Leaving the Firm, Launching Your Practice: A Complete Guide to Going Solo

Heather Olson, Founder & Owner | Olson Law LLC

Heather Olson is the founder and owner of Olson Law LLC, a growing and value-driven law firm based in Buffalo, Minnesota. A respected criminal defense and family law attorney as well as an accomplished entrepreneur, Heather combines a deep command of Minnesota law with a client-first philosophy that distinguishes her from her peers. She is known for her strategic, tenacious, and forward-thinking approach to even the most complex matters—and equally recognized for the thriving, culture-driven legal practice she has built from the ground up. Whether her clients are facing criminal charges, navigating divorce, or working through difficult custody and family transitions, Heather brings legal sophistication, business acumen, and genuine compassion to every case.

• Education & Credentials

Heather earned her Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, and holds a bachelor’s degree from Montana State University in Bozeman. She is admitted to practice law in the State of Minnesota and maintains an active practice focused on criminal defense, family law, DWI defense, mediation, expungements, restraining orders, and juvenile defense.

• Recognition & Leadership

Heather has been formally recognized by the Minnesota State Bar Association as a 2015 North Star Lawyer—an honor reserved for attorneys who provide 50 or more hours of pro bono legal services in a single year. This distinction reflects not only her professional standing but also her sustained commitment to expanding access to justice for individuals who would otherwise be unable to afford legal counsel. As the founder of Olson Law LLC, Heather has demonstrated exceptional leadership in building a sustainable, values-driven practice. What began in 2010 as a solo practice has grown under her direction into a thriving team of six, anchored by a workplace culture that emphasizes accountability with flexibility, teamwork, and a no-judgment approach. Her leadership extends beyond her own firm: she also serves as a consultant to attorneys and law firm owners who are launching or scaling their own practices, sharing the practical insights she has developed in marketing, operations, and team-building.

• Professional Involvement

Heather is actively engaged with the Minnesota State Bar Association and devotes substantial time each year to pro bono service, ensuring that quality legal representation reaches clients across the socioeconomic spectrum. She has built a trusted network of allied professionals—including specialists in chemical dependency and mental health—whom she draws upon to support clients facing challenges that extend beyond the courtroom. Beyond her own practice, Heather is a sought-after consultant to fellow legal professionals, advising attorneys and firm owners on developing effective marketing strategies, implementing streamlined systems and procedures, and cultivating workplace cultures that reflect their personal values and business goals. Known for her practical, approachable, and authentic style, she helps lawyers build sustainable businesses—not just successful caseloads.

• Experience

Heather has built a versatile career that spans both sides of the criminal justice system. She gained extensive prosecutorial experience at the Wright County Prosecution Attorney’s Office and has also served as a part-time Public Defender, giving her uncommon insight into how cases are charged, evaluated, and resolved. In 2010, she launched Olson Law LLC as a solo practitioner, driven by a vision to deliver high-quality legal services in family law and criminal defense. Today, the firm she founded handles a wide range of criminal defense matters—including assault, theft, drug crimes, sex crimes, violent crimes, juvenile defense, probation violations, DWI and repeat DWI charges, and criminal appeals. In her family law practice, Heather guides clients through divorce, high-asset divorce, asset division, child custody, paternity, spousal maintenance, legal separation, third-party custody, adoption, post-decree matters, and family law appeals. She is particularly skilled at navigating cases where family and criminal issues intersect, and she also serves as a mediator for parties seeking resolution outside of traditional litigation. While her legal practice remains a central focus, Heather’s true passion lies in entrepreneurship. She has found her greatest professional fulfillment in building the business side of her firm, developing effective marketing strategies, implementing streamlined systems and procedures, and fostering a workplace culture grounded in accountability, flexibility, teamwork, and a no-judgment approach. Her approach as an attorney is defined by significant courtroom experience, the ability to negotiate effectively in high-stress situations, and an honest, accountability-based methodology that helps clients achieve better outcomes. Originally from Wyoming, Heather now lives in Minnesota with her husband and their two teenagers. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, and collecting rocks, minerals, and gems—a hobby that mirrors her appreciation for growth, detail, and discovery.

