ABA Journal

Solos/Small Firms

1279 ABA Journal Solos/Small Firms articles.

Maine’s top court affirms suspension of lawyer who asked staffer to take his CLE classes

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has affirmed a one-year suspension of an attorney who asked his assistant to take his continuing legal education classes.

Talent wars led to record-high salaries for class of 2022 law grads, new NALP report says

Talent wars helped push the national median salary for class of 2022 law graduates to a record high of $85,000, according to figures released Wednesday by the National Association for Law Placement.

Smaller law firms are bracing for the new pay transparency laws

The legal industry has long been criticized for pay inequality, especially when it comes to female and minority attorneys. But a recent spate of pay transparency laws may put an end to this, regardless of whether the firms like it.

Grit and growth mindset boosts work of teams, new ABA report finds

Can teams operate in a gritty and growth mindset-oriented way, and if so, does that make them more successful?

Irregular hours could be detrimental to solo lawyers’ mental health, new Clio report says

A majority of solo lawyers want flexibility to set their hours, but working irregular and extended hours could come at the expense of their mental health, according to Clio’s 2023 Legal Trends for Solo Law Firms report.

Using data, law prof finds many disciplined lawyers represent consumers—with no oversight

A new working paper claims that for attorneys with records of public discipline, many are sole practitioners who opened firms following lawyer regulation decisions.

Alternative legal services providers hit $20.6B share of legal market, new report says

Alternative legal services providers, or ALSPs, have shown accelerated growth and now make up $20.6 billion of the legal market, according to a report published Tuesday.

Weekly Briefs: Man pleads guilty in cold-case murder of law librarian; near-total abortion ban upheld in Idaho

A man convicted as a minor in 1964 for killing and raping a teen girl in Germany has pleaded guilty to the 1973 murder of a Stanford law librarian.

CEO Roundtable With Ari Kaplan: Legal services and legal tech CEOs reflect on 2022 and offer perspectives for 2023

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with leading chief executive officers in a year-end CEO roundtable discussion on Zoom.

Longtime disability rights advocate Scott LaBarre dies at 54

Scott LaBarre, a longtime member of the ABA who advocated for the rights of people with disabilities, died on Dec. 10 after a short battle with cancer. He was 54. "Scott was a top lawyer in the disability law area, but he was so much more," ABA President Deborah Enix-Ross told the ABA Journal. "He was a great leader, inspiring, always cheerful and upbeat and loved by all who had the good fortune to know him. He worked tirelessly on behalf of the ABA, making the association a much better organization. He will truly be missed, but his legacy endures."

Top 8 Your Voice columns of 2022

Diversity and inclusion, stress management, mental health and practice management are some of the major areas of focus among legal professionals today. And contributors to the ABA Journal’s Your Voice column certainly brought these concepts front and center in 2022.

Small law firms have reason for ‘cautious optimism,’ new Thomson Reuters report says

Despite concerns about an economic downturn, many small law firms are bullish about their prospects and expect moderate-to-high growth in the next three years, according to a report published Thursday.

Feeling the holiday stress? The ABA is offering a number of wellness events

With the holidays quickly approaching, lawyers and legal professionals may be looking for tips to counter anxiety and stress, set boundaries with family and at work, or focus more on their overall well-being as they say goodbye to this year and hello to 2023. The ABA is offering CLE programs in November and December that fit the bill.

Lawyer accused of relying on staffer to take CLE classes gets sanction reprieve if he accepts indigent cases

A solo practitioner in Maine may find it difficult to comply with the terms of an ethics sanction imposed for relying on his assistant to take his continuing legal education classes.

Weekly Briefs: Another BigLaw merger; SCOTUS is ‘more of an advocacy group,’ Biden says

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