Do I need a license to be a solo attorney?

Requirements vary by state. Most states require some form of business license. Some trades require specific certifications or permits. Biz Wiz ($19.99) researches your specific state's requirements and builds them into your plan.

How much do solo attorney make?

The median income for solo attorney is $0/year. Top earners in busy markets make significantly more. Your income depends on pricing, volume, and keeping overhead low — which is why owning your tools instead of renting them matters.

How to Start a Solo attorney Business in 2026

Q: How much does it cost to start a solo attorney business?

Startup costs for a solo attorney business typically range from $500 to $5,000 depending on equipment and licensing. The biggest ongoing cost is software subscriptions ($100-200/month). Nexa eliminates that with a $279 one-time purchase.

Quick Answer: Starting a solo attorney business costs $500-5,000 in startup costs. You need proper licensing for your state, the right equipment (Westlaw or Lexis for legal research and more), and business tools (invoicing, scheduling, CRM). The median solo attorney earns $0/year. Biz Wiz ($19.99) builds a personalized plan with your state's exact requirements. Nexa ($279 once or $99×3) replaces all the software subscriptions.

Bottom Line

Starting a solo attorney business takes $500-5,000 in startup costs, proper licensing for your state, and business tools (invoicing, scheduling, CRM, bookkeeping). The median solo attorney earns $0/year. Most new solo attorney make the mistake of renting $100-200/month in software subscriptions from day one — that is $1,200-2,400/year before you have a single client. Nexa is $279 once for all of it. Biz Wiz ($19.99) builds you a personalized plan with your state's exact licensing requirements, pricing research for your area, and a 90-day action checklist.

The Steps

Figure Out the Legal Stuff

Every state is different. You may need a business license, trade-specific license, insurance, or permits. Don't skip this — getting caught without proper licensing can cost more than the license itself. Check your state's requirements →

Set Your Pricing

Research what solo attorney charge in your area. Don't underprice to "get started" — you'll burn out. Price for profit from day one. Most solo attorney charge based on job size, complexity, or hourly rate.

Get Your Equipment

You need: Westlaw or Lexis for legal research, a dual-monitor setup for drafting against the record, a high-volume scanner for exhibits and discovery, an e-filing account with the court's CM/ECF system, a dedicated IOLTA trust account at the bank, a desk calendar and a docketing rules tool for deadlines. Buy quality — you'll use these every day. This is a real investment, not a subscription you're renting. Own your tools from the start.

Set Up Your Business Tools

You need invoicing, scheduling, client tracking, and bookkeeping. Most solo attorney pay $100-200/month renting these from 3-4 different companies. Or you can get Nexa — all of it for $279 once. You own it. See what the subscriptions really cost →

Find Your First 5 Clients

Start with people you know. Post on Nextdoor. Join local Facebook groups. Tell everyone what you do. Your first 5 clients become your first 5 reviews — and reviews are everything in this business.

Build Your Rhythm

Set a weekly schedule: when you work, when you do admin, when you market. Track your hours. Send invoices same day. Review your finances monthly. The solo attorney who build a rhythm survive. The ones who wing it don't.

A Day in the Life of a Solo attorney

Your day is measured in tenths of an hour, and the first discipline is capturing them, because the work you don't log is work you did for free. Morning might be drafting — a motion to dismiss, a settlement agreement, a discovery response — heads-down in Westlaw and the record, and the trap is finishing a two-hour block and not remembering to put it on the clock. You break to take a client call, which is its own billable event if you remember to note it, and to e-file a response before the court's deadline, because filing dates are hard lines with no grace. A prospective client calls wanting to retain you, and before you can say yes you have to run a conflict check against every party in your open matters. Afternoon is a deposition prep or a court appearance, then back to the desk to log the day before it blurs. Underneath all of it sits the trust account, which the bar requires you to reconcile exactly — client retainer money that isn't yours until it's earned, kept separate, accounted for to the penny. The lawyering is the part you trained for. The business that can sink you is unbilled time, a blown deadline, a missed conflict, and a trust account that doesn't reconcile.

Sound familiar? That's what happens when your tools don't talk to each other. Nexa connects everything — log a job, invoice from it, track the payment, update your books. One app. $279 once.

The Real Problems Solo Attorney Deal With

You spend an afternoon deep in a brief and realize you logged none of it, so two billable hours just evaporated from memory
A court filing deadline is three days out and it's buried under the daily noise, with a hard date and no forgiveness if you miss it
A new client wants to retain you and you haven't run the conflict check against your existing matters yet
Your trust accounting has to reconcile to the penny for the bar, and earned versus unearned retainer funds are blurring together

Biz Wiz ($19.99) builds a plan around YOUR specific problems — not generic business advice.

Finally Start Your Solo attorney Business

$19.99

Everything you need to go from idea to open:

✓Solo attorney-specific business plan

✓Startup checklist (licenses, insurance)

✓90-day back office access

✓Tool budget calculator

✓Weekly guidance emails

✓Upgrade path when ready

Get Your Solo attorney Business Plan

✓ 30-day money-back guarantee

"I spent $19.99 on Biz Wiz and got a plan that told me exactly what licenses I needed, what to charge, and what to do first. I launched the next week."

— Small business owner, Biz Wiz customer

The Hidden Cost Nobody Mentions

Everyone talks about equipment costs. Nobody talks about the software tax.

Most solo attorney end up paying $100-200/month for business software — invoicing, scheduling, bookkeeping, client management. That's $1,200-2,400/year. Over 5 years with price increases: $8,000-15,000. For tools you don't even own.

Nexa: $279. Once. Invoicing, scheduling, CRM, task management, and full QuickBooks-style accounting. You own it like you own your Westlaw or Lexis for legal research.

FAQ

How much does it cost to start a solo attorney business?

Depends on equipment and licensing. Typically $500-5,000 to start. The biggest ongoing cost is software subscriptions ($100-200/month) — which Nexa eliminates with a $279 one-time purchase.

Do I need a license?

Varies by state. Biz Wiz ($19.99) researches your specific state's requirements and includes them in your personalized plan.

How do I find clients?

Start local: Nextdoor, Facebook groups, word of mouth. Get 5 clients, get 5 reviews. Reviews compound. Your plan from Biz Wiz includes a marketing strategy tuned to your area.

Can I do this part-time?

Yes. Many solo attorney start on weekends or evenings. The key is setting a rhythm you can sustain while keeping a day job.

How to Start a Solo attorney Business