By Stephanie Germani, Attorney at Law
It’s not surprising that Rachel Allums has a solo practice that focuses on estate planning. The Poway attorney not only planned the curriculum for her legal education, she was the only student.
Allums followed the original path to practicing law by completing an apprenticeship in lieu of a law degree as a prerequisite to taking the bar exam. This is the way that Abraham Lincoln and many other famed attorneys throughout U.S. history attained their law licenses.
“It was an undertaking,” Allums says of her four-year study plan. “I had to submit a curriculum to the state bar for approval, pass monthly exams given by my mentor, study a minimum of 18 hours a week, have 5 hours a week of supervised study, and pass the MPRE, moral character application, First Year Law Student’s Exam (baby bar) and bar exam—all the components of my education were identical (to a lawyer who attended traditional law school).”
Besides saving money by going the apprentice route (she spent only about $10,000 total on exams and study materials over the four-year period), Allums also got to spend precious time with her family. As a married mother of two who was already working as a paralegal, Allums says she chose the apprenticeship path because there was no other way she could carve out time for law school while raising her children and working.
Allums Law, APC
Beyond the support from her family on her legal journey, Allums chose attorney Jonathan P. Musgrove of Poway to apprentice under. The two now share an office suite and often collaborate.
“You have to have that right mentor to develop your plan and be there to support you as you complete it,” Allums says. “When I started my practice, my mentor was there and I could ask him anything, like what bank to use or how to manage a challenging issue with a client. I feel every new attorney should have that mentor experience; you’re going to ultimately be more successful for it.”
And while Allums didn’t have a network of other law students to seek support from, she had a network of other attorneys and community connections built over her two decades working in the legal field.
Before earning her law license in 2019, Allums was a legal secretary and paralegal for solo attorneys and small firms for more than 20 years in the areas of family law, unlawful detainer, and estate planning.
“I just found through all that, estate planning was where I was most valuable to the clients,” Allums says. “In estate planning, it’s so important to have all the right people in all the right places.”
Allums focuses on providing support and comfort to her clients as well as educating them about the estate planning process. Estate planning also offers her a creative outlet because she says she can customize plans for people’s needs.
A “true solo,” Allums always knew she would start her own practice rather than joining a firm, as she learned from her years of experience in the field that she enjoys the autonomy, creativity, and client interactions that come with running a solo firm.
For lawyers looking to make the leap to a solo practice, Allums recommends the New Solo podcast and Lawyerist podcast for tips and support. You can even catch Allums as the guest on an episode of the New Solo podcast from earlier this year.
“Even if you’re not going solo, understanding what it takes from the ground up to support your team is invaluable,” Allums says. “Look at that bigger picture of what it takes to run that firm.”
She says that as a solo practitioner, it can be a challenge to manage every aspect of your practice and often things take longer than they would if there were support staff to rely on. Clients just need to hear from their attorney regularly so they know what to expect and in what timeframe.
“As long as I’m keeping my clients informed, they’re satisfied,” Allums says. “That’s something I learned from being support staff for law firms.”
Allums also finds support from the SDCBA’s New Lawyer Division. She says that although she initially felt a little out of place alongside so many young attorneys who seemed well-connected to one another, she has been warmly welcomed and feels valued for bringing a different type of diversity to the table.
“I think my age and experience bring a different perspective to the New Lawyer Division, which can also be important,” Allums says. “We are all new lawyers serving diverse clients and I think we have a lot to learn from each other.”
For anyone interested in pursuing the legal apprenticeship program or making a career change later in life, Allums advises: “Don’t be discouraged by the time it takes to get there. You will be a day or month or year older, whether you pursue your goal or not. Once you find something you are passionate about, go for it. The path won’t always be traditional or linear, so be open to alternative routes. It may require sacrifices and there will definitely be hurdles and detours along the way, but the satisfaction of reaching that goal and doing something you love is well worth it.”