How To Start a Solo Practice: Practical Tips to Start Right

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2010
8:00 AM – 1:00 PM

If you are considering starting a solo practice or have just recently started solo, then this is the program for you.  It will offer practical and useful information designed to give you information you need to start as smoothly as possible.  It will help you prepare for some of the more detailed programs at the Solo and Small Firm Conference.

8:00 AM – 8:30 AM  
Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM              
Business Aspects of Starting A Solo Practice
Steven Manekin, CPA, Ellin & Tucker, Chartered

Topics will include budgeting and financial issues as well as practical management tips to make it work.

9:30 AM – 10:30 AM            
Building a Rewarding Practice: How to Get and Keep Clients
Patricia A. Yevics, Director, Law Office Management Assistance, MSBA

Tips include selecting areas of practice, determining your legal strengths and weaknesses, determining and maximizing referral sources, client development, where clients come from and what marketing tools a new practitioner should use.  Learn how to choose clients and keep them happy.

10:45 – 11: 45
Technology For New Solo Practitioners
Timothy S. Faith, Esq, Towson, MD

Technology has leveled the playing field for solo practitioners and although starting a new practice is never easy, using the right technology can help.

11: 55 – 1:00 PM  
How to Avoid Grievance and Malpractice
Keith R Truffer, Royston, Mueller, McLean & Reid, LLP

Learn what steps to take as a solo practitioner to minimize your risk of legal malpractice and prevent problems before they happen

Family Law Case Law Updates

If you practice family law you know how important these updates are for your practice.  This session is one of the Solo Conference’s most popular and is presented each year to keep you up to date. 

How to Settle Cases with Insurance Companies

Getting the best settlements for your clients is critical but not always easy. In this session you will hear tips on how to get the best settlements for your clients when dealing with insurance companies. This is always important but even more true in a difficult economy. 

Child Support Guideline Changes Updates 

Effective October 1, 2010, there will were changes to the Child Support Guidelines. Learn how these changes will affect your clients. 

Practice Before the Office of Administrative Hearings 

Knowing how hearings work will go a long way to getting the best results for your clients. In this session you will learn the types of cases heard before the OAH, the differences in procedures, the differences in evidence, OAH forms, how to request transcripts, see sample copies of decisions, learn time frames for filings and issuing decisions and how to work with the Clerk's office.

Debunking HIPPA Urban Myths

This presentation by a health lawyer experienced with HIPAA will give you the current laws and amendments, the applications and interpretations of these frequently misapplied federal regulations. It will focus on aspects of the laws that are pertinent to everyday legal practice and debunk those HIPAA urban myths. Learn the facts about HIPAA for your clients and yourself. 

Some of the HIPAA Urban Myths

• No one goes to jail for a HIPAA violation
• You can't get a medical record because of HIPAA
• My company manufactures widgets, we don’t care about HIPAA
• I’m too small for the government to be bothered with and/or I don't need to comply b/c the government doesn't have the time or manpower to check
• We are not a covered entity so we don’t have to worry about HIPAA
• Childrens' school medical records don’t fall under HIPAA
• Emailing with from my business computer is private
• I can sue you for a HIPAA violation
• HIPAA only concerns privacy
• If I get caught I'll just retire
• My corporation will protect me from a HIPAA violation
• I asked my doctor not to tell ___________ but he did it anyway- let's sue him

Topics to be included:

• Who or what entity is covered by HIPAA
• Obtaining or shielding medical records
• What are actionable HIPAA violations
• When can an employee be fired for violating HIPAA
• Who has liability when there is a HIPAA breach
• What are the administrative actions and civil money penalties for a HIPAA violation
• How a HIPAA violation can become a criminal or civil legal action
• What documents need express HIPAA "consent" or "authorization"
• What is defined as Personal Health Information (PHI) that requires HIPAA protection

Business Organizations for Your Small Business Clients

There are many choices that small business owners need to make when choosing an entity. Each of these choices creates different consequences and it is important that you know the advantages and disadvantages of each to make sure your client does not make a costly mistake.  

Immigration Law and its Relationship to Family and Criminal Law

With more and more immigrants, immigration law is rapidly expanding to include many other practice areas, most noticeably, criminal law and family law. Hear a criminal law and family law practitioner how these areas can overlap with immigration issues in many cases and what you need to know to help your client. 

