GPSolo magazine is published six times a year by the ABA Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division and is distributed to Division members and subscribers.
The format and content of GPSolo have been designed to appeal to a diverse readership. As GPSolo magazine is not a law journal, articles are generally written in an informal and conversational style. Submitted works are edited as needed for style, content, and length, and some articles are sent to the magazine’s editorial board for review. Authors are expected to sign a Publication Agreement granting the ABA the right of first publication.
Below are the GPSolo guidelines for all feature articles, including featured technology articles.
Feature Articles
A successful feature article is one that provides practical, hands-on solutions to a problem or problems most solos, small firm lawyers, or general practitioners face. Practical information is valued over theoretical ideas. Feature articles cover a broad range of substantive areas as well as issues related to practice management, professional responsibility, quality of life, and technology. Technology articles are geared both to lawyers who are just entering the world of technology as well as those who are already familiar with what technology can do for them but want to learn more.
Style
GPSolo is not a law journal, so articles shouldn’t be written in an abstract, legalistic way. Express your ideas informally and conversationally.
- If at all possible, avoid legal citations.
- Steer clear of trite metaphors and clichés.
- Favor short words over long ones.
- Write in an active, rather than a passive, voice (e.g., “Congress passed the law” instead of “The law was passed by Congress”).
- Don’t use legal jargon if there is a clear, conversational equivalent.
- If it seems appropriate, use anecdotes and/or humor to make your points.
- Please remember that the language should be gender-neutral.
Format
Generally, feature articles should be 2,000 to 2,300 words, excluding the author’s biography; this is equivalent to roughly seven to eight double-spaced pages. Either the editorial board’s issue editor or the ABA staff managing editor will tell you if your article is an exception. Please submit your article as an MS Word file or an RTF file via an e-mail attachment.
Author Photo and Biography
Author bylines, bios, and photos for all articles in GPSolo periodicals are now pulled directly from each author’s ABA ID/Profile. You do not need to become an ABA member to get an ABA ID/Profile, and they are free to create. However, every author must have an ID/Profile; otherwise, the author’s byline, bio, and photo will be missing or incomplete.
To create your free ABA ID/Profile or to edit your existing profile, select the link below and follow the online prompts.