The “legal incubator” movement has gained significant attention in the last few years. Started in 2007 by Fred Rooney at City University of New York School of Law, legal incubators are law firm development programs through which solo and small law firms are established. Most incubator participants are recent law school graduates, though not that’s a requirement. The goal of incubator programs is to provide participants with sufficient resources and mentorship to successfully launch and maintain solo and small firms. While law firm incubators began before the great recession, they have received increasing attention in light of the challenging employment outlook for recent law graduates and young attorneys in the last eight years. 



Until 2010, there were probably only about half a dozen legal incubators, and most of these were housed in law schools. In the last five years, the movement has grown significantly. The number of incubators has grown to around 30 and their homes have expanded beyond law schools to bar foundations and even private companies. The movement has grown so significantly that at the end of February the second-ever Access to Law Initiative Legal Incubator Conference was held at California Western School of Law in San Diego. The event was structured around two days of programming facilitated by experienced incubator leaders; incubator participants; prospective incubator program leaders; legal technologists; legal educators and others. There were about 200 attendees.

This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.

To view this content, please continue to their sites.

Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Why am I seeing this?

LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.

For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]