For solo lawyers and small firms
The business side of a small law practice, step by step
Intake, trust accounting, billing, software and deadlines, explained in plain language by editors who start from the task a firm does every week. General information, never legal advice.
Start here
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Opening a firm
The order of decisions, from malpractice coverage to the first trust account deposit.
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Taking on a client
A checklist from the first call and conflict check to a signed engagement letter.
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Handling client money
What belongs in a trust account, which records to keep and how to reconcile it.
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Setting your hours
Turn a revenue target into the billable hours it takes.
The topic map
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Client intake
Conflict checks and engagement letters that turn an inquiry into a client.
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Billing and trust accounts
Time tracking, invoicing, trust accounting and the reconciliations it needs.
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Practice software
Practice management, document and e-signature tools for small firms.
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Deadlines and calendaring
Docketing and the reminder systems that keep deadlines from slipping.
Everything in the Practice kit
Walk-through checklist
- Client Intake Checklist for a Small Law Firm
From the first call to a signed engagement letter, in the order things go wrong.
Plain-word glossary
- Law Office Glossary for Solo and Small Firms
Thirty-three business-side terms, from accounts receivable to write-off.
Step-by-step guide
- Opening a Small Law Firm: What to Do First
The setup work for a new firm, in the order it is easiest to do.
Quick-lookup table
- Trust Account Basics: A Quick Reference
What goes in trust, what stays out, which records to keep and how to reconcile.
Editorial promise
- Editorial Standards at Docket Basics
How the editors choose topics, check sources and correct mistakes.
Try-it tool
- Billable Hours Calculator for a Revenue Target
See how many hours a revenue target takes once write-downs and slow payers are counted.
Habits behind every page
Every page here follows the same short list of habits.
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Your state bar decides
When an answer changes by state, the page says so and sends you to your bar instead of picking a rule for you.
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Begin with the task
Pages open on something a firm does every week, such as starting a file or reconciling an account.
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Primary sources
We read conduct rules, bar guidance and vendors' own documentation rather than repeating summaries of them.
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Placeholder figures
Numbers in worked examples and calculators only show the arithmetic. Replace them with your own.
Questions we hear first
- Is Docket Basics legal advice?
- No. This is general information about running a law practice, and it cannot take your facts, your state or your practice area into account. The rules that govern you come from your state bar.
- Why don't pages give one answer on client funds?
- Trust accounting rules are set state by state. The ABA Model Rules give the general shape, and the trust account page uses Rule 1.15 as that model, but your state's version and your bar's guidance control.
- Who writes the pages?
- The Docket Basics editors write and maintain them. No page carries a personal byline, and the site does not present itself as a law firm or as anyone's lawyer.
- Can I send a question about a client matter?
- Please don't. The contact address is for topic suggestions, and we can't give legal advice or handle anything about a specific client or case.
- Can I rely on the calculators and examples?
- They are arithmetic aids with placeholder numbers. Replace the numbers with your own and check the result with your accountant before you set prices or a budget.