Jerry Saperstein is a computer forensics expert and e-discovery strategist. He will teach a course called “E-discovery Basics” at Solo Practice University™.

A technologist who understands the intersection of information technology and litigation, he has been described by a federal court as a “careful, precise, credible and knowledgeable expert witness”. Saperstein has been involved with dozens of state and federal court cases since embarking on his career as a testifying expert witness in 1995 and services clients across the United States.

Prior to the that, he has spent the previous four decades involved with various aspects of what has evolved into contemporary Information Technology, beginning with punch-tape driven machines through today’s smartphones.

According to Saperstein, current procedural rules governing e-discovery favor defendants. Plaintiff’s lawyers, especially those in smaller firms, according to Saperstein, operate at a significant disadvantage if they lack broad knowledge of Information Technology or fail to retain appropriate expert assistance.

E-discovery, in Saperstein’s view, should be aggressively deployed as both a strategic and tactical tool by litigators.

Recent cases he has been involved in include Plunk v. Village of Elwood, N.D. IL (2009) where he established the probability of spoliation and incomplete production in a civil rights case. The federal judge said she would instruct jurors they could infer that officials had, at least, bungled their handling of the evidence. Defendant first offered less than one twentieth of final settlement, which, after discovery violations were found, was $1.2 million. In Rosiles-Perez v. Superior Forestry Service, Inc., M.D. TN (2010), Saperstein assisted in helping plaintiff gain access to Electronically Stored Information (ESI) from a recalcitrant defendant in a case which resulted in the largest recovery in any class action against a forestry labor contractor.

His most recent article is “Unreliable Evidence: the true nature of computer date and time stamps”. You can access his website on e-discovery here.

In his course for Solo Practice University, Saperstein covers the critical early steps in the e-discovery program including determining the scope of e-discovery, how to research the opponent’s Information Technology architecture and infrastructure, drafting the litigation hold letter, gaining strategic and tactical command of the e-discovery process and other topics through Rules 16 and 26.

Syllabus

E-discovery is not easy.

There’s a lot more to e-discovery than just asking for printouts of the opposing party’s e-mail.

E-discovery requires substantial knowledge of Information Technology (IT) and how it intersects with the law. Whether you like it or not, whether you want to or not, you’re going to have to learn a bit about the technology and, as the need arises, rely upon intensive research or experts to fill in the many blanks.

Sanctions and possibly even malpractice claims await the practitioner who fails to properly conduct appropriate e-discovery – and almost all discovery these days is e-discovery.

This course covers the basics of e-discovery. Basics, in this case, covers the space from your first evaluation of the case though Rule 16 and 26 conferences.

Session One – Basics of e-discovery

The first session covers:

General introduction to e-discovery and the universe of Information Technology. You have to learn to think in terms of all the possible repositories of Electronically Stored Information (ESI) from desktop computers to smartphones and “cloud” resources. There are a lot of places for data to reside – or be hidden. One of the most frustrating aspects of e-discovery is not knowing where the ESI you want and need is located. If you don’t ask the right questions, you may never get the right stuff.

Learning what your client knows about the adversary’s IT systems is very important. Frequently, the client knows more than you might expect, if you know the right questions to ask.

Session Two – Determining the scope of e-discovery (Part 1)

Back in the good old days, you could copy some interrogatories and production requests from a form book and be done with it.

That approach doesn’t work anymore. In fact, using formbook interrogatories and document production requests can cost you a great deal of wasted time and money.

Today, no matter how small your opponent, you have to understand the architecture and infrastructure of their IT resources. Even the smallest organizations today may be using remote or cloud services that you may miss if you are not alert. With the rapidly increasing proliferation of third-party vendors, portable devices, cloud computing and the like, you can miss critical evidence.

If you don’t understand the nature of your opponent’s IT system, you cannot conduct effective e-discovery.

This session – and the next – explain how to conduct your inquiry of the structure of the opponent’s IT universe.

The first of the two sessions deals with what you should ask the opponent to produce under its Rule 26 duty to disclose and the process of determining what information concerning IT architecture and infrastructure to ask for. Individuals, small and mid-sized organizations are the focus for this session.

Session Three – Determining the scope of e-discovery (Part 2)

This session continues with a discussion of the more complex environments found in larger mid-sized organizations and beyond.

