How to open a law firm: from registration to personnel selection. Ready-made business plan for a legal services company with detailed calculations Opening a law firm

You have firmly decided that you will create your own legal business, you have theoretically and morally prepared for possible difficulties in the initial stages, you have prepared start-up capital... But if you are opening your own business for the first time, then you are still not immune from making banal mistakes that most beginners go through entrepreneurs.

You shouldn't make mistakes based on personal experience. Use our tips on how to start a legal business from scratch and what mistakes to avoid.

So, what not to do in the first stages, if you don’t want to kill your nascent business:

1. Rent an office immediately
   

   Office space is, of course, respectable and business-like. But these are significant additional costs. At the first stage, when you do not yet have an established customer base, such expenses are simply not advisable. You don’t want to work to pay office rent or even at a disadvantage? Moreover, the lack of an office can even be turned into a competitive advantage by offering clients a specialist to travel to a place convenient for them.

2. Invest in marketing without developing a strategy
   

   It’s good if, before registering an individual entrepreneur or organization, you carefully thought through your business development strategy for at least a year in advance. Then you only need to stick to the plan, directing all resources to its implementation. But if you are still in search of a suitable organizational form, business model, specialization - in a word, you have not yet planned what and how you will do and what goal you will achieve through year - do not invest in marketing. There is a 90% chance that this will be a waste of money. In the first stages, you need to rationally use free and low-cost methods of attracting customers.

3. Engage in a large number of services and work with everyone
   

   Would you trust your health to a cardiologist who works part-time as a dentist three days a week and replaces the surgeon during operations on weekends? Would you send your child to a tutor who teaches geography, algebra, chemistry, French and singing?
   No? What is doubtful about these examples? The fact that you cannot be an expert in everything at the same time! And a lawyer is, in fact, the same generalized concept as “doctor” or “teacher”. The client needs an expert in the area of ​​concern for him, and not a “general specialist”. In addition, scattering across all categories of clients and areas of law will in any case negatively affect the quality of your services.

It's important to understand that at the heart of all these errors there is one problem - a lawyer who is just starting his business is ready to attract “at least some” clients at any cost and take on every task. In fact, from the first days you should strive not to ensure that clients choose you, but to ensure that you can freely choose only good clients for yourself.

How to start legal business from scratch : step by step plan

Below we offer you a step-by-step plan for building a legal business.

Question how to open a law firm This question is usually asked by lawyers who are tired of working for hire. Although, in order to open such a company, it is not at all necessary to be a lawyer. This activity is not licensed and any person can register a company. The exception is defense services in criminal proceedings - this requires the status of a lawyer.

For the stable operation of a law firm, the manager must first of all be a successful businessman, but he may not be a lawyer. The manager must be able to attract clients and select qualified legal personnel.

Organizations engaged in the provision of legal services have the right to use the simplified taxation system (STS). Let me remind you that with this taxation system there can be two rates:

6%, if the object of taxation is income,

15% if the object of taxation is income reduced by the amount of expenses.

Most law firms in our country specialize in providing services for registration, re-registration and liquidation of legal entities. This is explained not only by the fact that this is one of the most popular services, but also by the low barriers to entry into the market. This work does not require legal qualifications and, accordingly, personnel costs are minimal. To operate such a company, two people are enough, even without higher education. But this type of activity is becoming less and less profitable due to fierce competition and dumping by large players like Registrar.

Narrow specialization provides some advantages, but also imposes serious limitations. In my opinion, a more competent legal business should be built on a wide range of services, where company registration would be only one of the types of services. The most interesting area of ​​activity in terms of income is b2b (Business to Business) - servicing legal entities. Here the competition is already lower, especially in the small business sector. Large businesses prefer to use the services of foreign consulting companies.

