First-time regional conference for
solo/small-firm lawyers a big success
By Faye A. Silas
For two days last spring, 306 solo and small-firm lawyers from six midwestern states shared each other's company at a two-day conference designed exclusively for them. The 1998 Midwest Small Firm Success Conference, held April 30-May 1 in La Crosse, Wis., is believed to be the first-ever regional conference for solo and small-firm practitioners. It drew lawyers from Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
In addition to its uniqueness, the conference was memorable for many other reasons. It provided continuing legal education credit for classes that specifically appeal to solos and small-firm lawyers. It offered three separate tracks--substantive tools, technology tools and practice tools--with specialized, niche programming. And it gave these lawyers a chance to network, share information and make new friends with their midwestern counterparts in both an educational and social setting.
"I perceived a need for programs designed for rural practitioners," says Steven Sorenson, immediate past president of the State Bar of Wisconsin who came up with the idea for the conference during his presidency. "When studying the programming available . . . (it) just doesn't deal with the needs of solos and small-firm practitioners."
Compounding the problem is the often-costly financial burden and the time out of the office that make it difficult for small-firm lawyers to attend CLE courses that aren't local. "(Even) some State Bar of Wisconsin programs are prohibitive," Sorenson concedes. One reason for the dearth of courses is that CLE programming offered by most states must provide the broadest interest, says Sorenson. "Solo and small-firm practice doesn't 'trip their trigger,'" he adds.
Indeed. For Sorenson, who practices in a two-lawyer firm in Ripon, a town of 7,447 people in southeastern Wisconsin about 90 minutes from Milwaukee, problems of lawyers who practice by themselves or in a small office have long been a concern. So he decided to focus on this issue during his bar presidency, which began in September 1997. He broached the idea for the regional conference to colleagues attending the Midwest Association of Bar Presidents meeting last fall in Mackinac Island, Mich. The idea, as Sorenson presented it, was to sponsor a regional meeting that would be coordinated and hosted by one state. If successful, the program would be held every year, and rotated among the midwestern states.
After getting a sign-off from the other states, Sorenson; Kristin Karrmann, chair of the Wisconsin bar's Sole and Small Firm Practice Committee, and the bar's Marketing Director, Laura Adell, began putting the program together. La Crosse was chosen as the site because it is a small town, offering reasonably priced accommodations, and is conveniently connected to the contiguous states by Interstate 90 and is accessible within a 200-mile radius.
Adell got mailing lists from the participating state bars. In late February, a letter signed by Sorenson and Karrmann was mailed to 30,000 solo and small firm prospects in the states, along with program and registration materials. In addition to this mass mailing, the individual states did their own marketing to members. About 30 vendors participated in an exhibition that ran in conjunction with the meeting. Their products and services ranged from malpractice insurance to computers.
The registration fee for the two-day event was $195, which included conference materials, two lunches, a breakfast, and receptions and evening entertainment. Participants paid for their own lodging and transportation costs.
"We felt $195 was a good price," Karrmann says. "We were trying to make it reasonable and accessible. It was not intended as a money-making venture." All states agreed that the Wisconsin bar would underwrite everything, and fees from registration and exhibitor's booths would return to the bar. The conference broke even at $80,000 in expenses, Adell says. Sponsors and in-kind contributions were included. Input on the substantive program came from solo and small-firm committees from the state bars in the other states. Also, Karrman's solo committee at the state bar conducted an informal survey of solos and small firms in Wisconsin to determine content.
"We really wanted to serve the group," she says. "In large part, we based the program on a survey of solos in Wisconsin."
Programming was broken into three tracks: substantive tools, technology tools and practice tools. Sessions on representing small businesses, planning for the elderly and disabled and ethical issues in a small practice setting fell under the substantive rubric. Small office networking, legal research on the Internet and computer tips for small-firm lawyers were among the issues covered under technology. And client feedback, ethical and malpractice issues, marketing and creating a balance in the personal life and practice were covered under practice tools. At times, as planning continued, Sorenson, Karrmann and Adell had doubts about whether they'd be able to pull off the first-time event. For example, just three weeks before the start, fewer than 100 lawyers had registered.
"But that's typical of solos and small firms," Sorenson explains of the last-minute planning these practitioners are often resigned to make. "It's hard to shut down an office, even for a day or two. They're waiting to see how their schedules fall into place. We had more drop-ins."
The planners purposely emphasized social activities as strongly as the substantive program in order to highlight the networking opportunities. "The parties were great," Karrmann enthused, noting that name badges with different colored ribbons identified states. "There was lots of mixing and talking with one another. Value comes from this interaction."
David Beckman, a presenter and president of the Iowa State Bar Association, agrees. "Networking was every bit as important as the CLE."
Plans are already underway for next year's conference, which will be hosted by the Iowa State Bar Association May 21-22 in Cedar Rapids.
"I thought it was such a wonderful idea, and the idea of rotating (by state) was fantastic," says Beckman, a member of a three-lawyer firm in Burlington. Approximately 80 percent of the Iowa's lawyers are in firms of five and fewer lawyers. A planning meeting was held at the conclusion of the conference, and another will be held this fall in Iowa. "Our goal is to build on Wisconsin," Beckman says. "That's the beauty of going from state to state."
