Nominating Committee Report

The ABA GPSolo Nominating Committee, consisting of Chair Alfreda Coward, Stephen Curley, Melanie Bragg, Patricia Sexton, and Stephen Williams, submitted the following slate for the election of officer and council members for the 2013–14 bar year.

For the position of Division Secretary, the committee nominates David Lefton of Barron Peck Bennie & Schlemmer. David Lefton is an equity partner in a small firm in Cincinnati, OH. He practices primarily in the area of estate planning, probate, and trust administration. David has faithfully attended almost every Division meeting in the past eight years. He has illustrated his commitment to the Division by serving in numerous capacities, including but not limited to, a member of Council for four years, Division Director, Programs Board Chair, Pub Board Chair, Solo Day Chair, Nominating Committee member, and Long-Range Planning Committee member. David has been honored with the Division Chair’s Award, Service to Others Award, and numerous Star of the Quarter awards.

For the position of Council Member-at-Large, the committee nominates Richard DeMichele of DeMichele & DeMichele, P.C. Richard DeMichele is a shareholder in a small firm in Haddon Heights, NJ. He is admitted to practice in five courts and administrative bodies. He practices primarily in the areas of family law, criminal law, and personal injury. Richard attended his first Division meeting in 2002 and has been actively involved in the Division in various capacities including the Membership Committee, Young Lawyer Committee, Family Coordinator, and a prior Council Member for five years. Additionally, Richard has been extremely active in the ABA House of Delegates as well as other entities in the ABA.

For the position of Council Member-at-Large, the committee nominates Alan Fowler of Alan Fowler Law, PLLC. Alan Fowler is a solo practitioner in Key West, FL. He primarily practices in the area of restaurant and hospitality law. He has enthusiastically served this Division in numerous capacities including, but not limited to, Division Director and Council member. Additionally, he has received numerous awards and honors for his dedicated services.

For the position of Council Member-at-Large, the committee nominates Scott LaBarre of LaBarre Law Offices, P.C. Scott LaBarre is a solo practitioner in Denver, CO, with an emphasis on employment law and disability rights. He is admitted to practice law in many jurisdictions throughout the United States. Scott has been a member of the Division since 1998. He previously served as a Council member for four years ending in 2009. He has also served as a Practice Group Coordinator and a member of numerous committees. Throughout his career, he has received many scholarships and honors.

For the position of Council Member-at-Large, the committee nominates Sonali Oberg of Wolters Kluwer. Sonali Oberg serves as a Product Manager for her firm in Riverwoods, IL, primarily in the areas of litigation and law practice management. She specializes in creating products for the general and small firm practitioner market segment. She currently serves on the Diversity Committee and the GPSolo editorial board. She has published several legal articles and essays. She has also received recognition for her scholarly writing and other honors.

For the position of Council Member-at-Large, the committee nominates Alan Olson of Olson Law Office, P.C. Alan Olson is a solo practitioner in Des Moines, IA. He practices primarily in the areas of personal injury and wrongful death litigation. He has been extremely active in the ABA generally, but has also dedicated a tremendous amount of time to the Division. Among other leadership roles, he has served the Division consistently in numerous capacities including Revenue Development Director and Committee Director. Alan has been honored by the American Board of Trial Advocates, Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, and the American Trial Lawyers association Top 100, to name only a few.

Brown Bag Sessions

How to Make Money With Group Legal Plans

January 9, 2013, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. CST

You have heard the rumors, now hear the facts. Group legal services plans are at the intersection of access to justice for the middle class and sustainable practices for solo and small firm lawyers. Some lawyers use group legal as supplemental income, while others have turned their panel participation into a sustainable practice, through a combination of fantastic client service, word of mouth, and high volume. This Brown Bag session will explain how the larger plans work and give an overview of the industry.

As a Division member, you have complimentary access to GPSolo’s Virtual Brown Bag Sessions, which are short, informal educational events on timely topics held entirely by teleconference. The sessions are held monthly and normally last one hour during lunch hours. Due to the informal nature of the programs, and the fact that accompanying written materials may not always be prepared and distributed, the Division does not offer CLE credits for these programs.

Past Brown Bag Session topics included:

• Going Solo: Practical and Useful Tips for Starting and Running a Solo Practice
• Peace and Protection
• Words With Friends, Acquaintances, and Potential Clients: Practical Tips & Potential Pitfalls for Lawyers Who Blog or Want to Get Started
• Are you Running Your Practice Like a Business?
• A Primer on the Debt Collection and Credit Reporting Acts: The Basics That Every Practitioner Should Know
• Everything You Need to Know About Successfully Representing Traffic and DUI Clients—Trial Tips for Solo and Small Firm Lawyers
• Technology Tips to Manage, Grow, and Enhance Your Practice
• Is Your Client in a Divorce Eligible for Equitable Relief as an “Innocent Spouse”?
• Consumer Bankruptcy Grab Bag
• Retirement Saving During Tough Economic Time
• A View From the Bench: The Solo and Small Firm Lawyer in the Courtroom
• Promoting Diversity in the Legal Profession 
• Technology Tips, Tricks and Tools to Succeed as a Solo and Small Firm

You can access these sessions and more on the Division’s website.

2013 Solo and Small Firm Awards

GPSolo 2013 Solo and Small Firm Awards celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of outstanding solo and small firm practitioners, as well as bar leaders and bar associations. Winners will be honored at the GPSolo 2013 Spring Leadership Meeting’s Awards Program at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage, AK, on May 24, 2013.

• Solo and Small Firm Lifetime Achievement Award: Recognizes solo and small firm attorneys who are widely accepted by their peers as having significant lifetime distinction, exceptional achievement, and distinction in an exemplary way. The winners will be viewed by other solo and small firm practitioners as epitomizing the ideals of the legal profession and of solo and small firm practitioners.
• Solo and Small Firm Project Award: Rewards bar leaders and associations for their successful implementation of a project or program specifically targeted to solo and small firm lawyers.
• Solo and Small Firm Trainer Award: Recognizes attorneys who have made significant contributions to educating lawyers or law students regarding the opportunities and challenges of a solo and small firm practice.

To submit a nomination for a solo and small firm award, please review the information & application instructions here. Applications must be submitted by email or postmarked no later than March 30, 2013. If you have any questions, please contact Dee Lee, GPSolo Program Specialist, at 312-988-5659 or via e-mail.

Essay Competition for Young Lawyers

Enter to win a $5,000 cash prize and a trip to New Orleans! The ABA Standing Committee on Lawyers’ Professional Liability is now accepting entries for its Levit Essay Contest, open to ABA Young Lawyers Division members. Click here to find the essay hypothetical, rules, and entry form. Online entries must be submitted by 11:59 PM CST on February 22, 2013.

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