to
the
lawyer
assisting
another
in
launching
their
own
practice.
Referrals
Most
lawyers
rely
on
referrals
from
other
lawyers
for
a
substantial
amount
of
work
they
perform
for
clients. I
once
spoke
to
a
lawyer
who
described
referrals
as
a
pyramid. The
best
work
is
taken
by
people
on
the
top,
and
less-desirable
work
keeps
getting
referred
down
the
pyramid
until
someone
finds
the
work
worthwhile. When
a
lawyer
starts
their
own
practice,
they
are
usually
on
the
bottom
of
the
pyramid
and
are
more
likely
to
accept
work
rather
than
refer
work
to
other
lawyers.
However,
as
a
practice
matures,
it
is
possible
that
a
lawyer
who
began
their
own
practice
will
move
up
the
pyramid
such
that
they
are
in
a
position
to
refer
work. Indeed,
there
have
been
times
in
my
career
when
people
to
whom
I
referred
work
later
referred
work
to
me.
Moreover,
lawyers
often
specialize
in
a
given
practice
area
and
find
themselves
needing
to
refer
work
outside
this
practice
area
to
others.
Accordingly,
there
are
numerous
ways
lawyers
can
be
a
valuable
referral
source
for
other
attorneys,
and
assisting
lawyers
in
launching
their
own
firms
can
be
an
invaluable
way
to
be
part
of
the
referral
process.
Reputation
Helping
lawyers
launch
their
own
practices
is
a
great
way
to
build
a
positive
reputation
in
a
legal
community. Lawyers
who
receive
such
help
are
likely
to
be
appreciative
for
the
assistance,
and
they
might
tell
other
people
about
the
help
that
a
lawyer
is
providing. Although
the
legal
profession
might
seem
huge,
it
is
actually
quite
small. In
many
of
the
matters
I
encounter
in
my
practice,
I
either
know
lawyers
for
other
stakeholders
to
a
deal
or
I
know
people
who
know
these
attorneys. Knowing
other
lawyers,
and
having
a
good
reputation,
can
be
important
when
it
comes
time
to
ask
for
courtesies
or
even
when
a
lawyer
evaluates
whether
they
want
to
try
to
resolve
a
case
rather
than
litigate
it
to
a
disposition. Few
acts
of
a
lawyer
have
a
more
positive
impact
than
helping
lawyers
begin
their
own
practices.
Client
Retention
Many
lawyers
do
not
like
to
refer
matters
to
other
lawyers
since
they
might
be
afraid
to
lose
clients. Indeed,
if
a
client
gets
good
service
from
another
lawyer,
they
might
wonder
whether
they
should
use
this
attorney
for
other
legal
needs
faced
by
the
client
even
though
the
referring
lawyer
is
competent
to
handle
such
matters. However,
it
is
less
likely
that
a
lawyer
starting
their
own
practice
poses
such
a
risk
to
a
lawyer’s
business. A
client
might
understand
that
this
other
lawyer
is
just
starting
out,
so
they
should
stick
with
their
typical
attorney
for
other
matters. Moreover,
a
lawyer
just
starting
a
practice
might
be
so
grateful
for
the
referral
that
they
do
not
want
to
jeopardize
their
relationship
with
the
referring
attorney
by
hogging
additional
work. As
a
result,
referring
work
to
lawyers
starting
practices
can
be
self-interested.
All
told,
lawyers
need
to
consider
a
number
of
factors
when
deciding
to
whom
to
refer
a
client. For
a
variety
of
reasons,
lawyers
should
consider
assisting
lawyers
starting
their
own
practices
and
potentially
refer
work
to
these
attorneys.
Jordan
Rothman
is
a
partner
of The
Rothman
Law
Firm,
a
full-service
New
York
and
New
Jersey
law
firm.
He
is
also
the
founder
of Student
Debt
Diaries,
a
website
discussing
how
he
paid
off
his
student
loans.
You
can
reach
Jordan
through
email
at jordan@rothman.law.