Leanne Fuith, Professor of Law | Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Leanne Fuith is a Professor of Law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she brings a distinctive blend of legal scholarship, business acumen, and real-world practice experience to the classroom. With a career spanning business law, employment law, commercial litigation, and corporate strategy, Professor Fuith is recognized for her practical, client-centered approach and her commitment to preparing the next generation of attorneys for the realities of modern legal practice. Her teaching and consulting work focus on the legal and strategic dimensions of running a business—from formation and management to dispute resolution and law firm leadership.

• Education & Credentials

Professor Fuith earned her Juris Doctor cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law in 2010. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisconsin–River Falls. She is admitted to practice in the State of Minnesota.

• Recognition & Leadership

Professor Fuith graduated cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law, an honor reflecting her academic distinction. She has built a reputation as a thought leader on closely held business formation and management as well as law firm operations and marketing, serving as a co-chair of the Ramsey County Bar Association’s Solo Small Firm Section and as a board member of her local Community Education Advisory Council. Her leadership roles in both legal and community settings reflect her commitment to advancing the profession and serving the communities in which she lives and works.

• Professional Involvement

Professor Fuith maintains active engagement across the Minnesota legal community. She is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association and Minnesota Women Lawyers, and serves as co-chair of the Ramsey County Bar Association Solo Small Firm Section. She is a sought-after speaker on topics related to the formation and management of closely held businesses and on law firm management and marketing. Beyond her bar activities, she is involved with the Volunteer Lawyers Network, has served as a guardian ad litem for Ramsey County, and continues to give back through her board service with the Community Education Advisory Council in her local area.

• Experience

Before joining the Mitchell Hamline faculty, Professor Fuith practiced business law, employment law, and commercial and employment litigation at Laurie & Laurie, where she counseled clients on business formation and management, discrimination, sexual harassment, whistleblowing, breach of contract, non-compete agreements, wage and hour matters, unemployment hearings, and a wide range of related claims. She also brings extensive experience in marketing strategy, corporate communications, and business development and negotiations on behalf of both publicly and privately held companies—work she continues today as a freelance writer and marketing consultant. At Mitchell Hamline, Professor Fuith teaches Business Organizations, Deals and Dispute Resolution, The Law and Business Externship, Lawyer as Business Owner, and Transactions and Settlements. Her courses reflect her conviction that today’s lawyers must be equipped not only with substantive legal knowledge but also with the business literacy, judgment, and practical skills required to serve clients effectively and to thrive as legal professionals and entrepreneurs.

Jason Kohlmeyer, Founding Partner | Kohlmeyer Hagen, Law Office Chtd

Jason Kohlmeyer is the founding partner of Kohlmeyer Hagen Law Office, a firm he launched in 2008 and has grown into one of the largest and busiest family and criminal defense practices in Southern Minnesota. What began as a solo venture has evolved under his leadership into a thriving multi-attorney firm with offices in both Mankato and Rochester, built on a foundation of personalized client service, operational discipline, and a deep commitment to the communities the firm serves. Jason combines more than two decades of trial-tested legal experience with the entrepreneurial perspective of a lawyer who has built, and continues to scale, a successful practice from the ground up.

• Education & Credentials

Jason earned his Juris Doctor from Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2000, following his undergraduate studies at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He is admitted to practice in the State of Minnesota (2000), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (2002), and the U.S. Supreme Court (2004). Jason is also a member of the Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity.

• Recognition & Leadership

Jason’s work as both an attorney and a firm leader has earned him sustained recognition from the legal industry’s most respected publications. He has been named a Super Lawyer every year from 2014 through 2026 and was previously honored as a Rising Star by Law and Politics Magazine from 2004 through 2012. U.S. News & World Report has recognized him as a Best Lawyer from 2017 through 2025, and he holds a perfect 10/10 Avvo rating. Early in his career, Minnesota Lawyer named him one of the “Ten Up and Coming Attorneys” in 2002–2003, and he was listed in Who’s Who in Minnesota Family Law in 2003. He also received the American Bar Association’s Silver Key in 2000. His leadership in the broader bar has been equally substantial. Jason served as Chair of the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyer Division Family Law Committee (2003–2004), Vice-Chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s New Lawyer Section (2003–2004), and President of the 6th District Bar Association (2004–2005), having previously served as President-Elect and as the Founding Chair of its New Lawyer Section Affiliate.

