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A path pointed at public law and at independence
From his third year of study, Erwann Sellier hesitated between law, political science and European law. In the end he chose the path of the lawyer, drawn by the will to convince, to defend and by the self-employed status of the work.
A lawyer for ten years, he practises exclusively in public law. He first pictured himself in large firms, notably in Paris, before realising that model did not entirely fit him. "There are as many ways of practising as there are firms", he explains. Between Paris and Lille the codes and the habits differ, but above all, every structure sets its own rhythm.
He quickly understood that he saw himself neither as an associate for life nor settled in Paris for the long run. Two options were open to him: starting his own firm or, perhaps, leaving the profession. He chose to build a business.
Launching your law firm: doubts, organisation and business model
For plenty of lawyers, "there is no good moment to launch". Erwann Sellier confirms it: he set out with a small client base, without having particularly worked on his growth beforehand. The first two months were intense. His activity did not immediately let him live off it, but the doubts did not last.
One tool helped him in particular: the Canva business model. That exercise helped him with clarifying his position, identifying the clients he wanted and above all targeting and structuring his offer. Today he insists on it: law firms have become genuine businesses, with their own specificities, their organisation and their strategy.
Starting your own firm means gaining freedom. But that freedom also means building a solid model so you can "run the firm" rather than the other way round.
The decisive role of the website in winning clients
One element played a decisive role in his launch: his website, built with Ourama. The effect was immediate. His client base is now spread across the whole of France, and paradoxically less concentrated in the Hauts-de-France, where he practises from Lille.
The website has become his main acquisition channel. "It is a reassuring shop window", he explains. Like a medical practice whose waiting room inspires confidence, a clear, professional site is a first anchor point for the client. The human contact then reinforces that link.
In a profession founded on trust, that first digital impression is essential.
Organisation and limits: avoiding burnout
One of the mistakes he owns from when he opened the firm? Letting himself be swamped by emails and calls. Handling everything immediately, answering on his personal phone, being permanently available. The result: serious physical and mental fatigue.
The solution was organisational: setting up a call handling service, creating professional distance, structuring the flows. Being reachable does not mean being available at any moment, he explains.
The subject of burnout is central in the profession. Lawyers absorb their clients' problems, take on the role of the "magician" and sometimes struggle to set limits. "We are not magicians", he reminds us. Burnout is a reality the profession has to take hold of before it is too late.
He insists on one essential point: they alone can look after their own health. So it is essential to ask yourself regularly, "am I all right?".
Building a firm that lasts and finding the balance
His ambition today? To keep structuring his firm, taking on associates and growing an organisation that does not rest on him alone. In time he wants a firm able to work without everything depending on his presence.
The goal is clear: finding a lasting balance between professional and personal life. The lawyer's work is an intense commitment, made of great joys and great sorrows. It demands listening, involvement and humanity, while keeping a barrier high enough not to be swamped emotionally.
His final message is simple: it matters to be kind to yourself, especially when you practise as a lawyer.
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