The Atlanta Lawyer November 2018 | Page 40

SECTION UPDATE SOLO PRACTITIONER/SMALL FIRM The Sole Practitioner/Small Firm Section is often referred to as Atlanta’s largest law firm. Our mem- bers include transactional attorneys, litigators of all stripes, and general practitioners – just like many large law firms. But, our Section members are gen- erally either solo or members of small law firms. Despite our disparate practices, all of us experience the benefits and challenges that come with working on our own or in a small firm setting. Our Section’s mission is to serve as a resource for our members without regard to practice focus or level of experience. To that end, our Section of- fers speakers and discussion topics that will help attorneys manage their practices, including speaker topics touching on the business of running a prac- tice, financial planning, effective networking, and wellness. We meet twice monthly, for breakfast (usually the third Thursday of the month) at the Buckhead Club, and for lunch (usually the fourth Thursday of the month) at RiRa Irish Pub. We kicked off our Bar year with our August break- fast, at which our more seasoned members shared lessons learned from starting one’s own firm – which we hope will help newer attorneys avoid some mistakes. Over lunch - with an eye towards offering our members an opportunity to help those who are less fortunate - we invited representatives of Atlanta Legal Aid to present regarding pro bono opportunities. During September, a financial planner provided an interesting and educational overview of retirement planning over breakfast. Many of us left with “to do” lists. Over lunch we had a presentation about Emory Law’s externship program – an opportunity to help train the lawyers of the future. 40 November 2018 Our October breakfast speakers presented on a very timely topic of cybersecurity. Over lunch, we had a presentation on marketing. While our focus is on meeting the needs of at- torneys who are either solo or in small firms, all members of the Atlanta Bar are welcome to join us for our meetings. I would like to thank the members of our Board of Directors for all of their efforts this year. Board members are: Vice Chair/Chair-Elect William F. Smith III; Secretary Matthew C. Jordan; Treasurer Chris Brannon; Immediate Past Chair Rachel Platt; Members at Large Gene Chapman, Laurie Dugo- niths Busbee, Michael R. Dunham, John Hadden, Marcus Keegan, Michael T. Rafi, James M. Sher- man, Mark W. Thomas, and Jason Wiggam; and Founders/Life Members Hon. T. Jackson Bedford and Robert Wellon. Please feel free to contact me or one of our Board members if you are interested in becoming involved in our Section. Mari Myer The Myer Law Firm