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Solo family lawyers juggle custody deadlines, discovery, and client calls with no paralegal. They complain about it in a handful of subreddits and forums. Here is where to find them and how to join the conversation without pitching on day one.

All guidesFor founders of a case tracker for solo family lawyers

1. r/LawFirm

This is the main subreddit for lawyers running their own practice, and it is the best fit. Self-promotion is restricted, so read the sidebar and stick to comments. Search "practice management family law" or "Clio alternative" and answer threads where solos describe tracking hearings in spreadsheets. Share how you would set up deadline tracking for a custody case, and only mention your tool if someone asks.

2. r/Lawyertalk

This sub is for verified lawyers venting about daily practice. It is not a place to sell, and promotional posts get removed fast. Use it for research: search "missed deadline" or "family law software" and note the exact words solos use. If someone posts a specific workflow problem, a helpful reply can lead to a DM conversation later.

3. r/Lawyers and r/lawschool

r/Lawyers is smaller but has practicing attorneys asking about going solo. r/lawschool has 3Ls and new grads planning to hang a shingle in family law. Answer "what do I need to start a solo practice" threads with a plain checklist: calendaring, conflict checks, trust accounting, case tracking. That makes you the useful person in the thread, not the vendor.

4. r/Divorce as a listening post

Do not pitch here. The members are clients, not lawyers, and selling to them would be inappropriate. Read threads about lawyers who never called back or missed filings. They show you which pain points a case tracker should solve, like client status updates.

5. ABA Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division

The ABA GPSolo Division runs forums and publishes GPSolo magazine for small-firm lawyers. Read recent issues and note which authors write about practice management. Email one of them with a specific question, for example: "You wrote about calendaring for solos. I'm building a case tracker for family lawyers. Could I ask you three questions about how you track hearing deadlines?"

6. State bar family law sections and solo listservs

Most state bars have a family law section and many have a solo and small firm listserv. Non-members usually cannot post, so find a member willing to share or forward a question. A good ask is a 15-minute call to learn how they handle temporary orders and mediation dates, not a demo.

7. Facebook groups for solo lawyers

Search Facebook for "Lawyers Working Solo", "solo and small firm", and "family law attorneys". Many are lawyer-only and screen new members, so answer the entry questions honestly and say you build software. Check the pinned rules for vendor days, and on other days just answer questions.

8. Turn replies into conversations

When a lawyer replies with real detail, send a short DM: "Thanks for explaining how you track custody evaluations. I'm building a simple tracker for solo family lawyers. Would you try it free for a month and tell me what's missing?" Track every conversation in one sheet and follow up once after a week. Hulby, an AI cofounder, can run this search-and-reply routine daily for a founder.

Mistakes to skip

  • Posting a product link in r/LawFirm or r/Lawyertalk before you have a comment history.
  • Pitching in r/Divorce or other client communities.
  • Calling it practice management software when solos want something simpler than Clio.
  • Sending the same DM to everyone instead of mentioning the exact problem they posted about.

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Questions

Which subreddit is best to start with?

r/LawFirm. It is built for lawyers running their own practice, and practice tools come up often.

Do I need to be a lawyer to join these communities?

Some, like r/Lawyertalk and certain Facebook groups, expect lawyers. Be upfront that you build software, and use those spaces mostly to listen.

How many conversations should I aim for each week?

Set your own target and track it. A handful of real conversations with solo family lawyers teaches you more than a lot of anonymous upvotes.

When can I mention my product?

When someone asks, when the rules allow it, or in a DM after a useful exchange. Never as the opening line.