I want to write a book. I'm currently reading Richard W. Moll's The Lure of the Law. In the book, he basically interviews dozens of people on what they think about the legal profession. The majority of the book is a collection of interviews of current lawyers. The book has a decidedly liberal/pro-public-interest-law/anti-corporate-law outlook, but it's still informative. I've read dozens of other books about law school and the legal profession, and it seems to me that there is a gaping hole.

The solo practitioner.

Most of the books and magazines I read tell about how something like 75 percent of law firms consist of one person and 55 pecent of lawyers are solo practitioners, or some such crazy high number. In my small town, the largest law firm has, I think, 5 lawyers between two locations. One of those lawyers is the county attorney for the next county over. The next largest firm has two lawyers (three are tied). If the vast majority of lawyers practice in a small practice (i.e., less than ten lawyers in the firm), then why are so many books written about joining the big firm? I think somebody ought to interview the local attorneys who make real differences in real lives. I can immediately name three attorneys who ought to be interviewed before anyone else in this area. I can easily think of the next three or four. When I think of my hometown, I'm not very familiar with the legal industry there, but I could probably name a dozen or so attorneys who ought to be interviewed by looking at the phone book.

Somebody needs to write a book about the small town lawyer. And by "small town," I mean every town in a state (except the capital) that has fewer than 500,000 people. In some states, that would be every stinking town. But, you don't have to interview everybody.

If nobody else does it, I'm doing it. Period.