Full disclosure I am an attorney. Started my own law firm this year. Things started very slow, so I started driving for Uber a couple months ago. I had to drive for 10 hours a shift to make a measly $150 bucks. Uber was the most exhausting job I’ve ever had. Now I went back to a 9 to 5 job in law.
You all are awesome people. If I could go back in time and be in high school or college again I would tell myself to study hard, get good grades, do not hang out with losers, do not even think about touching weed, stay out of debt, and everything will work out just fine in the end…it always does.
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What type of law do you practice and in what state?
Did you actually have any clients before you quit and started your own firm? What was your plan if you didn’t?
Did you expect clients to follow you, but they didn’t? (and Hi!)
Was going to law school and becoming an attorney worth the time/cost?
What was, in your opinion, the easiest and hardest class in law school?
Best and worst experience with passengers doing Uber?
can’t you get any court appointment work
Did you ever watch the series Better Call Saul?
Saul Goodman aka Slippin’ Jimmy was the best!
Sorry, are you driving uber to make money or because you’re bored because it’s slow? In any case, wouldn’t the time be better spent on business development for your firm, since one client could replace 100s of hours of driving uber?
This reminds me of new realtors I meet where they start doing side jobs because it’s easier than spending time putting in the hours figuring out systems to actually get new businesses.
curious why you would leave to start your own firm without any savings? wouldn’t it have been better to have enough saved to live for at least a year or two while your firm got off the ground without having to drive uber? launching a new firm, every minute should be spent on your business, not getting distracted for minimum wage!
If you’re looking for some work as a law clerk type stuff let me know. I’m an attorney with an office in Orlando area and am hiring but not for an attorney. I pay more than uber
How often did you represent people who seemed to exaggerate the extent of their injuries or might have been more at fault than they admit? Or do you screen out people who wouldn’t likely get a worthwhile settlement and/or weren’t credible injury victims?
Would you consider targeting TCPA Violations? (Federal, but you can bring them in any State for any other jurisdiction)
Did you pass out business cards to really drunk people?
Do you wonder if your time would be spent better networking and marketing your firm instead of doing gig work?
Why did you leave your cushy job ? How did you make yourself stand out to land one ?
What movie or tv show has the Most realistic portrayal of the legal profession in your opinion?
You want a Florida client that has a clear cut case(police report verified by traffic cam) of a Tbone? 😹 My gf is fckd up.
If you are interested in law but know you probably won’t land a cushy lawyer job is a paralegal a good job specifically litigation. Thanks
Do you pay do referrals? I can send you clients.
Dlwhat area of law do you practice ?
Multipart question: Do you know which of the passengers gave you the measles laden money, and would you risk giving them a ride again, even if the tip wasn’t a disease?
What’s the best kept secret in the legal industry?
I’m a lawyer looking to start solo soon. How ‘slow’ was slow in your case? Did you stick at business development for very long before packing it in?
How did you try to get clients? Did you get any clients at all?
What do you think went wrong and what would you do differently if you had to do it again?
I’m sure you can have new clients while driving uber.
What’s the funniest thing a judge has ever said to you
Why did your private practice not work out? Or did it and you have some sort of agreement with your current employer?
What’s your favorite Beatles album
Got to Ask, have you played the Ace Attorney games? I’ve seen some actual lawyers play them on YouTube and they are very fun although probably not very legally accurate
Try caddying at a private golf club. Would make a shitload more than that, and make better connections.
Congrats for being a good person and sticking to your values by not taking clients away from your previous employer. Most would.
What kind of law do you specialize in?
How long does it typically take for startups in general to make decent money in your field?
Given this predicament, did you have to face your ego?
I’m not trying to be that guy, but no lawyer is going to do verbal agreements owning a law firm. The risk is not worth the payout. I’m not saying you’re lying, but I’m saying this makes no sense at all. I never heard of a lawyer making 200k to making $150 a day on a 10 hour shift in the history of this forum. This has to be a joke.
Are you debt free since you were a lawyer or are you still paying off debts to this day?
I heard something like a while ago (80-90s) insurers of car accidents with injuries paid a lot more pain and suffering and now it’s not nearly as much? I can’t remember what the lawyer said but something like (if your medical bills were $20,000 you got $20,000 pain and suffering).
Not sure how I landed here. I’m also an attorney but I’ve stopped saying this when riding Ubers – every driver wants legal advice! Good luck and hang in there…nothing is more stressful than being a lawyer though!
We all want to avoid falling into a field we don’t care for or get close to completing a degree to realize it’s not for us.
If someone were to consider going to law school, what should they know about it to determine if it’s really for them or not? What’s some of the good and the bad of the field most won’t know about?
Uber as a primary source of income is awful, but it’s also market driven. It helps to never do Uber X in good markets if you have a Comfort or Premium qualifying vehicle. There are ways to optimize so a good driver can make double that or more, again, in the right market.
So…
You “made” not “making” because you no longer drive Uber.
The example you used was working 10 hours to make $150. That is $15/hr.
Who knows what to believe
Do you drive uber in a super fancy lawyer car
What’s some typical cases, timelines, and payouts?
Can you get a Lincoln Town Car and call yourself Lincoln Lawyer? 🙂
You’re a smart dude, no judgement, but how is uber the best use of your time? Couldn’t you have found another way of making money? More money?
What law do you practice?
Did this whole experience change how you view ‘stable jobs’ now?
