Dear Attendees,

On behalf of the 's General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division, welcome to beautiful Charleston,South Carolina, our Spring Meeting for Success and Service, and the celebration of our Division's 50^th Anniversary! We are so happy that you have joined us on this special occasion! We are headquartered at the DoubleTree by Hilton & Suites Charleston Historic District in the heart of the city adjacent to the open air market and restaurants. You will have an opportunity to attend excellent and practical CLE programs and access those sessions you were unable to attend post conference via slide cast. Be sure to participate in our important pro bono and public service projects and connect with friends and colleagues from across the country.

Charlestonis an amazing city. It is historically fascinating, with the largest preserved historic district in the country. Much of the country's history is wrapped up in Charleston - with pivotal points during the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. History buffs can explore Fort Sumter or see the recovered H.L. Hunley Civil War submarine.

Explore Charleston's 18^th and 19^th century architecture by walking down Meeting St. or King St. to Battery and then to Broad St. past the famous "Rainbow Row" of homes that you can tour. There are plantations up the Ashley River including Middleton Place and Drayton Hall. You can take a carriage tour of the city (the stables are across the street from the DoubleTree) or a ghost tour in the evening ( has the reputation of being one of the most haunted cities in the country).

The food is spectacular — plenty of local seafood and Low Country cuisine abound — and within walking distance from the hotel. The shopping on King St. is terrific. You can find clothing, antiques, jewelry, shoes and gifts. The museums such as the Charleston Museum is small but well-curated and worth seeing. The Gibbes Museum of Art on always has something impressive happening.

We are so pleased to be holding this meeting in conjunction with the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS). Thursday at noon, we will participate in a law student outreach program that will take place at the Charleston College of Law. Additionally, you will not want to miss our opening session at 4:15 p.m. at the DoubleTree with South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Jean Toal followed by a joint welcome reception with TIPS from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Charleston Place Hotel. Make sure to wear your party clothes and dancing shoes because we will then head to Lowndes Grove Plantation to celebrate the Division's 50^th Anniversary from 7:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. On Friday, we will be participating with TIPS in a public service project with the from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

We have planned 16 hours of CLE and you will of course be able to access it after the meeting if you were not able to attend in person. The programming includes how to ethically use social media, a low or no budget guide to technology, deposition tips, use of cloud computing in your practice, whistleblower claims against the US government, how to avoid malpractice with your computer, tips for taking title to real property, solo and small firm strategies from corporate clients, legal ethics in a digital age, how to identify employee fraud, 60 tips in 60 minutes, client trust accounts and credit card processing. These CLE programs will help you hone your skills, get caught up on technology, and learn about trends in various areas of the law. CLE credit is offered for our training for pro bono representation with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) to assist unaccompanied children, who currently represent themselves, in immigration court proceedings. Also, with the Procurement Technical Assistance Center in Charleston, learn how to certify your solo or small firm to obtain government business. Also, attend CLE to assist minority- and women-owned solo and small firm practices (as well as all solos and small firm lawyers) to attract business from larger corporations.

Division committee meetings begin Friday morning and will run through Saturday morning. Friday morning will feature our Diversity Roundtable and Saturday morning will convene our Women's Roundtable.

On Friday, our Solo and Small Firm Awards Luncheon will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. to recognize solo and small firm lawyers in the trenches making contributions to our profession. We will also have young lawyer non-CLE programming to provide tips on everything from business development to hanging out a shingle. The Friday events will end with a reception at the DoubleTree. Saturday will be dedicated to committee meetings and our Council meeting and then free time to explore the beauty of Charleston!

We hope you come away with tips and tools to help you succeed in your law practice and to help you serve your clients. Enjoy and relax in beautiful Charleston!

Laura V. Farber George Johnson
Chair, GPSolo Chair, Spring Meeting Host Committee

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2012 GPSolo Spring Meeting

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