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Upcoming FREE CLE: A Solo & Small Firm Section Member Benefit

The Solo & Small Firm Section each year offers at least 10 hours of free CLE on Zoom, a $500 value for section members. Here’s our fall lineup:

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Mindfulness Meditation Series Resumes August 24

If you’ve never tried meditation before, take 10 minutes next week and try it! On Wednesday, Aug. 24 from 12 to 12:10 PM, attorney Adam Myron will lead a free meditation session on Zoom by phone. Dial in and take a break from your busy schedule to relax and enjoy the mental and physical benefits of meditation.

Meeting ID: 886 9255 0158
Passcode: 361511
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The Florida Bar’s Merit Retention Poll is in the Mail

Five Florida Supreme Court justices and 28 appellate judges will be on the merit retention ballot November 8, and in-state members of The Florida Bar soon will be asked their opinions of those up for retention.

Every two years, Florida’s voters are asked whether the justices and the district courts of appeal judges up for retention votes deserve another six-year term, and the Bar’s merit retention poll assists the public with the process. Ballots were mailed August 17, and in-state members in good standing can complete the confidential poll online or return the paper version of the poll by mail. Instructions for voting online will be printed on the ballots. The deadline for online voting is 11:59 p.m. EDT, September 8. The paper ballots also must be received no later than September 8. The Bar is encouraging everyone to vote electronically. Read the full write-up.

2022 Section Annual Awards

The Solo & Small Firm Section each year presents awards that recognize exceptional achievements, professionalism and contributions. Outgoing Section Chair Jacina Parson presented the 2022 awards in June during the Annual Florida Bar Convention.

“The recipients of our annual awards have gone ‘above and beyond’ in their professions or in volunteer service,” said Parson, a Pinellas senior assistant county attorney and former director of the Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism. “We are so pleased that the section can honor these deserving individuals for their accomplishments.”

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Tradition of Excellence Award—Theresa Jean-Pierre Coy (posthumously). This prestigious award honors recipients whose efforts throughout that year have been beneficial to The Florida Bar and specifically to the general practitioner and is intended to encourage participation by all Bar members in activities that benefit the general practitioner and the community at large.

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Walter S. Crumbley Award—Linda Calvert-Hanson. This award is given each year to an individual who has made a significant contribution to practice management in the State of Florida. The award was originally created by the Practice Management and Development Section in honor of the long service by Judge Walter S. Crumbley on the Practice Management and Development Committee and on the Technology Law Committee.

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Mentor of the Year Award—Nora Riva Bergman. This award recognizes an outstanding Florida-licensed attorney who has shown remarkable achievements in the area of mentorship to younger attorneys and/or law students in Florida. The award honors a lawyer who has demonstrated above-and-beyond efforts to achieve a high standard of professionalism in the delivery of mentorship.

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Paralegal of the Year Award—Sherry Webber CP FCP FRP. This award is given to that singular paralegal who has contributed significantly to the community and/or (his) (her) law firm. The section’s purpose in providing this award is to recognize that very deserving individual for above-and-beyond efforts in achieving a high standard of professionalism in the delivery of paralegal services. 

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Free Tech Helpline for Bar Members

Did you know? If you’re a member of The Florida Bar, you have access to a free, non-emergency tech helpline.

LawTech Partners runs this amazing resource that offers routine remote services, including basic troubleshooting, operating system support, and technical setup for home and remote offices.

The helpline has been promoted mainly to solo and small-firm practitioners who are less likely to be able to afford their own IT services but it’s available to all Florida Bar members in good standing. Click the image or this link to get started.

Calendar Page

More & More Great CLE (Some Free)

September 15: Lessons from “50 Lessons for Happy Lawyers: Boost wellness. Build resilience. Yes, you can!” (Nora Riva Bergman and Chelsy A. Castro). REGISTER

September 20:  Practice Without Borders—Using Technology to Efficiently Run Your Practice From Anywhere (Liz McCausland). Registration opens soon.
September 28:  FREE CLE—A Busy Lawyer’s Guide to Law Firm Automation (Nefra-Ann MacDonald, Clio). REGISTER

October 21: The Fascinating Field of Crop Insurance (Prof. Chad G. Marzen J.D.). Registration opens soon.

October 28:  FREE CLE—Books Grow Business: Using Technology to Market Your Firm Profitably and Ethically (Peggy Hoyt). REGISTER

Thank you to our 2022-23 section sponsors.