SoloSez: Your 24/7 online resource for
solo and small firm practitioners

Bruce Dorner is a lawyer based in Londonderry, NH, who touts that he can practice law anywhere he can find a connection to the Internet. He is a co-founder of SoloSez, the online discussion group designed specifically for solo and small firm practitioners. He is also considered an expert on law practice technology. 

YourABA asked Dorner about both legal technology and SoloSez

What was the inspiration behind SoloSez?

About 12 years ago I was a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Solo and Small Firm Practitioners. I was in Chicago meeting with our staff director, Deb Owen. We were talking about how to get more solo and small firm lawyers involved in ABA activities. She asked if I thought we could do much with the new "email thing." 

I pondered and suggested that we might set up a list and populate it with some of our colleagues from different branches of the ABA family. She came up with the name, SoloSez, and off we went.

We started with about a dozen members and then invited like-minded lawyers to join. It was probably one of the first virtual law firms. Now, this list is one of the crown jewels of the GP Solo and Small Firm Division. 

We have about 2,800 members around the globe. One colleague was bold enough to compare us to the British Empire of old. The sun never sets on SoloSez! We have members across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Australia and even Guam and the Fiji Islands.

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Why do you think SoloSez has been such a hit?

Solo and small firm lawyers often practice in an isolated setting. They don’t have the ability to walk down the hall to chat with a partner. They may not get the chance to discuss cases with colleagues unless they go to the courthouse. 

In the early days of SoloSez, on-line research was a luxury, if available at all. SoloSez provided a method to ask a colleague for a copy of a case without leaving the office. SoloSez provides a sense of community, a support structure and an extraordinary resource center. It's open 24 hours a day, and it is free! What more can a frugal solo want?

Tell me about your members.

The true power of the list is the active participation of our members. We consider ourselves family and support each other in our efforts. We have lawyers who have experience in multiple fields. Our firm includes doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, law enforcement officers, plumbers, pilots, contractors, engineers, military personnel, teachers, movie producers, jewelers, accountants and the list goes on for a mile! Most questions posted to the list result in multiple responses from authorities in the field. 

What are some of the most important ideas or innovations that solo and small firm practitioners have gotten from SoloSez?

Rather than sitting around and scratching your head, it makes sense to post the question to SoloSez and see if any one of the more than 2,800 partners can help. Questions run the gamut from, "What do I do when the judge hasn’t issued a decision after 90 days?," to "Is the FireFox browser better than Internet Explorer?" Recently a member needed legal assistance in Poland. It took about two hours to solve that problem. 

On the less serious side of the list, a member had a problem installing a laminated floor. We had about 20 responses within a few hours and that problem was resolved. So, whether the issue is legal, personal or just how to get more out of technology, SoloSez is the place to get your answers. 

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There's also a strong sense of community, I understand.

We have served as a support structure for attorneys suffering from a bad day at court to those confronting serious medical issues. We’ve actually had two SoloSez members get married. Also, a significant amount of legal business is referred among our Solosez colleagues.

There are several items that demonstrate the real sense of connection. One is our regional gatherings. Throughout the country there are pockets of members who get together on a monthly basis at local restaurants to meet each other in a social setting, discuss business and enhance their participation in the SoloSez community. Some of these groups have been operating for almost 10 years.  If a member from a distant area will be traveling to one of these locations, it’s quite common to post a note to the list and several of the "locals" will host a dinner to welcome the out-of-town member.

We recently had one of our members recalled to active duty as a captain in the Navy. He is now serving in Afghanistan.  He had to close down his practice. SoloSez offered support and advice in his transition. We continue to follow his activities across the globe. Members have sent him packages from home so he knows we care about him as an individual and in his service to our country.

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How do you advise a "technophobe" to get over his or her fear of new technologies?

It’s a bit like swimming. You have to get your feet in the water and then go forward from there. Some people have visual learning skills and can see how it works and remember what to do next. Others need a detailed road map. My best advice is to start off small — set reasonable goals and keep practicing. Spend no more than 30 minutes a day learning a new tool or feature. Ask questions and expect to make some mistakes along the way. When all else fails, post the question to SoloSez.

Is there one common mistake or misperception that solos/small firmers have about technology?

There seems to be a need to have the fastest computer in the race. I find this quite amusing since fast computers are still throttled back by the speed of the printer. No matter how far we go toward a paperless society, as lawyers our primary product is still the printed page. 

My view is that the lawyer who skillfully uses his existing computer and software is far more productive and efficient than the attorney with a fast computer, the latest software and gadgets, and limited knowledge on how it all relates to getting quality work out the door consistently. 

Develop and use systems to handle repetitive tasks and look for ways to better utilize the software you already own.  Most offices I visit use no more than 20 percent of the features in a modern word processing program.

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How has technology changed the work of a solo or small firm lawyer?

By leveraging technology I am able to compete with larger firms. I can push buttons to perform major research projects and never have to leave my office. I can communicate with my clients in electronic fashion and move documents at the speed of my Internet connection. 

I am no longer confined to a 9-5 world. With my PDA I can book an appointment with a client I meet at the supermarket. I can send an e-mail at two in the morning when I wake up realizing I forgot to take care of an important item. I can go on vacation and elect to take my office with me, or leave it home. Law is now what we do, it’s not a desk and chair in an office building. 

However, this has also brought many new challenges. Clients think that by pushing the buttons we can produce answers to thorny questions in a minute or two. If so, why do we charge so much? Clients want instant gratification. I’m sure many of us have received the phone call saying, "I sent you an e-mail an hour ago and haven’t heard from you." Educating clients and establishing reasonable expectations is more important than before.

What, in your opinion, should no solo/small firm lawyer be without – other than SoloSez?

The first three things needed in the technology world are backup, backup and backup. Each office needs a complete system to recover from disasters ranging from an errant push of the wrong key, to a fire, flood or natural disaster. The simple question to ask is, "If our office burned down, how would we get back up and running?"

Next, we all need a system to track clients, matters, documents and money. Case management and office management programs are essential to starting off on a solid footing. 

Unfortunately, selecting case management and office management tools can be a daunting task, taking quite a bit of time and research.  I suggest that there is no "best system."  Look for a system that comes closest to the way you think, organize and manage information in your own mind. Above all, don’t just buy the software — purchase the training and put it to good use.

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Any other tips you'd like to share with YourABA readers?

Effective use of modern law office technology takes training. I’m baffled that intelligent lawyers are too frugal to spend money on training when they buy a new system, case management program or accounting software. These are all complex relational databases. You can’t hand a disk to your assistant and say, "figure it out." 

I recommend that the technology budget consist of three components, which are generally of equal cost. One third goes to hardware, one third to software, and one third to training and support. I see too many offices with a large collection of "shelfware." That’s the software sitting on the shelf that never got implemented because no one had the time to learn how to make it run.

Learn more about SoloSez, including how to sign up, here: http://www.abanet.org/soloseznet/about.html.

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