One
of
the
benefits
of
working
at
a
larger
law
firm
is
that
there
are
often
numerous
lawyers
that
can
be
consulted
when
there
is
a
question
of
law
or
legal
procedure.
Associates
can
usually
speak
to
partners
if
they
have
a
question
about
strategy,
and
everyone
can
talk
to
colleagues
at
a
larger
firm
about
how
best
to
approach
legal
tasks.
However,
solo
practitioners
and
small-firm
lawyers
often
do
not
have
ready
access
to
another
lawyer
with
whom
they
can
ask
questions
and
seek
advice
about
legal
issues.
Nevertheless,
solo
and
small-firm
lawyers
can
speak
to
individuals
who
work
at
other
firms
and
other
colleagues
to
make
sure
that
they
are
following
the
best
strategy
to
serve
a
client’s
needs.
When
I
worked
for
a
handful
of
larger
law
firms
earlier
in
my
career,
I
enjoyed
swapping
ideas
with
other
lawyers.
At
the
beginning
of
my
career,
this
was
out
of
necessity,
since
I
simply
did
not
know
what
the
correct
process
was
for
a
variety
of
legal
situations.
As
I
progressed
in
my
career,
I
became
acquainted
with
various
lawyers
who
knew
a
lot
about
certain
legal
subjects
like
discovery
or
appeals.
If
I
had
a
question
in
a
given
area
of
the
law,
I
would
consult
the
person
at
my
firm
who
had
expertise
in
a
given
area
so
that
I
could
figure
out
the
best
strategy
for
a
client.
When
I
started
my
own
legal
practice
over
three
and
a
half
years
ago,
the
first
thing
that
hit
me
was
how
alone
I
was
when
facing
legal
issues.
I
had
no
one
to
talk
to
about
strategy
since
I
was
the
only
person
at
my
firm
calling
the
shots.
Six
months
after
I
opened
my
law
firm,
my
brother
joined
the
shop
as
a
partner,
but
my
brother
and
I
practice
very
different
areas
of
law.
Many
times
my
brother
can
provide
helpful
advice
on
issues,
but
at
other
times,
my
questions
are
outside
his
field
of
expertise.
Over
time,
I
was
able
to
build
a
network
of
solo
and
small-firm
lawyers
I
could
talk
to
if
I
had
a
question
about
legal
matters.
Initially,
I
spoke
to
other
lawyers
who
shared
the
same
office
space
that
I
had
when
I
first
started
the
firm.
I
would
have
spoken
to
lawyers
who
I
knew
from
prior
firms
at
which
I
worked,
but
I
did
not
want
to
bother
them,
and
many
of
my
legal
questions
were
better
directed
to
solos
and
small-firm
lawyers.
Also,
I
felt
that
I
would
be
taking
time
away
from
lawyers
at
larger
firms
by
speaking
with
them
about
legal
questions,
but
with
small-firm
lawyers,
it
is
usually
mutually
beneficial
to
provide
advice
and
then
have
someone
to
discuss
questions
with
later
down
the
line.
Over
time,
my
network
of
people
of
whom
I
can
ask
questions
about
legal
practice
has
grown
considerably.
Now,
I
have
individuals
in
my
network
who
are
skilled
in
all
different
legal
subjects
and
different
areas
of
legal
process.
The
good
thing
about
keeping
in
contact
with
different
lawyers
is
this
also
fortifies
your
referral
network.
For
instance,
I
may
have
a
commercial
matter
that
is
related
to
a
bankruptcy
issue,
so
I
may
ask
a
lawyer
friend
a
bankruptcy
question
so
that
I
can
better
represent
my
client.
However,
I
do
not
handle
bankruptcy
law
myself,
so
if
I
have
a
bankruptcy
referral,
I’d
likely
give
it
to
the
bankruptcy
lawyer
who
I
know
is
competent
through
our
interactions.
In
addition,
I
know
for
a
fact
that
answering
questions
about
legal
practice
for
other
lawyers,
especially
attorneys
outside
of
my
normal
jurisdictional
area,
has
helped
me
get
work
in
the
past.
I
would
be
remiss
if
I
did
not
mention
that
people
should
follow
guidelines
when
asking
for
advice
from
an
attorney
outside
of
your
law
firm.
Perhaps
most
importantly,
lawyers
need
to
follow
all
ethical
guidelines
when
seeking
such
advice.
This
includes
not
disclosing
client
confidences
without
permission,
which
should
be
relatively
easy
in
most
situations,
since
attorneys
can
typically
ask
about
the
mechanics
of
a
legal
process
without
revealing
confidences.
Moreover,
if
an
attorney
does
not
feel
like
they
will
be
competent
when
handling
a
given
legal
task
even
after
getting
advice,
they
should
refuse
to
handle
the
case.
However,
in
most
instances,
there
will
not
be
too
many
issues
with
seeking
advice
from
other
lawyers.
In
any
event,
it
can
be
difficult
to
be
a
solo
practitioner
or
small-firm
lawyer
for
a
variety
of
reasons,
including
the
lack
of
other
attorneys
as
the
same
shop
with
whom
a
lawyer
can
confer
about
legal
issues.
However,
with
some
effort,
solos
and
small-firm
lawyers
can
seek
advice
about
legal
matters
from
others,
and
this
can
have
a
positive
impact
on
their
practices.
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@rothmanlawyer.com.