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MSBA Practice Management and Marketing Section
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2011-12 | 2004-05 | 2002-03 | 1996-97

MSBA Practice Management & Marketing Section
Annual Report 2011-12

Section Membership
As of May 1, 2012, the Practice Management & Marketing Section has 177 members.  The Practice Management & Marketing Section stabilized its membership and only sustained a 1.6% decrease in Section membership in fiscal year 2011-12 despite challenges with the economy. All non-renewing members were contacted by a council member to encourage them to renew. The “join and attend for free” option continues to be a successful recruiting tool.  

Financial Status
The Practice Management & Marketing Section had an account balance of $3,332.79 as of March 31, 2012.  This is an increase of $1931.91 from April 30, 2011. The council voted to reduce dues from $25 to $21 for the next fiscal year. Assuming there is an $8 administrative fee, members will pay $29.  This change takes into account a desire to attract even more members to focus on our mission of improving the practice management and marketing efforts of attorneys. Council members expressed a willingness to continue to control costs to facilitate this change.

Continuing Legal Education Programs and Social Events

The section experienced increased participation by posting events at least a month in advance. More of the events were held at the MSBA offices to control costs and facilitate participation by greater Minnesota attorneys via teleconference and webcasts.

The practice of council members assuming responsibility for a particular program was continued from the prior year and continues to be a successful way of sharing the workload and adding diversity to the programming.

Legislation and Amicus Briefs
The PM&M Section did not submit any legislative proposals or amicus briefs in 2011-12.

Annual Meeting and Election Results
The Section’s annual meeting and elections were held over lunch on May 2, 2012, at CRAVE in St. Louis Park, MN.  14 members attended the annual meeting and luncheon.

The following individuals were elected to serve as Section Officers in 2012-13:

Chair: Leonard Segal
Vice Chair: David Anderson
Treasurer: Anthony Gabor
Secretary: Dan Reiff

The following individuals were elected to serve on the Section Council from July 1, 2012– June 30, 2013:

Thom Miranda
U. Todd Scott
Leonard Segal
Shaun Jamison, Past Chair
Rebecca Bell
Anthony Gabor
William Casey
Bill Gschwind
David Anderson
Dan Reiff
Karen Lundquist
Leanne Fuith
LaVern Pritchard
Bobbi Dahlstrom
Maria Langsjoen

The following individuals will serve as the Section’s MSBA Assembly Representative and Alternate in 2012-13:

Representative: William Casey
Alternate: Tony Gabor

The section is sponsoring one member to the 2012 Strategic Solutions for Solo and Small Firms conference to be selected by random drawing at the annual meeting. 

Other Section Accomplishments
The Practice Management and Marketing Section continues to sponsor and moderate the highly successful SoloSmall Listserv which is open to any MSBA member interested in solo and small law firms regardless of section membership.

The section has planned events for the next fiscal year to ensure continuity. A Saints game tail gating party, co-sponsoring a happy hour at the Duluth Conference, and the first CLE program of the fall have all been slated.

Submitted By:
Shaun Jamison, Section Chair

MSBA Practice Management & Marketing Section
Annual Report: 2004-2005

In 2004-2005, the Practice Management & Marketing Section completed its third year following the merger of the Marketing & Client Services Section and Law Practice Management Committee (April 2002). Here are some of the section's accomplishments and activities during the year:

Solosmall Discussion List:
The section continued to sponsor the MSBA's very successful online discussion list for solo and small firm practitioners. The Section Council began planning for a social event that some list participants had suggested that would permit list participants to meet each other and interact in person.

Programs:
*November 2004 - a noontime program with a presentation by H. Sam Meyers: "Starting and Managing a Small Law Firm - Discoveries and Confessions of a Large Firm Refugee." To an audience packing the MSBA's Honors Room, Myers shared his insights and experiences from starting and operating a corporate immigration practice after he had left large-firm practice after 20 years.
*May 2005 - a noontime presentation, with CLE credit, to an audience filling the MSBA's Honors Room, by Becky Bickett of Leonard Street & Deinard and Sarah Murphy of Fredrikson & Byron: "Getting Started on Your Practice Development Plan."

