Three years ago I discovered the delights of a one-man, one-room niche practice in establishment-sounding Chancery Lane.

Free from mindless bureaucracy to do client work, my only employee was technology.Much more importantly, in a practice where at times all the contact is by phone and fax, my wife pointed out that I could just as well work on sets of papers at our second home.

So, for weeks at a time by 10am my post in WC2 is faxed to the top of the hot dusty hill where I am admiring the view by the poolside.

The answers go back off the laptop through the fax on 'London' notepaper and the recipients are not particularly aware of the difference.'Fun' is the wrong word for a serious public duty affecting the lives of other people, but it is an enormously satisfying alternative career for anyone over ten years qualified to consider.Harvey Crush.Independence and freedom are the most notable reasons for becoming and remaining a sole practitioner.

As with all things, however, there are identifiab le drawbacks to the arrangement that deter some solicitors from this form of practice that could take the fun out of the business.We have found how to counter many of those drawbacks: that is, to form a network.

By this we mean an informal grouping of local solicitors, in our case, all sole practitioners.

The benefits could be many:-- if illness or holiday cover is a concern, a member of the group could help;-- those wishing to specialise but wanting to offer a fuller service, could recommend a group member to a client.

The client is happy, and obtains a quality, specialist service;-- the cost of extensive law libraries is daunting, but books and other resources can be shared amongst the group;-- regular meetings give an opportunity for the sharing of technical knowledge and new ideas of a legal and administrative nature;-- marketing is vital for all firms but it is simplified and made cheaper if the group carries out joint ventures; and-- a friend and colleague is always available at the other end of the telephone if you want to talk over a technical issue, pick their brains about an article you read somewhere and now cannot find and generally help relieve the stress of being a contemporary solicitor.The informality and flexibility of the arrangement are key elements.

Membership forms and fees and extra administration could cause the network to collapse.

The system could work, and still be 'fun'.Fiona Bell and Jill Trelfa.