About
I founded Solo in Chicago on July 28, 2005, just three months after opening my very own legal services business (Yep, in Chicago). I owe debts of gratitude to some of the great small firm lawyer blogs that inspired me to start on this life-changing journey: MyShingle, The Greatest American Lawyer, and the [non] billable hour. I hope that SIC can be a useful resource for you as you build your legal services business, and, even more that it might be an uplifting community where you can meet like-minded professionals and share your story.
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Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.
PO
peter@soloinchicago.com
Who is Peter Olson?
1974-1992
I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, USA on May 23, 1974 to parents Roy & Beth Olson and was raised in Glenview, Illinois for the first 18 years of my life. I’d describe Glenview as a rather non-descript but quite nice upper-middle class northern suburb of Chicago…a great place to grow up with excellent schools.
My dad was an old school political and sports journalist at Chicago’s American and later a public relations consultant to various political candidates and later the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Illinois Department of Transportation (he’s written a book about his experiences, mostly in politics including his interactions with Presidents Nixon & Regan). My mom was a varying times an elementary school teacher, nursery school teacher, and remains active in Community Bible Study.
I attended all of the Glenview public schools (Lyon, Pleasant Ridge, Springman, and Glenbrook South High School) and thoroughly enjoyed a childhood, mostly dominated by my participation in competitive sports and music lessons (violin & trumpet). My photo remains buried somewhere on GBS’ Athletic Wall of Fame. The impact of an athletic upbringing remains with me to this day both good and bad (and I don’t just mean the surgical scar on my knee). The good: I’m extremely competitive and enjoy working hard which CAN be wonderful attributes especially now, in the courtroom setting. The bad: I’m extremely competitive and need high-pressure competitive situations to be fulfilled and get a tad bored outside of those sorts of situations (unfortunately being the majority of life’s moments). And one unique claim to fame was being a member of a high school state championship horticulture team in 1992.
1992-1996
Upon high school graduation in June of 1992 I enrolled as a freshman at Winona State University in the lovely Mississippi river town of Winona, Minnesota. What a fun time of life! College was a great time of getting outside my narrow suburban world and renewing my academic and athletic focus. I actually got a partial football scholarship to WSU and played about 2 1/2 seasons before the third in a series of biennial knee surgeries ended my football playing for the mighty Warriors. The end of my football playing days allowed me to transition into a couple of new interests: Student Senate and a choral/drama group called Koinonia. I majored in Social Science Education and had every intention of teaching high school social studies and likely coaching a few sports. I completed my student teaching in inner-city Saint Paul, Minnesota at Humboldt High School…what a great teaching experience in a diverse neighborhood. I was graduated magna cum laude in May 1996.
In retrospect if I have one regret regarding college it was being too narrowly focused on a specific career path rather than seeking more broad experiences (like those semesters abroad or different possible career fields) that might have satisfied my different curiosities while still in college…rather than continuing that search for the next 10+ years…
1996-1999
My first job after college was teaching high school social studies and coaching football and wrestling at Limestone Community High School in Bartonville, Illinois (just south of Peoria) and I lived in Peoria. This year was by far the busiest and most draining of my life. Putting together all those lesson plans for the first time was hard work! But it was a real fun year having my first real job and living on my own away from the Chicago area. Surprisingly I enjoyed Peoria with its low cost of living and manageable size. Yet I resigned my teaching job during the summer of 1997 and moved to the Washington, D.C. area.
I just wasn’t ready at age 23 to really commit to a career for the long-term and had many curiosities yet to pursue. One of which was spending some time in our nation’s capital. I was and am a political junkie and thought this was the perfect time to explore things “Inside the Beltway.”
I moved to Alexandria, Virginia in January 1998 (just days before our country would discover a woman named Monica Lewinsky) and completed a semester long, paid internship at the progressive Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Next, I worked as a journalist with CD Publications in Silver Spring, Maryland covering the federal budget and its impact on various human services sectors such as education, healthcare, and housing. I had my White House and Congressional media credentials and loved my time as part of the Washington media. My biggest interview was with of a recently retired Senator Robert Dole. As a lover of the outdoors and even more a history buff, Alexandria was an absolutely wonderful place to live. Mountains and oceans within an hour, tons of green space, wonderful public transportation, U.S. history around every corner, and great times at First Baptist of Alexandria (and that Living Christmas Tree).
And yet (surprise, surprise) I wasn’t quite ready to settle down. But what to do next? Somehow, seemingly through osmosis and the fact that I think there are more lawyers per capita in D.C. than anywhere in the world I thought, hmmm, why not give law school a shot. So I took my LSAT at George Mason University and started applying to law schools back in Illinois so I could launch my political star back on my home turf.
1999-2002
I began my legal education at Southern Illinois University School of Law (SIU) in September 1999 in beautiful Southern Illinois. I really enjoyed my three years at SIU and would recommend it to most anyone for law school. It’s a smallish law school (my graduating class had about 110 students) amidst a large university (25,000 students) located in a beautiful geographic region filled with wonderful opportunities for outdoor activities. Plus, at least in the law school realm it’s a good value. I graduated with just under $50,000 in law school debt.
