Dear Division Member:
Below is the first issue of Law Trends for the 2008–09 bar year. As always, the editors believe this is a very exciting issue, and I am very happy to present it to you. As with prior issues, this e-newsletter includes articles, checklists, and other valuable practice information and practical tips, all from each of our substantive practice areas in the General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division. This issue also highlights some emerging areas, some interesting checklists, and much more.
In this issue, we are continuing to present a portion of a book recently published by the Division about giving representation and counsel to small corporations. This book not only covers most issues attorneys will face while representing a small company but also has a CD containing most forms attorneys will need in that representation. Please take a look at the article; if you like what you see, you can then click through to purchase the book. Also in this issue is a new area containing articles that are of interest to Young Lawyers concerning the Solo/Small Firm Practice Setting. We are very pleased to add this new area to Law Trends, and we will be publishing articles quarterly in this area.
With this issue, Law Trends is now in its fifth year. We hope you agree that with each issue, Law Trends continues to provide meaningful articles for each of you. We trust that this issue, like the others, will be helpful to you in your daily practice. I encourage you to take just a few moments to read the list of articles below. Of course, the issue is yours to download and keep as a reference for the future. And, as in the past, you can either download specific articles, or you may download the entire newsletter by clicking the PDF 
link.
There are many Division members integrally involved in putting this e-newsletter together. Their hard work and dedication are certainly present. I thank them for producing this issue for the Division.
I hope each of you enjoys this issue of Law Trends. The publication will continue quarterly, and we hope you continue to find it a source of valuable information. If you are interested in either writing an article or participating in the production of the newsletter, please contact Jim Schwartz at attyjls@aol.com. Jim is now in his fifth year as editor-in-chief, and I thank him for his work and dedication.
Best regards,
Robert A. Zupkus
Chair, General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division
Featured Editor
Kathleen Hopkins is a founding member of the Seattle, Washington, law firm Real Property Law Group, PLLC. Kathleen limits her practice to commercial real property transactions, finance, commercial leasing and related issues. She is a frequent speaker and writer on real property, leasing, and creditors’ rights issues. Kathleen is very active in leadership positions for the American Bar Association. Presently she is on the ABA Board of Governors and chairs its Investments subcommittee. She recently completed a term as the editor-in-chief of the ABA magazine Business Law Today. She is an ex-officio member of the ABA General Practice Solo & Small Firm Division’s Executive Council, a member of the Division’s Publications Board, an assistant editor of the Division’s e-newsletter Law Trends, and the vice-chair of the Division’s Real Estate Law Committee. Kathleen is also a member of the ABA Business Law Section Executive Council and its Finance Committee, and chairs the ABA Business Law Section’s Real Estate Financing Subcommittee. In addition, she is a fellow and Washington co-chair of the American Bar Foundation Fellows. Kathleen has a wonderful spouse and the world’s greatest law partners, who support her doing bar service. She can be contacted at 1326 Fifth Avenue, Suite 654, Seattle, WA 98101, 206-625-0404, email: khopkins@rp-lawgroup.com.