Of special interest to many will be the discussion on discovering personnel records, allegedly archived e-mail and other documents.

The special problems of seeking e-discovery of medical records and other privileged date are also discussed in this session.

Session Four – Using Rules 16 and 26 effectively.

FRCP Rule 26 can be an extremely potent weapon in the discovery battle.

But you have to understand it within the context of the IT universe. In particular, Rule 26(f)(3) can make or break your case.

This session discusses how to make the most of the opportunities Rules 26 and 16 offer and how to avoid the pitfalls they present.

Session Five – The enduring impact of Zubulake and the amended FRCP

E-discovery is biased in favor of defendants and the deeper the defendant’s pockets, the more biased toward them e-discovery becomes.

E-discovery is also tilted in favor of organizations with large Information Technology installations.

Particularly after Zubulake, defendants of all sizes are increasingly likely to claim plaintiff requests are 1) not relevant; 2) overly broad and unduly burdensome; 3) seeking trade secrets or proprietary information; and 4) unreasonably cumulative or duplicative or subject to some privilege precluding production.

This session will spend considerable time on rebutting the first two of these claims using the defendant’s technological infrastructure against them.

The impact of Zubulake and the amended FRCP rules will also be discussed in detail.

Session Six – Effective e-discovery means, like it or not, acquiring some knowledge of Information Technology

Resisting discovery has always been a favored tactic of many defendants. E-discovery is not only easier to resist, it is also easier to avoid and evade.

More than ever before, the propounding party has to be aware of the missed opportunity, the ill-formed request, the unasked question, the undetected insufficiency and the misleading or incomplete response. To paraphrase the late Bette Davis, e-discovery, like old age, isn’t a game for sissies.

You must know about Information Technology and its intersection with law. You don’t have to become an expert – you can always hire experts. But you must recognize that virtually every aspect of the world runs on IT today and that the information you seek may be anywhere within a network.

It is up to you to ferret out relevant Electronically Stored Information efficiently, effectively and economically. This final session provides you the framework for doing so.

Roman Matatov is a Forensic Accountant and Business Appraiser. He will teach a course called “Principles of Financial Forensics” at Solo Practice University™.

Mr. Matatov is a member of Marcum LLP’s Advisory Services division and specializes in intellectual property disputes and valuation. Marcum LLP is one of the largest independent public accounting and advisory services firms in the nation. As a member of the Firm’s Advisory Services division, Mr. Matatov works with professionals who help clients address and navigate complex business and personal issues in the areas of bankruptcy and fiduciary services; forensic accounting, fraud assessment, expert testimony, due diligence, business valuation and litigation matters; and operational and business process improvements.

Mr. Matatov is the President of the Manhattan/Bronx chapter of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (“NYSSCPA”) – its largest chapter; is the President of the New York City Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (“ACFE”); and is intimately involved with the Forensic and Valuation Services Section of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (“AICPA”) by holding a leadership role in the Financial Forensics community as a CFF Champion.

Mr. Matatov has been involved in several high-profile and complex matters, including determining trademark damages related to billions of dollars of alleged infringing sales; valuing the brand and patented technology for a food technology company; calculating the destroyed value of several businesses affected by the September 11th terrorist attacks; investigating malpractice related to a “Big Four” audit of an international company; and tracing recoverable assets in connection with a well-known, multi-million dollar mortgage fraud.

Mr. Matatov joined Marcum in 2004. His earlier diverse background includes private industry accounting and taxation for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Mr. Matatov frequently presents before professional associations and currently teaches M.B.A. students Principles of Forensic Accounting at his alma mater, Baruch College in New York.

Mr. Matatov is a Moscow, Russia native and serves on the Executive Board of the Russian Leadership Division of the United Jewish Appeal (“UJA”) Federation of New York as well as on the Executive Board of the Shorefront Jewish Community Council, serving the underprivileged of the Brighton and Manhattan Beach communities of Brooklyn, New York.

Syllabus – Principles of Financial Forensics

Course Description

This course introduces students to the various facets and Principles of Financial Forensics as they exist in practice today. The course introduces the lawyer to forensic accounting, the role of the forensic accountant as an expert and to the legal and business environment within which the expert operates.

