Early in my practice I hired a well-known law firm marketing agency. I signed a 24-month contract, paid them several thousand dollars a month, and trusted them to build my online presence. Two years later I had paid a significant sum, received almost nothing of value, and spent additional money settling a contract dispute and rebuilding my website from scratch. This is that story, and what I wish I had known before I signed.

The pitch was compelling. A rebuilt website, weekly blog content, and ongoing SEO work, all from an agency that specialized specifically in law firms. The contract was 24 months at a rate t

I was at Campbell Law School recently talking to a room full of students who were seriously considering small firm practice or going out on their own after graduation. The questions I got were not about choosing a practice area or setting up an LLC. Almost every question in that room came back to one thing: money.

A few years into running my own firm, everything looked fine from the outside. It was me and one partner, an office-sharing arrangement, a shared paralegal. We were covering expenses. We were paying ourselves. Nobody was in crisis.

The standard advice for new firm owners is to pay yourself as little as