The usual plan for starting an independent practice sounds sensible: remain in a senior's chamber until personal work produces enough income, then move into an office of your own. Rahul Karmekar sees a flaw in that sequence. If a lawyer waits for an independent practice to be fully formed inside someone else's chamber, the move may be postponed indefinitely.
Karmekar acknowledges that family background and a strong college name can improve the starting position. He also argues that the advantage equalises sooner than young lawyers imagine. Clients eventually examine comparable experience, trust among other clients, reputation with colleagues and courts, and the lawyer's willingness to prepare, communicate and remain present when the case becomes difficult.
Those answers are built through matters, not business cards. A young lawyer considering independence should therefore start creating a record of responsibility early. That may mean handling a small matter in the desired court, assisting on a public-interest case, appearing for someone who cannot afford full fees or working with a colleague whose client needs separate representation. The matter may pay little. It should still be important enough to demand serious work.
Karmekar notes that pro bono matters can bring unexpected recognition because they often place the lawyer close to a real public problem and require substantial responsibility. That is a welcome by-product, not the proper reason to accept them. The file must serve the client first. Publicity without preparation is easy to spot, especially in a courtroom.
Relationships are another source of work, but intention matters. Karmekar advises maintaining friendships without treating every conversation as a fee opportunity. Over time, lawyers refer matters when conflicts arise, when a co-petitioner needs separate representation or when a client requires expertise they do not possess. Trust grows because the relationship existed before the invoice.
Independence also requires accepting uneven months. The first office may have a quiet phone, a second-hand chair and more confidence than cash flow. A lawyer should calculate basic expenses, preserve a financial buffer where possible and avoid confusing expensive premises with credibility. Clients remember the advice and response time longer than the reception sofa.
Mentors remain valuable after the move. A senior who helps identify the correct procedural route can save days of work. Seeking that help is different from asking someone else to carry every hard decision. The independent lawyer should form a view first, explain the uncertainty and use the senior's time with respect.
The business side deserves equal attention. Open a separate account, issue written terms, track expenses, keep conflict records and decide how files will be stored before the first urgent brief arrives. Learn when to ask for an advance and how to explain fees without embarrassment. Independence becomes far less romantic when tax filings and printer repairs appear together, but orderly administration protects both the client and the lawyer.
Karmekar's larger advice is to take the plunge without treating every early choice as permanent. Law students often experience marks, internships and first jobs as final judgments on their future. Careers are less tidy. A rejected application can lead to a different chamber; a modest first matter can produce a long client relationship; an area of practice can change as interests and opportunities become clearer.
Reputation then compounds through consistency. Return calls, send the promised note, prepare the file and tell the client when a position is weak. These habits sound too ordinary for a rainmaker's handbook, which is why I trust them. A referral is often one person saying, "This lawyer will take care of it." That sentence is earned in small matters before it is tested in large ones.
My own preference is for a small, deliberate start over five years of waiting for certainty. Independence should not be confused with isolation, and courage should come with arithmetic. Begin with one matter you can own, one senior you can call and enough runway to do careful work.