Practitioner Testimonial

Practitioner Michael Meehan

Michael Meehan knew that some day he wanted to have his own immigration practice. But it seemed to him that there were just too many obstacles in the road.

So instead of striking out on his own upon graduation from City University of New York School of Law in 1994, Meehan put his dream on hold and headed for someone else's firm as an immigration associate.

"How do you run a business? You never get direct answers in law school on this topic, just vague ideas," he says. "For instance, no one ever taught me how to buy a copier, how to collect a bill or what to charge for a service?" he adds.

Meehan is not alone in search of such practical answers. Every day solo practitioners look for other lawyers to turn to for support and guidance. Fortunately for Meehan, he found like-minded peers ready and willing to discuss these and other sensitive issues at a practitioner network run out of his alma mater. 

The practitioner networks, which were created at CUNY Law School, University of Maryland Law School, and Northeastern University Law School, are part of the Law School Consortium Project. The Project aims to increase access to justice by supporting law schools to expand their educational and institutional mission beyond graduation to include support and service to solo and small-firm practitioners who are committed to serving low and moderate-income individuals and communities.

A couple of years after Meehan cut his teeth at the firm, he set out on his own, opening his immigration practice in 1996. Currently practicing in Hicksville, Long Island, Meehan takes on deportation and asylum cases for a largely Central American community. 

Many of his clients are low-income families who do not qualify for free legal representation because they are employed. They are often just getting by, supporting themselves and their children on minimum wage salaries, and can not afford to pay large legal fees required by some immigration attorneys.

When such clients come to Meehan, he cuts his costs, works out a payment plan and reduces his retainer fee. Without Meehan, many of his clients would either remain in their difficult situations or represent themselves because they would not be able to afford a lawyer.

Meehan is determined to help the Central American community while at the same time build a viable practice. Although Meehan can not run a profitable business by taking on mostly pro bono work, he has been able to have success with "low bono" work, or charging the working poor reduced rates and collecting smaller fees up-front.

Although doing good while doing well is not easy, Meehan does see a light at the end of the tunnel. "It has taken me six years to round the corner with my business," says Meehan. In addition to time and effort, he attributes some of his success to the practitioner network.

"The network allows me to bounce ideas off of other members. Discussing the case law, facts and strategy with my network colleagues helps me think more clearly about the case," he adds. 

He is not only able to discuss substantive law with network peers but is able to get straight answers to his billing and other administrative woes. "All network members adapt to a no b.s. attitude. Any member will always help another member," says Meehan. 

As a result of the network, Meehan has expanded into other practice areas as well. For instance, after meeting some family law attorneys in the network, Meehan branched out into family law. Since many of his clients have divorce and custody questions tied to immigration issues, Meehan was not only able to grow his practice but to offer more services to his current clients. "I would not have considered going into family law if I did not meet other family law solos through the network," he says.

The network is designed to make a solo practitioner feel as if he is part of a large firm, points out Meehan. Instead of having colleagues down the hall, a member of the CUNY network has colleagues at the end of the telephone line or on email. "It is a great opportunity for camaraderie that you don't have as a solo," he says. "It provides a sense of community." 

Written by Victoria Rivkin, a freelance writer in New York City