Message from the Chairs
2018–19 Bar Year
Welcome to the Solo & Small Firm Committee page! We are delighted to chair the Solo & Small Firm Committee for the 2018–2019 bar year. The success of the ABA and of the Section of Litigation is, in many respects, driven by the involvement of thousands of small firm lawyers across the United States. We come from communities large and small and in many different packages, with different practice models, different concentrations, and different backgrounds, but together, we are a large and potent voice in the bar.
It is our hope that this committee will provide a resource for you and perhaps a portal to greater involvement in the Section of Litigation. To that end, we are excited about new developments from our committee that will provide greater resources for you.
Our committee's website adds new content each month and our LinkedIn subcommittee page posts new content on a more frequent basis. We also post regular content through our Twitter hashtag #SoloSmallFirmLit. We use these regular updates to provide a place for you to find news of significance to the solo and small firm practitioner. We are also working with other committees in the Section to provide roundtables, webinars, sound advice podcasts, CLEs, and regional meetings to our members. Please check your email for announcements of these events. We are always looking for new content to post and resources to link. Contact our website editor, Kelsey Heino, with your thoughts and suggestions, and, if you would like to join the website subcommittee, let Kelsey know that as well.
In addition, we have an active newsletter. The next edition should be hitting your email inbox by Winter 2019. Want to write for the Committee? We would love to review your ideas and submissions for the newsletter. It is an excellent opportunity to obtain a publishing credit in a bar publication. Contact our newsletter editor, Eleni vanRoden, with your suggestions and submissions, and let Eleni know if you would like to join the newsletter subcommittee.
Also, there are several CLE seminars being planned during this bar year and each will cover a variety of topics. For example: Professional Success Summit: Networking and Advancement for Racially and Ethnically Diverse Litigators (Nov. 14–16, 2018, in Houston, TX), Environmental & Energy, Mass Torts, and Products Liability Litigation Committees' Joint Seminar (Jan. 10–12, 2019, in Laguna Beach, CA); Corporate Counsel (Feb. 14–16, 2019, in San Antonio, TX); and Insurance Coverage (Feb. 27–Mar. 2, 2019, in Tucson, AZ).
And, of course, the Section of Litigation Annual CLE Conference which is being held in conjunction with the General Practice Division of the ABA, will be held May 1–3, 2019, in New York City. This conference will be an excellent opportunity for solo and small firm practitioners to obtain CLE credit and to network with fellow solo and small firm litigators from across the country. Where else does that type of networking opportunity exist? No matter where your practice is located, sometime in the future, another Section member will need the services of someone like you in your city. The conference provides the perfect opportunity to introduce yourself, so when the need arises, the call will come to you.
We love hearing from our members. Please contact us at any time with any questions or to express an interest in getting more involved.
We look forward to meeting you this year. Thank you.
Emily J. Kirk
Jackie Condella
Cochairs, Solo & Small Firm Committee