I really enjoyed the day-to-day of law school and didn’t find it particularly uncomfortable due to any pressure. I was 25 my first year of law school so I sort of fit in nicely between the people who had come straight from college and the older non-traditional students, plus formed some good professor relationships likely since I viewed them more as peers. I formed so many wonderful friendships during law school and on a business level many of these classmates have become great referral sources over the years.
My best and most practically enjoyable experience during law school was my participation in SIU’s Elder Law Clinic. It influenced me towards a shift in plans to a smaller practice environment and helping real, individual clients. The clinic serves elderly persons in like the 20 southernmost counties in Illinois in various civil legal matters. It was quite fun exploring some of those smallish counties, appearing in court there as a 711 student, and really getting practical skills and forms and such that assist me to this day.
I was graduated in May 2002 and took the July 2002 bar exam in Chicago. Can I say something you might find strange, I really enjoyed the bar exam! (See my love of high pressure situations above) I didn’t enjoy the boring summer of study and gaining like 15 pounds because I was sitting around for seven hours per day but the two day exam itself was fun. One of my good friends stayed up with me in Chicago and we got driven downtown on the two test mornings. And then once it was over it was just a fun party time with classmates up in the city. What bothered me about the bar exam was if you passed that’s all you learned…tell me my score!
2002-2005
Since you’re reading Solo in Chicago, you might find it interesting that I really planned on starting a solo practice right out of law school. I remember printing out stacks of documents and articles near the end of law school to help me start my practice and also peppering my clinical professors with questions. Additionally, I set-up several meetings with different lawyers I knew mainly just to pick their brains about career ideas and the business of law. Well, long story short, one of these people I met with suggested I come and work for him and then take over his practice upon his retirement.
And that’s what I did working for an older sole practitioner in south suburban Olympia Fields, Illinois beginning in September 2002. My practice included representing condominium associations, general real estate, and family law. I had a fun year down there, getting to know a part of Chicagoland I had otherwise not come into much contact with. Further, I did meet my wonderful wife Regan there. 
However, there’s a reason why my work ended after one year. The gentleman and I had agreed up front that we would form an entity and then come to an agreement about a buyout. But after about a year’s time we couldn’t agree to the financial side of things and we went our separate ways. In retrospect we likely should have nailed some of these things down in advance but on the upside he was an excellent attorney and mentor that gave me a great start in the law. Contact me if you’re ever in that ‘buy a practice situation’ sometime.
Next I worked at Garr & Schlueter, Ltd. in northwest suburban Elk Grove Village, Illinois. I would describe the firm as a fairly typical suburban general practice with an emphasis on high-volume residential real estate transactions. I enjoyed my 18 months with them; it was convenient to where I lived and very nice people, just a tad to much emphasis on real estate closings which get a bit boring and repetitive after a while.
2005 to Present
I founded The Olson Law Firm, LLC in April 2005 with an office at 120 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois. As you’ll note above I had the “start a firm” bug for quite a while and the exact timing centered on the availability of a ‘space for services’ arrangement with a landlord/attorney. And this was a good set-up, with a convenient Chicago office and rent of 25 hours of legal work for my landlord each month (zero out-of-pocket rent). Sadly, this set-up ended after about six months as the lawyer/landlord thought he’d go to work for another firm and decided to re-rent the office space out.
And then for the dumbest decision I’ve made as a sole practitioner…
I spent the next two years leasing my own office down on South Wacker Drive, across the street from the Sears Tower. And that decision darn near sunk me. Dumb, dumb, dumb!
Finally, for the next couple years and currently I’ve practiced in various sorts of virtual office arrangements where my client meetings have been through places like My Office Suite or Regus and mail/phones have been handled by a third-party or some sort of P.O. Box with a virtual assistant answering/forwarding my telephone calls.
The Future
I wish I knew. Like many attorneys early in their legal careers I’ve had my share of enjoyment but surely also a good bit of frustration and discouragement. Legal advocacy can surely be meaningful work but not always the most pleasant time observing litigants at their lowest ebbs of life. I’ve surely made my practice more challenging at times by being a far from stupendous business person and not the greatest salesman. Take it from me, marketing and business management trump your legal skills by a mile when it comes to building a legal services business…I’ve finally figured that out.
I am passionate about bringing some light and hope to the often dark practice of family law (divorce, parentage, child custody and support, guardianships) and fighting against the discrimination of the free speech rights of Christians.
And I find myself gravitating ever more to my earlier passions of teaching and writing. This blog has been a wonderful blessing for those needs. Further, I’d hope to build an ever more full and lucrative presence as a national speaker at legal seminars and conferences. A separate division of my law practice devoted to the business of providing continuing legal education is also something that tweaks my fancy. And, I surely keep my eyes open for law school teaching positions as well.
Who knows exactly where things will end up…getting settled on a career that I am captivated and passionate about has been one of my greatest struggles.
