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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 13 N OV E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 8 F O C U S L AW Solo or small practice appeal In Maine, the lure of launching a solo or small practice is popular, sparking a fresh crop of startups across the state. In fact, more than half of registered lawyers, 56%, work at firms with fewer than 10 attorneys, according to the 2017 annual report of the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar. at's welcome news to Danielle Conway, dean of the University of Maine School of Law. She aims to improve access to justice, particularly in outlying areas where lawyers are needed most amid an aging profession, through programs like the three-year Rural Lawyer Pilot Program launched in 2017. "If you have a small firm or a solo practitioner in a community," she says, "they're likely to be affordable, more accessible, and understand the inter- ests and the issues that are prevalent in those communities." ey also bring the rule of law into people's lives, "making all of us stronger, more resilient, and more capable of dis- pute resolution in furtherance of a more civilized society," Conway says. While nationwide data on the pro- portion of small firms was not readily available, ompson Reuters in its 2017 "State of Law Firms" study mentions an "extremely competitive landscape" and the challenges of operating and running a small practice. ey include getting and keeping client business, spend- ing too much time on administrative tasks, keeping up with technology and competition from self-service legal websites or services. On the flip side, the vast majority of 300 survey respondents said they con- sider their practices to be at least mod- erately successful, with larger firms of 11 to 29 attorneys expressing slightly more concern about overall profit and rev- enues than those at smaller firms. And 90% said that client satisfaction was part of how they defined success, with 22% calling it the most important. