Message From the Section Chair

It is May which means it is Mental Health Awareness Month.  Mental Health is a critical issue for everyone, but it’s hard to ignore the impact of mental health conditions on attorneys and especially solo and small firm attorneys who have to juggle so much in our lives on the daily. 

To address this critical issue and others in our legal community, the California Lawyers Association created a Health and Wellness Committee that strives to keep up happy, healthy and productive in our bodies and mind starting with their “Wellness Wednesdays”.  On May 19, 2021 at 4:00 p.m., the HWC’s Wellness Wednesday is #WellbeingWeekInLaw & Mental Health.  This is a casual conversation with colleagues about how you’re doing and anything else that’s on your mind regarding your own well-being or that of the legal community. Beyond this, the HWC has a wealth of resources which can be found here. https://calawyers.org/health-and-wellness/

If you are searching for some stimulation for your mind, the SSF Committee would like to invite you to join us for our webinar Wednesday on May 26, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. for our webinar Strong Writing for Trial and Other Attorneys.  This webinar will demonstrate specific legal-writing techniques that help us make our writing more concise, direct and persuasive.  You can register here for this extremely helpful webinar at: https://calawyers.org/event/webinar-strong-writing-for-trial-and-other-attorneys/

Additionally, it is time for the CLA Solo and Small Firm Summit which is being held virtually again this year on June 24^th-25, 2021.  This time you can earn 19 hours of MCLE which includes 3 hours of Legal Specialization and 1 hour of competency and 1 hour of elimination of bias.  The great thing about the SSF Summit is that you have access to all of the programs for a whole 30 days after the SSF Summit itself on the virtual platform.  If you would like to register, please find the link here.  https://pheedloop.com/ssfs2021/site/home/

I have received several requests for information about the SSF Section’s comprehensive new book Opening and Managing Office” Go Solo, Win Clients, and Be Your Own Boss.  The book can be found on Amazon in paperback or Kindle version or on our website here: https://calawyers.org/section/solo-and-small-firm/.  If you are even considering opening your own firm, this is a must read!

Finally, if giving back is something that makes you feel good, The Disaster Legal Assistant Collaborative is looking for attorneys willing to provide some pro bono time to aid California disaster survivors and the volunteers that assist.  You can find more information on this worthy program here www.disasterlegalservicesca.org.

As always, if you have any education ideas or are looking for ways to connect, do not hesitate to contact us.  We love hearing from you to further our mission of providing you with the best possible resources and connections.  Until next time, stay well!

Sabrina Green, Esq.
Chair, SSF Section.