Through the year, the Section Council maintained discussions with Minnesota Continuing Legal Education about potential programs for solo and small practitioners. This culminated with the section's cosponsorship of a two-day event - "Strategic Solutions for Solo & Small Firms" - in Duluth in August 2005.

Membership:
Section membership stood at 111 at mid-year, continuing to be at a higher level than it had been before the merger (81).

Leadership:
Officers for the 2004-05 year were LaVern Pritchard, Minneapolis, co-chair; Michael Vitt, Minneapolis, co-chair; Helen Federline, Buffalo, treasurer. Section Council members: Joan Bibelhausen, Minneapolis; Becky Bickett, Minneapolis; Margie Bodas, Minneapolis; R.D. ("Don") Estes, Minneapolis; Heidi Pliam, Minneapolis; Robert Woodke, Bemidji.

New leadership stepped forward for the 2005-06 year.
Officers:
Todd Scott, Minneapolis, chair
Roy Ginsburg, Minnetonka, vice chair
Dwain Fagerlund, Crookston, secretary
Helen Federline, Buffalo, treasurer

Section Council members:
Margie Bodas, Minneapolis
Heidi Pliam, Minneapolis
LaVern Pritchard, Minneapolis
Michael Vitt, Minneapolis
Robert Woodke, Bemidji.

MSBA Practice Management & Marketing Section
2003-2004 Annual Report

In 2003-2004, the Practice Management & Marketing Section completed its second year following the merger of the Marketing & Client Services Section and Law Practice Management Committee (April 2002).

Here are some of the section’s accomplishments and activities during the year:

• Solosmall Discussion List: The section continued to sponsor the MSBA’s very successful online discussion list for solo and small firm practitioners. During the year, it designated a list administrator and established procedure to collect list-use policy decisions that have developed since the list was established.

• Advocacy on CLE Policy: The section addressed the Minnesota Supreme Court, both in writing and in person, to oppose a proposed amendment that would have included personal development courses in the law office management category for continuing legal education. Uniquely among states, Minnesota will accept only 6 credits in that category for each reporting period.

The Court rejected the amendment and decided that there would be no cap on accepted credits for personal development courses. The Court declined to eliminate or increase the limit on law office management credits, as the section had advocated.

• Programs: The section conducted a number of programs at section meetings:

* October 2003 — a program discussing “50 Ways to Annoy Your Clients” — in which participants examined behaviors to avoid in law practice. This later became the basis for an article in the MSBA’s Bench & Bar, which was copied and distributed at the 2004 MSBA Convention.
* November 2003 — a presentation, with CLE credit, by Stephen M. (Pete) Peterson, managing director of the Law Firm Business Institute in Denver, on “Law Firm Economics: Making Sense of the Numbers.”
* April 2004 — a roundtable discussion on a possible trend toward outsourcing and “offshoring” of legal work

• Practicelaw.org: The section maintained materials on the law marketing segment of the MSBA’s Practicelaw.org online feature. Section leaders and MSBA staff discussed prospects for adding a law office management segment.

• Membership: Section membership declined somewhat, but remained significantly higher at 131 in June 2004 than it had been before the merger (81).

A shortage of volunteer participation in section activities, both in preparation and attendance, hampered section program development through the year.

In 2002-2003, the Practice Management & Marketing Section completed its first full year following the April 2002 merger of the Marketing & Client Services Section and Law Practice Management Committee. The section was renamed and its mission expanded.