Do you have a new respect for uber drivers?
This sounds like a better call Saul episode
200k seems really low for a lawyer.
Are you driving a 100k+ car for uber?
Hi, lawyer who started his own practice this week here! Why didn’t you get on the appointment list for things like guardianships or criminal defendants? My state pays $100/hour for that.
Also, you should’ve be billing clients at least $200/hour, you just have to do 43 minutes of work per day to make what you do for 10 hours of uber
Suffice to say, what happened?
Do you have bitcoin?
What state?
Why don’t you run Ads to generate business? This is coming from a guy who spent over $23M in Financial Services vertical. I assume you would have some budget if you started your own Law Firm Business.
Allah make it easy on you
Currently studying for the bar. Property sucks, Con Law sucks, Torts is deceptive. Help a brotha out!
I have a lawyer that works at a big law firm. But she basically devotes 95% of her time to me and supporting what I do. Most of it isn’t billed either..
Really it’s great bc I abuse the fact that she won’t charge me and in exchange I am teaching her how to make enough money to escape the law trenches.
Might be some sex involved. Might not be…. Her firm gets a little “curious” why her billable hours are very low.
But there’s ways to handle that
No human on Earth could make it through law school and still end up being as illogical and inconsistent as every single answer that you’ve given so far shows you to be.
Was your boss who only does verbal employment agreements Harvey Specter by chance?
$150 for 10 hours is atrocious. Sounds like cheap tippers and uber doesn’t pay shit
I’ve won a case and the feeling was overwhelming and a huge relief for me as a defendant. As the lawyer do you fell the same on every case you win or lose and when you win your first one is it like a high that you continue to chase or is the next win just as satisfying
Are you happier?
What sort of practice were you doing
Is 200k a lot for a lawyer?
Dude I started my own business and after 4 years I went belly up. Just want to let you know you’re not alone never stop grinding embrace the suck you’re a better person for it
Did you watch Better call Saul? If so how accurate are some of their law scenarios?
This guy is playing a lawyer 😂😂.Where are you in Haiti?
What’s your favorite blood type?
I’m a financial advisor and making $250k yr and growing. I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer.
Now that I got into a lawsuit with previous employer (I’m plaintiff), I see why it’s so fucking draining. I love arguing, but the fucking stupidity from their lawyer…. I learned the law doesn’t matter in lawsuits. Optics do and contracts that are bullshit and malicious.
My lawyer said “nothing illegal about a bad deal”
With all that said. Why did you get into law and spend all the time going to law school?
Never met a successful advisor saying “I wish I did this”
The r/CFP sub has a lawyer every other day wanting to pivot out of law. How did you all end up with this regret?
What is your advice for someone who wants to start their own firm?
How do you keep mentally sharp between law gigs? I imagine stepping away and back into it can be difficult, so are you doing anything to keep your mind sharp?
I opened my own firm about 3 years ago. You’re going to make double what you were making in a year if you do it correctly…
Do you think Michael Jackson was guilty?
Given your experience trying to build on your own and given the rapid advancements in technology and its increasing integration into our daily lives, how do you see the intersection of technology and law evolving in the near future? Or how has it evolved recently that normal people might not know?
Context: I work in tech in a somewhat unsatisfying way right now, but I am fascinated with law. Any time I see any sort of tech related position with a law firm I apply, lol. No luck so far.
I own my own company as well and I’m the winter I do Spark for Walmart. It sucks as well. Stay up my dude.
The weed part sounds a little like the plot from Suits. Good to hear that you’re back to practicing law
I’m 24M CA- Highschooldropout. I want to get my GED, BA then hopefully if i’m still motivated go to law school. Do you think being a HS dropout will affect my chances of becoming a decent attorney?
I’ve done door to door, dishwasher, ecom, car detailing, solar sales, anything that requires customer service and hard work. So I know I will be great with people and enjoy that aspect of being an attorney but do you ever tell yourself, “F**k I think I set my expectations way too high”. Im worried I might me “too dumb” to be a lawyer academically. But man if i was on my death but I would be so upset that I didn’t attempt it.
I feel like I could relate to almost every single one of your responses on a sympathetic level (of course bc i’m not an attorney).
I’ve been practicing criminal law thirty-seven years and have loved every minute of it. I never wanted to waste my life making rich folks richer. Getting a card in the mail from someone saying thank you for saving me is endlessly more rewarding. During COVID, I was part of a court that helped pioneer Zoom in the courtroom, and I helped train other lawyers in conducting voir dire by Zoom. The trials were still in person with lots of masks and plexiglass. We still use Zoom for about half of our appearances. The best part of all is that my daughter works with me as a criminal defense attorney, so I really don’t plan on retiring as long as she is there, too.
I know that this is over, but I call bull. “Uber was the most exhausting job I’ve ever had.” As an attorney that worked doordash between before law school and between legal jobs, uber/doordash jobs are 1 million times easier. The pay is trash. That part is correct, but it is super chill comparatively. No stress, no pressure from partners, no deadlines. You can listen to audiobooks, watch YouTube videos in the downtime, and you just have free mental space the whole day. What was harder about it? I would go back to doordash in a second if I could get paid anything close to a livable wage doing it.
Seems like it was just a weird pandering comment. You said in a response that you did “door to door sales for 4 years plus, [and your were a] restaurant server.” Those would be objectively more exhausting physically and emotionally.