In this issue:

• ABA 2007 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA
• Hotel Rooms Still Available for Annual Meeting
• Solo & Small Firm Lawyers Breakfast Caucus at Annual Meeting
• CLE Spotlight at Annual Meeting
• GP|Solo Delegate to HOD — Call for Nominations
• Second Annual National Solo & Small Firm Conference
• Difference Maker’s Awards — Call for Nominations
• Easy, Productive Solutions for Solos & Small Firms
• ABA Dues Waiver for Deployed Military Lawyers
• GP|Solo Book Spotlight — How to Capture and Keep Clients
• Popular Topics on Solosez

Note: Information on all this and more can be found on our Website at http://www.abanet.org/genpractice.

» GP|Solo 2007 Annual Meeting Schedule (MS Word) «

» GP|Solo 2007 Annual Meeting CLE Schedule (MS Word) «

Need a hotel room for Annual Meeting in San Francisco?

The Hilton San Francisco has opened up a call-in block for ABA Annual Meeting attendees who do not yet have accommodations. If this is you, call 1-800-HILTONS and ask for the "ABA Call-in Block," making sure to mention the code AMB and the Hilton San Francisco hotel address, which is 333 O'Farrell. The rate for a Single/Double Run of House room is $229.

The GP|Solo Division invites you to attend

The Solo and Small Firm Lawyers Breakfast Caucus

Sunday, August 12, 2007, 7:30 a.m. until 9:00 a.m.
San Francisco Marriott, San Francisco, CA

Please attend and contribute to the development of an ABA
membership initiative for solo and small firm practitioners.

R.S.V.P. by August 6, 2007 (Acceptances ONLY)
Be sure to indicate the names and number of people from your party who plan to attend at genpractice@abanet.org, Phone: 312.988.5648. Registration is free.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Caucus Co-Chairs: James M. Durant, III and M. Joe Crosthwait, Jr.

Small Firm/Sole Practitioners and Lawyer Discipline—Myths and Realities

Presented by the ABA Standing Committee on Professional Discipline and General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division: Saturday, August 11, 2007: 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Moscone Center West, Rooms 2001/2003, 2nd Floor.

Does the lawyer disciplinary process treat small firm and sole practitioners unfairly? This panel will initially discuss this perception and state bar studies that have examined the issue. The discussion will focus mainly on how the profession can reduce the number of disciplinary complaints against small firm/sole practitioners. Positive solutions to the issue will be sought from attendees. Some questions that panelists and audience members will be asked to respond to include: Do bar mentoring programs really work? Do small firm and sole practitioners make use of available preventive programs, or do they wait until it is too late? What is the role of the state supreme courts and their disciplinary agencies in dispelling the perception?

The 2007-2008 GP|Solo Division Council will elect a new Division Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates at the Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California, August 9-12, 2007. This is a three-year term to be filled through the conclusion of the Annual Meeting in 2010.

Nominations must be provided to the 2006-2007 Division Secretary, James M. Durant, in writing at least ten (10) days prior to the beginning of 2007 ABA Annual Meeting. He may be reached via the mail c/o the ABA General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division at 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60610; via e-mail at genpractice@abanet.org; or via fax at (312) 988-5711. No special form of nomination is required, and self-nominations are acceptable.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Mark your calendar now for the Second National Solo and Small Firm Conference, which will take place October 5-6, 2007, in Philadelphia, PA, at the Hyatt Hotel Penn’s Landing, in conjunction with the American Bar Association’s General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division’s Fall Meeting.

It's a growing trend for small-firm lawyers to get together to hear well-known speakers, network with other like-minded lawyers, get information on technology products appropriate to their size of practice and just generally have a good time. The National Solo & Small Firm Conference allows you to build a network and develop referral sources from all across the country.

Scheduled presentations include:
The fast paced and ever-popular 60 Tips in 60 Minutes
The Lawyer as Employer: Hiring, Firing, Managing and More
E-Discovery for the Rest of Us: Essential Small-Firm Primer
Keeping Them Satisfied: Exceeding Client Expectations Everyday!
15 Tips for Stress-LESS Solo & Small Firm Practice in 60 Minutes
Immigration 'Gotcha’s' for Non-Immigration Lawyers
How NOT to Commit Malpractice With Your Computer

The educational offerings at the Conference feature presentations from a mix of nationally-known legal technology experts, veteran active members of the GP|Solo Division with advice to share, active participants in the Solosez online community, practice management advisors and other solo and small firm lawyers just like you.

