It’s hard to believe we have already arrived at the half-way point of my term as President and at the threshold of a brand new year.   Such a point in time provides a great opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year, and to envision the shape and scope of the year to come.   

“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, ‘It will be happier.’”

-Alfred Lord Tennyson

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something.”

-Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline

I offer gratitude and appreciation to Diane Lowe for her energy, insights, enthusiasm, and commitment to our mission.  I extend my thanks and congratulations to our membership for making the past few months truly memorable.  For every person who served on our Board or a committee, helped financially or in-person at the Habitat House; donated money or delivered wrapped books to Jones Elementary School,  stuffed a backpack for BackPack Beginnings, served the less fortunate at the Potter’s House, sponsored a new attorney at the swearing-in ceremony, encouraged an attorney to join us at the Mix-n-Mingle,  presented a moving memorial for one of our former colleagues, applied their talents and time to ensure a professional and informative newsletter each month, volunteered for the Second Chance Project,  nominated deserving members for recognition for pro bono and community service, read books to the children at Hampton Elementary School, or helped us celebrate the season by planning our holiday party – Thank You!   Take a moment and think of the ripple effect of all the amazing accomplishments of our Bar since August.

As much as we achieved in the last year, there is much in store for our membership in the new year.  At the beginning of my term, I formed a committee dedicated to creating more opportunities to interact and network with our colleagues in the High Point Bar Association.  I am happy to say that, with the help of committee members Allie Petrova, Nicole Patino, Fred Hamlet, and Justice Edmonds, the GBA and HPBA will have two wonderful opportunities for fellowship!  Our first joint event is the “Battle of the Bars” trivia night on Thursday, January 25, 2018 at World of Beer.  The event will feature drinks and hors d’oeuvres starting at 6:00 p.m., and a dedicated trivia host starting at 7:00 p.m.  The GBA members in attendance will take on the HPBA members, and the winning bar will take home a trophy, to be kept until the next showdown.  Calling all GBA trivia buffs – we need you!  The second event will be a joint picnic with the HPBA at the Grasshoppers’ stadium on Sunday, May 20, 2018,
at 2:00 p.m.!

Also on the horizon is our annual Legal Aid Fundraiser at the Greensboro Science Center’s Aquarium on Saturday, February 17, 2018, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The event features beer and wine tasting, raffle prizes, and an incredible buffet of dinner and dessert.  Mark your calendars and please consider becoming a sponsor of this event or making a donation to this worthy cause.  Information to enable you to become a sponsor is included in this newsletter.

Thank you again for all of your commitment and energy.  Let’s carry that forward into 2018.  I wish you all a safe, happy, and healthy new year.

The holiday season is upon us, also known as “the season of giving.”  The Online Giving Study conducted by the Network for Good found that a third of all charitable donations in the U.S. happens in December, and a whopping 22 percent occurs on the final two days of the year.  As we enter this wonderful (and sometimes overwhelming) season, I wanted to highlight some opportunities for our members to give to others less fortunate.

“Real generosity toward the future
lies in giving all to the present.”
          -Albert Camus

“I have found that among its other benefits,
giving liberates the soul of the giver.”
          -Maya Angelou

Based on the responses to the survey the Community Involvement Committee sent to our membership a few months ago, the Committee has partnered with the Volunteer Center of Greensboro to provide us with two fantastic ways to help others:

Tiny Houses Greensboro has broken ground on North Carolina’s first tiny house community for the homeless!  Tiny Houses convenes a 15-member work crew every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 4120 Causey Street in Greensboro.  Much like Habitat for Humanity, prior construction experience is welcomed but not required.  Please visit www.volunteergso.org and sign up for a work day.

The GBA has a long history of partnering with Jones Elementary School to provide books for the students at the holidays and for the graduating fifth graders. Now we have an additional way to assist at Jones. BackPack Beginnings donates food to Jones to distribute to students’ families who are in need. Volunteers are needed the 2nd and 4th weeks of each month from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. to distribute donated food to the classrooms. Please visit www.volunteergso.org and sign up for a shift. Additionally, volunteers may stuff bags and work in the food pantry at their convenience. Please contact Kimberly Simmons, Jones Elementary Social Worker, at 336.370.8230 if you would like to help.

Speaking of Jones Elementary, if you have not yet had a chance to make your donation for the annual book project, please consider mailing a check made payable to “GBA Foundation” (include “Jones Elementary” on the memo line) to Post Office Box 1825, Greensboro, NC 27402, or donating online via PayPal.  We hope you will also join the GBA’s “elves” and wrap some of the Jones books at our annual holiday party at Elon Law School on Wednesday, December 13th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and volunteer to distribute the wrapped books to the children on Tuesday, December 19th at 8:30 a.m.

Our Community Involvement Committee has also continued its relationship with Urban Ministries and continues to seek volunteers to serve food to the less fortunate at the Potter’s House.  The next opportunity is on Sunday, December 17th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  Please volunteer by Melissa Duncan at mduncan6@elon.edu. Please list Potter’s House in subject line.

