Solosez is an

electronic mailing list A mailing list is a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to multiple recipients. The term is often extended to include the people subscribed to such a list, so the group of subscribers is re ...

of more than 3,300 members. Most of the members are

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicit ...

s, law students and law-related professionals, although the list welcomes all comers, lawyer and non-lawyer alike. Sponsored and hosted by the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

(ABA) and its General Practice Solo and Small Firm Division. The list started in 1996 with just a handful of members. It quickly grew to be the most successful and active

listserve A mailing list is a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to multiple recipients. The term is often extended to include the people subscribed to such a list, so the group of subscribers is re ...

sponsored by the ABA. The ABA also maintains a website
Solosez.com
which features among other things a searchable archive of past discussion threads.

Overview

Solosez members are located throughout the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and in other countries, including members located in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

, Korea, India, China, South Africa, Panama, New Zealand, Mexico, Denmark, France, and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. The list is designed as a forum for lawyers who are solo and small firm practitioners and is intended to help them share and obtain information on a wide array of personal and professional issues. List members refer to themselves as "Sezzers." Lawyers can seek advice and suggestions from fellow lawyers on topics including how to start a law office,

litigation - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil act ...

strategies, dealing with difficult clients, the newest legal

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consist ...

, recommendations on

computers A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These prog ...

and other law office technology, and any other topic that solo and small firm lawyers face. The list also serves as a virtual "

water cooler A water dispenser, known as water cooler (if used for cooling only), is a machine that dispenses and often also cools or heats up water with a refrigeration unit. It is commonly located near the restroom due to closer access to plumbing. A dra ...

", where members located around the world can discuss those topics common to face-to-face discussions around the water cooler or in the lunchroom. Each October, Solosez members from around the country and around the world attend a group admission to the bar of the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. There are few rules. One rule requires that, before posting the first substantive message to the group, new members must first send a message which introduces themselves by disclosing their favorite drink and the names of any pets living in their home or office. Other rules prohibit political discussion and personal attacks. Until August 31, 2021, the current administrator was jennifer j. rose, who also compiled the most popular discussion threads or topics on a monthly basis going back to January 2005. She managed this list since 1997 with a hiatus between September 2007 and January 2009. The popular threads link is available to non-subscribers, allowing them to get a sneak preview of recent "hot" discussion items. Reading the popular threads, or searching through the complete archives, often entices "lurkers"—as those who choose to just read the email discussions and not participate are called—to go one step further and begin to post, offering their own tidbits of wisdom or asking about their pressing issue du jour. The current list owners and managers are ABA staff members Kimberly Kocian and Steve Wildi. Throughout the U.S., Solosez subscribers have organized, on their own and without any support or endorsement from the ABA, periodic lunch and dinner meetings in various cities. Boston, for instance, has four separate Solosez dinner groups. Several listserves unaffiliated with the ABA have been spun off by list members, including Solomarketing (focusing on the marketing of sole practices and small firms), Solopol (focusing on political discussions which are otherwise prohibited from Solosez), Soloright (focusing on political discussions from a

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

viewpoint), and Soloprog (focusing on political discussions from a progressive viewpoint). Membership in Solosez is free. Membership in the American Bar Association is not a prerequisite.

Notes

References

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External links

Solosez.com
– official website
General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division
of the ABA Electronic mailing lists

Overview

Notes

References

Further reading

External links