REMINDER: It’s past time to pay your Florida Bar dues and renew your Solo & Small Firm Section membership. FREE CLE (a $500 value), discounted CLE, leadership through committee service, out-of-country CLE trips … and more. Pay and renew today at member.floridabar.org.
August 23 FREE CLE: When ‘Powering Through’ Is No Longer An Option
August 23, 12–1 PM Free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Don Blackwell, Lake Mary, and Rebecca J. Bandy, Tallahassee, and moderated by Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin. Course number and 1 General and 1 Mental Health & Wellness Credit pending approval.
*Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed.
A candid and intimate look at some of the mental health challenges confronting our profession, including reflections on a ground-breaking panel discussion highlighting the lived experiences of several highly-accomplished legal professionals, aimed at inspiring attendees of the webinar to be more attentive and responsive to the mental health and wellness of their colleagues and loved ones. REGISTER
September 21 NEW Book Club: A Discussion on ‘Profit First’ by Mike MichalowiczV
BIG NEWS: The Solo & Small Firm Section is launching a book club as a new member benefit and the inaugural session is open to all Florida Bar members, so please tell a friend! Join us on September 21 from 12–1 PM on Zoom for a discussion about the book “Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine” by Mike Michalowicz. In the book, which is available on Amazon, Michalowicz shows that by taking profit first and apportioning only what remains for expenses, entrepreneurs will transform their businesses from cash-eating monsters to profitable cash cows.
Our discussion leader is CPA Kelley Brubaker, the founder of Profit Scale Thrive, author of the book, “Stop Struggling and Start Thriving: A Guide To Transform Your Law Firm,” and a Certified Mastery-Level Profit First Professional. All details and the Zoom information are online at bit.ly/SSFS_9-21BookClub.
Upcoming sessions will be SSFS members-only and will be held on third Thursdays every other month. We hope to see you at book club!
Community Law Program is L. Michael Roffino Award Winner
The St. Petersburg Bar Association Community Law Program Inc. is this year’s winner of the Solo & Small Firm Section L. Michael Roffino Pro Bono Award and has received a $4,000 grant to benefit its Landlord Tenant Mediation Program for Seniors. The program offers seniors and their landlords the opportunity to mediate disputes before eviction actions are filed in cases where residents cannot afford rent increases or landlords are not managing rental unit repairs.
“The last few years have been challenging for us all but especially those faced with legal issues,” said Solo & Small Firm Section Pro Bono Awards Committee Chair John Maceluch of Sunshine Legacy Law in Panama City. “It is the role of legal aid clinics throughout Florida to provide free or low-fee legal assistance to those citizens in their communities. The Solo & Small Firm Section is pleased to honor the legacy of Michael Roffino by awarding these pro-bono programs for their dedication and creativity in filling those needs.”
Finalists Legal Aid of Manasota Inc. and Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association Inc. each received $2,000. The awards were presented during the Annual Florida Bar Convention in June. Read the full write-up in The Florida Bar News.
Upcoming CLE: Register and Save the Dates
September 19, 12–1 PM—DUI Tips: What to Know Before You are Pulled Over (InReach Zoom Webinar by Justin Petredis, Petredis Law, Tampa). Registration opens soon.
September 27, 12–1 PM— How to Minimize the Impact of a Bankruptcy on Your State Court Judgment (Zoom Webinar – FREE CLE for Section Members by Megan Murray, Underwood Murray, P.A., Tampa) REGISTER
October 17, 12–1 PM— Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls & Disciplinary Actions (InReach Zoom Webinar by Sia Baker-Barnes, Searcy Denney, West Palm Beach). Registration opens soon.
October 25, 12–1 PM— Farm Labor Law Issues (Zoom Webinar – FREE CLE for Section Members by Michael Prendergast of FordHarrison, Jacksonville) REGISTER
October 27, 8 AM–12:35 PM—Annual Ethics & Professionalism Update: Scary Tales of Unprofessional & Unethical Conduct (InReach Zoom Webinar by various presenters). Registration opens soon.
‘The Time to Win’: Speed and Responsiveness Are Essential for Getting and Keeping Clients
“If you give your customers time, they’ll give you [their] money.” Conversely, if you cost your customers time, it will cost you money. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.” This mindset could give you a two-year head start over your competition in terms of getting and keeping clients.
Here’s a great recap of marketer, speaker, and author Jay Baer‘s book, “The Time to Win: Exceed Customers’ Need for Speed.” Baer did a comprehensive research study to measure the relationship between responsiveness and revenue and he shares the findings in the book. It’s currently available on Amazon. In addition to the information above, it provides a six-part framework that precisely illustrates “how to gain and keep more customers using speed and responsiveness” with specific recommendations. Read the recap here.
