Whittier Legal Access Program. Providing the community with affordable access to legal services by recent Whittier Law School graduates.

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1 Whittier Legal Access Program Providing the community with affordable access to legal services by recent Whittier Law School graduates. 1

2 Whittier Law School alumni who graduated within the last five years (i.e., between 2010 and 2014) are eligible to apply for the Whittier Legal Access Program. Please note the following: 1. If you have any questions regarding the program or the application process, please contact Associate Dean of the Law School, Martin H. Pritikin at or ext If you are considered for an interview, you will be contacted by Assistant Dean for Career Development and Employer Outreach, Randolph Reliford, or ext In addition to the application materials requested by the Legal Aid Society of Orange County (attached), please also answer the following supplemental question and attach the answer to your application materials: In 500 words or less, please describe your contributions to or involvement in the Whittier Law School community as a student and/or alumnus/a. Please read all directions in the application packet carefully and make sure you submit all materials to the Associate Dean of the Law School, Martin H. Pritikin at mpritikin@law.whittier.edu by Friday, December 5, 2014 at 5 p.m. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. 2

3 LEAP APPLICATION PACKET I m done with the bar!!! Now what? The following items are required to apply for the Lawyer Entrepreneur Assistance Program (LEAP) incubator. If you are awaiting bar results, these items should be prepared in the meantime. Do not wait until after bar results to begin the process! Application Résumé Business Plan Interview (if selected) APPLICATION The Application itself can be found on pages 6-7. RÉSUMÉ Is your résumé up to date? Create a résumé to accompany your application. Tips on preparing a good résumé can be found at: BUSINESS PLAN Have you made a business plan yet? A detailed business plan is vital to the success of a new solo practice. When writing a business plan, it is important to consider the items on page 7. Among other things, candidates should consider whether/how the practice will serve modest means clients, desired practice area, a basic operational budget and practice goals, cost and location of office space, marketing, and overall viability. ENTREPRENEUR TESTING STARTING A NEW SOLO PRACTICE IS NOT FOR EVERYONE! You must consider if being a solo practitioner is really for you. To assess your aptitude for entrepreneurship, take the self-assessment quiz which can be found at In addition, you should start reading from the list on page 9 to help you decide if opening a new solo practice is the best choice for you. INTERVIEW If your application is selected for consideration, you will be contacted by the Career Development Office of your law school. You should anticipate being asked detailed questions about your business plan and other materials. 3

4 What is LEAP? Most law school graduates are equipped with a wide body of legal knowledge, but usually lack both the practical experience to effectively represent clients and the business experience to successfully open and operate their own firm and open their own offices. The Legal Aid Society of Orange County s (LASOC) Lawyer Entrepreneur Assistance Program (LEAP) bridges this knowledge gap by offering practical training and supervision as the LEAP candidates work on pro bono and private cases and build their own practices. LEAP candidates begin training by viewing LASOC s how-to style YouTube videos, participating in its legal clinics, and working on new and existing case files. Additionally, LASOC offers MCLE trainings tailored for new attorneys and a wiki with a brief bank and other practical legal education materials. In addition to the LASOC attorneys who mentor the LEAP candidates, two retired judicial officers hold a weekly case review and offer office hours to advise new attorneys on their cases. LASOC s program excels at preparing new attorneys to interview clients and appear in court. This process provides participants with the confidence and skills to progressively take on more complex cases as they reach their potential as skilled practitioners. LEAP is looking for bright and motivated attorneys who want to build small or solo law practices for modest means clients. The collaborative approach allows LEAP candidates to take advantage of specific clinical expertise from participating schools. For example, one law school might have a specialized tax program and another may have a small business program; all participants may take advantage of the pooled resources. In addition, law school alumni who have worked at and/or started their own firms can provide participants with critical business advice and mentoring. Participants win because they gain necessary skills, access to clients, and learning opportunities with relatively minimum overhead expenses. The community wins because people will have a greater access to affordable and competent attorneys. Finally, the legal profession wins by furthering the spirit of pro bono and modest means advocacy. 4

5 1. Where will the incubator be housed? Frequently Asked Questions The base of operations will be the Legal Aid Society of Orange County (LASOC) in Santa Ana, with clinics and events happening both at LASOC and at the participating law schools. The office space will be located at the old Dairy Queen next to LASOC, and/or at available space within LASOC s facility itself. 2. What is the duration of the program? The program is structured to last twelve months. 3. Do I need malpractice insurance? Yes. Participants will join the Lawyer Referral Service, and the state bar requires that LRS participants carry 100/300 coverage, which is available for $50 per month. 4. Do I need to form my own firm? Yes. You must either form your own solo firm or create/join one with other attorneys. Participants are not employees of LASOC or of the law school(s) involved. In consulting with LASOC staff or other incubator participants, you will be expected to maintain client confidentiality consistent with participants status as separate firms. 5. What are the expectations of me as a participant? Aside from complying with your ethical obligations as a lawyer, you are expected to contribute at least 300 hours of pro bono service during your association with the incubator. 6. What resources will be made available to me? As a participant in the incubator, you will have access to shared office space at LASOC, meeting rooms, Westlaw access on-site at LASOC, free MCLE, an initial boot camp, extensive substantive law training, fax and related services, and waived LRS fee for the first year. 5

