• March 11 and 12, 2010, Boston: Massachusetts Bar Association Annual Conference 2010. I am speaking two days. On Thursday, March 11, I will chair a plenary session, “Social Media for Lawyers: How to Boost Your Practice and Avoid Pitfalls.” On Friday, I will be on the panel, “60 Sites in 60 Minutes.”

• April 9, 2010, Hartford: Connecticut Bar Foundation Symposium, “Flash Forward or Lost: How Technology is Changing the Practice of Law, and What’s Next?” I will participate in a luncheon panel entitled, “Would Lincoln Get LinkedIn? Or Would He Tweet? Technology, Then and Now.”

• April 23, 2010, Portsmouth, N.H.: Law Librarians of New England Spring Meeting. I will speak on, “Web 2.0 and Social Media Applications in the Practice of Law: New, Nifty and Thought Provoking.”

• July 26 and 27, New York City: Association for Continuing Legal Education Annual Meeting. I am speaking twice here. On Tuesday, I will present a plenary session, “How Technology is Changing the Practice of Law and CLE.” I will also be on a panel, “30 Web Sites and Blogs You Ignore at Your Peril.”

The line-up includes insiders from LinkedIn, Facebook, Google and Microsoft’s Bing, along with legal industry leaders such as Tim Stanley, founder of Justia (and originally of FindLaw). The topic of my talk is “Empowerment Through Social Media.”

The cost of the two-day conference is $249 and affordable hotel rates are offered at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront Hotel. More information is available here.

I hope to see you there.

The MBF is Massachusetts’ premiere legal charity, working to increase access to justice for all individuals, regardless of their ability to afford a lawyer. I am a member of the MBF’s board of trustees.

So bid on me and help support an important cause. While you’re at it, check out the other great items up for bid and buy a ticket for its gala 45th anniversary dinner, which will be held Jan. 14 and feature a special award to Gov. Deval Patrick.

I am honored to be part of an upcoming conference, Social Media: Risks & Rewards, to be held Monday, Sept. 21, at the Harvard Club of New York City. Presented by Corporate Counsel magazine and ALM, the day-long program is designed for corporate counsel and other lawyers with an interest in protecting a company’s business, brands and IP online.

There is a great line-up of speakers and programs covering such topics as corporate policies for social media, protecting a company’s identity in a virtual world, IP and social media, regulation and social media, and social media best practices.

I am serving as chairperson for the program and also will be on a panel discussing intellectual property issues together with Valerie L. Boccadoro, senior IP counsel for Toys R Us, and Lesley Rosenthal, vice president, general counsel and secretary of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

For a discount of $50 off the registration price, go to www.corpcounsel.com/socialmedia and use the code SPK. I look forward to seeing you there.

“The COLPM is an honorary organization, unassociated with any bar association, which formally recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the law practice management profession over a period of not less than ten years. Currently, there are just over 200 Fellows from all around the world.”

The COLPM’s bylaws provide that, to be elected a fellow, one must:

• Have the highest professional qualifications and ethical standards.
• Provide exceptionally high quality professional services to clients, their employer, the bar, the bench, or the public.
• Have significantly contributed to and enhanced law practice management, its literature, its procedures and its philosophy through dedicated service, or through published writings, or through teaching and lecturing, or through demonstrated excellence in law practice management.
• Have that high level of character, integrity, professional expertise and leadership which demonstrates the likelihood that they will continue to contribute to the enhancement of law practice management scholarship, continuing education, and the law practice management process.

One need only browse the directory of current fellows to understand how honored I am to be in such distinguished company. Until I am formally inducted during the COLPM’s annual meeting in September, I am a fellow-elect.

As icing on the cake, this year’s annual meeting will be part of a larger, not-to-be-missed event, a two day Futures Conference Sept. 25 and 26 at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Featuring a stellar line-up of speakers, it is described as “a dynamic, interactive conference designed to help you navigate the future of the legal profession.”

As for my election as a fellow, I am indebted to Ron Friedmann and Simon Chester for nominating me.

On Thursday, June 11, I will be on a panel at the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Solo & Small Firm Law Practice Management Symposium. I am on the 3 p.m. panel, “45 Tips in 45 Minutes,” together with Rodney Dowell and Alan Klevan. The day’s theme is “Keeping competitive in uncertain times,” and the program offers a great line-up of speakers.

On Thursday, July 9, I will be a panelist on a Boston program presented by Avvo as part of its East Coast Avvo Tour. The theme of the seminar is, “Among the Experts: Online Marketing for Lawyers.” More details and registration information is available here.