Like many of you, I attended last week's SBM Annual Meeting. Unlike most of you, I was there as a lawyer and an exhibitor, meaning I spent my time in the exhibit hall with 38 other exhibitors passing out candy, gifts, and information.

The exhibit hall was a great place to discover the many services available to help you manage the business side of your practice, operate the law side more efficiently, and explore the free services offered by your State Bar.

What could you find?

There were several practice management offerings including:

• Information technology services promising to create a secure infrastructure for the data on your computers, phones, and tablets
• Support systems for billing and tracking time
• Credit card services
• Insurance covering your practice, employees, car, house, and you
• Cloud service providers
• Firewalls for your e-mail

One organization offered coaching to help you establish and sustain a practice, another helped you find the perfect office at the right price, and a Palm’s Chair massage therapist promised to come to your new office to bring calm to your day with a massage.

Offerings to help your law practice ranged from investigators to a brief writing service. You could find nurses trained to review medical records; ICLE offered how-to solutions in all areas of the law, On-Demand Experts demonstrated how to take a video deposition; and another vendor promoted legal forms that can be used on any device.

And, of course, there were the many free State Bar Services:

• Justice Initiatives supporting organizations providing pro bono services
• Lawyers & Judges Assistance Program with skilled clinicians
• Member Services & Communications offering free legal research, insurance, credit cards, international travel, and publications including this e-Journal you’re reading
• Practice Management Resource Center, which helps with many management questions

ZeekBeek, the company that powers the SBM free member directory, was taking pictures for your profile. Using their services, you can upload your profile, pictures, blogs, articles, or videos to connect with present and future clients and other lawyers.

Finally, I won a selfie stick from the SBM, which I used to take pictures of myself with others. If you don’t know, a selfie is a picture you take of yourself with your phone. A selfie stick is a device to hold your phone away from you to take a picture by pushing the little button in the handle. Using it lets you get a broader view of what’s behind you and you can take pictures over a crowd, which can then be uploaded to social media.

The programs, section meetings, award ceremonies, swearing in of the new officers, and social events at the meeting are fun, educational, and important to your success and the success of the Bar. The exhibit hall is a great place to find the latest services you need to run an efficient and successful practice. If you didn’t make it into the exhibit hall this year, remember to visit at our next Annual Meeting. It is well worth your time.

Roberta Gubbins has served as the editor of the Ingham County Legal News. Since leaving the paper, she provides services as a ghostwriter editing articles, blogs, and e-blasts for lawyers and law firms. She is the editor of Briefs, the Ingham County Bar Association e-newsletter, and The Mentor, SBM Master Lawyers Section newsletter.

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