MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Hello and welcome to January of 2023.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Or should I say the only thing that is certain, is change? Life is full of puzzles which makes it so fun and enjoyable yet puzzling. The question for we all is whether you planning are planning on making any changes or will you stay the same the same? 

I can tell you this, CLA is working on in the process of making changes. The organization is working on making the CLA work harder and smarter for its members. As the chair of the Solo and Small firm section, I am happy to tell you our section is trying to do the same.

In roughly one week, I will meet with the members of the Law Practice Management section, the Technology section and the New Lawyers section to discuss how our sections can work together and add value to more members of the CLA. One of the topics we will be discussing is creating a mentorship connection; another idea we have discussed is the concept of a listserv. We will also discuss other ways we can share our collective knowledge with individual members allowing us all to be better and smarter lawyers. I also understand that not all of this ideas will come to fruition this year or even next year.

Our section has discussed other ideas for bringing solo and small firm lawyers into contact with each other. We understand that being a solo can be lonely at times or there may be a feeling of isolation. This can carry over to the way we deal with friends, family and clients. We are thinking of ways to breakdown this barrier so more solos can be in contact with other solos. What we would like to know from each of you is your interest level in holding networking events in various locations across our state. We would like your feedback to this idea.

We would also like to bring together the CA lawyers who practice out of the state or out of the country. If there is interest in creating more connections, there are ways we can all connect. For example, over Zoom or Teams. Again, we would really like to hear from lawyers who fall into this category. Ideas or suggestions are welcome.

Though our section is the Solo and Small Firm section, that does not mean we must work alone or in isolation. We would like hearing from you to get your thoughts, ideas and suggestions. Let’s see what we can do to make a change – a change and a connection.

Please email me any feedback to Rklein@deldarlegal.com. We will respond to your emails promptly. And thank you for being willing to share.

Regards, Robert M. Klein