Therefore, before opening a law firm, you need to have a plan for the future and decide on a strategy. If we focus on the growth and expansion of the list of legal services, then this already requires qualified lawyers. Many legal entity registration firms have realized that they have reached the ceiling within their narrow specialization and are expanding their range of services. This is easier to implement than starting from scratch, immediately offering a wide range of legal services, which requires significant investments

It’s easier for a lawyer in this regard. He has the opportunity to start a legal business from scratch and without investment. As I did with my partners, I built up a client base while working for hire, and only then opened an official account and registered the company. But I started by providing services only for individuals and individual entrepreneurs. And only after the official opening it began to focus on legal entities.

What expenses are required to start? I’ll reveal the figures for my office, although this is far from an indicator.

The initial costs were as follows (prices in Moscow):

There was already a registered LLC, so there were no expenses for this item. And so registering an LLC will cost an average of 20-30 thousand rubles, of which 10,000 - 15,000 rubles cost the legal address. If you register yourself, you can save about 10,000 rubles.

Furniture and office equipment – ​​50-60 thousand rubles.

Rent and repairs – 60 thousand rubles.

Other expenses (telephone, Internet, software) – 30-40 thousand rubles.

In our case, there was no need to hire lawyers, since we were specialists ourselves. And so you should expect that the minimum salary for a lawyer in Moscow is 30-40 thousand rubles (the level of qualifications is a separate issue).

We also need a secretary, but for the first couple of months we didn’t bother. And then they hired a person who worked from home: took calls and made appointments. When we were in the office, we sometimes switched the phone to ourselves and took calls ourselves. Technically, this is easy to organize. You can, of course, rent a professional call center, but this is necessary when there is really a flurry of calls, and a self-organized virtual secretary is not inferior in quality if everything is done correctly. The asking price is 7,000 rubles per month. Call center services – 11,000 rubles one-time and 9,000 rubles monthly, i.e. it’s still two to three times cheaper than hiring a secretary for an office and organizing a workplace.

There’s no point in talking about an accountant - definitely outsourcing (incoming accountant). We have a simplified taxation system and, accordingly, simple accounting. Services cost 2500-5000 rubles per quarter, depending on the amount of work.

In total, about 200 thousand rubles were spent at the start in the first month. We reached the break-even point in the second month, but this is thanks to the existing customer base and current orders.

It should be borne in mind that we did not use the classical scheme for organizing a company, which allows us to significantly reduce costs, which will be discussed below. Therefore, when calculating a regular business plan, these figures must be multiplied three times, and when the enterprise reaches payback depends on the skill of the manager.

The scheme of work we implemented is as follows. Initially, orders were fulfilled entirely by ourselves. Over time, we expanded the list of services through our affiliate network. This is a criminal lawyer, realtor, auditor, registrar and others. The most difficult thing is to find a conscientious specialist who provides quality customer service, otherwise your reputation may suffer. And you can always agree on a partnership, since this is a mutually beneficial cooperation.

Of course, this is one possible option for order execution. I am only describing my personal experience and my path to organizing an office.

This type of organization provides the following advantages:

Minimum costs (rent, salary, etc.);

High quality of services, control over which is not required, since each partner cares about his reputation;

Income is proportional to expenses, resistance to seasonal lull;

Mobility and flexibility in choosing a room.

The main advantage of this approach is that the best price/quality ratio for the service is established.

The classic version of a law firm involves renting a substantial premises and a staff of lawyers and assistants. I see serious disadvantages in this option:

Significant rental costs (especially relevant in Moscow);

More stringent conditions in choosing premises;

Constantly high wage costs, regardless of seasonality;

Other costs also increase significantly (organization and maintenance of workplaces, more complex accounting,

It is more difficult to select personnel than a partner, since a hired employee is a dark horse, and a private specialist or company has an established reputation. In addition, it is more difficult to change an employee than a partner;

Less job stability due to staff turnover;

The quality of services is worse; in-house lawyers do not care about their reputation;

Spending time and effort on monitoring execution and working with staff.

We will still come to this option over time. But in order to maintain the level of quality at such costs, it will be necessary to significantly increase prices, which means entering into tougher competition. Or a huge number of orders are needed, which will allow maintaining the price/quality level by reducing margins.