Topics include fraud, business litigation, business valuations, business “divorce”, matrimonial divorce, and bankruptcy and reorganization The topics will be taught through an examination of the underlying principles and related case studies.

The focus of the course is on the practical nature of financial forensics, scenarios, and practical illustrations and how they are utilized in the representation of your clients.

We will examine the following major topics:

• Litigation Services Provided by Accountants
• Fraudulent Financial Reporting
• Asset Misappropriation
• Divorce Accounting
• Business Valuation Overview
• Business Valuation Approaches
• Economic Damages
• Business Divorce

David Wolf is an SEO & Internet Marketing Strategist. He will provide a guest lecture  on August 24th called “Building Authority Over Time The Right Way – SEO, Social Media, & What It All Means To The Marketing Lawyer” at Solo Practice University™.

As an SEO & Internet Marketing Strategist Mr. Wolf has been building his expertise in various fields within the internet marketing genre. He is currently the V.P. of Internet Marketing Strategies for InBusiness, Inc. of Orlando overseeing  a combined client marketing budget of more than 2 million annually. A large portion of this is comprised of businesses spending less than $5000/month on marketing and advertising. Mr. Wolf is a graduate of the University of Central Florida holding a degree in Finance, and has been acknowledged for his unique ability to convey complex ideas in a simple, understandable manner. Mr. Wolf is also the Internet Marketing trainer for the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program.

Syllabus – Building Authority Over Time The Right Way – SEO, Social Media, & What It All Means To The Marketing Lawyer

SEO & The Search Engine Equation From 50,000 Feet

• Learn what the most important website factors are for high rankings and what to leave alone so you don’t waste your time
• Learn the five most important factors agreed upon by industry experts in the SEOmoz.org 2009 SEO Ranking Factors Survey
• Understand how the percentages break out in the bulk of the rankings equations that Google uses and why they matter

Common SEO Tactics In The Legal Industry For Marketing

• What the big boys are doing and why it works
• Learn the different strategies that were once effective, but are not as effective today
• Understand why creating real value and real world authority is the best way to get higher rankings
• What’s a Blog Roll? (No, we’re not talking sushi). Why it matters. Doing it right. Doing it wrong.
• How to identify how strong your competition is and what is working for them

Online Actions Every Lawyer Should Be Taking

• What is Google Places and how do you get to the top of the your most important venue for local marketing
• What are the key elements to a successful website
• How to publish effectively
• Building authority in a crowded market place
• Understanding the snowball effect

Leveraging Social Media For Better Organic Search Rankings

• Turn social media from a tool to a weapon
• Asking for the sell

Useful Tools

• How to determine when to outsource internet marketing and when to do it yourself

This lecture will be placed inside SPU for our students and will also be available free to our fans on Facebook on Tuesday, August 27th. Click ‘audio’. You can become a fan here but you must be signed into Facebook.

July has been a hot month – in more ways than one! Check out all the “hot” classes from our faculty:

Session 14 of Creating a Social Security Disability Practice was Part 4  of  Social Security Disability Hearings from Jonathan Ginsberg.

Gerry Oginski posted a couple of new lessons in Creating Online Video for Attorneys. The first was Attorney Video: Be Like Costco And Follow The Hottest Trends and the second was Why your videos are not converting online viewers into callers.

In Introduction to Products Liability Litigation, we have Class 14: Products Liability Litigation Testing — Should You Do It from Craig Niedenthal.

At LawBiz Management, Ed Poll gives us Business Competency for Lawyers, The Lawyer-Banker Relationship and Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Planning.

Lusting after Apple’s new tech gadget, the iPad? Well head over to Macs In the Law Office and let Victor Medina tell you all about it in Lesson 7 – iPad Walkthrough.

Richard Maseles offers a Mini-lesson on a pretty incredible US Constitution resource at Real World Legal Research.

Lesson 11 of Construction Practice 101 is How Solo Practice Helps by Chris Hill.

This month in the Creating a Niche Practice in Reproductive Law classroom, Theresa Erickson put up Lessons 16, Marketing an A.R.T. Practice, and Lesson 17, Creating Your Story.

James Chartrand explains that You Don’t Need to Be a Blogger in Legal Blogging.

