After countless office visits and coversations with attorneys I have successfuly rented office space. I am renting space in the office building of a local attorney, Bill Vincent. The office is a perfect combination of an affordable space, good location and a helpful experienced attorney. The space is relatively modest but will fulfill all of my needs as a start up law firm.
My grandfather once told me that you should live close to where you work. I have taken that advice to heart as my new office is about a 10 minute drive from my home. Such a short commute is pretty rare in the Twin Cities. Many people spend 3o minutes to an hour driving to their work, each way!
The address of my office is 17736 Excelsior Blvd. Minnetonka, MN 55345. It is located near the intersection of highway 7 and 101 in the southwest corner of Minnetonka. I will have quick access to downtown Minneapolis as well as the western suburbs. One of the reasons why I like this location so much is the ample parking. Until I moved to the Twin Cities I had always taken parking for granted, but my law school education opened my eyes to the cost and annoyance of parking downtown. I think my clients will appreciate the free parking just feet from the building.
Renting the space was easy, but moving in to the office has proven to be another story. I am fortunate enough to have a good friend from law school (Brian Gray) available to help me move my newley purchased desk into the office. The desk was purchased through craigslist for a song and a dance. But little did I know the desk would not prove easy to move. That thing must weigh 250 pounds. On top of that the desk is actually two desks connected by a leaf, making a u shape. Once we broke down the desk in to its 3 primary parts the heavy lifting began. Being the proud male that I am I thought Brian and I could move it with ease, that was a mistake in judgment. After much consternation, sweating, grunting and effort we were able to move the desk in to my office. I am now of the opinion that I will have that desk as long as I rent the office as I do not wish to repeat the process of lugging that behemoth a second time. Without Brian I would likely be trapped underneath the monstrosity in the frigid winter of Minnesota.
Now that the furniture has been moved in I am turning to finalizing my bank accounts for my firm. Again a friend of mine was able to assist me in setting up my business checking account and IOLTA trust account for the firm. Andrew Zuidema of Wells Fargo made the process painless and easy. As soon as my malpractice insurance comes through all I have left to do is find clients.
Apparently clients do not just flock to a new law office all by themselves. I guess you have to let them know that you exist and how you can help them. To that end I will be meeting with a financial planner I met through a summer mens golf league to discuss the possibility of referrals. He is a great guy and has expressed an interest in working with an estate planner that he knows and trusts and I am to be that estate planner.
Even though this move in and planning process has been quite time consuming and has required a lot of effort it has proven to be both fun and exciting. The reality of what I am doing is finally hitting me. I am about to realize my dream of working for myself and fulfilling the needs of my clients all in one shot. From the onset of my legal training I have wanted to be the kind of attorney that clients are happy to engage. Estate planning should be a positive and empowering experience for clients. I look forward to clearing up the mystery of estate planning and assisting them in planning for their future with a personalized experience.
