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SCHEDULES  |  LOCATION  |  REGISTRATION  |  FACULTY  |  SPONSORS & VENDORS
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Cosponsored by
The State Bar of Michigan:
Founding Sponsor
General Practice—Solo & Small Firm Section
Law Practice Management & Legal Administrators Section
Business Law Section
Practice Management Resource Center

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SBM & ICLE

Registration Form
Download Program (PDF)

 
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2012 Annual Meeting &
Solo & Small Firm Institute
September 19–21, 2012
DeVos Place, Grand Rapids

Inspiring CLE, Great Networking, and ArtPrize* at Your Annual Meeting

Reenergize your practice and reconnect with friends and colleagues at this year’s Annual Meeting. It’s all here in one location—section council meetings, SBM networking events, a new and improved vendor hall, world-class art, and the ever popular and inspiring Solo & Small Firm Institute.

Whether you’re starting with a blank canvas or giving your current firm an overhaul, the Institute has exactly what you need. Stay current on hot topics in technology, marketing, and practice management with simultaneous break-out sessions taught by national experts. Plus, brush up on the latest legal developments in your practice areas from top Michigan attorneys. Improve yourself and reinvigorate your passion for practice.

New Lunch Events
Thursday—Get your hands dirty! Interact with fellow attendees to create your own art focused on solo & small firm practice. Win a prize!
Friday—Grab a bite, and then join us for a walking tour of Grand Rapids to explore the magnificent artwork on display.

*Learn more at artprize.org

Featured Speakers at the Solo & Small Firm Institute
Ann M. Guinn  
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Scott Bassett
Bradenton, FL

Scott Bassett maintains an active Michigan family law appellate practice long-distance from his residence in Florida, returning to Michigan as needed for appellate arguments. He is a past chair of the State Bar of Michigan Family Law Section and a former associate editor of Michigan Family Law Journal. Mr. Bassett has authored over 100 published articles and book chapters on family law, appellate practice, and law office technology, including a contribution to ICLE's Michigan Family Law (6th ed), and has been a frequent lecturer for ICLE programs. Mr. Bassett played a key role in passage of the legislation creating the family division of circuit court and served by Supreme Court appointment on the Statewide Family Division Implementation Task Force. Currently, Professor Bassett serves as an adjunct faculty member at Stetson University College of Law, where he teaches classes in law practice management and family law.

Ann M. Guinn  
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Ann M. Guinn
G & P Associates
Kent, WA

A principal of the firm, Ann M. Guinn is a consultant to solo and small law firm practitioners. With over 30 years in the legal community, she teaches attorneys how to build and maintain high-earning, client-centered, and satisfying law practices. Ms. Guinn offers her services through teleseminars, monthly membership group classes, CLE courses, and one-on-one consulting sessions. She has served as an advisor to the executive committee of the Washington State Bar Association's (WSBA) Solo and Small Practice Section since 1994. Ms. Guinn is author of the book, Minding Your Own Business: The Solo and Small Firm Lawyer's Guide to a Profitable Practice (ABA 2010).

Barron K. Henley  
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Barron K. Henley
Affinity Consulting Group LLC
Columbus, OH

Barron K. Henley is an attorney, a "legal technologist" since 1990, and a founding member of Affinity Consulting Group (formerly Henley March and Unger Consulting, Inc.), a firm that handles all aspects of law practice automation including document assembly, case management, document management, legal accounting software, trial presentation and litigation support, paper reduction and scanning, hardware, networks and servers, and security. He is a member of the ABA Law Practice Management Section and is the former chairperson of the OSBA Law Office Automation and Technology Committee.

Matthew Homann  
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Matthew Homann
LexThink LLC
St. Louis, MO

Matthew Homann is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur, and recovering lawyer who has built an international reputation as an innovative and passionate thinker about changing the practice of law in ways that benefit both lawyers and clients. Described as an "innovational speaker," he speaks about innovative billing strategies, creative marketing techniques, proven customer-service principles, and cutting-edge ideas from other industries and professions. Mr. Homann also facilitates unique conferences, retreats, and workshops and has worked with law firms of all sizes, as well as with organizations including McDonald’s, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, British Petroleum, Sungard, and the U.S. Marine Corps. He was recently named one of 50 “Legal Rebels” by the ABA Journal.

Frank Sanitate  
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Frank Sanitate
Frank Sanitate Associates
Santa Barbara, CA

Frank Sanitate is president of Frank Sanitate Associates, a firm that develops and presents transformational workshops for professionals. He has taught tens of thousands of lawyers, CPAs, CAs, and other professionals since he founded his firm in 1977, conducting workshops in every US state and Canadian province. Mr. Sanitate's mission is to enable his workshop participants to adopt his firm's three goals: to make a contribution, to make a profit, and to have fun. With an MBA from Florida Atlantic University, he was previously a manager at the American Institute of CPAs, and before that, a high school English teacher. Mr. Sanitate has published, Don't Go to Work Unless It's Fun: State-of-the-Heart Time Management.

Janet K. Welch  
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Janet K. Welch
State Bar of Michigan
Lansing

Janet K. Welch is executive director of the State Bar of Michigan. She has had an extensive career in state government, beginning in the Michigan Legislature where she served as a legislative analyst in the House and as the first director of the Senate's nonpartisan legislative analysis office. After graduating from the University of Michigan Law School, Ms. Welch was a law clerk for Michigan Supreme Court Justice Robert P. Griffin. She stayed at the Court for over a decade in a variety of positions, culminating in a position as Supreme Court counsel.


EXPANDED NEED-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarships made possible by the generous support of the State Bar of Michigan, ICLE, the Business Law Section, and the Real Property Law Section.
Scholarships cover the registration fee for the Solo & Small Firm Institute and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Previous scholarship recipients will not be excluded. Don't wait—apply today.

To apply, send a statement of need and indicate attendance (Thursday only, Friday only, or both days) to:

ICLE
Attn: Stephanie Fisher
1020 Greene St
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1444