LEAP APPLICATION PACKET
“I’m done with the bar!!! Now what?”
The following items are required to apply for the Lawyer Entrepreneur Assistance
Program (LEAP) incubator. If you are awaiting bar results, these items should be
prepared in the meantime. Do not wait until after bar results to begin the process!
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Application
Résumé
Business Plan
Interview (if selected)
APPLICATION
The Application itself can be found on pages 6-7.
RÉSUMÉ
Is your résumé up to date?
 Create a résumé to accompany your application. Tips on preparing a good
résumé can be found at: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-this-is-anexcellent-resume-2013-11
BUSINESS PLAN
Have you made a business plan yet?
 A detailed business plan is vital to the success of a new solo practice. When
writing a business plan, it is important to consider the items on page 7. Among
other things, candidates should consider whether/how the practice will serve
modest means clients, desired practice area, a basic operational budget and
practice goals, cost and location of office space, marketing, and overall viability.
ENTREPRENEUR TESTING
STARTING A NEW SOLO PRACTICE IS NOT FOR EVERYONE!
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You must consider if being a solo practitioner is really for you. To assess your
aptitude for entrepreneurship, take the self-assessment quiz which can be found
at http://www.ceoclubs.org/section/pages/entrepreneurialquiz.htm
In addition, you should start reading from the list on page 9 to help you decide if
opening a new solo practice is the best choice for you.
INTERVIEW
If your application is selected for consideration, you will be contacted by the Career
Development Office of your law school. You should anticipate being asked detailed
questions about your business plan and other materials.
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What is LEAP?
Most law school graduates are equipped with a wide body of legal knowledge, but
usually lack both the practical experience to effectively represent clients and the
business experience to successfully open and operate their own firm and open their
own offices. The Legal Aid Society of Orange County’s (LASOC) Lawyer Entrepreneur
Assistance Program (LEAP) bridges this knowledge gap by offering practical training
and supervision as the LEAP candidates work on pro bono and private cases and build
their own practices.
LEAP candidates begin training by viewing LASOC’s how-to style YouTube videos,
participating in its legal clinics, and working on new and existing case files. Additionally,
LASOC offers MCLE trainings tailored for new attorneys and a wiki with a brief bank
and other practical legal education materials. In addition to the LASOC attorneys who
mentor the LEAP candidates, two retired judicial officers hold a weekly case review and
offer office hours to advise new attorneys on their cases.
LASOC’s program excels at preparing new attorneys to interview clients and appear in
court. This process provides participants with the confidence and skills to progressively
take on more complex cases as they reach their potential as skilled practitioners.
LEAP is looking for bright and motivated attorneys who want to build small or solo law
practices for modest means clients.
The collaborative approach allows LEAP candidates to take advantage of specific
clinical expertise from participating schools. For example, one law school might have a
specialized tax program and another may have a small business program; all
participants may take advantage of the pooled resources. In addition, law school
alumni who have worked at and/or started their own firms can provide participants with
critical business advice and mentoring.
Participants win because they gain necessary skills, access to clients, and learning
opportunities with relatively minimum overhead expenses. The community wins
because people will have a greater access to affordable and competent attorneys.
Finally, the legal profession wins by furthering the spirit of pro bono and modest means
advocacy.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Where will the incubator be housed?
The base of operations will be the Legal Aid Society of Orange County (LASOC) in Santa
Ana, with clinics and events happening both at LASOC and at the participating law schools.
The office space will be located at the old Dairy Queen next to LASOC, and/or at available
space within LASOC’s facility itself.
2. What is the duration of the program?
The program is structured to last twelve months.
3. Do I need malpractice insurance?
Yes. Participants will join the Lawyer Referral Service, and the state bar requires that LRS
participants carry 100/300 coverage, which is available for $50 per month.
4. Do I need to form my own firm?
Yes. You must either form your own solo firm or create/join one with other attorneys.
Participants are not employees of LASOC or of the law school(s) involved. In consulting
with LASOC staff or other incubator participants, you will be expected to maintain client
confidentiality consistent with participants’ status as separate firms.
5. What are the expectations of me as a participant?
Aside from complying with your ethical obligations as a lawyer, you are expected to
contribute at least 300 hours of pro bono service during your association with the incubator.
6. What resources will be made available to me?
As a participant in the incubator, you will have access to shared office space at LASOC,
meeting rooms, Westlaw access on-site at LASOC, free MCLE, an initial ‘boot camp’,
extensive substantive law training, fax and related services, and waived LRS fee for the first
year.
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What are the Benefits of Participating in the Program?
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Intensive boot camp to help you start your practice
Substantive law training
Procedural law training
Weekly case review
Mentoring
Supervision
Free MCLE
First year of Lawyer Referral Service dues waived
Office space (incl. printers, internet access, and Westlaw)
Access to malpractice insurance
Free year of CLIO for case management
Access to Continuing Education of the Bar’s OnLAW
Opportunities to appear in court on pro bono and other cases
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LASOC LEAP APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION
Basic Information:
Name: _______________________________________________________________________
Home Address: ________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: ________________________________________________________________
Home Phone: ________________________________ Cell Phone: _______________________
E-mail address: _______________________________ Year of JD degree: _________________
Law School Attended: ___________________________________________________________
Date of admission to California Bar and California Bar number(s):
______________________________________________________________________________
Other bar admissions and dates (if applicable):
______________________________________________________________________________
When are you available to enter the LEAP Program and begin your practice? (January preferred)
______________________________________________________________________________
The following documents must be submitted with this application:
1. A current résumé.
2. A statement of one to two pages indicating why you want to be a solo or small-firm practitioner. (If
applicable, discuss how a former work experience in the legal profession [either through an externship,
internship, clinic program, or work experience prior to law school] influenced your decision to start your
own practice.)
