In the last Benchers' Advisory, I likened lawyers operating self-directed practices to pilots flying solo. I noted that many soloists practise completely on their own, but a large number practise in cost-sharing arrangements and small partnerships.
Lawyers flying in formation usually have diverse styles.
The criminal lawyer rolls and attacks in a Hurricane, the conveyancer purrs along in a Piper Cub, the wills and estates lawyer putters about in a Sopwith Camel, and the corporate-commercial lawyer cruises around in a Lear jet. In a small law office, everyone gets to be a wing commander. It is not like the Air Force, where each pilot in a formation moves on command, respecting appropriate distances and relying on the others to make expected moves at expected times. Small cost-sharing arrangements and partnerships tend to fly deeper and deeper into the storm clouds, until eventually they are blown apart. The chief benefit of flying solo is independence .