Corplaw Founder Kristen Corpion. Courtesy photo

Kristen Corpion found Big Law stifling.

A graduate from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, Corpion worked hard to land a coveted associate position at Greenberg Traurig while holding down two jobs. She followed all the rules and found herself following the traditional trajectory: associate, senior associate, shareholder.

But she was unhappy. Her mother built her own company; her sister did as well. Entrepreneurship and independence are values she said are essential to her career.

“I think that the creative voices are drowned out by the hierarchy,” Corpion said. ”And there's the idea that newcomers need to sit back, pay their dues and simply be grateful that they're even in the room and not question those at the top of the food chain. … We're taught to question everything in law school.”

So she left, striking out onto her own in 2017 before turning 30. She began teaching at Florida International University's Honors College. Months later, she founded CORPlaw: her solo firm that provides general counsel services to startups.

Nowadays, a typical day involves juggling responsibilities and working late into the night from wherever she chooses to work, whether it's home or a WeWork space. She said she has nothing against Greenberg or Ver Ploeg & Lumpkin (now Ver Ploeg & Marino). They just weren't for her.

It's been a journey fraught with self-doubt and anxiety. And she's never been happier.

Now, with her career stabilized, the career-manic Corpion has opened a new chapter. With much of the hard part mostly behind her, she is turning to face what she sees as systematic problems in the industry — the lack of collaboration and authentic dialogue — with the hope of helping others who feel disenchanted by the traditional attorney track.

Last year, she founded Sidebar, a collaborative, free organization that aims to connect “modern-thinking” attorneys with one another. The organization's most popular feature, with a subscription base in the thousands according to Corpion, is its weekly email newsletter stuffed with events and job openings.

“Struggling through the process — law school and building my practice — was something I don't think I'll ever forget,” she said. “Working on both: building my own practice and taking up the mantle of community building … it's something that I'm passionate about. I'm working with pre-law students and law students, and I think that generally students don't have an honest picture of what the industry will be like.”

Modern, as she explains it, isn't synonymous with young attorney or small firm. One just has to yearn for a different legal landscape, a creative approach to traditional problems. All are welcome to join, even non-attorneys. Corpion said she has a special place in her heart for what she calls “alternative J.D.s,” law graduates and attorneys who have left the industry.

While Corpion chose to launch her own solo firm, many attorneys don't. According to the latest comprehensive data on lawyer demographics, 49% of attorneys were solo practitioners in 2005, while 75% worked in firms with a head count of less than five. Although law firm consolidation has accelerated in the years since, there is no evidence pointing to the idea that the trend has measurably changed.

Solo practitioners face a slate of problems in today's legal market, including spending too much time and money on administrative tasks and bill collection. Technology, which in many ways has made practicing easier, has increased the risk of data breaches and the overhead that comes from preventing one.

And solos are not immune from the same problems that face even the largest of firms: intense rate pressure. According to a Thomson Reuters survey of solo practitioners and small firms, 87% of respondents say they face significant challenges in offering competitive pricing.

Corpion faces these issues everyday, and helping others navigate through the process and find what they love to do — whether it be her students or her peers at Sidebar — is how she passes down what she learned. While she was waffling between sticking to her Big Law track and going it alone, she was discouraged that she couldn't find anybody to model her career after. She doesn't want others to feel the same.

“I'm not at all naive to believe that an organization, company or events will completely change the legal profession overall. Looking small-scale, it's about looking to create a safe space to engage in a dialogue that's authentic and different than anything I've seen,” she said. “For me, it's about shake things up and start something new.”

Kristen Corpion

Born: 1989

Spouse: Dustin Pinkerton

Education: University of California, Berkeley, J.D., 2013; University of South Florida, B.A., 2010

Experience: Founder, Sidebar, 2018-present; Founder, CORPlaw, 2017-present; Adjunct faculty, Florida International University, 2016-present; Associate, Ver Ploeg & Lumpkin, 2015-2017; Associate, Greenberg Traurig, 2012-2015