The topic of Lesson 5 of Business Law is Securities courtesy of Trippe Fried.

Jay Shepherd gives Tips for Your Practice in Lesson 6 of Fixing Your Fees, Fixing Your Practice.

In Lesson 3 of Landlord Tenant Law Kira Fonteneau discusses Landlord’s Obligations to the Tenant.

The most recent advice in the Virtual Law Practice classroom is about Selection of a Cloud Computing Provider for your Virtual Law Office from Stephanie Kimbro.

Gordon Firemark’s Lesson 12 in Entertainment Law is a Grab Bag! Sounds intriguing doesn’t it? Students have said every jewel in this grab bag is a keeper.

Lesson 9 of Trial Techniques is Depositions from Greg Yaghmai.

Kimberly Alderman’s latest class in Freelance Lawyering is about Billing and Finance.

Guest Lectures

We also had a Guest Lecture this month from Nikki Mehrpoo Jacobson on ‘How To Create An Immigration Practice’.  Nikki has also very generously agreed to mentor SPU students who would like to learn more about immigration and will do so through her own study group within SPU.

We also have two more guest lectures lined up for August and September.  Both will be available for free on the SPU Facebook page. Be sure to ‘like’ us and start listening!

SPU Meetup

Fun was had by all at the first Official SPU MeetUp from our students in New York Metro. Check it out.

Most popular posts from Build a Solo Practice @ SPU:

The comment discussion is particularly interesting in The ABA: Friend, Foe or…Simply Irrelevant for the Solo?

Also stirring passions was the highly read Why Don’t More New Lawyers Go Solo?

Very well received was ‘Oh, The Places You’ll Go….‘

And “Can Saying ‘I’m Sorry’ Create More Client Income For You?’ Find out.

Highlights from Student Blogs:

• Real ID and the worldwide impact of gaming from Jay Moffitt
• Credit Score! What Have You Done For Me Lately? and Mr. & Mrs. Big Spender Meet Reality by Lurie Daniel Favors.  A few lessons we call can learn from!
• Krista Robertson has a great seven part series on Child Custody in D.C. and you can read it here.

We are also VERY excited to premiere a new SPU upgrade as well as adding new faculty by the end of this month and throughout September.  Just putting the finishing touches on faculty profiles, announcements and classes.  It makes for an exciting ‘Back To School’ and we’d love for you to be a part of it.

See you on the inside!

Tracie, the winner of our Solo Practice University ‘Proud To Be Solo ‘ contest, had this to say:

The group discussed a wide range of topics and shared information and experiences about fee setting, office space, resources for sample forms, dealing with difficult clients, networking opportunities, and even where to get all-you-can eat mussels on a Wednesday night–all very relevant topics. Everyone had something to contribute.

Lurie Daniel Favors, pictured with Ony Okoro, writes several great blogs including The Race and Law Report and Starting Over Financial Blog: Moving From Financial Crisis to Financial Empowerment.

Lurie shared her thoughts about the SPU Meetup:

“.. conversation dealt more with classes each of us found most useful (and why).

So for example, when discussing how to get clients and charge the correct fee – the conversation tended to steer towards the class on “Fixing Your Fees and Fixing Your Practice”. Or when someone asked about what they should blog about or how to draft a certain corporate document – someone else would mention the class on blogging or the class on M&A practice or the Outsourced General Business Counsel course. The references to the classes were often sprinkled with words of “wisdom” from some of the “older” attorneys – .. it tended to be a really positive and informative conversation.

Paul Jeff Perez, the only (lucky) male present, is taking the bar this week and has been planning for solo practice all during law school. He’s been with SPU since its inception and had this to say:

Mostly we spoke about the difficulties of going solo, since all were in the beginning stages of their solo career (Lurie and Ony seemed to be the most established).  We talked about what SPU classes we’ve been “attending”, challenges with clients and friends who don’t want to pay, how to use social networking sites like facebook, the cost and benefits of virtual office vs. office sharing, and studying for the bar.  We also discussed different resources for obtaining forms.

I think it was successful in that we were able to share challenges and give each other advice and encouragement. I’m excited for the potential of the group.

