Small firms and sole practitioners are vital part of B.C.'s legal landscape. They provide greater access to legal services for British Columbians, particularly in remote communities, and they enable lawyers to structure their practices around their lives, instead of the other way around. While small and solo firms often have exceptional involvement with clients and neighbours in their local communities, the independence of their practice presents unique challenges.
Enter SoloLink, an online collaborative environment run on the Basecamp platform, similar to a Google Hangout or Google Docs, but tailored specifically to B.C. lawyers. Based on a similar initiative from the Law Society of Alberta, SoloLink is now a permanent CBABC initiative that allows practitioners to avail themselves of the knowledge and experience of their peers across the province. A lawyer pondering a particular file issue, practice point or policy discussion has access to near instantaneous support and feedback from his or her peers on the SoloLink listserve.
“Sole practitioners don't have the benefit of being able to physically walk down the hall to kick around a legal or practice management issue with someone who's ‘been there, done that’,” says Les Dellow of Dawson Creek. “SoloLink enables us to do that through the internet.”
Since its permanent launch in September 2014, the experience of SoloLink's more than 100 users has been positive and productive.
"For those who do not have the expertise or experience in a given area that comes up in SoloLink, being able to see the types of issues that are arising in other small firms, and reflecting on those issues within one's own firm and practice, with the recommendations and advice from those in similar circumstances, is very informative," says Marty Wales of Glazier Polley in Kelowna.
The collegial attitude fostered on SoloLink is palpable, and the benefits to each user's client service continue.
SoloLink’s virtual environment lends itself well to the emerging concept of the virtual firm, which may appeal to new lawyers starting out. In this way, eliminating overhead does not have to mean eliminating learning opportunities from lawyers more experienced in a given area. To support this goal, participation in SoloLink is made available at no cost to all CBABC members for the duration of membership, and to non-CBABC members in the legal profession on a 60-day trial basis.
The mandate of the CBABC has been to support lawyers and to improve the future outlook and profile of the profession. SoloLink does just that by encouraging interactions on broader legal issues as well. “It has been interesting to see the exchange between solicitors on a wide range of practice topics and to see how willing solicitors are to assist one another,” says Donna Kydd of Ramsay Lampman Rhodes in Nanaimo. “Some of the discussions have been very timely and useful from a practical perspective. This is very encouraging, as one of the main objectives of SoloLink was to create an online environment where these types of exchanges or discussions could occur.”
The utility and enjoyment of SoloLink will continue to grow as new members and voices are added to the online community. Find out how to join your peers on SoloLink.