Take Your Practice to the “Next Level” At Cla’s First-Ever Leveling Up Your Practice Conference

Solo and small firm attorneys represent more than one-third of all practitioners in California, according to the State Bar of California. In fact, every member of California Lawyer’s Association (CLA) is automatically subscribed to CLA’s Solo and Small Firm specialty practice section. It’s that important.

To support solo and small firm practices, CLA will host its inaugural Leveling Up Your Practice conference on July 17-18, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. The event is designed as an innovative way for solo and small firm attorneys to connect, gain new business management knowledge, and have fun.

CLA Solo and Small Firm Section Chair, Marina Fraigun, is a labor and employment litigator. She feels strongly about the need to collaborate. “The biggest challenge about being a solo or small firm lawyer is the ability to have a sounding board for both professional and social reasons,” she says. “That’s why I’m involved with CLA. It’s not only important to develop content, but we need to have a village, and CLA is helping to create it. I think the best work is done by solo and small firms. In California, we are an overwhelming percentage of legal practitioners. It’s much bigger than people realize.”

The two-day conference features 16 expert-led panel discussions on topics ranging from the ethics of using AI in legal research to data security to mitigating growth risks. Lunches and sponsorship expos will be held each day, and the conference will be capped with a Solo and Small Firm Section Happy Hour. Attendees can earn up to 9.0 hours of MCLE.

CLA Solo and Small Firm section members Angelina Ray and Robbie Klein both agree that being in a solo or small firm can be isolating. “It’s really nice to have people you can reach out to for input,” says Klein, who works as a personal injury attorney. “I joined CLA because I like being part of a statewide bar association,” explains Ray, a family law practitioner. “I belong to several associations, but I love the ability to collaborate in the solo and small firm arena across legal specialties, rather than one specific field or location.” Klein adds, “I like to participate, I like to give back, and I like to help.”

A common theme among CLA’s Solo and Small Firm section members is the realization that you can’t do everything alone. They recognize that it takes a lot of work to maintain and grow a small practice. Members agree that the media’s portrayal of the legal field is largely inaccurate when it comes to the  day-to-day business of working in the law. “Even small firms are portrayed as being larger than they are,” Klein notes. The Leveling Up Your Practice conference is specifically designed to provide resources so that attorneys may achieve their goals.

“As an African American, woman lawyer, there are so few of me,” Ray points out. “It says something to my community that I can be successful and that I am able to do this.”

Solo and small firm attorneys acknowledge that there is a lot of freedom which comes with being in a solo or small firm. “I didn’t have to ask anybody for permission when my daughter was young, if I wanted to attend one of her school events. I think you work more hours, but you have choices,” Klein says. Ray agrees. As a single mother of five, she says, “I wouldn’t be able to do nearly the number of things I wanted to do if I didn’t have my own practice.

Technology has played an increasingly important role in the ability for solo and small firm practitioners to work. There are numerous tools which have advanced small firms. Shield IT Networks, an industry leader in cybersecurity, is a key event sponsor. The company provides risk management, monitoring, and training services to protect business from cyber threats. “It is really important for smaller firms to have the same access to resources as large companies,” explains CEO Scott Hagizadegan. “There is a huge misconception that only large organizations need assistance. The companies providing general IT services are great, but cybersecurity has become a specialized field.”

To demonstrate its support for CLA’s solo and small firm members, Shield IT Networks is offering a complimentary risk assessment worth $8,000 to conference attendees. Additionally, CLA has formed a partnership with the company to provide all CLA members with security products and services at a highly reduced rate.

Section Chair, Marina Fraigun, encourages attendance at the new Leveling Up Your Practice event. She will speak at the conference on both days. She believes that the law should be joyful and fun. “I like collaboration. I don’t want people to feel alone. An event like this elevates the practice of law. I’m glad CLA is paying attention.”

To learn more about Leveling Up Your Practice and to register for this inagural event before registration closes, please visit: https://calawyers.org/leveling-up/.