A recent posting on this blog, Would-be Solo Practioners Get Local Help, pointed out two local courses to help solo practioners establish and run their law practice. While one of these was at a local law school, in general, most law schools teach the process of law but not the practice of law.
To remedy this lack, a Connecticut lawyer, and a law grad and web designer created their web site, Solo Practice University (SPU). The website has 48 courses and counting plus hundreds of short lessons, in the areas of substantive law, marketing & management, technology and work/life balance. Author, Robert Ambrogi, provides a review of the now one-year-old website, in a Law Technology News article, Spinning Solo.
He points out that the mostly video courses, supplemented by written materials, are taught "by an accomplished faculty of lawyers and experts." The site also facilitates mentoring connections via course discussion forums, student initiated blogs and formal "office hours" with faculty members.
All lectures and materials are archived. So participants can take a course at any time. Recently the website formed a strategic partnership with Lawline.com to allow new SPU members to receive one year of free continuing legal education.
This package of learning opportunities is priced very affordably, especially when compared with most law school costs."The cost of attending SPU is $97 a month, $225 a quarter, or $595 a year. Law students pay the same monthly rate but there is a reduced quarterly rate of $175 or an annual rate of $495." While there is no free trial of SPU courses, there are some short sample videos on the home page to give potential users an idea of what the courses are like.
For any new law grads contemplating going the solo practioner route or attorneys already working in this environment, this site can provide valuable and affordable information and guidance that can improve the chances of a successful solo practice.
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