Setting Up In Practice: two lawyers who have taken the plunge warn of the pitfalls and pleasures of going it alone

Solicitors who are thinking of setting up on their own must not underestimate the administrative burden involved but should still take the plunge, two lawyers who have launched their own practices this year told the Gazette.


David Sykes, a former partner at the Birmingham office of DLA who has launched specialist employment practice Averta, spotted the potential for a niche practice advising senior employees, directors and professionals.



Sykes: ‘give it a go’

‘I was often asked by big companies I was advising at DLA whether I could recommend someone to act for the individual concerned,’ he said. ‘There did not seem to be many practices like that around and I thought that if I did not give it a go,

I would always regret not trying.’


However, Mr Sykes warned that the number of steps that needed to be taken to get a business up and running was significant, ranging from Law Society requirements and VAT registration to stationary and marketing.


‘I went into it fairly naively – at DLA, everything is done for you,’ he admitted. ‘Eventually you come through it all and within four months I felt that I had the business on an even keel.’


The nature of Mr Sykes’ work means that turnover is quick, which is very important in terms of maintaining good cashflow from the outset.


He said: ‘People have to think hard about setting up on their own, but I would encourage them. If they think there is a chance of a viable business, they should have a go.’


Adrian Laing, a barrister and director of legal affairs and company secretary at publishers Harper Collins from 1994 to 2001, set up Laing & Co to specialise in media and publishing law. Having launched a media practice at the then Hammond Suddards (now Hammonds) in London in the early 1990s before going in-house, he did not want to go back to working in the confines of a large firm.


‘I did not want to be burdened with other people’s conflicts,’ he said. ‘I also know what other people are charging, and my clients would have to pay twice as much for a firm in the City.’


As a barrister, he had to take the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test and apply to the Law Society for a waiver to be able to set up on his own immediately.


Mr Laing says he has not looked back since launching the practice: ‘There are days when I am fighting people off and days when it is quiet but I appreciate it takes time to build up a practice.’


One key issue is whether or not to stay on your own or to bring someone else on board. Mr Sykes said he is already looking at expansion, which would mean being able to share administrative tasks and to look at employing a secretary.


For now, Mr Laing’s plan ‘is to build up a head of steam on my own. You have to do it out of a sense of optimism.’