User Name:	Password:
		I forgot my password

Guest Columns

Legislative Initiatives

Mentoring

Solo/Small Firm

Join the Solo & Small Firm Committee Discussion!

Not everyone works for a large firm.

Rebecca Pontikes | Davis, Pontikes, & Swartz LLC
77 Franklin Street, 3^rd Floor Boston, MA 02110
617.357.1888
rebecca.pontikes@gmail.com

Chiara LaPlume | Alan R. Goodman & Associates
60 William Street, Ste. 300 Wellesley MA 02481
781.431.9966
chiara@goodmanlegal.com

The Solo and Small Firm Committee is proud to kick off its SocialPlus series!

Date/Time/Location: Thursday, June 5, 2008, 6:00 p.m., Davis, Pontikes & Swartz LLC, 77 Franklin St., 3rd Floor, Boston

Description: What is SocialPlus? Part networking and part educational, this series will couple an educational speaker or panelist with our usual social networking time.

Our first event will focus on finding and being a mentor:
How do we know if we’re on track, and developing professionally as we should?
Who can help us get to where we want to go?
How do we find someone to help us see where it is we should go with our practice?
How do we give back by being a mentor?
What are women attorneys’ mentoring needs?

Mentors are instrumental to our professional growth, especially at a smaller firm where there is no preexisting mentoring or succession structure, and where a mistake can cost us very dearly and directly. Discussion will focus on what mentoring really means, how to find a mentor, and what it means to be a mentor.

RSVP: Please RSVP to Chiara LaPlume at chiara@goodmanlegal.com by June 3, 2008

It’s time for the Solo & Small Firm Committee’s Annual Summer Social

Date/Time/Location: Sunday, July 27, 2008

The WBA’s Solo and Small Firm Committee will hold its Annual Summer Social on Sunday, July 27, 2008. The Summer Social is a pot luck brunch at one of the co-chair’s homes. Members (and members-to-be) are invited to join, share food and a recipe, and meet other solo and small firm lawyers in a laid back environment. This event not only expands the members’ network, but also provides an opportunity for our members to bounce ideas off one another and discuss anything from billing practices, to listserv membership, to client management.

Join us!

RSVP: Please RSVP to Chiara LaPlume at chiara@goodmanlegal.com by July 18, 2008. In your RSVP, please identify the food you would like to bring to the event.

If you are starting off as a solo, the professional support of your fellow attorneys becomes paramount. Practice questions come up every day, both substantive and administrative. Unlike attorneys who practice in a large firm, there is no bankruptcy partner or tax department to ask about that nagging automatic stay or tax question, or to consult when drafting a settlement agreement. In a small firm, attorneys need to look outside their own firm for that support.

The Solo and Small Firm Committee understands how crucial peer to peer support is for the solo and small firm practitioner. To fill the void, the Committee has developed a network of solo and small firm practitioners who, through the Committee's listserv, provide advice on substantive areas of law, client management, office administration, and other questions. The listserv is also used to notify members of upcoming events or opportunities, such as invitations to events held by a professional organization other than the WBA and notification of office space and office furniture available.

The Committee sponsors events each year to educate its members on managing their practice as well as on substantive legal topics. The Committee also holds a summer social and is about to launch its SocialPlus series: meetings throughout the year that combine a specific purpose to the meeting with a social and networking component.

Past programs:

Some recent programs include:

Woman's Guide to Growing Her Practice and Protecting Her Income (March 27, 2007)

Alvah Parker of Parker Associates discussed networking strategies and how to increase our referrals. Claire Peterson of Primerica discussed the elements of how to plan for retirement, our next career or business expansion by implementing personal finance strategies such as building a cash reserve, saving and paying down debt.

First Aid for Professional Malpractice (March 1, 2007)

Edward S. Cheng, Esquire and Katy E. Koski, Esquire of Sherin and Lodgen, LLP and Jack Kukowski of USI Bertholon-Rowland gave a hands-on presentation on how to stay out of trouble and how to handle insurance claims if a claim is made (or may be made) against you. The presentation provided tips on avoiding claims, statistics on errors most likely to lead to claims, notification requirements of potentials claims under the professional liability insurance agreement, and tips of choosing professional liability coverage.

And Baby Makes .... Maternity Leave! (November 2, 2005)

Rebecca Pontikes, Deborah DosSantos and Judy Polacheck discussed how to plan for and negotiate for maternity leave, especially where your employer is too small for you to qualify for Family Medical Leave Act protection. Both explanation of laws affecting maternity leave and more practical advice on how to approach an employer with the exciting news of your pregnancy were covered.

Committee Resources:

her, esq. listserv

Committee members can post events, questions, or articles for the Committee

Committee Roster

Spreadsheet with committee members' names, addresses, and practice areas, for easy access to members' information for networking, mentoring and referrals. Currently, the roster is available for Committee members on the Solo/Small Firm Committee Yahoo Group web site.