Reading time 10 minutes

and many entrepreneurs dream of bringing it to prosperity, but few succeed. The success of a business depends not only on the professional level of employees, but also on the organizational talent of the company’s leader, the effectiveness of the advertising campaign and the ability to work with clients.

Below we will look at the specifics of the activities of law firms, assess the development prospects in this market segment, and also give a detailed answer to the question: “What does it take to open a law firm?”

Main activities

Law firms work in several areas:

1. Consulting for individuals. Private individuals need both advice and representation of their interests in courts and other government agencies.
2. Irregular consulting of legal entities. Any company operates within the legal framework of the state, therefore at all stages of development it needs legal support. Consulting may concern both registration and obtaining permits, business relations with partners, interaction with government agencies and institutions.
3. Continuous service under contract terms. The law firm regularly provides assistance in resolving personnel issues, interaction with partners and government agencies.
4. Regular services for individuals and enterprises under individual contracts. Legal support for VIP clients with special needs brings the greatest income.

Before opening a company, it is also necessary to determine the list of services in demand. Most often, law firms carry out:

• consulting for private clients;
• legal advice on registration issues;
• representation of individuals and legal entities in government institutions;
• drafting contracts;
• examination and assistance in drawing up various documents;
• consultations on all legal aspects of the company’s activities;
• protection of client interests in court cases.

Business registration

The law does not prohibit an entrepreneur from freely choosing a legal form, but an individual entrepreneur is of little use for a law firm. Therefore, the best option would be to register an LLC. Registration of a limited liability company is associated with the following costs:

• authorized capital (from 10,000 rubles);
• registration of a legal address (if it is impossible to rent a separate premises (from 5,000 to 15,000 rubles);
• certification of documents by a notary (about 1,300 rubles);
• state duty (4,000 rubles);
• printing production (1,000 rubles);
• opening a bank account (up to 2,000 rubles).

The name of the enterprise must briefly contain information about the organizational and legal form and, in some cases, the direction of activity.

You can obtain a legal address using one of three options:

• rent or purchase of premises;
• buy a legal address from another company that provides such LLC services;
• registration of an LLC at the home address of the founder.

After this, you must indicate the OKEVD codes of the enterprise. For a law firm, this is 74.1 Legal, accounting and auditing activities. Then, we resolve the issue with the authorized capital. Authorized capital in accordance with clause 2 of Art. 66.2 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation of September 2014 can only be contributed in money.

After this, it is necessary to hold a meeting of the founders and prepare a document on the decision to create an LLC, or prepare a decision of the sole founder. After this, you should draw up the company’s charter and proceed directly to the following stages of registration:

• draw up an application for registration in form P11001;
• we pay the state fee;
• choose a taxation system (the best option would be the simplified tax system with a rate of 15%);
• submit the collected documents.

Premises and equipment

Despite the fact that you can open a law firm without renting premises, the presence of an office will undoubtedly affect the prestige of the enterprise. Since the provision of legal services is not associated with any material and technological processes, a small room with an area of ​​about 50-100 sq. m will be enough.

Since the company's office becomes its face, it is necessary to seriously consider its interior. Beautiful office furniture, an elegant conference table and a comfortable place to wait in line for a consultation - all these seemingly insignificant little things together will create a positive impression on visitors. Locations should also be chosen carefully. The presence of transport interchanges and hubs near the office can play a decisive role in choosing a law firm. To get started, just a few sets of office furniture and a complete renovation are enough.

Company employees

If the founders of the company have a legal education, then at first they can provide services independently, but as the business develops, it is necessary to staff the staff with the following positions:

• highly qualified lawyer;
• lawyer working with individuals;
• lawyer working with legal entities;
• secretary;
• legal consultant;
• courier;
• accountant.

The courier position does not require full-time work, so students can be hired.

To conduct notarial and advocacy activities, it is necessary to hire employees with the appropriate status and licenses (Part 3 of the Federal Law “On Notaries”, the Federal Law “On Advocacy and the Bar in the Russian Federation” and the Federal Law “On Licensing of Certain Types of Activities”).

