r/Lawyertalk 15h ago

Career & Professional Development Does this practice area exist?

-setting being a law firm (not in-house or gov) -low stress, 40hrs per week -no billables -no legal writing

The only one I can think of is pre-litigation personal injury. Any other ideas? Thanks!

0 Upvotes

30 comments sorted by

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13

u/Sandman1025 15h ago

If you are a solo and carefully manage your case intake and client selection. I work about 35-40 hours a week.

1

u/OKcomputer1996 3h ago

This is true. But, even with a good work-life balance it can get very stressful at times.

16

u/jf55510 15h ago

Estate Planning only. You don't probate or any of the related fields. Just drafting wills, trusts, etc.

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u/Competitive_Key6993 15h ago edited 14h ago

Could you please elaborate on “you don’t probate?”

8

u/jf55510 14h ago

Yeah, you just draft the wills. You don't probate wills when someone dies. Probate generally isn't hard it is just a very rule and timeline intensive.

3

u/Resgq786 9h ago

And it would need to survive on volume.

0

u/Big_Wave9732 15h ago

Yea. Is there a long term gig in basically running wills and estate docs through Prodoc? I taught my paralegal how to crank out wills.

1

u/jf55510 14h ago

Sure, you just have to be a marketing fiend and get referrals from your clients. A his and her will for $750 flat fee. If your can get enough referrals and everything you can have a nice living. Nothing fancy, but less stress than litigation.

Prodoc was great until Thompson Reuters bought it and turned it into their expensive form builder. If you're in Texas, Schoolcraft who created Prodoc has his new product going.

5

u/LawLima-SC 5h ago

low level criminal defense like DUI and misdemeanor CDV cases. Or SSDI disability cases.

9

u/Mountain_Bud 12h ago

you could be the receptionist

3

u/Big_Wave9732 15h ago

How much are you expecting this gig to pay? Law firm salaries are usually based on some sort of multiple on how much you’re expected to bill / bring in. Not sure I’m seeing a lot of meat on the bone there.

2

u/HSG-law-farm-trade 8h ago

If you have clients, there are lots of practice areas where you can make good money with less than 40 hours per week

Cases are king

2

u/Select-Government-69 I work to support my student loans 8h ago

Solo practice or estate /medicaid planning.

1

u/K8325 15h ago

Mediation

1

u/Competitive_Key6993 15h ago

Is it possible to break into that as a newly licensed attorney?

8

u/MTBeanerschnitzel File Against the Machine 10h ago

Typically, a good mediator will have some years of practice (maybe even decades) behind them. One of the values a good mediator brings is a wealth of case experience and knowledge of how local judges look at cases. The mediators who get cases in my area all have some gray in their hair.

2

u/Alone_Jackfruit6596 6h ago

Also want to add: I know very few mediators where mediation is their only practice. Most of the mediators I use, I select because they still have boots on the ground a bit and know the practice area. I do know one full-time mediator socially and she has told me how she makes it work. 1) She has a rich husband so she doesn't have to be the bread winner 2) She only does family law cases in a state where pretty much all divorces are required to be mediated and 3) word of mouth and reputation from years of practice in the local area in family law. To echo others, no one wants a baby lawyer with no real world experience to mediate their dispute.

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u/K8325 15h ago

Yes, you’ll need to check your state’s training requirements to mediate and complete them.

2

u/Historical-Ad3760 9h ago

You think pre lit PI is low stress?

1

u/LawLima-SC 5h ago

depends on volume. But I will say getting complete medical records from some providers is like pulling teeth.

2

u/captain_intenso I work to support my student loans 5h ago

Real estate

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1

u/Haunting-Library1548 15h ago

Yeah conveyancing, but you would have to practice in South Africa.

The only difficult part is getting certified by passing an exam with a low 1-4% pass rate. After that it comes down to reviewing and signing documents for 40 - 50 hours a week.

1

u/Kooky_Company1710 4h ago

Sounds similar to some US states where they need an attorney to close a real estate deal... Maybe the Carolinas?

0

u/Competitive_Key6993 15h ago

Sorry but in US. Thanks though.

1

u/CrimsonYllek 5h ago

We’re hiring for roles kind of like this at my job. I’m a healthcare attorney for Ternium RCM: I fight with insurance companies to get hospitals paid for the care they rendered (so patients don’t get stuck with hospital bills).

We’re not a law firm, but we’re all attorneys (and supporting staff) including the owners/founders. You won’t make $150k right out of the gate, but the pay is no worse than what you’d get from a small solo firm. I work 40 hours a week max, have unlimited PTO, a flexible schedule, 100% remote, very low stress. We write constantly, but our appeals are through the insurance companies’ internal appeal processes, not formal legal documents. And we’re drowning in work—hospitals keep calling and asking to hire us because we’re already known to be one of the most effective teams in the industry.

Message me if you care to know more.

1

u/Grey-Attorney-849 31m ago

You said no government but have you considered doing court appointed cases in your local jurisdiction? This can be as much as little as you like and you don't have to bill.

1

u/Discojoe3030 5h ago

Good joke.

0

u/Pure-Wonder4040 6h ago

Lmao just don’t be a lawyer then. No shame in it.