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    SoloSez®

    The discussion list for solo and small firm lawyers.

    How it Works

    Once you subscribe for free, you'll begin receiving email messages from other subscribers. When a subscriber to SoloSez® sends an email message to the list ([email protected]), the message is automatically forwarded to every subscriber on the list.

    Individual participants suggest topics for discussion, known as "starting a thread," by sending an email message to the list. Group members then join in the conversation by offering their comments. You can opt to receive individual emails or a digest version, which compiles multiple messages into one.

    Join for Free

    Help! I Forgot My Password!

    Use the email address that is subscribed to SoloSez® to request a new password. Use the new password to login, click on “Settings,” then select “get a new listserv password” to choose a new password for your subscribing email address. This password's only function is to allow you to view your SoloSez preferences and the archives — if necessary, you can get a new one every time you visit this page!

    SoloSez® Commands and Preferences

    Posting address: [email protected]

    You can change your list settings to stop emails or receive the digest, and more. Change your settings.

    To receive SoloSez® in a digest format, send a message to [email protected] with “SET SOLOSEZ DIGEST” in the body of the message.

    For more information about American Bar Association Discussion Lists, see the ABA Policy and Procedures Handbook (Greenbook).

    Purpose and Character of the List

    SoloSez® is a forum for lawyers who are practicing alone or in a small firm setting, particularly those in firms of five or fewer lawyers. As a cyber-water cooler, SoloSez® offers an opportunity for practitioners to pose questions, offer advice, and share information. Discussion group participants determine the topics for discussion.

    SoloSez® is a monitored but unmoderated list. This means that list members are expected to self-police and responsibly participate. Here are some simple rules which reflect the list's culture and expectations:

    1. Only messages emanating from a subscribed address will be automatically distributed to the list. If you're subscribed as [email protected], posts from an alternate address such as [email protected] will not be automatically distributed to the list. If you have multiple addresses, consider subscribing from each, setting all but one to NOMAIL.
    2. Introduce yourself by stating your name, place of practice, and something interesting about your practice and your life. Your introduction doesn't have to resemble a resume or c.v. -- even a simple comment about your favorite drink, any pets living in your home or office, and hobbies is enough to "put a face" on your email address.
    3. List traffic frequently may exceed 80 messages each day. Be prepared to delete freely. Better yet, use filters to send SoloSez® messages to subfolder of your inbox. Consider using a separate email address just for SoloSez® mail.
    4. Be extremely judicious in your use of the "reply" button. If you are replying with a message that just says, “thanks for the information,” a request to receive a copy of what someone has offered to share, or simply to agree with someone (such as “me, too”), remember the entire group will be receiving a copy.
    5. Attachments, including business cards, are prohibited. Messages containing any kind of attachment will not be distributed to the list.
    6. Use the "subject line" to concisely identify the message topic for your also-busy colleagues. Designate posts about lutefisk, linoleum, or non-legal topics by adding OFF-TOPIC or WC ("Water Cooler") to the subject line. Feel free to create other tags such as LPM, LIT, or TAX to help other list subscribers sort out their SoloSez® mail.
    7. Abbreviate original messages when one is posting a reply. Use <snip> to identify where unnecessary words were deleted. Do not post an entire email only to add a short response.
    8. SoloSez® operates much like a very large law firm, where conversations about members' personal lives and public events take place just as much as serious discussion about the practice of law. Frequently, there is a great deal of noise, but the noisiest partners are frequently those who deliver the quickest answers to compelling legal questions. We can continue to share aspects of our private lives and the isolation, frustration, and joys of solo and small firm practice without resorting to antics better reserved for fraternity parties and very private gatherings.
    9. Occasionally, list members have questions which they would like to post to SoloSez® but for reasons of privacy prefer anonymity. A list manager may post those questions on behalf of list members.
    10. Subscribers should post no more than five messages per day. When that threshold has been met, the message will not be processed, and it should be reposted after midnight. For this reason, subscribers should consider before posting whether a message should be distributed to the entire list.
    11. SoloSez® is intended for lawyers in solo and small firm practice, although its participants may include retired lawyers, lawyers practicing in collateral fields, law students, legal educators, paralegals, legal assistants, law office administrators, law librarians, consultants, and those with an interest in the law. Those subscribers who are currently not admitted to practice in good standing in any jurisdiction, e.g., nonlawyers, law students, disbarred, suspended and ineligible to practice law in their state (this does not apply to lawyers who have retired in good standing), shall disclose their status in their introductions and in each post. Failure to disclose status or misrepresentation of status may result in removal from the list.
    12. Remember that all SoloSez® exchanges become property of the American Bar Association. Remember that all SoloSez® exchanges potentially can be read by anyone.
    13. Failure to heed the rules below may result in sanctions.
      1. Do not insult, berate, or personally attack other list members. Jokes which are prurient in nature, offensive or contain profanity shall not be posted. Do not send inflammatory messages or messages containing personal invective. Profanity, vulgarity, or derogatory, defamatory, abusive, threatening, offensive, and illegal remarks are inappropriate. Do not post to SoloSez® any message, data, information, text, or other material ("Content") that is unlawful, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, indecent, lewd, harassing, harmful, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, abusive or otherwise injurious to third parties. Do not impersonate any person or entity or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity or interfere with other users of SoloSez®.
      2. SoloSez® is not the place for discussion of partisan politics, world politics, terrorism, and war. No political or Covid-19 editorials, articles or links may be posted to SoloSez® unless related directly to legislation or a specific legal topic. Requests by the list managers or a designee to take any topic off-list shall be deemed to terminate that thread.
      3. Commercial solicitations are prohibited on ABA discussion lists. SoloSez® shall not be used to advertise products or services unless such product or service is specifically sponsored by the ABA or by the Division. Commercial solicitations include, without limitation, messages offering or seeking any kind of business relationship, soliciting contributions, membership or subscription to any resource not offered by the Division. Posting of materials such as newsletters and related content, generated by a law firm, company or other entity is strongly discouraged.
      4. Do not distribute through SoloSez® any content such as, petitions for signatures, other solicitations of discussion list users, promotional materials, chain letters or letters relating to pyramid schemes, advertising or solicitations for funds, political campaigning, mass mailings, any form of unsolicited commercial or promotional email ("spam") or an offering of lawful or fraudulent goods, services, schemes, or promotions.
      5. Do not post personal email or posts made to other mailing lists to SoloSez® without the express permission of the original email’s author.
      6. Do not discuss fees for any legal services or any information that might be construed as a fixing, a boycott, an illegal restriction of free trade or any other antitrust violation. There should be no mention of one's hourly billing rate, gross fees for a task or project or any other specific information relating to the pricing of legal services. This is not to say that all discussion of pricing or how one computes their fees using overhead and variables that differ with everyone is forbidden, but no dollar amounts should be mentioned in this regard.
    14. The list managers reserves the right to impose sanctions, which include moderating a subscriber’s posts, suspension of posting privileges, and removal from the list for violation of list rules. Violators will be publicly warned.
    15. The ABA only provides the facilities for the SoloSez® discussion list and no approval or endorsement by the ABA of any messages posted on SoloSez® should be implied therefrom. The ABA does not review the background of any member of this discussion list, nor does it determine whether an attorney is in good standing in any jurisdiction.
    16. And now for the legal stuff:

