The promise of holding his own destiny in his hands led Doida to solo practice.
This week, Stan Doida Jr. will celebrate the second anniversary of Doida Law LLC, his solo law practice. He has been a regular fixture at LawBank since about six months after launching his business – he was the second lawyer to sign a lease for office space here.
His father, a dentist, was a business owner, and Doida knew by his second or third year of law school that he wanted to go into business for himself eventually.
Stan Doida Jr. is celebrating the second anniversary of his independent law practice
“I wanted to hold my own destiny in my hands,” he said.
Doida started his career in 2006 and chose to work with some of the largest and most prestigious law firms in Colorado to hone his skills as a lawyer prior to venturing out on his own in 2012.
“I needed that time at the law firms for great training,” he said.
One downside to working as an associate at a larger firm, according to Doida, was the expectation that he would be a jack-of-all-trades, and he had to spend a lot of time working on cases outside his main areas of interest. However, that work gave him the opportunity to figure out what he really enjoyed, which helped him determine the focus of his future solo practice.
“Before, whatever my boss plopped on my desk, I did,” he said.
Now, he has the ability to turn away work that doesn’t fit within his main scope of business: general corporate law for small- and medium-sized businesses, mergers and acquisitions, and private placement offerings.
When his business started to grow, Doida said he was ready for full-time office space, and he eventually chose LawBank because he “wanted to start off with low overhead, but provide a professional environment for clients.”
He had worked with LawBank partner Jay Kamlet in the past, which is how he first heard of the co-working and shared office space the company offered. Doida leases one of LawBank’s private offices.
In addition to the professional appearance LawBank provides, Doida likes that the space affords him the amenities, such as a receptionist and office equipment, he said are “the same quality I had at larger firms.”
He also likes the flexibility in lease terms, which he says is a comfort to a new business owner, and he enjoys the proximity of other law professionals. He has been able to collaborate with other LawBank members on some cases and discuss business and legal issues with them.
LawBank offers “opportunities to grow with the community and with the people here,” said Doida. “It’s a great opportunity to become a better lawyer.”
To other lawyers considering a move into solo practice, he offers this advice: “There’s a difference between the business of a law firm and the job of a lawyer – you may only have half the equation.”
He said solo lawyers are more likely to be successful if they treat their practices like businesses, and that should include a business plan and marketing strategies.
To learn more about Stan Doida Jr. and other LawBank members, visit our directory.
