Small Law Firms, Solo Practitioners

Why HGTV Stars Chip And Joanna Gaines Can Help Solve The Lawyer Shortage In Middle America

What lawyers can learn from HGTV.

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bp_hfxup202h_bts_hosts-chip-and-joanna-gaines_portrait_474438-1043986-jpg-rend-hgtvcom-1280-960Up until a few weeks ago, when controversy over their views on LGTB marriage spilled over into my Facebook feed, I’d never even heard of Chip and Joanna Gaines, the married stars of Fixer Upper, HGTV’s wildly popular home renovation TV show. For a decade, the couple owned and operated a home-flipping business as well as an interior design store that, while locally acclaimed, wasn’t well-known outside of their small hometown of Waco, Texas. Until HGTV plucked the Gaineses from obscurity after viewing photos of Joanna’s designs on a blog.

In my view, it’s unlikely that the Gaineses would have enjoyed the same local success that eventually lead to their discovery if they’d moved to a big city like Houston, as they’d considered after their business started to take off. There, they would have faced increased competition and higher costs, and wouldn’t have enjoyed the same hometown support that they experienced in Waco. So they decided to stay and make an impact locally.

The Gaineses story should inspire lawyers struggling to build a practice, or simply tired of the Biglaw rat race to consider relocating to a rural area or small town to start a law firm. Opportunities already exist — as NPR recently reported, the lawyer shortage in some parts of rural America has reached epic proportions. With a reduced cost of living, possible backing of a number of state bar rural support programs and less competition, lawyers increase their chance for success as the big fish in the small pond.

While many lawyers never consider rural practice for personal reasons — such as lack of job opportunities for a spouse or distance from family members who depend on them for assistance — others fear that a rural practice consigns them to a career of tiny-law cases and obscurity. But the Gaineses experience shows that it doesn’t have to be that way. Working in a small town gives lawyers the chance to make a larger impact on the judicial system in small communities – hardly a trivial accomplishment. Meanwhile, the Internet and social media offer daily opportunities to leverage local notoriety for national fame. After all, if an ordinary local couple can go from smalltown business owners to big time TV stars, anything’s possible — even for lawyers.

Carolyn ElefantCarolyn Elefant has been blogging about solo and small firm practice at MyShingle.comsince 2002 and operated her firm, the Law Offices of Carolyn Elefant PLLC, even longer than that. She’s also authored a bunch of books on topics like starting a law practice, social media, and 21st century lawyer representation agreements (affiliate links). If you’re really that interested in learning more about Carolyn, just Google her. The Internet never lies, right? You can contact Carolyn by email at [email protected]or follow her on Twitter at @carolynelefant.

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