6 What are the Benefits of Participating in the Program? Intensive boot camp to help you start your practice Substantive law training Procedural law training Weekly case review Mentoring Supervision Free MCLE First year of Lawyer Referral Service dues waived Office space (incl. printers, internet access, and Westlaw) Access to malpractice insurance Free year of CLIO for case management Access to Continuing Education of the Bar s OnLAW Opportunities to appear in court on pro bono and other cases 6

7 LASOC LEAP APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION Basic Information: Name: Home Address: City, State, Zip: Home Phone: Cell Phone: address: Year of JD degree: Law School Attended: Date of admission to California Bar and California Bar number(s): Other bar admissions and dates (if applicable): When are you available to enter the LEAP Program and begin your practice? (January preferred) The following documents must be submitted with this application: 1. A current résumé. 2. A statement of one to two pages indicating why you want to be a solo or small-firm practitioner. (If applicable, discuss how a former work experience in the legal profession [either through an externship, internship, clinic program, or work experience prior to law school] influenced your decision to start your own practice.) 3. A statement of no more than one to two pages indicating why you should be selected to participate in the LEAP Program. 4. A statement explaining how and the extent to which you expect to serve underrepresented, low- and moderate-income members of the community (including providing pro bono and low bono representation) and how, if at all, you anticipate using alternative delivery methods in your provision of legal services (e.g., unbundling, sliding-scale fee structures, etc.). 5. A business plan 7

8 Please initial each statement below indicating your agreement: I understand that eligibility to enter or continue in LEAP requires that I continue to be a member of the California Bar in good standing. I agree to notify the LEAP director immediately of any change in my status or of any action by the California State Bar Office of Disciplinary taken against me. I agree to carry at all times while I am part of LEAP malpractice insurance in an amount of at least $100,000/$300,000, and to pay for any tail if the policy is a claims-reported policy. If I am selected as a participant in LEAP, I agree to abide by and remain compliant with all the rules governing the program. All statements in this application and accompanying attachments are true to the best of my knowledge and reflect realistic projections based on information reasonably available to me. I understand that any material misstatements herein may subject me to termination from the program should I be selected. I expect to provide at least 300 hours of pro bono work during my participation in LEAP. I understand that I am creating my own law firm, that I am not an employee of LASOC or of any participating schools or partners, and that I have not been promised and am not guaranteed any payments. I understand that I will be responsible for developing my own clientele and that LASOC and the participating schools or partners cannot guarantee business. I further understand that in interacting with LASOC staff or others who are not members of my firm, I will be expected to maintain client confidences consistent with my status as the principal of my own firm. Printed Name: Signature: Dated: 8

9 Business Plan A business plan is vital to the success of a new solo practice. Have you made a business plan? You should consider the following (and more) when you are writing the business plan for your new solo practice: What is my monthly budget? What is an effective marketing plan? o How will people know that I m out there? o Why will they choose me? Research cost and location of office space. What areas of practice am I interested in? Whom will I serve? (Example: Moderate to low income clients) What is the viability of my new solo practice? Examples of actual business plans can be found at: 9

10 I M DONE WITH THE BAR!! NOW WHAT? A (Tentative) Timeline of the Expected LEAP Incubator Cycle Aug Sep Oct While waiting for their bar results (if applicable), graduates interested in starting a solo practice should begin preparing a business plan and application to the LASOC Incubator Program with the help of their respective schools. Nov Dec Bar results are in! Candidates turn in the application and all other documents to their law school. Each school selects new lawyers to participate in the LASOC Incubator Program. New lawyers become acquainted with different areas at Legal Aid Society of Orange County. Participants are handed real cases with real clients. This rare opportunity is available because of the various clinics LASOC offers clients. Clinics include, for example, a family law clinic where clients are assisted with filing for divorce, child support and paternity actions. New lawyers are expected to see a matter through to its conclusion, but are also provided all the resources they will need. LASOC lawyers and interns are always available to answer questions and provide insight. ** Participants begin providing 300 hours of pro bono work. ** Jan Program participants go through LASOC s Boot Camp, a 4-day, concentrated, hands-on tutorial covering likely steps a new lawyer must accomplish before opening their own practice. Activities include everything from listing yourself in lawyer referral services and buying malpractice insurance to setting up phones and drafting retainer agreements and using social media. Feb In this month and each month that follows, new lawyers participate in intensive MCLE programs designed to provide valuable substantive training in a particular area of practice. The material is addressed in a manner that is particularly applicable to solo practice. Practice areas that are covered include, but are not limited to: family law, probate, housing, business start-up, and contract negotiation. Additionally, new lawyers continue participating in LASOC s clinics taking on cases involving family law, bankruptcy, etc. 10

11 Suggested Reading List The E-Myth Attorney: Why Most Legal Practices Don t Work and What to Do About It, Michael E. Gerber The E-Myth Revisited, Michael E. Gerber Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service, Ken Blanchard, Sheldon Bowles and Harvey Mackay Getting to Yes, Roger Fisher, William L. Ury, Bruce Patton Getting Past No, William Ury The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, Stephen R. Covey Swim With the Sharks Without Getting Eaten Alive, Harvey B. Mackay Solo by Choice, Carolyn Elefant The Four Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, Timothy Ferriss The Fire Starter Sessions : A Soulful + Practical Guide to Creating Success on Your Own Terms, Danielle LaPorte The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future, Chris Guillebeau Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions, Guy Kawasaki Finding Your Way in a Wild New World: Reclaim Your True Nature to Create the Life You Want Paperback, Martha Beck 11