{"id":222,"date":"2016-11-11T11:38:19","date_gmt":"2016-11-11T17:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/curriculum-pathways\/?page_id=222"},"modified":"2025-11-18T13:44:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T19:44:07","slug":"solosmall-practice-pathway","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/curriculum-pathways\/solosmall-practice-pathway\/","title":{"rendered":"Solo\/Small Practice Pathway"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n Solo and small firm practice offers lawyers an opportunity to design meaningful, flexible, and entrepreneurial careers. New graduates can join an existing small practice, collaborate in community-based or niche firms, or even launch their own firm from the ground up. Practicing in this space allows attorneys to develop broad skills across multiple areas of law, directly serve clients, and create innovative models for delivering accessible legal services. <\/p>\n

Solo and small firm lawyers often play crucial roles in family law, estate planning, criminal defense, real estate, business formation, immigration, employment, elder law, and many other fields. Solo and small firm practices often provide lawyers with autonomy and creativity in their work and the satisfaction of building lasting client relationships and contributing to access to justice in their communities.\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Foundational Courses<\/div>\n
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Business Organizations<\/a><\/div>\n
Employment Law<\/a><\/div>\n
Income Tax<\/a><\/div>\n
Lawyer as Business Owner<\/a><\/div>\n
General Practice: Skills Practicum<\/a> or<\/em> Legal Practicum: Business Practice<\/a><\/div>\n
Transactions and Settlements<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Recommended Courses<\/div>\n
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Constitutional Criminal Procedure: Adjudication<\/a><\/div>\n
Elder Law<\/a><\/div>\n
Estates & Trusts<\/a><\/div>\n
Evidence<\/a><\/div>\n
Family Law<\/a><\/div>\n
Immigration Law<\/a><\/div>\n
Introduction to Tribal Law<\/a><\/div>\n
Administrative Law<\/a><\/div>\n
Commercial Law Survey<\/a><\/div>\n
Secured Transactions<\/a><\/div>\n
Pretrial Litigation<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Experiential Courses<\/div>\n


\n Completing an externship or residency<\/strong> in a solo or small firm in the practice area you intend to pursue is excellent preparation for this pathway. Visit other Pathways for information about practice-area-specific externships, residencies, or clinics.
\n Other experiential courses that may be of interest.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Business Law Clinic<\/a><\/div>\n
Mediation<\/a><\/div>\n
Advanced Advocacy: Civil Litigation<\/a><\/div>\n
Advanced Advocacy: Criminal Trial<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Other Courses to Consider<\/div>\n
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Business Entity Taxation<\/a><\/div>\n
Deals and Dispute Resolution<\/a><\/div>\n
Modern Real Estate Transactions<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Professional Development & Post-Graduate Opportunities<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many graduates interested in launching or joining a solo\/small-firm practice benefit from participating in a law-firm incubator (sometimes called a law practice incubator or solo\/small firm incubator). These programs are now offered in many jurisdictions across the United States and support early-career attorneys in building sustainable, independent practices by providing resources such as mentorship, business-skills training, workspace, discounted technology, and attorney networks. <\/p>\n

Typical features of law-firm incubators include: <\/p>\n