To see all of the speakers and scheduled presentations, and to get more information about the conference and register, visit the National Solo & Small Firm Conference website at:

» www.abanet.org/solo «

The Difference Maker’s Awards are awards for local attorneys whose dedication has made a difference to the profession or the community. The awards recognize those who are not solo/small firm lawyers or that work in the solo small firm sections of the local/state bars. The nominees for these awards could be big firm lawyers, educators, judges, etc.

Making a Difference by Breaking Barriers
Attorneys living or deceased that have broken barriers for gender, color, disabilities or sexual orientation.

Making a Difference through Community Service
Attorneys living or deceased that have made significant lifetime contributions to the local community through community service. Recognizes a lawyer that does not do bar work or pro bono work per se, but does a lot of community work.

Making a Difference through Pro Bono Work
Attorneys, law firms, corporate legal departments, government attorney offices, and institutions in the legal professions that have made an outstanding commitment to volunteer legal services for the poor and disadvantaged. Recognizes an outstanding local attorney/group that does pro bono work.

Making a Difference through Service to the Profession
Attorneys living or deceased that have made significant contributions to the legal profession through service to the profession. This might be called the outstanding local “bar junkie” award.

Applications must be submitted (online) or postmarked no later than August 31, 2007. Awards will be presented at the Fall Meeting Difference Maker’s Dinner of the General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division in Philadelphia, PA, October 5, 2007.

With operating costs soaring out of control, do you know how to keep your overhead expenses to a minimum by utilizing online services and software? As a Small Firm/SOLO “David,” do you have the right tools and marksmanship to win against the big firm “Goliaths”? Do you know how to free up billable time for yourself and your staff everywhere possible? Do you securely guard your firm against unexpected business interruptions and confidentiality breaches?

Easy, productive solutions are available to streamline your practice. Register today to schedule a free one-hour teleconference and live audio web cast for a review and demonstration of key easy-to-use tools of most immediate interest to your practice.

Choose from topics such as:
• “Practice Organization Boot Camp”
• “Going Digital Without Kicking, Screaming, and Gnashing of Teeth”
• “The Weapons Every ‘David’ Needs In a ‘Goliath’ World.”
• “File Matters Online and Off”
• “Mapping Your Case to Win”
• “Making Every Minute Matter”
• “How Do I Move My Practice Beyond Typewriters, Carbon Paper, and Copy Machines Without A PhD In Computer Science?”
• “Covering All My Bases 101: Backup, Backup, Or Blackout.” and
• “Pressing Full Steam Ahead Toward Streamlining Your Business Practice.”

Or, request a personalized webinar of your design.

Contact Sandy Bautch at Easy Productive Solutions (EPS) by calling 515.462.4485 or email her at sandy@presstheeasykey.com.

Following the example of the GP|Solo Division's fee waiver for deployed military lawyers, the ABA is now also providing free membership to men and women overseas.

For more information, contact the ABA Service Center.

How to Capture and Keep Clients: Marketing Strategies for Lawyers
Edited by jennifer j. rose

In this in-depth book with accompanying audio CDs, the best and most innovative solo and small firm lawyers give you their secrets, approaches, and strategies to that age-old puzzle of growing your law firm. Through this wealth of savvy advice, you'll learn how to ask for business, attract and keep clients, partner with other lawyers, market a specialty or boutique practice, market to ethnic communities, market in a small town, brand your law firm just like the big firms do and more.

Price: $131.95
GP|Solo members: $108.95

» Find out about other GP|Solo Books «

» Visit the Solo & Small Firm Web Store «

Solosez is an email discussion list for solo and small firm lawyers that has grown to be by far the ABA's busiest list.

For a taste of what Solosez has to offer, check out the popular threads on Solosez's Website. Recent threads include:

• Dealing With "I Just Have a Simple Question" Over the Phone
• If You Were Planning a Career as a Solo, What Route Would You Take?
• No-Frills Time & Billing Program
• Advertising in the Obituary Section
• Word & Metadata

We would love to know what you think about The Buzz. Please email us your comments, compliments and criticisms.