For its September 2020 cover article, the Illinois Bar Journal spoke with a handful of speakers who will be presenting at the Illinois State Bar Association’s Solo and Small Firm Conference on Oct. 29-30. The conference, offered virtually this year, will present advice and perspectives on how to set priorities, manage one’s time, and keep in close touch with clients all while exploiting the nimble advantages of being a solo or small firm. Another prominent theme will reframe success during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn and set the foundation for long-term success. Among key takeaways: Solo practitioners and small-firm attorneys would be wise to redouble their focus on communication and problem solving.

The Illinois Supreme Court, in cooperation with the State Justice Institute (SJI) and the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), has announced it will hold a Virtual Summit Series (Summit) this fall. This Summit, a mixture of plenary sessions and interactive panel presentations, is part of the National Judicial Task Force initiative to examine how to improve state courts and community response to mental illness.

Zoom has become the prevalent videoconferencing platform of the pandemic era. But there are other high-quality options, says Affinity Consulting’s Jeffrey R. Schoenberger in his Practice HQ column in the August Illinois Bar Journal. In the column, “Weaving a Virtual Presence: Web Meetings,” Schoenberger highlights the differences between Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and GoToMeeting. He also points out their respective features and benefits. Maybe you like what you’re using. But perhaps you’ve been too busy to try anything else. Heading into autumn, now is the time to explore other options and see what works best.

Colleen Boraca, Clinical Associate Professor, Northern Illinois University College of Law

March 10, 2020 was a fairly normal day. Although it was spring break, two law students were working with me at the NIU Health Advocacy Clinic, a law-school based legal clinic that is located onsite in Aurora at Hesed House, the second largest homeless shelter in Illinois. In the morning, one of the students interviewed a potential client, “Jane,” who was looking for representation with her Social Security case. After the meeting, the students and I debriefed about they handled their interview with Jane and brainstormed areas for improvement. After that session, the students worked on PowerPoint slides for an upcoming presentation on SNAP benefits. We saw Jane again while serving lunch at Hesed House that day, and she told us that she would see us next week. The students left clinic that day, enthused to work on Jane’s case and hopefully change her life if they could secure disability benefits for her.