These solos and Solo Practice University students met through the SPU community in the SPU Metro New York group, one of our more than 100 ‘groups’ at SPU, all created by students who wanted to reach out to others similarly situated through either demographics or practice area interests. This is the beauty of providing a forum for education and professional networking within a community, a concept and execution unique to Solo Practice University.

If you are interested in learning about going solo, but don’t want to go it alone, Solo Practice University can provide exactly what you need when you need it 24/7.

All have said, ‘we hope to do this at least once a month.’ Can there be a better testimonial?

June brought us a number of new classes including:

Chris Hill’s lesson on Legal Issues with Green Building in Construction Practice 101. And Congratulations to Chris who has officially gone solo as of July 1!!

In the Creating Online Video classroom Gerry Oginski posted How To Use YouTube To Drive Pre-Qualified Leads To Your Website

As always, there is a ton of new information over at Ed Poll’s LawBiz Management classroom, check out Check Clearing Policies, Technology Malpractice, Lateral Moves, A Rant Against Law Schools and Marketing Plan 101. And we’d also like to give a well-deserved plug to Ed’s new book – Growing Your Law Practice In Tough Times

Marketing is the topic of Class 6 in Motorcycle Injury Law also. Adam Gee discusses Marketing to Bikers: Developing a Motorcycle Practice

Gordon Firemark has some helpful information about using Virtual Law Office Technology from an Entertainment Law perspective. Gordon also posted Film Financing: 6 Basic ways films get financed. And congratulations to Gordon who just announced he now an adjunct professor at Southerwestern Law School’s Biederman Institute on Entertainment Law in their new ‘online’ LLM program.

In the Real World Legal Research classroom Richard Maseles has provided a mini-lesson, The Power of Stories, Found in Unexpected Places

Stephanie Kimbro has new material up at Virtual Law practice, about Offering Individual Consultations. SPU Students can now schedule free 30 minute consultations on how to set up a virtual law practice!

Lesson 5 of Fixing Your Fees, Fixing Your Practice is about Risk, Mistakes, and Ethics from Jay Shepherd

Theresa Erickson posted Lesson 15: Insurance Issues in 3rd Party Reproduction in Creating a Niche Practice in Reproductive Law

Mark Merenda shared Episodes 1 and 2 of the SmartTalk Podcast at Marketing for Lawyers

Social Security Disability Hearings (Part 4) is the latest class in Creating A Social Security Disability Practice from Jonathan Ginsberg

Lesson 2 of Landlord Tenant Law from Kira Fonteneau is Surveying the Legal Landscape

Brian Herrington provided Lesson 7, The Class Action Fairness Act, in the Class Action Law classroom.  And congratulations to Brian for being one of the class action lawyers representing fisherman in the Gulf Oil Spill disaster.  It is one case he has told me he wished wasn’t a reality because of what is happening on the gulf coast and all those devastated.  SPU students, however, do get the benefit of hearing about this case (as permissible) live in his classes.

Kimberly Alderman discusses Services in Class 3 of Freelance Lawyering 101. This class is both timely and highly beneficial to our students. And with the wonders of technology, we get her classes recorded in Italy as this is where she is spending her summer while servicing her clients, too!

Fully Completed Courses at Solo Practice University (which are available to you 24/7) are:

• Family Law Basics -  John Harding
• Appellate Practice – D. Todd Smith
• Productivity Bootcamp: Time Management for Lawyers – Bill Jawitz
• Build a Successful Solo Mergers & Acquisitions Practice – T. Deon Warner
• A Solo’s Sidekick – The Virtual Assistant – Tina Marie Hilton
  Value Pricing For the Legal Profession – Ron Baker
• Personal Injury 101: The Nuts and Bolts of Handling Accident Cases – James Reed
• Federal District Court Practice – Dave Donoghue
• Prosecuting and Defending Legal Malpractice Claims – Brooks Schuelke
• Clash of the Titans: Can Lawyers and Journalists get Along? – Paramjit Mahli

Most Read Blog Posts on Build A Solo Practice@SPU for this past month were:

• Always Pay Your Referral Fees. Always.
• Marketing Defined – It’s Not A Dirty Word
• Should You Create a Niche Practice (Part 1) & (Part 11)
• Can We Trust Anyone Anymore? Can You Be Trusted?