How to establish a company's activities

In such cases, step-by-step instructions would be helpful, but since the success of legal activity depends on many specific circumstances, only general recommendations can be given. There are many promising areas in the world of legal services, but in the current socio-political situation only some of them become particularly relevant.

Today the following services are of particular interest:

1. consultations and support of enforcement proceedings;
2. consultations and assistance in the field of organization and execution of construction work;
3. compulsion to pay debts by legal methods;
4. consulting foreign citizens;
5. legal assistance in obtaining work permits, residence permits and citizenship;
6. assistance in appealing decisions of law enforcement agencies.

It is necessary to develop the company's activities gradually. First, you should determine the circle of potential clients who will allow you to gain momentum and reach an acceptable level of income for the enterprise. Most entrepreneurs would like to immediately reach the level of cooperation with VIP clients, but, as a rule, this niche is already occupied, and breaking into such a market is very difficult. Therefore, it is better to start your business with legal services to individuals, and as your business develops, increase your staff and diversify the range of services. In any case, success will require careful study of the legal services market and the experience of competitors.

It is best to set your opening hours based on the operating hours of other companies. The comfort of visitors is no less important than the professionalism of the company’s employees, so it is necessary to ensure that visitors do not get bored while waiting for their turn.

Search for clients and advertising campaign

After resolving the basic issues related to registration, equipment of office space, recruitment of staff and organization of the company’s activities, it is necessary to start searching for clients. Forming a client base in a highly competitive environment is one of the most difficult tasks that a new entrepreneur faces. In such cases, it is advised to start by actively offering your own services to potential clients among legal entities, as well as disseminating information among friends.

Sooner or later the understanding comes that without a well-thought-out advertising campaign it is almost impossible to achieve success in this business. Therefore, when answering the question about the cost of opening a law firm, it is necessary to take into account the cost of advertising, which can sometimes significantly exceed all other initial costs.

In the age of information technology development, an extremely important component of any business activity is a thoughtful presentation of the company in the Internet space. A pleasant and functional website will become a key link in online promotion. For promotion, tools such as SEO website optimization and contextual advertising are used.

SEO optimization of a website allows you to increase its position in the search rankings by increasing the degree of compliance of website materials with search queries, as well as improving the functionality of the website. After this work, the site will be easier to find for potential clients.

Contextual advertising services Google Adwords and Yandex Direct allow you to conduct effective advertising campaigns in affiliate networks. The undoubted advantage of contextual advertising is the ability to display an ad only to the target audience, and also to pay not for the process, but for the result of the campaign. A noticeable increase in the flow of new clients can be noticed already at the end of the first month.

Another way to attract new clients- participation in the work of free legal consultation services. Specialists involved in the service can leave their contact information to users who may later become clients of the company.

Organizing trainings and seminars for legal entities brings good results. Managers and heads of departments willingly take part in various events that help improve their qualification level. Professional presentation and favorable presentation of your services allows you to gain regular customers.

Cold calling tactics are also used to expand the customer base. The size of many companies does not allow them to open their own legal department, but this does not eliminate the need for consulting in the process of business. This type of service can be provided under a contract, or in exchange for advertising among business partners. At the beginning of a business, such methods allow you to quickly gain new clientele.

And, of course, a significant factor in the promotion of the company is the high quality of the services provided. Satisfied customers will make free advertising among their friends.

Business plan

Beginning businessmen most often ask the question: « How much does it cost to open a law firm from scratch? By drawing up a clear business plan, you can foresee financial costs and income in the first months of the company’s activities.

So, Start-up costs will consist of three components:

• registration costs (about 20,000 rubles);
• costs for renting equipment and office (10,000-70,000 rubles);
• wage fund (depends on the level of qualifications and the number of employees and is about 300,000-400,000 rubles, and 0 - if you start working alone);
• cost of an advertising campaign (from 50,000 to 100,000 rubles and above, and 200-1000 rubles - if you start working through an affiliate program).

Thus, the start-up costs for the implementation of this business project are in the range of 30,000-100,000 rubles. Profit will depend on the number of clients, employee salaries, and the cost of services.