Intellectual Property Law and Your Small Business Clients

If you think that Intellectual Property Law is just for big clients and big firms, you may be doing your small business clients a great disservice. Many solo and small firm practitioners have small business clients who are inventing and creating new products and devices. This session will help you learn about invention submission companies and the problems inventors run into when using them. 

Social Media 101

This is a basics of social media session. This session will answer the questions: What is social media? What are the various types of social media? How do they work? How can you use them? What are the pros and cons of using them?  

Managing Your Online Presence

This session will discuss how to use Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and other types more effectively. It will focus on security issues and the do’s and don’ts of Web 2.0.

Ethics of Social Media

There is a saying that technology moves much faster than our ability (or willingness) to create rules for the new methods. This is true for Social Media and our Rules of Professional Responsibility. How are our current Rules addressing these new technologies? What do we need to consider when using these new forms of communication? Where are the potential minefields? This session may not have all the answers but it is a good place to start.

Trouble Free Fees – How to Set/Collect

Setting and collecting fees is always a task that instills fear and loathing in practitioners. It is even more true with a bad economy. Here how to make certain that you know how to set your fees and collect them without getting into trouble.

What the Modern Lawyer Is Using This Year

There is no question that technology has leveled the playing field for solo and small firm practitioners. Despite the perceived negative effect technology may have had on our lives, the increased use of all types of technologies from cell phones, legal software, remote computing to the internet and e-mail, technology allows us to be much more efficient and effective for our clients. 

This session will show you which "technologies" you need to have and how to use them to their maximum effect. 

Tips, Tricks and Apps for Smartphones

Come and get tips and ideas on how to use your I-Phones more effectively in your practice. Also get apps that you can use to make you more effective, efficient and just plain cool.

Practicing in the Cloud

What is Cloud Computing? Is it really new? (No.) Do solos need to know about it? (Probably, yes) This session will tell you in plain language exactly what it is , how we have been using "cloud computing" technology for quite some time and how expanding our use of the newer aspects will help us save money and be more efficient.

Tips on Best Practice Management

Sometimes the difference between a successful and unsuccessful practice is not the legal skills of the practitioner but the management skills. This is just as true for solos and small firms as it is for larger firms. Being a solo practitioner is not an excuse for bad management. This session will give you practical tips that you can use on Monday after the conference to improve the management of your office – even if that is just you and a computer.

Maintaining Wellness and Balance in Your Law Practice and Your Life

Lawyers are great at taking care of everyone else, but too often neglect themselves. Come learn from a lawyer who can teach you how to not only have a successful law career, but also how to take care of yourself at the same time. You will learn how to have both a successful and fulfilling law career, and to have a more balanced, fit life.

Proof of Injury in Low Impact Auto Accidents

It is easy to prove that a client has an injury when there is a serious accident with serious and obvious injuries. But how to do you prove your client is injured when the injuries and destruction are not so obvious. Learn how you can prove that your client has been injured in a low impact auto accident. 

Understanding the Legal Concerns of Soldiers and Veterans and Their Effect Your Practice

Soldiers and veterans are facing many legal concerns and problems outside of what may be considered "military" law. There are many practice areas that will come into contact with soldiers and veterans. This session will explore the other practice areas that are being affected by these soldiers and veterans.

Social Media is Not So Social - Using Electronic Evidence

There are many positive ways to use Social Media to expand your practice and connect with colleagues. There are some very dark sides to this Social Media especially in many legal areas. Learn how practitioners are using these new media gather evidence. Learn how to protect your case and client as well as gather information to make your case.

Can You Keep Them From Talking?: Social Media and Juries

How do the new technologies such as Facebook, email, Twitter or other social media work with the established rules related to juries? What changes will have to be made? Judge Sweeney was the judge in the Sheila Dixon trial and had to deal directly with this issue. Hear his perspective and how it will affect how your case may be impacted.

Sites, Tools and Gadgets that Improve Productivity

This is always one of our most popular sessions. Come to this engaging and practical session to learn about some the really useful tools, sites and gadgets that practitioners are using to improve their practices and have some fun doing it.

MSBA 12th Annual Solo Conference Schedule by Track Topics

8:00 AM - 8:30 AM      Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 AM - 8:45 AM      Welcome and Introductions

MSBA 12th Annual Solo Conference Schedule by Time

8:00 AM - 8:30 AM  Registration and Continental Breakfast 
8:30 AM - 8:45 AM  Welcome and Introductions