I'd like to hear from anyone who has experience operating a law firm or started one from the ground up. It seems to me that it's easy to fixate on how to acquire the first few clients to be "open" but creating a sustainable entity must require quite a bit of thought and planning. Primarily regarding the finances: costs, staffing, marketing, technology, and cash flow.

I have been studying how to construct the business plan law firm owners, designed to be more than a money-raising document and more of a practical roadmap for success. It will certainly need to match our practice areas and clientele.

For those who are practitioners in law, what is the one thing that really must receive the most consideration during the first few years of operating a new firm?