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Establishing Your Solo or Small Practice: A Canadian Lawyer's Handbook
This book is a comprehensive resource for Canadian legal practitioners
who need support and information about starting, growing, and managing
a practice outside of traditional large law firms, in-house counsel, or
government roles.
Langue de publication: English
Publié: 22 août 2025
Éditeur: LexisNexis Canada
Establishing Your Solo or Small Practice: A Canadian Lawyer’s Handbook by Neha Chugh and Anne-Marie McElroy is a comprehensive resource for Canadian legal practitioners who need support and information about starting, growing, and managing a practice outside of traditional large law firms, in-house counsel, or government roles.
This book is designed to assist practitioners from the first steps of setting up a practice, to navigating thorny issues of client management and managing their finances. It provides a practical toolkit to foster success in private practice sustainably and profitably. The authors speak from their experiences, their successes and failures in small business and solo practice, and their commitment to serving the access to justice needs for their communities.
The content in this text is applicable to practitioners across Canada and provides specific provincial regulator rules and guidance, including Table of Concordances highlighting the applicable Law Society rules for each jurisdiction. Checklists and questions are also featured throughout to guide practitioners in making informed business decisions.
Readers will learn:
- The basics of setting up a law practice – choosing a business structure, defining the scope of practice and ensuring compliance with law society regulations
- Business development – building a brand, creating an online presence and networking
- Practice management systems – determining needs, accounting and using AI in your practice
- Client management – the solicitor-client relationship, communication and managing difficult relationships
- File management, fiscal management and contingency planning – opening and closing client files, strategies for maintaining cash flow and planning for unforeseen circumstances
- Day-to-day realities – managing time, working with staff and navigating virtual work
Who Should Read This Book
- Lawyers and paralegals in every area of law, including real estate law, criminal defence, family, employment, and civil litigation, and with different types of retainers, whether starting out in solo practice or to refresh certain elements of running a practice
- Students, law associations and law libraries as a reference guide when researching how to run a legal practice
PREFACE
CHAPTER 1: THE BASICS OF A LAW PRACTICE
1.01 The Practitioner’s Vision
1.02 The Business Plan
1.03 Essentials of Running a Practice
1.04 Collaboration
1.05 Practice Essentials Checklist
Table of Concordance—Chapter 1
CHAPTER 2: GROWING A BUSINESS
2.01 Business Development
2.02 Building a Brand
2.03 Creating an Online Presence
2.04 Advertising
2.05 Networking
Table of Concordance—Chapter 2
CHAPTER 3: SYSTEMS
3.01 The Role of Systems in a Practice
3.02 Determining Needs
3.03 Practice Management Systems
3.04 Accounting Needs
3.05 Incorporating Artificial Intelligence
Table of Concordance—Chapter 3
CHAPTER 4: CLIENT MANAGEMENT
4.01 The Solicitor-Client Relationship
4.02 Client Intake
4.03 Fees
4.04 Communication
4.05 Competencies for Diverse Clients
4.06 Instructions
4.07 Managing Difficult Relationships
4.08 Ending a Client Relationship
Table of Concordance—Chapter 4
CHAPTER 5: FILE MANAGEMENT
5.01 File Management Systems
5.02 Opening a File
5.03 Managing Workflow
5.04 Closing a File
5.05 Retention and Destruction of Files
Table of Concordance—Chapter 5
CHAPTER 6: FISCAL MANAGEMENT
6.01 Demystifying Fiscal Management
6.02 Setting an Approach to Billing
6.03 Expenses
6.04 Fees
6.05 Cash Flow
6.06 Docketing
6.07 Trust Accounting
6.08 Compensation
6.09 Taxes
6.10 Law Society Compliance
6.11 Engaging Support
Table of Concordance—Chapter 6
CHAPTER 7: CONTINGENCY PLANNING
7.01 Planning for a Rainy Day
7.02 The Basics of Contingency Planning
7.03 Choosing an Administrator or Successor
7.04 Building a Contingency Plan
Table of Concordance—Chapter 7
CHAPTER 8: DAY-TO-DAY REALITIES
8.01 Managing Time
8.02 Working with Staff
8.03 Growing into Different Practice Areas
8.04 Navigating Virtual Work and Court Appearances
Table of Concordance—Chapter 8
CHAPTER 9: MAKING IT WORK
9.01 Having a Vision
9.02 Working with Difficult Personalities
9.03 Having It All
9.04 Grieving the Losses
9.05 Embracing the Wins and Finding Joy
Table of Concordance—Chapter 9
INDEX