3. A statement of no more than one to two pages indicating why you should be selected to participate in
the LEAP Program.
4. A statement explaining how and the extent to which you expect to serve underrepresented, low- and
moderate-income members of the community (including providing pro bono and “low bono”
representation) and how, if at all, you anticipate using alternative delivery methods in your provision of
legal services (e.g., unbundling, sliding-scale fee structures, etc.).
5. A business plan
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Please initial each statement below indicating your agreement:
__________ I understand that eligibility to enter or continue in LEAP requires that I continue to be a
member of the California Bar in good standing. I agree to notify the LEAP director immediately of any
change in my status or of any action by the California State Bar Office of Disciplinary taken against me.
__________ I agree to carry at all times while I am part of LEAP malpractice insurance in an amount of at
least $100,000/$300,000, and to pay for any tail if the policy is a claims-reported policy.
__________ If I am selected as a participant in LEAP, I agree to abide by and remain compliant with all
the rules governing the program.
__________ All statements in this application and accompanying attachments are true to the best of my
knowledge and reflect realistic projections based on information reasonably available to me. I understand
that any material misstatements herein may subject me to termination from the program should I be
selected.
_________ I expect to provide at least 300 hours of pro bono work during my participation in LEAP.
__________ I understand that I am creating my own law firm, that I am not an employee of LASOC or of
any participating schools or partners, and that I have not been promised and am not guaranteed any
payments. I understand that I will be responsible for developing my own clientele and that LASOC and
the participating schools or partners cannot guarantee business. I further understand that in interacting
with LASOC staff or others who are not members of my firm, I will be expected to maintain client
confidences consistent with my status as the principal of my own firm.
Printed Name: _______________________________
Signature: __________________________________
Dated: _____________________________________
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Business Plan
A business plan is vital to the success of a new solo practice. Have you made a
business plan? You should consider the following (and more) when you are writing the
business plan for your new solo practice:
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What is my monthly budget?
What is an effective marketing plan?
o How will people know that I’m out there?
o Why will they choose me?
Research cost and location of office space.
What areas of practice am I interested in?
Whom will I serve? (Example: Moderate to low income clients)
What is the viability of my new solo practice?
Examples of actual business plans can be found at:
http://www.ceoclubs.org/section/resources.php
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“I’M DONE WITH THE BAR!! NOW WHAT?”
A (Tentative) Timeline of the Expected LEAP Incubator Cycle
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
While waiting for their bar results (if applicable), graduates interested in starting a
solo practice should begin preparing a business plan and application to the LASOC
Incubator Program with the help of their respective schools.
Bar results are in! Candidates turn in the application and all other documents to
their law school. Each school selects new lawyers to participate in the LASOC
Incubator Program.
New lawyers become acquainted with different areas at Legal Aid Society of
Orange County. Participants are handed real cases with real clients. This rare
opportunity is available because of the various clinics LASOC offers clients. Clinics
include, for example, a family law clinic where clients are assisted with filing for
divorce, child support and paternity actions. New lawyers are expected to see a
matter through to its conclusion, but are also provided all the resources they will
need. LASOC lawyers and interns are always available to answer questions and
provide insight.
** Participants begin providing 300 hours of pro bono work. **
Jan
Program participants go through LASOC’s Boot Camp, a 4-day, concentrated,
hands-on tutorial covering likely steps a new lawyer must accomplish before
opening their own practice. Activities include everything from listing yourself in
lawyer referral services and buying malpractice insurance to setting up phones and
drafting retainer agreements and using social media.
Feb
In this month and each month that follows, new lawyers participate in intensive
MCLE programs designed to provide valuable substantive training in a particular
area of practice. The material is addressed in a manner that is particularly
applicable to solo practice. Practice areas that are covered include, but are not
limited to: family law, probate, housing, business start-up, and contract
negotiation. Additionally, new lawyers continue participating in LASOC’s clinics
taking on cases involving family law, bankruptcy, etc.
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Suggested Reading List
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The E-Myth Attorney: Why Most Legal Practices Don’t Work and What to Do
About It, Michael E. Gerber
The E-Myth Revisited, Michael E. Gerber
Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service, Ken Blanchard,
Sheldon Bowles and Harvey Mackay
Getting to Yes, Roger Fisher, William L. Ury, Bruce Patton
Getting Past No, William Ury
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change,
Stephen R. Covey
Swim With the Sharks Without Getting Eaten Alive, Harvey B. Mackay
Solo by Choice, Carolyn Elefant
The Four Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich,
Timothy Ferriss
The Fire Starter Sessions : A Soulful + Practical Guide to Creating Success on
Your Own Terms, Danielle LaPorte
The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love,
and Create a New Future, Chris Guillebeau
Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions, Guy Kawasaki
Finding Your Way in a Wild New World: Reclaim Your True Nature to Create the
Life You Want Paperback, Martha Beck
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