We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jelicia Walker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jelicia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the early days of establishing your own firm. What can you share?

Prior to attending law school, I was always certain that I wanted to own my own business and work for myself. As I began law school in 2017, I did not find any interest in working at a law firm, as I had already gained experience working at law firm as an undergraduate student at Indiana University. I took the route to learn law practice management and initially start my practice subsequent to graduation. I stuck to the plan and refused to take the traditional route of becoming employed at a law firm. I started from scratch with no money, just enough to file the actual business through the secretary of state. This was also during the time we were in the pandemic, as I was a December 2019 graduate, but part of the class of 2020. During this time remote work became quite prevalent, so I found a cheap “office” which I still use to this day. My office allows me to have assistants, a physical address, and the opportunity to reserve the office whenever I need to use it. After so many hours of reservations per month I am required to pay by the hour, but it is still cheaper than a traditional monthly rental. My office also allows me to access two buildings in Houston, Texas, four offices in New York City, NY, one office in D.C. and one office in Chicago.

So far, there is nothing I would have done differently except actually take a practical course in law school such as a wills & trusts, or civil practice clinical course. That experience is unmatched. As a solo practitioner, I do believe you have to become comfortable with the fact that you are not only an attorney but a business owner as well, so it is up to you to bring in consistent clientele. You have to also become comfortable with the fact that this is not a traditional job, and there will be days, maybe weeks where you will. not make any money. I have outsourced other income methods while building up my practice, including being a bar study coach and being a document review attorney. There is no hourly pay, and your gross income is not your net income, be prepared to pay taxes and figure out what you are actually able to use as tax write-offs.

If a person is interested in starting their own firm, I recommend having a business background, such as a business degree, and being great at marketing and money management. These factors will play a critical role in the success of being a solo practitioner.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am originally from a small town known as Fort Wayne, Indiana. My great-grandmother migrated to Fort Wayne during the Great Migration from Marion, Alabama. My great-grandmother, prior to her passing, played a critical part in my childhood and raising me, as my grandmother suffered from drug addiction, and my mother was an eighteen year old teenage parent when she gave birth to me. Unfortunately, at the time, my father was incarcerated until I was a bit older, so my childhood was a bit different, but I appreciate every sacrifice made for me to become successful by my family members.

I was always considered gifted, and placed in higher grade courses throughout elementary school. As a middle school and high school student, I remained an honor student, and found myself interested in becoming a criminal defense attorney. Although I never knew an attorney throughout my younger years, I was determined that becoming an attorney would be the only path I would take.

I graduated from Indiana University in 2016 with a bachelors in Criminal Justice and two minors in Sociology and African Diaspora Studies. I found. myself extremely unhappy in Indiana. I wanted to attend an HBCU in a large city for law school, and without knowing anyone, I packed my bags and moved to Houston, Texas in 2017, where I would attend Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. In law school my interests changed, and I became interested in becoming a business/sports and personal injury attorney.

Today, I offer services to athletes, business owners, and personal injury clients. I work really hard to get my clients the results they expect. I am up most days at 5 am and finishing work around 7 pm, to ensure the work is done properly and in a timely fashion. My services consist of contract drafting, negotiating, business formations, trademark filings, and the handling of car accidents and slips and falls. For those interested in working with me, I just want them to know that I will do my best to satisfy their goals and needs.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Social media has helped me build my reputation with my market. I use numerous platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Continuously creating content is a bit of a challenge, but once I noticed it played a major role in bringing in clientele and helping me profit as a business owner, I became even more serious about it.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

My advice for managing a team and maintaining high morale is COMMUNICATION. I have weekly meetings with each of my interns. Not only do we discuss business but we discuss how they are maintaining mentally and emotionally throughout life and as law students as well, which is extremely important in affecting how they will perform as interns. Being more than just an employer, and establishing a solid relationship with each of your team members can take your business a long way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thejllawfirm.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/attorneyjaywalker/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-JL-Law-Firm-LLC/100075805430360/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jelicia-walker-937923b2/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/_AttorneyJay
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-jl-law-firm-houston
• Other: https://linktr.ee/thejllawfirm

Image Credits
Photos taken by Garion Briggs. Instagram: iam.noirag