      By subscribing to the SoloSez®, users agree to the terms and conditions contained in these guidelines. These guidelines may be modified from time to time and such modifications shall be effective upon their posting to SoloSez®.

      Users of SoloSez® may be held individually liable for any communications they send through SoloSez®, including but not limited to defamatory, discriminatory, antitrust, anti-competitive, false, or unauthorized information.

      Users of SoloSez® also must comply with all state and federal copyright, trademark and patent laws and regulations. By posting material on SoloSez®, the posting party warrants and represents that it owns the copyright with respect to such material or has received permission from the copyright owner. Do not post information that is not original unless it meets the ‘fair use’ guidelines of copyright law, or unless the user has received permission to reproduce such information from the original source. If there is any question as to whether a particular transmission contains information in violation of federal copyright law, the user should not post that information to SoloSez®.

      By using SoloSez®, users agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless, the Division and its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, agents, and parent from and against all loss, claims, demands, causes of action, liabilities, expenses, including reasonable attorney's fees and costs arising from any claim arising out of or resulting from in whole or part any breach of these guidelines by the user or any omission or act taken by the user. In no event will the Division be responsible to the users for any indirect, consequential, special, or punitive damages or losses users may incur in connection with SoloSez® or any of the data or other materials transmitted through or residing on SoloSez®, even if the Division has been advised of the possibility of such damage or loss.

      The Division Accepts No Responsibility for the Opinions and/or Information Posted on or Through SoloSez®.
       The Division may, but does not assume the obligation to, monitor discussions taking place through any of its discussion lists. The Division reserves the right, but does not assume the obligation, to investigate any violation of these guidelines. The Division may remove any user from any or all Division discussion lists for violation of these guidelines.

    List Managers

    The list managers are Kimberly Kocian, GPSolo Division Director, and Steve Wildi, GPSolo Division Program Associate.