As chairman of the Sole Practitioner & Small Firm (SPSF)
Section, I am excited to announce that, after months of planning
and development, we have created an online Network Directory Search
within My
Bar Access to aid our section members in searching for, and
connecting with, other SPSF members.
The SPSF Section Council conceived of the concept at the end of
last year under the premise that networking was the most necessary
-- and beneficial -- aspect of building and operating a successful
solo or small firm practice. Brainstorming with colleagues,
exchanging ideas and sharing sample documents, and of course,
promoting congeniality throughout the MBA are just some of the many
benefits available to a sole practitioner or member of a small firm
from networking.
The section council believes this networking tool will further
our section's primary objectives, specifically, providing a forum
for the exchange and dissemination of ideas and information, and
promoting benefits and services of interest to its section members.
Sole practitioners and members of small firms face unique
challenges in the practice of law. This Network Directory will aid
our section members by providing a useful tool for supporting other
section members. Through the MBA's My Bar Access, our section
members can search for colleagues using a multitude of criteria
including: areas of practice, experience, professional
associations, and honors and awards, to name a few. The search
criteria are based on the information a member includes in his or
her profile.
How it works
Using the Network Directory is an easy two-step process. First, to
be found in a search, a member must complete his or her profile on
My Bar Access, which is simple and quick. In fact, if a member has
a LinkedIn profile, then he or she can import that LinkedIn profile
into the My Bar Access profile and revise it as desired. Any
additional information can be included in the "Bio" narrative
section.
The second step is the search function, which can be accessed a
number of ways. Members of the SPSF section can most easily search
for members of the section by opening the "Sole Practitioner &
Small Firm" group page and clicking on the "Network
Directory Search" button located on the right side of the
page. This will lead to an "Advanced Member Search" form. Simply
select or fill in the criteria that you would like to search by --
including keywords that you would anticipate being
included in the Bio section -- and click "Find Members" at the
bottom of the page.
A benefit for all members
Anticipating that searching for members would be useful to, and
desired by, many MBA members outside of the Sole Practitioner &
Small Firm section, the Advanced Member Search is available to all
MBA members to search for members throughout the MBA.
This search will not be limited to members of a specific section
but rather will search throughout the MBA. A member of any section
can access the search form by the Advanced Member Search tab now
located on all group pages. (SPSF section members can also search
outside their section by accessing the search form found on a tab
on the group's homepage.)
We encourage members of the Sole Practitioner & Small Firm
Section, and all MBA members, to complete their profiles and use
the Network Directory to advance their law practices.