Lawyer in private practice

Hi,
It means he has his own legal business. He is not an employee of someone else.

Other people in the professions, eg doctors/architects/engineeers/accountants, often use the same expression.

Clive

Hi Clive.

There's some more context regarding this lawyer.

Melanie was a graduate of UVA Law School and a rapidly rising young star at a D.C. powerhouse legal firm.

So it probably means that the "powerhouse legal firm in Washington" belonged to her, right?

Hi,

No.
The phrase can also mean 'She did not work for a government organization. She worked in a private practice run by some other lawyer'.

Lawyers often like to think that they are not really employees in such a private practice. They are often eg junior or senior partners, sharing in the profits. I think.

Clive

Hi

To sum it up, the phrase "I'm a lawyer in private practice" in this context probably means that she worked for some other lawyer who ran his own practice?

No, the phrase "in private practice" by itself means they did not work for the government, including as a district attorney/prosecutor.

There is no implication that she worked for someone else or had her own firm, or if the firm she worked for was owned by one person or was huge company.

In the text you quoted, it was a large firm.

A couple of alternatives to private practice for an attorney would be working for a corporation, or like GG said, as a prosecutor/public defender.

Thanks guys!