Here are some of the section's accomplishments and activities during the year:

• Membership: Section membership doubled, from 81 in the previous year to 164 by August 2002.
• Lawyerbiz Discussion List: The section initiated an online discussion list, Lawyerbiz, for MSBA members to discuss issues about "the business of law."
• Solosmall Discussion List: The section continued to sponsor the MSBA's very successful online discussion list for solo and small firm practitioners.
• Programs: The section conducted 10 programs at section meetings, and jointly promoted another with the Minnesota chapter of the Legal Marketing Association.
  • June 2002 - a roundtable discussion on fees and billing practices
  • July 2002 - a roundtable discussion sharing best practices on avoiding collection problems and a continuation of the discussion on fees and billing practices
  • September 2002 - a roundtable discussion on what lawyers had changed in their practices in the past two years and what changes they foresaw in the future
  • October 2002 - a presentation and discussion of futurist Richard Susskind's theories and predictions about the future of law practice
  • October 2002 - joint promotion, with the Minnesota LMA, of a presentation by American Bar Association specialist Will Hornsby on ethical limits on promoting law practices
  • November 2002 - a discussion with a panel of law marketing experts on the effective use of advertising to promote a law practice
  • December 2002 - a presentation by the developers of Pritchard Law Webs, demonstrating a new online tool for helping prospective clients find the right lawyer for their needs
  • January 2003 - a presentation by a panel of experts on the effective use of paralegals
  • February 2003 - a roundtable discussion regarding how much time and resources to devote to marketing one's law practice
  • March 2003 - a presentation, with CLE credit, by Stephen M. (Pete) Peterson, managing director of the Law Firm Business Institute in Denver, on "The Rise and Fall of the Brobeckian Empire … And other stories of law firm failures."
  • April 2003 - presentations on three technology-related topics: developments in the MSBA's Practicelaw.org, "open source" software, and practice management software
• Outreach to law schools: A section officer joined other MSBA representatives at four events in March and April at area law schools.
• Practicelaw.org: The section maintained and updated materials on the law marketing segment of the MSBA's Practicelaw.org online feature.
  

MSBA Practice Management & Marketing Section
1996-97 Annual Report

The Minnesota State Bar Association Marketing and Client Service Section had a very successful 1996-1997 year. The following is a summary of the section's primary accomplishments during the year.

Officers:
Officers that led the section during the 1996-97 year were: Chair Heide Rose of Schmidt Marketing; Vice Chair Clare Borovac of Moss & Barnett; Secretary Maria Moeller of Popham, Haik, Schnobrich & Kaufman; Treasurer Cindy Moen of Rider, Bennett, Egan & Arundel (half-year) and Susan Swierkos of Maun & Simon (half-year). Council members were: Maury Beaulier of Beaulier Law Office, Jacquie Bystrom of Mahoney, Dougherty and Mahoney, Donna Erickson of Briggs and Morgan, Lette Gears of The Gears Group, Ltd., Kevin Gray of Rajkowski Hansmeier, Ltd., Dean Harakas of Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand, Elise Schadauer of Doherty, Rumble & Butler, Gretchen Semler of Commercial Law Affiliates, and Tim Turner of West Publishing Company.

Goals:

Subcommittees:
To achieve the above objectives, the section formed two major subcommittees: (1) Programming, chaired by Tim Turner and (2) "Marketing on the Road," chaired by Clare Borovac.

The Programming Subcommittee held five successful bimonthly luncheon meetings on the following topics:

The "Marketing On the Road" Subcommittee conducted a program for the 11th District of the Minnesota State Bar Association. On March 19, 1997, in Duluth, Clare Borovac of Moss & Barnett, Gretchen Semler of Commercial Law Affiliates, and Heide Rose of Schmidt Marketing discussed marketing basics, how to build a referral network, and relationship building and client service. Attendees were awarded .5 CLE credits.

Printed Materials:
The section published three newsletters and developed a section brochure. The newsletter topics included: "Six Steps to Service Excellence" by Sally Schmidt of Schmidt Marketing, Inc., "Marketing is a Very Personal Skill" by Ken Ross of Bowman & Brooke, and "I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can" by Joan Autrey of Primary Alliance.

Financial:
Our beginning balance, dated July 1, 1996, was $437.61; our ending balance, dated May 31, 1997, was $2,583.28, resulting in an impressive profit of nearly 500 percent. (Please note that the financial information for May was used because the June report had not been issued yet.)

Membership:
Our membership increased 3 percent, with 114 members at the beginning of the 1996-97 year and 117 members at the end of the year.

Heide Rose,
Chairperson

- Last Updated 10/15/04 -