A quartet of powerhouse speakers will add to the excitement of the second annual ISBA Solo and Small Firm Conference scheduled Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 14 to 16, at Pheasant Run Resort, St. Charles.

They are Florida trial lawyer J. Michael Papantonio, Pennsylvania strategic planning expert Robert W. Denney, California human behavior author Ann Mahony, and Texas attorney and computer guru Craig Ball. See announcement on page 11.

Mike Papantonio, who organized the mass tort practice at Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Eschner & Proctor in Pensacola, Fla., will speak during the kickoff plenary on Thursday. The author of books on Clarence Darrow and Atticus finch, he lectures on staying motivated as a trial lawyer.

Bob Denney, founder in 1974 of Robert Denney Associates in Wayne, Pa., will present a Friday plenary on “Significant Trends for Solo and Small Firm Practitioners.” He has written five books on management and marketing, and publishes periodic reports on “What's Hot and What's Not in the Legal Profession.”

Ann Mahony, who has offices in San Francisco and San Diego, an authority non “What Makes People Tick,” will be the Friday luncheon speaker, and will present a track program Saturday on forgery and fraud. She is the author of “Handwriting and Personality” and a frequent talk show guest.

Craig Ball of Montgomery, Texas, has devoted 24 years to teaching the bench and bar about forensic technology and trial tactics. He will conduct a Saturday plenary on “E-Discovery and Computer Forensics for Lawyers Who Can't Set the Clock on the VCR,” and a tech track program on “PowerPersuasion.”

The 2006 conference will be conducted in larger facilities that at the inaugural conference last October, with educational track programming and an expo of products and services.

It is expected that participating ISBA members will be able to meet significant portions of MCLE requirements while networking with colleagues.

More complete information will soon be available on the Web site at www.isba.org/solo/ or by clicking on the Save the Date icon on the right side of the home page.

Materials from the 2005 conference – a four-inch binder containing more than 400 pages – may be purchased for $75 by sending an e-mail to jishmael@isba.org or calling (800) 252-8908.