I wish you all a safe, happy, and fulfilling season of giving.

A few years ago, I asked NC Bar Association staffer Joyce Brafford, “If I can attend only one conference this year, what should it be?” Joyce did not hesitate, the Clio Cloud Conference. I am so glad I took her advice.

Clio is a cloud based legal technology company and Clio hosted their first conference in 2013 with 200 attendees. I attended my first Clio Conference in Chicago in 2015, then again in 2016. This year the conference moved to New Orleans in September and I attended for the third year in a row along with 1,200 others. What keeps me going back?

There are several standout features of the conference. The conference is highly produced and includes excellent facilities and great networking. The conference extras include hangover tables and massage chairs, plenty of food and beverage, and fun add-ons such as “Clio After Dark” after-conference socials.

As everyone attending the conference is a forward thinking legal professional , many conversations start at a different level – “what can we do better, more effectively and more efficiently?”, along with, “what does the future hold and what is my role in that future?”. These are individuals who have embraced technology and are using it in every part of their practice.

One of my favorite aspects of the conference is getting to know the Clio staff. CEO Jack Newton and Lawyer in Residence, Joshua Lennon are wandering the halls and looking to join in conversations or share a table at the social events. The staff is warm and welcoming and they embrace the mission of the company.

The speakers are forward thinking. There are multiple tracks offered: Clio University (Clio users), business of law and legal technology.

Keynote Speakers

The keynote speakers are always fantastic and this year was no exception. Canadian astronaut, Commander Chris Hadfield, was perfectly on theme with Clio’s yearlong update to their software, which they christened Apollo. Commander Hadfield had a beautiful slide show of photos from his time on the International Space Station. He shared his experience of astronaut training including preparing for emergencies so that when something goes wrong, they are ready to troubleshoot and repair.

Haben Girma, the first deaf-blind Harvard Law graduate, and also on the cover of the ABA Journal in September, spoke about challenges she faced in life that prepared her for her work as a disability rights advocate who works to promote accessibility and inclusion.

Preet Bharara is a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. His inspirational remarks encouraged lawyers to strive to be their best. Bharara is now the host of the “Stay Tuned with Preet” podcast that tops my “must listen to” list.

Conference Themes

Over 30 speakers addressed topics such as client experience, artificial intelligence, disruption, collaboration, generational communication, social engagement, and how these topics are influencing the future of law.

21st Century Skills

Many of the speakers spoke about the skills needed to be a 21st century legal professional including: cultural competency, leadership, project management, business acumen, high risk tolerance, technology, social networking, collaboration, communication and presentation, forming teams and problem solving that includes innovation.

Conference Highlights

The show opened with a New Orleans Jazz Band and dancing Clio employees in their signature Clio Conference t-shirts and jeans, an early nod that this is not your standard legal conference. Jack Newton opened the conference reporting on changes in the Clio product, continued innovations the company is making, and finally rolling out the 2017 Legal Trends Report.

If you are looking at a report that analyzes what is happening in the world of solo and small firms, this report is a must-read. Clio introduced the report in 2016 and it was a highly anticipated feature of this conference.

The report is based on anonymously aggregated data from 60,000 Clio users. The most shocking news in the report is that in an 8-hour day, lawyers spend 2.3 hours of the day working for clients, they bill their clients for 1.9 hours of their day and they collect from clients for 1.6 hours of their day.

Many bloggers, lawyers, legal consultants and marketing professionals are talking about the 2.3-hour billable day and the missing 6 hours. There may be a variety of reasons for the low numbers including the number of younger lawyers who may be Clio users but do not have a solid book of business, as well as less overall work for lawyers regardless of age and stage.

Clio users acknowledged that in the remaining 6 hours they spend time marketing and developing new business, administrative work, licensing / CLE, office administration, generating / sending bills, configuring technology, and collections.

George Psiharis, Clio’s Vice President of Business Operations, presented a session where he drilled deeper into the report. The report also provides an index of billable hour rates across the country, includes responses from 2,000 consumers of legal services about what clients are looking for in a lawyer, and offers tips on how to set targets for success in your firm that allow you to measure your practice. At a conference where there is plenty of conversation around artificial intelligence, Psiharis offers hope for lawyers, “Data driven lawyers eat robots for breakfast.”

Moving Forward

Who should attend the Clio Conference? I am not a Clio user and I still consider it the best conference I attend. If you are a solo or small firm lawyer, paralegal or other legal professional there will be conference sessions you will find of interest. If you are interested in building a 21st century law firm, this conference is for you.

Finally, if you want to participate in conversations that center around the changing and challenging legal marketplace, make plans to attend. The conference is scheduled for October 4-5, 2018 in New Orleans at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Early Bird Registration is now open. I’ll see you in New Orleans.

Camille Stell is the Vice President of Client Services for Lawyers Mutual. Continue this conversation by contacting Camille at camille@lawyersmutualnc.com or 800.662.8843.