This year marked the fifth year of the Solo and Small Firm Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco’s ever-popular annual conference, and despite being held virtually due to the current public health orders, the January 28 conference, Larger Than Coronavirus, attracted more than 100 attendees using a combination of online platforms designed to replicate what would normally be an in-person continuing legal education (CLE) conference experience.

With this year’s conference held virtually, Stephanie Everett—the president of Lawyerist, co-host of The Lawyerist Podcast, chief coach of Lawyerist Lab and co-author of Laywerist’s popular book The Small Firm Roadmap—gave the conference keynote from Georgia. Everett spoke about small firm management, improving the client experience, and strategies for solo and small firms to enhance their practices.

Following Everett’s keynote, participants had the opportunity to attend up to three out of six panels addressing timely topics that the solo and small firm community is facing during these challenging times: litigation funding; how solo attorneys and small firms can leverage their size in winning clients; ethical issues in a borderless, digital world; roundtable discussion of fifty best tips, tools, tricks and hacks to enhance one’s practice; employment law issues during COVID-19; and client diversity and marketing.

The conference concluded with a virtual networking reception on the Remo platform where conference attendees could come together as a community and catch up with each other.

The Fifth Annual Solo and Small Firm Conference Committee included Donald Davidson, Law Office of Donald S. Davidson; Laura F. Gibble, LFGF Law; Saja Raoof, Law Office of Saja Raoof; Phyllis Simon, Weill & Mazer; Albert L. Thuesen, Coit Law Group; Jason Wolford, Wolford Wayne; Richard Zuromski, Zuromski Law Office; and conference co-chairs John B. Lough, Jr., and Ryan Stahl of Scherer Smith & Kenny.

This year’s conference was made possible by its generous sponsors: Help ‘em Soar benefactor level sponsors Lawyaw and Scherer Smith & Kenny; Subscribe to Their Success level sponsors Ahern Insurance Brokerage, Insight Counsel, and ProVisors; and Solo/Small Friend Partner level sponsors Burke Family Law, Emergent, Gluck Daniel, Renaker Hasselman Scott, Seifert Law Firm, Taran Law, Westlaw – Thompson Reuters, Zarate Dulany Law, and Zahner Legal Support.

The co-chairs for next year’s Solo and Small Firm Conference will be Saja Raoof, Law Office of Saja Raoof, and Richard Zuromski, Zuromski Law Office, so be on the lookout for more information on next year’s conference.

About the Author:

John B. Lough, Jr., is an associate at Scherer Smith & Kenny, where he handles a range of civil litigation matters with a focus on employment litigation and counseling.