We’d also love to share another couple of SPU student blog posts from this past month:

• Lurie Daniel Favors gives a too real example of what can happen when Mr. and Mrs. Big-Spender Meet Reality
• Krista Robertson educates on  Child Support Basics

Also make sure you tune in in July for Nikki Merhpoo Jacobson’s Guest Lecture onHow to Create an Immigration Practice on July 27th.

Much is going to be happening at SPU this summer as we continue to bring on new faculty, grow our community, take the networking online to offline in SPU meetups and much more….

Cheers!

Nikki Mehrpoo Jacobson is an immigration lawyer based out of Los Angeles. She will provide a guest lecture called “How to Create an Immigration Practice” at Solo Practice University™ on Tuesday, July 27th.

Nikki Mehrpoo Jacobson is a founding partner of Jacobson & Han LLP, an internationally recognized immigration law firm. She has extensive experience in immigration law, including employment‑based and family‑based immigration and deportation/removal defense. For over twelve years she has successfully litigated immigration matters in Immigration Court and the U.S. Courts of Appeals and obtained legal status for hundreds of clients. Nikki has been named a Southern California “Super Lawyer Rising Star” by Los Angeles Magazine in the area of Immigration Law. She has also been recognized by Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa for her advocacy and dedication to Immigration Law. Nikki is also an Associate Professor of Law at West Los Angeles College . For over a decade, Nikki has been an in-demand immigration attorney, legal analyst, legal commentator, author, speaker and professor on the topics of employment visas, family visas, deportation, removal, employment compliance, adjustment of status, naturalization, citizenship and other immigration related issues. She is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, for which she has been a publications editor, author, speaker and liaison to various Department of Homeland Security agencies.

What You Will Learn:

• Do clients actually need your help?
• Can you effectively help clients?
• Is your geographic area saturated with other immigration attorneys and how to build your practice if it is
• Is there a need for an immigration attorney in your community?
• Can you build an immigration practice moonlighting?
• How important is flexibility and self-determination in the process?
• How can you position yourself differently in a saturated market
• Is being technologically savvy important in an immigration practice?
• How to wear several hats
• Finding mentors and study groups
• Learning how to live and thrive with an immigration practice

Here are some of May’s most widely read posts from BSP @ SPU and our student bloggers:

• What Has @LadyGaga Got To Do With Lawyers? – Guest Blogger, Daniel Perry
• Defining Your Ideal Client and Connecting With Them
• Lurie Daniel-Favors Series on Debt Collection
• Debt Collector Harassment (FDCPA)

There were a number of highly informative additions to our ever-growing curriculum including:

Lesson 4 of Fixing Your Fees, Fixing Your Practice where Jay Shepherd discusses Questions Surrounding Pricing.

The LawBiz Management classroom is chock full of new material from Ed Poll, including Incentive Based Compensation, Client Expectations, Suing Your Client and Time Management.

Trashing the Timesheet is the latest posting at The Solo Practice of the Future by Ronald Baker. Ron Baker is a must for all attending SPU.

Lesson 10 in Entertainment Law was provided by Gordon Firemark, Mental Health, Balance, Values, Big Rocks and Cease & Desist Letters. This generated a lot of discussion.

Kira Fonteneau posted Lesson 1, Building Your Landlord Tenant Practice, atLandlord Tenant Law. Growing area of law all solos should learn to supplement their practices.

Green Opportunity is the subject of Class 10 in Construction Practice 101 from Chris Hill

Jay Fleischman discussed the Initial Client Interview in Lesson 18 of Consumer Bankruptcy Law.

Lesson 9 of Introduction to Special Education Law is on the topic of Attorney’s Fees, from Jennifer Laviano.

4 Keys to Marketing Your Law Practice is Lesson 14 of Mark Merenda’s Marketing for Lawyers.

Stephanie Kimbro shares More Samples of Virtual Law Practice in Virtual Law Practice. She will now being offering free 30 minutes consults to address individual concerns.

Lesson 4 in Business Law from Trippe Fried is Financing a Business Entity.

Lesson 6 – It’s a big topic in the news and now Brian Herrington discusses it in his Class Action Law classroom, Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) and the BP Oil Spill. Brian will continue to weave the BP Oil Spill information into his classes.

