Starting a Solo Practice in New York 2023

Agenda

9:00 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.

Creating Your “Launch Plan”

•  Your Business Plan (Yes, You Need One)
• What Type of Law Will You Practice?
• Home Office or Rented Space?
• Should You Form a Professional Corporation or LLC?
•  What Equipment and Technology Do You Need?
• What are the Five Things Every Solo Law Practice Must Have to Be Successful?

Speaker:

Clifford R. Ennico, Esq. | Law Office of Clifford R. Ennico

1.0 Law Practice Management

9:50 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.

Managing Your (Cyber) Practice

• Maximizing Efficiency: Hardware/Software/Cloud
•  Cybersecurity: Preventing and Mitigating Risk
• Operational Issues: Data Management
•  Emergency Preparedness 

Speakers:

Marc J. Natale, Office Administrator, Littler Mendelson P.C.

Clifford R. Ennico, Esq. | Law Offices of Clifford R. Ennico

1.0 Law Practice Management

10:40 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.

Break

10:50 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.

Get the Clients and Cases You Want | How to Build a Sophisticated Litigation Practice Outside the Big Firm

• Finding clients
•  Exploiting your small size to get the clients and cases you want
•  Practice and time management: do it right or die
•  Coordinating with co-counsel to build your practice
•  Special pitfalls of litigation to avoid

Speaker:

John Balestriere, Esq. | Balestriere Fariello

1.0 Law Practice Management

11:40 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Ethical Challenges of Solo Practice Business Models 

• Generating new clients – key ethics considerations for advertising and referrals
• Get the help you need - Review key ethics rules when outsourcing
• Smart strategies to grow and scale your firm
• Modern law firm business models that make sense as well as cents
• Stay compliant with duty of technology competence via top tech tools for solos

Speakers:

Greg Garman, Esq. | Lawclerk.Legal

Christopher Anderson, Esq. | Sunnyside Law

1.0 Ethics

12:30 p.m. – 12:40 p.m.

Break

12:40 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Risk Management | Client Intake, Letters of Engagement, Retainers, and IOLA | Best Practices for Lawyers 

Speakers:

James D. Spithogiannis, Esq. | L'Abbate Balkan Colavita & Contini, LLP

William T. McCaffery, Esq. | L'Abbate Balkan Colavita & Contini, LLP

Lana James-Moore | USI Affinity

1.0 Ethics

1:30 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.

Understanding Your Malpractice Insurance Policy | Making Sure You Have the Right Amount and the Right Coverage

• Applying Your Coverage: How to Fill Out the Application Form
• Defining Your “Practice Areas” the Right Way
• Do You Need “Prior Acts” Coverage?
• How Much Coverage Do You Need?
• What Do You Do When Someone Threatens to Sue You?

Speakers:

James D. Spithogiannis, Esq. | L'Abbate Balkan Colavita & Contini, LLP

William T. McCaffery, Esq. | L'Abbate Balkan Colavita & Contini, LLP

Lana James-Moore | USI Affinity 

1.0 Ethics

2:20 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Break

2:30 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.

Ethical Client Generation: The Do’s and Don’ts of Marketing Your Solo Practice

•  The five pillars of a solo practice marketing plan

•  Identifying the “right” clients for your practice

•  Your firm name, business cards and marketing materials

•  Networking, public speaking and social media – in person and online

•  Creating a robust referral system

Speakers:

Carol Schiro Greenwald, Ph.D., MarketingPartners, author of “Building Your Practice the Logical Way: Maximize Your Client = Relationships” (NYSBA)

Clifford R. Ennico, Esq. | Law Office of Clifford R. Ennico

0.5 MCLE Credit in Areas of Professional Practice, 0.5 MCLE Credit in Ethics

3:20 p.m. – 4:10 p.m.

Your Law Practice LinkedIn® Profile

• How to tell better “why you do what you do,” on LinkedIn® to differentiate yourself from the competition, attract clients, and develop business.
• The best ways to use all sections of the LinkedIn® personal profile to market your past and present experience, and describe your skillset
• How to refer others effectively
• The 5 major sections on LinkedIn® that are search term-sensitive for your best marketing opportunities
• Best ways to produce meaningful, fresh content to readers for brand recognition and thought leadership

Speakers:

Marc W. Halpert, connect2collaborate.com, author of “LinkedIn Marketing Techniques for Law and Professional Practices, 2d ed.” (ABA)

Clifford R. Ennico, Esq. | Law Office of Clifford R. Ennico

1.0 MCLE Credit in Areas of Professional Practice 

4:10 p.m. – 4:40 p.m.   Time Management for the Solo Lawyer Who Has No Time to Manage His/Her Time

• How to prioritize your daily workload
• How to separate the “urgent” from the “important”
• How to manage client expectations without losing business
• How to tame your e-mail Inbox and cellphone
• How to develop and use “interruption protocols”
• The most common “time vampires,” and how to deal with them

Speaker:

Clifford R. Ennico, Esq., Law Office of Clifford R. Ennico

0.5 MCLE Credit in Areas of Professional Practice

4:40 p.m.                       Adjournment