Aug. 3, 2011 – Building better client relationships, avoiding malpractice, keeping abreast of technology, dealing with everyday practice management, and evaluating retirement financial planning issues are just a few reasons to attend the 2011 Wisconsin Solo & Small Firm Conference (WSSFC), Oct. 27 - 29 in Wisconsin Dells. Members and their staff can register now for $249, saving $50. This conference is included in the cost of the Ultimate Pass and will be submitted for CLE and EPR credits.

This year’s WSSFC has four plenary sessions.

The Power of Self – Judy A. Meyer, Dale Carnegie Training, will share proven tools and techniques to help you thrive in today’s ‘Do More, Better, Faster, with Less’ business environment. This session is presented from 12:45 to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27.

The Key Frustration Process – Karin Iwata of E-Myth Worldwide, will discuss the real source of business frustrations and identify solutions to solve these problems. Attendees will learn a step-by-step technique for solving recurring business challenges. This session is presented from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 28. Iwata also will present apre-conference session, Building Your Prototype, on Thursday morning from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Attendees will learn about key perspectives that drive business decisions – and discover how these perspectives can make or break a business.

Best Practices for Small Law Firm Management: Tips and Technologies to Help Simplify the Process – Loretta Rupert, Lexis Nexis, will present this session from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. on Sat. Oct. 29. Small and solo practitioners are responsible for everything from managing technology needs to personnel to client sourcing and referrals, cases, calendars, billing, accounting systems, and hardware. This session will provide an explanation of different technology models available from cloud computing to installed software. This session also will focus on emerging Bar rulings around lawyer responsibilities relative to using hosted solutions and choosing cost-effective, secure, and appropriate technology solutions.

Consequences of Fraud and Ethics – Jerome Mayne, an expert on ethics and adversity, will take you on his personal journey from CEO and father of two young boys living in a quaint neighborhood to a whirlwind of FBI investigations, federal court, and prison. Mayne will show you that the unethical behaviors that exist today in the “business as usual” corporate culture can get you your own federal inmate number. This session is presented from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29.

The WSSFC offers dozens of education and training sessions in four tracks, including:

• Substantive: Income tax, real estate, family law, foreclosure; debtors/creditors rights, federal tax collections; and personal injury issues.
• Practice Management: Time, budgets, retirement and start up, marketing, and trust account issues.
• Technology: legal forms, applications for the iPad, adobe acrobat tools, security, paperless office, software and efficiency issues.
• Quality of Life Ethics: Malpractice, Internet marketing, cloud computing, electronic file storage and confidentiality, fees, credit cards, student loan repayment, and women in the legal profession.

There are also two pre-conference sessions are on Thursday morning.

• Legal Research Using Fastcase and Books UnBound - Learn how to get the most out of two State Bar member benefits, Fastcase and State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE Books UnBound™. Fastcase offers unlimited online legal research through its comprehensive 50-state and federal case law database. The database includes coverage of the federal appellate courts, bankruptcy courts, the U.S. Supreme Court as well as Wisconsin statutes, administrative code, and case law. Books UnBound is an interactive online library of secondary law which contains links to primary law via Fastcase. This session is presented from 8 to 9 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27.

• Building Your Prototype – Thursday’s plenary speaker, Karin Iwata of E-Myth Worldwide, will present this session. To achieve higher productivity, drive revenue growth, gain a competitive advantage and get more out of life, you need to think and act like an entrepreneur. Attendees of this interactive session will learn about key perspectives that drive business decisions – and discover how these perspectives can make or break a business. Participants will learn how they can organize their business and begin to create systems for consistent results. This session is presented from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27.

The sixth annual WSSFC is hosted by the State Bar of Wisconsin in cooperation with founding sponsor Milwaukee Bar Association. The conference will be submitted for CLE and EPR credits. Register now and save $50. This conference is included in the cost of the Ultimate Pass.

Register or find out more about this conference.