Law Grads Blazing Their Own Trails

Law firms nationwide shed jobs or delayed hiring during the recent recession and glacially slow economic recovery, while law schools continued turning out graduates at pre-recession rates.

The result, those on the front lines say, is too many lawyers vying for too few jobs. So some enterprising recent University of Arkansas School of Law grads are taking matters into their own hands, striking out on their own as sole practitioners or teaming with a colleague to form a small firm.

Josh Mostyn and Will Prettyman chose the latter path, setting up shop in Rogers last November as Mostyn Prettyman PLLC. After graduating from the UA law school in May, the friends — like most of their classmates — sent resumes “everywhere we could possibly think of,” Mostyn said.

But they found that few firms were hiring, and those that had openings were seeking associates with at least five years of experience.

“The pool of attorneys that graduated without jobs or without the ideal job is a lot higher than it normally is,” Prettyman said, “so when something opens up, it is a feeding frenzy.”

Then one day last summer, the two happened to be on campus at the same time and ran into one of their law professors. He asked where they were working, and they started explaining how extremely competitive the job market was.

“He said, ‘Why don’t you just open a law practice together?’” Mostyn said. “We said, ‘Yeah, right,’ and he said, ‘No, seriously, I think you guys would make it.’”

The seed was planted, and in another month or so, the friends were giving the idea serious consideration. Another friend offered them office space in exchange for occasional legal help, and their course was set.

 

Starting from Scratch

Their surroundings aren’t glamorous. The building that houses Mostyn Prettyman is also home to a recycling business, sandwiched between a tire store and a consignment shop on an industrial stretch of West Hudson Road.

But the office itself reflects a labor of love, with fresh paint in a warm, light yellow shade that picks up the tones of the inlaid hardwood floor they were lucky enough to find beneath layers of splattered paint and drywall mud.

It’s a comfortable, inviting space large enough to easily hold both partners’ desks. And that’s a set-up they especially appreciate.

Mostyn, 33, and Prettyman, 29, met in law school, where, they say, they sat together in the back row of classes and entertained those around them with their “snarky” comments about the law.

Opposites in many ways, they say they complement each other well and value being able to discuss cases and draw on the strengths each brings to the partnership.

Prettyman said word of mouth has helped the most in building their client base, along with referrals from more established attorneys who either don’t have time to handle a particular case or don’t practice that particular area of law.

Mostyn said networking — with other attorneys as well as the general business community — brings in clients. He’s also working to build their online presence, and said they were lucky to have nabbed the Web address arklawyers.com.

And though they joke their file cabinets are stocked with ramen noodles, the partners aren’t saddled with astronomical student loan debt. Graduates from many law schools can end up owing $100,000 or more for that newly minted degree.

But Mostyn and Prettyman said tuition at the UA law school is among the lowest in the nation, and “as far as bang for your buck goes, the University of Arkansas is a great school,” Mostyn added. “They have great professors, and in-state tuition is really low.”

 

By the Numbers

In fact, tuition at the UA law school is the second lowest among Southeastern Conference schools — the University of Mississippi’s is the lowest — at only about $12,000 a year for in-state residents, said Andy Albertson, a spokesman for the UA law school.

Stacy Leeds, the school’s dean, said Arkansas law firms didn’t experience the same employment highs and lows over the last few years as those in other parts of the country, though she concedes the job market has been tight for young Arkansas lawyers.

Nationally, she said, about 9 percent of associates were laid off between 2008 and 2011, and many firms delayed starting employment for new hires. Also, she said, hiring levels for the class of 2011 hit a near-historic low of 85.6 percent — the lowest since 1994.

But Leeds said the downward trend has bottomed out and the job market for lawyers will recover, though not to pre-recession levels.

Helping that recovery is reduced enrollment at many law schools, including the UA, she said. The school had 162 graduates in 2005; 139 in 2007; and 131 in 2012.

Albertson said the school had 1,504 applicants in 2010 — a record number — but enrolled only 138 first-year students that year.

Leeds said recent graduates improve their chances of finding work if they remain flexible regarding location and areas of practice. Rural areas can also present opportunities for lawyers just starting out, she said.

That’s what Craig Parker, another 2012 UA law school grad, discovered when, fed up with the crowded job market, he decided to open a practice close to home in Elkins.

 

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Parker, 33, didn’t plan on becoming an entrepreneur.

After years as a legal secretary, his dream during law school was to someday practice criminal law as a defense attorney or prosecutor. But after applying for such a job in Benton County, he learned about 50 lawyers had applied for the same position.

“There simply are not as many positions as there are attorneys,” he said.

With a family to support and wanting to stay in the area, Parker started contemplating a solo practice. There were no lawyers in Elkins, he said, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized he wanted to serve the community he lives in.

The biggest challenge he’s run into is his lack of experience starting and running a business, he said.

“One of the things I’m imagining bad markets do is it encourages people who would never have considered being an entrepreneur,” he said. While the UA law school does offer classes on topics like opening a solo practice or business management, Parker said,
“people have to have the foresight to take that. I didn’t.”

Still, having only been in business since Jan. 28, Parker said his practice is growing. He’s finding cases through referrals from family members, word of mouth and from introducing himself to others in the community.

Parker said he feels fortunate to have found an affordable office, complete with built-in bookcases and a desk, and that the community as a whole has been very welcoming.

Unlike Parker, Erin Sudduth knew while still in law school she wanted to either practice solo or form a small practice.

“I had prior business experience where I worked completely on commission, and I really liked the fact that the harder I worked, the bigger my paycheck was,” she said. “And there wasn’t anyone standing over my shoulder saying you have to take this deal or this case.”

Another May graduate of the UA law school, Sudduth, 32, learned in late August she had passed the bar exam. On officially becoming a licensed attorney in early September, “I hit the ground running at that point,” she said.

Sudduth had clerked during law school for a two-attorney firm in downtown Fayetteville, and when one of the partners left, the remaining partner agreed to rent her the extra office.

“Even though we’re not in practice together, it’s nice to be near someone with more experience,” she said.

Aside from her rented office, she started out with about $70 worth of business cards and few connections in the area, she said. So she’s building her clientele through referrals from attorneys she knows and a bit of marketing she’s done.

But Sudduth said integrity and a personal touch are key to getting and keeping clients.

“In addition to being a good attorney, my goal is to provide good customer service to my clients,” she said. “It’s the way I’d want to be treated, and people are paying me their hard-earned money for my representation.

“And word of mouth is absolutely the best way to get your name out there. You can advertise or network with other attorneys, both of which are good, but if one client personally recommends you to someone, that’s the absolute, gold standard, best thing to have.”