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The Information Exchange
A Sole Practioner/Small Firm Section Publication
In This Issue
Upcoming Events
Five Reasons to Adopt ABS
Five Reasons ABS Fail
Mobile Computing
Roth IRA Conversions
Research Assistant
Tell Us About Your Practice
Quick Links
 
 
February 2010
Newsletter Editors: 
James A. Attwood
Clark A.D. Wilson
 
Sole Practitioner/Small Firm Section Board of Directors
 
Chair: Steve W. Hardy
Vice Chair/Chair-Elect: Scott E. Atwood
Secretary: L. Katherine Adams-Carter
Treasurer: David Michael Lilenfeld
Immediate Past Chair: Glenn Lyon

Members-At-Large
James A. Attwood
The Hon. T. Jackson Bedford, Jr.
Monroe J. Feldman
Ronne G. Kaplan
William J. Piercy
Bryan C. Ramos
David G. Richards
Beth E. Rogers
Janis L. Rosser
Robert G. Wellon
Clark A.D. Wilson
 
Upcoming Events
2010 calendar blueMark your calendars for these upcoming Section events
   
We are collecting food items to donate to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.  For the February meetings and Winter Social, please bring two of the following items that the Food Bank has requested:
  • Peanut Butter
  • Canned Tuna
  • Canned Beans
  • Canned Soups, Stews and Pastas
  • 100% Fruit Juice
  • Canned Fruits and Vegetables
  • Macaroni and Cheese Dinners
  • Whole Grain, Low Sugar Cereals
 
February Winter Social
Saturday, February 6, 2010 - 7:30 pm
   
Location:
at the Home of Dave Markus and Joy Glucksman
 
Please register online or return the registration form
 
 
 
February Breakfast Meeting with the Dispute Resolution Section
Thursday, Feruary 18, 2010 - 7:30 am
 
"Mediation and Arbitration for the Small Firm Practitioner"

Speakers:
L. Katherine Adams-Carter,
The Adams-Carter Law Firm, P.C.
 
Robert N. Dokson,
Ellis Funk, P.C.
 
William S. Goodman,
Goodman McGuffey Lindsey & Johnson, LLP
 
William J. Piercy,
Berman Fink Van Horn P.C.
 
Location: Buckhead Club, 3344 Peachtree Road
 
Please register online or return the registration form


 
February Luncheon Meeting
Thursday, February 25, 2010 - 12:00 pm
 
"How to Avoid Malpractice Traps Arising From the Current Economic Decline"

Speaker: Johannes S. Kingma,
Carlock, Copeland & Stair, LLP
   
Location: Gordon Biersch, 848 Peachtree Street NE
 
1 CLE hour available, including 1 Ethics hour 

Please register online or return the registration form
 
 
 
 
 
Five Reasons to Adopt Alternative Billing Strategies Now: The New Business Model for Law Firms, Part 1 of 2
by Marc Borrelli, Kaizen Solutions, LLC
 
                                   broken clockThe whisper about alternative billing strategies is now a roar. Law firms have dismissed the idea for decades but the nationwide economic downturn has now brought it into the public conversation. It is an idea whose time has come.
 
Alternative billing strategies are not just a change in price; they represent a fundamental shift in the way law firms will conduct business in the future.
 
The traditional model, hourly billing, favors the law firm at the expense of the client. And that's about to be turned upside down.
 
The reason is simple. Clients want to pay for results, not time. And they want predictable fees without surprises. In short, they're the customer, and they want to be first.


Five Reasons Alternative Billing Strategies Fail: The New Business Model for Law Firms, Part 2 of 2
by Marc Borrelli, Kaizen Solutions, LLC
 
success failureThis is not business as usual. It is a time when law firms have the opportunity to choose whether to innovate, retool their decades-old processes and become industry leaders. The successful firms of the future are taking steps right now to change their business model.
 
The call for alternative billing strategies represents a fundamental shift in business processes for the legal industry. It is much more than a temporary price drop during the economic downturn; it is a new way of doing business.
 
Change will come inevitably, through client pressure and competition.
 
 
 
Mobile Computing: Work Anywhere, Anytime, From Any Device
by Mike C. Hammock, Atlanta Legal IT, LLC
 
spsf breakfast image
At the January 21st breakfast meeting, Mike Hammock from Atlanta Legal IT, LLC made a presentation entitled: "Mobile Computing: Work Anywhere, Anytime, From Any Device."  Mr. Hammock discussed mobile computing requirements, managing email, managing files, managing applications and mobile Internet.  Managing your email, documents, and applications across more than one computer can be a difficult proposition. Add in the proliferation of internet-enabled smart phones and you have the makings of an information management headache. Large firms have been taking advantage of various technologies to allow their attorneys to work from multiple computers and devices for years. Until recently, the price and IT knowledge required to deploy and maintain those systems kept them firmly out of the reach of the small firm. Email and document management systems that used to come with ten-thousand dollar price tags can now be had for a small monthly fee.
 
 
Roth IRA Conversions: Tax, Retirement and Estate Planning Opportunities
by James A. Attwood, Atkins & Attwood, LLC
 
spsf luncheon jan 10Adele Gipson and Michael McCool of Consolidated Planning Corporation discussed converting traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs.  In 2010, the law will allow a conversion of a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA without regard to a person's income level.  However, a person must pay a tax on the amount that is converted.  The amount of tax is based on the person's current income tax bracket and the amount of non-deductible funds that are converted.  For conversions in 2010, a person may pay his or her tax liability over 2011 and 2012 instead of having to pay the entire tax in one year.
 
 
Need Help?
 
reference booksGeorgia State University Law School is currently sponsoring a Short-Term Research Assistant Program
 
Qualified 2009 graduates and third-year law students are available to assist you with research projects and other tasks.  Please contact Ray English for further information at
(404) 417-9074 or [email protected]
 
 
Tell Us About Your Practice
megaphoneWe are adding a new section to our newsletter that will focus on members of our section.  If you have had a significant case, verdict, transaction, result, or any matter that you would like to highlight, please send a description to our newsletter editors, Clark Wilson or James Attwood.  We will select a few items each month to include in the newsletter.  Please try to keep the description to 500 words or less.