• Professional Involvement

Jason is a frequent and sought-after speaker on both the practice and the business of law. From 2011 through 2019, he was a recurring presenter at the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Solo Small Firm Conference in Duluth—Minnesota’s premier annual gathering for small-firm owners and solo practitioners—where he shared the practical lessons he has learned in building Kohlmeyer Hagen, including firm structure, growth strategy, marketing, client experience, and the operational realities of scaling a successful practice. His other teaching engagements have included the Family Law Institute in St. Paul (2003–2017 and 2020), the New Lawyer Experience in Minneapolis (2005–2015), and ABA and American Association for Justice annual and mid-year meetings across North America, including San Diego, Boston, Toronto, Chicago, Salt Lake City, and Nashville. Beyond the speaking circuit, Jason is the author of The Divorce Survival Guide: Getting Divorced in Minnesota, has contributed the attorney’s fees chapter to the MN Divorce Deskbook, and has published in the Minnesota Trial Lawyer’s Magazine, the ABA GP Solo New Lawyer, and other professional publications. He hosts the podcast Minnesota Family Law & Divorce Questions and writes a weekly blog at MinnesotaFamilyLaw.com. He maintains active memberships in the American Bar Association, the American Bar Foundation, the Minnesota Association for Justice, and the American Inns of Court, and previously chaired the American Association for Justice’s Family Law Section.

• Experience

Jason’s path to firm ownership began with service to his country. He enlisted in the Army Reserve while still in high school and served as an Army Intelligence Analyst from 1989 to 1995. After teaching high school social studies in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, he answered his calling to advocate for others through the law. He gained early courtroom experience as a Certified Student Attorney with the Dakota County Attorney’s Office before spending nearly a decade at a top boutique trial firm in Southern Minnesota. In 2008, Jason founded what would become Kohlmeyer Hagen Law Office, building it from a single-attorney practice into one of the region’s premier family and criminal defense firms with offices in Mankato and Rochester. His firm-building work has touched every aspect of the business—recruiting and developing attorneys, designing internal systems and workflows, opening a second office, and creating marketing, podcasting, and content platforms that have helped position the firm as a leading regional voice on family law.

Jason’s legal practice focuses on family law, alimony and spousal support, farm divorce, business divorce, and child custody and parenting time. His appellate work includes notable matters such as Backman v. Backman (2023), Bertrand v. Krenz (2013), Hage v. Hage (2012), In re Welfare of M.A.H. (2013), and Yocum v. Yocum (2003) before the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Based in Mankato, where he lives with his wife and children, Jason combines decades of trial-tested experience with the perspective of a working firm owner who understands both the law and the business of practicing it.

SESSION 1 – How To Leave Your Firm While Being Ethical | 1:00pm – 1:30pm

Leaving a firm to launch your own practice carries serious ethical risk. This 30-minute session walks through ABA Formal Opinion 489 and Model Rules governing pre-departure conduct, client notifications, restrictive covenants, and trust fund transfers for a clean exit.

SESSION 2 – First 90 Days Solo: Scaffolding for Success | 1:30pm – 2:00pm

Law school teaches you to think like a lawyer; this session teaches you to run a business. Get a practical 30-60-90-day blueprint covering client acquisition, trust accounting compliance, brand building, and cash flow management for sustainable solo practice.

BREAK | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

SESSION 3 – Before Your First Client: Compliance and Infrastructure Essentials | 2:10pm – 2:40pm

What you do before opening your doors determines whether your practice gains traction or creates risk. This session provides a step-by-step blueprint for entity selection, malpractice insurance, IOLTA setup, and the minimum viable tech stack every new solo needs.

SESSION 4 – From Startup to Sustainable: The Solo Playbook | 2:40pm – 3:10pm

Launching is one thing; lasting is another. This session equips solo practitioners with KPIs that reveal revenue leaks, AI-resilient pricing models, sustainable owner compensation strategies, and practical succession planning to build a practice that endures.