Freelance Lawyering 101’s Class 2 addresses Getting Started, by Kimberly Alderman.  This class is another hot topic for many SPU students.

In the Legal Blogging classroom we had One Easy Way to Get More Comments on Your Blog from James Chartrand. James also gave us Why You Need to Brand Your Practice Like a Beer at Pen and Perception.

Theresa Erickson presented Lesson 14, Issues with Estates & Divorce, in Creating a Niche Practice in Reproductive Law. This is fascinating material for all lawyers because it can impact many practice areas.

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SPU is not just about the faculty! We have numerous students with highly informative and interesting voices and we want to highlight a couple of these blogs this month.

Have you checked out Lurie Daniel Favors’ blog? The Race and Law Report is a great resource. Lurie’s latest post is entitled Dear Arizona – Welcome to New York.

Another great SPU blog comes from Margaret Keavney. The latest post from her Kea-Notes blog is Head in the Clouds.

Be sure to also check out the Friday Fun Fact: Comic Book Edition from Krista Robertson, another SPU student blogger!

And don’t forget!  Solo Practice  University has formed a strategic partnership with Lawlines.com to offer our new annual subscribers one year of free unlimited online CLE. If you’ve hesistated to enroll at SPU because of the need to satisfy your CLE requirement, hesitate no more.  This new strategic partnership makes Solo Practice University the # 1 educational and professional networking online destination to create and grow your solo and small firm practice.

Hope to see you on the inside!

Enroll now at Solo Practice University™ as an annual subscriber and receive one year of unlimited CLE – for free!

We are very pleased to announce Solo Practice University™ has formed a  strategic partnership with Lawline.com to bring you the best post-law school learning environment available online.

If you’ve been thinking about joining SPU but hesitant because of the need to satisfy your  CLE requirements, no need to hesitate anymore.

For a limited time only, you will receive one year of unlimited CLE credits from Lawline.com ($499 value) at no additional cost when you enroll at Solo Practice University™ as an annual subscriber.

Ready to take advantage of this special program?

Click here to learn more

Tracie C. Robinson of New York City!!

All faculty acknowledged the entrants in the Proud To Be Solo Scholarship Contest were incredible and every single one worthy. But when the final votes were tallied, Tracie brought home the most votes in a nail-biter finish.

Tracie C. Robinson is a May, 2008 graduate of George Washington University Law School who passed the July, 2008 New York bar exam. She then immediately began her 1 year clerkship in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Upon completion, she moved back to New York City to ‘pursue her dream of opening a solo practice.’

Why Solo?

There are two main reasons Tracie chose to go solo. The first is
she always wanted to be a lawyer and she always wanted to be an entrepreneur. She believes going solo is the best combination because it is one of the most rewarding.

“Being a lawyer is a noble profession. When you work for yourself (as a lawyer), there’s just no reward which can compare.”

The second reason solo practice is for her:

I’m impatient. I didn’t want to wait three years for someone to trust me enough to allow me to interact with my first client. I really just wanted to jump in…

Goals

Tracie’s goal is to establish herself as ‘the leading intellectual property litigator in New York City for copyright/trademark cases.’ As a dancer herself, and with connections to the performing artist community, she wants to be the ‘go to person’ for other performing artists who want to secure their intellectual property rights.

Give Back

A big part of Tracie’s mission is being an active part of the legal community, devoting a percentage of her practice to pro bono work and contributing to the community at large.

Steps Taken

Tracie already shares a small office in Tribeca with another solo, steps from several court houses with the Empire State Building shining in the distance.

She has already taken on several cases (both paid and unpaid) and is reading everything she can get her hands on to further her education. She wants to ensure she doesn’t make any ethical missteps. She is also a self-professed Continuing Legal Education junkie who can’t wait to have 24/7 access to Solo Practice University’s more than 400 classes.

Already showing her wisdom she laughs,

I’m Proud To Be Solo…. but not too proud to seek out all the help I can get!

Congratulations, Tracie! Welcome to Solo Practice University!

Click here to see the more than $12,000 she has won in cash, services and products to help her create and build her solo practice!

And if you would like to learn more about Solo Practice University, the #1 web-based educational and professional networking community for lawyers and law students who go solo, check us out here.