LAWCLERK Partnership

Section Launches Partnership With LAWCLERK
All-New Exclusive Solo & Small Firm Section Member Service

Solo & Small Firm Section members now can earn rebates when they hire freelance attorneys through LAWCLERK—and the section will receive a share of the revenue for each member who signs up and uses an account. Get details.

Sign up as a freelancer or create a hiring attorney account to connect with talented attorney freelancers from the section. The exclusive rebate and referral code is FLSSF-MEMBER.

LAWCLERK is where attorneys go to hire freelance lawyers. The company has built a nationwide network of over 3,400 freelance lawyers—called Lawclerks—who can help busy attorneys with research, any sort of written document, discovery, or other project-based written work.

Free Landlord/Tenant CLE

FREE CLE:  Residential Landlord/Tenant Basics & COVID-19 Governmental Protections: How Have Evictions Changed

Feb. 24 @ 12–1 PM: Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar, free CLE for Solo & Small Firm Section members.* Presented by Kevin Rabin, Senior Staff Attorney, Three Rivers Legal Services, Inc., Gainesville.

This webinar will provide training on the basics of Florida’s residential landlord/tenant laws, including the different types of residential rental housing, the steps of the eviction process, and some of the common issues that occur in residential housing disputes and eviction cases. The webinar also focuses on how steps taken by state and federal entities have affected the Florida eviction process, including recent developments with the CDC eviction moratorium and its recent extension. *Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed. REGISTER

Thank you to our conference organizers!

‘Virtually Irresistible’ Conference Organizers

Here’s a BIG shout-out to Cristina Alonso of Alonso Appeals and Jacina Parson of the Pinellas County Attorney’s Office, the organizers of last week’s Solo and Small Firm Conference. They recruited an incredible group of speakers who made the conference one of the best we’ve ever hosted. Thank you to our presenters and to everyone who attended.

Didn’t make it on Feb. 12? The conference is available 24/7 through Florida Bar InReach to purchase as a podcast or on-demand seminar.

YLD Health & Wellness Olympics

Bored with WFH? Compete in the YLD Health & Wellness Olympics

The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division has launched a new competition to encourage every Bar member to  “create a healthier you.” The two-month challenge runs from April 1 to May 27 and the goal is for registrants to earn points by participating in activities that make their lives healthier.

  • Awards will be given to the top three individual point earners and the top three affiliates (small, medium, large).
  • Click here to register.
  • Use the hashtag #YLDMotionGranted.
Remove Metadata

Windows: How to Easily Remove Metadata from Files via File Explorer

Tech tip from The Florida Bar:  Document properties in files on your computer are stored information (metadata) about the source, author, dates and other details. If you don’t want this information to be available to others who may have access to your files, it’s important to remove all the metadata from a file.

Word’s “Inspect Document” and Adobe Acrobat’s “Remove hidden information” help you remove these potentially unwanted document properties one file at a time, but File Explorer lets you do it without opening a file AND makes it easy to do it to multiple files at once. Here’s how.

New CLE

Upcoming CLE for Solos and Small Firms

Increase Your Law Firm Productivity and Efficiency Using Apps: March 16 @ 12 – 1 PM live GoToWebinar by Renee Thompson and Liz McCausland. This CLE will highlight various applications that attorneys can use in their professional lives to make their practices more efficient and productive. 1.0 General; 1.0 Technology CLE credit pending.

Practice Tips from Highly Successful Solo & Small Firm Attorneys: March 24, 12 – 1 PM Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar. Free CLE for Solo & Small Firm Section members.* Presented by Teresa Byrd Morgan, Morgan Law Center of Lake City; Sean Desmond, Desmond Law, PLLC of Tallahassee; and John Maceluch, Jr., Maceluch Law Firm of Panama City. This trio of thriving solo and small firm attorneys will share tips that have helped them to succeed in their practices. Topics will cover Team Building & Management, Time and Money Management, Client Development, Competency and Considerations for Breaking into New Practice Areas. 1.0 General CLE Credit Pending. REGISTER *Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed.

Time Management Strategies & Life Hacks for the Productive, Professional Lawyer: April 20 @ 12 – 1 PM live GoToWebinar by Melanie Griffin. Time. It is something we all want more of. Yet, no matter how hard we wish, there are only 24 hours in each day. During this virtual webinar, Melanie S. Griffin, Of Counsel Attorney at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP and Senior Advisor, Business-to-Business Relationships of Shumaker Advisors Florida, will help you stretch these 24 hours as far as possible. Together, we will develop a personal strategy that incorporates time management skills and other productive habits to become more effective, efficient, professional and happy lawyers who best serve ourselves, our clients and employers/employees, and the legal profession and justice system as a whole. Course 4278. 1 CLE, all of which may be applied toward Professionalism. Section members register for only $50. REGISTER

Using EQ to Improve Your Life and Practice. April 28, 12 – 1 PM Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar (free for Solo & Small Firm Section members)* presented by Rebecca Bandy, Director, The Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism at The Florida Bar. This interactive experience will explore mental health, wellness, and substance abuse issues facing legal professionals, particularly focused on solo and small firms; it will look at ways to minimize distractions and improve self-care; it will define emotional intelligence and its benefits; and it will give examples of mindfulness-based emotional intelligence practices that can be used personally and professionally to improve quality of life.” 1.0 General; 1.0 Professionalism; 1.0 Mental Illness CLE credit and course number pending. REGISTER

SSF Section Facebook Group

Join the section’s members-only Facebook group to network with colleagues around the state.

One of the most difficult things about working remotely is trying to stay connected. Let the Solo & Small Firm Section’s Facebook group be a resource for you. Find co-counsel, refer a case or ask for recommendations. It’s free. Our Wednesday Wisdom series is live on Facebook each month and the library of past videos is available 24/7 through the Facebook group for free, on-demand CLE. Join today to network with your colleagues from the section. JOIN NOW

If you’d like to be featured in the section’s member spotlight series, please contact section communications consultant Lisa Tipton.

Thank you to our 2020-21 section sponsors.