October 11, 2017

    Unaccompanied minors, technology and diversity among topics at ABA Solo & Small Firm Summit

    WASHINGTON, Oct. 11, 2017 —Immigration, law firm technology and building an inclusive practice will be among topics explored at the American Bar Association’s 2017 Solo & Small Firm Summit, Oct. 18-21, at the Saint Paul Hotel in St. Paul, Minn. 

    What:              
    2017 Solo & Small Firm Summit
    Sponsored by the ABA Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division

    When:             
    Oct. 18-21

    Where:            
    The Saint Paul Hotel
    350 Market St.
    St. Paul, Minn. 55102

    A highlight of the summit is the Difference Makers Awards luncheon at 12:15 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 20.  The annual Difference Makers Awards Program recognizes extraordinary lawyers who make a difference by breaking barriers, through community service, pro bono work and service to the profession.

    The 2017 Difference Makers Award winners are:

    Program highlights include:

    “Unaccompanied Immigrant Children: Who They Are, Why They Flee, and How You Can Help—Part One—Representing a Child Client: Tips & Techniques” — Presenters will discuss ways to evaluate the child client’s capacity as well as how to best work with a child client. The presenters will discuss child-friendly interviewing techniques and give tips on building trust with a child client. Panelists will give guidance on the child’s participation in court hearings and speak directly to the specific tasks listed for the child’s attorney as outlined in the ABA Model Guidelines for Working with Children in Immigration Hearings.

    Wednesday, 8:30-930 a.m.

    “Unaccompanied Immigrant Children: Who They Are, Why They Flee, and How You Can Help—Part Two—Federal Immigration Court for First Timers and Common Forms of Relief for Children” — Attendees will learn about legal remedies available to unaccompanied children, such as asylum, special immigrant juvenile status, visas for victims of crime and trafficking visas. Attorneys will have the invaluable opportunity to put the concepts they have learned into practice during the mock hearing presided over by a retired immigration judge. Attorneys will also learn about pro bono opportunities with immigration legal services programs assisting these children in their communities.

    Wednesday, 9:45-11:15 a.m.

    “How General Practice Firms Can Operate Effectively and Ethically Through Technology Adoption and Better Understand, Serve and Protect Their Clients” —The influx of technology has added even more pressure to small law firms with greater demands on security, adequate business procedures, greater efficiency, marketing and meeting client demands.

    Wednesday, 3:30-5 p.m.

    “Diversity Roundtable—Building an Inclusive Legal Profession and Law Firm” — Innovation without Diversity and Inclusion is bound to go off course, since diversity is critical to advancing a robust exchange of ideas, supporting creative problem solving and promoting the common good. This roundtable will explore hot topics and trends related to how solo and small firms can develop the necessary tools for fostering diversity and inclusion by improving thinking, problem solving, decision-making and collective engagement.

    Friday, 3:45-4:45 p.m.

    A complete agenda of the event can be found here.

    This event is free and open to the members of the press. For media credentialing, please contact Jennifer Kildee at 202-662-1732 or Jennifer.Kildee@americanbar.org.

    Go to www.abalegalfactcheck.com for the ABA’s new feature that will cite case and statutory law and other legal precedents to distinguish legal fact from fiction.

    With 11,791 members, the ABA Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division committed to providing unique resources exclusively for solo, small-firm and general practitioners, who represent half of the nation’s lawyers. For more information on ABA GPSolo, go to www.ambar.org/gpsolo

    With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is one of the largest voluntary professional membership organizations in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on Twitter @ABANews.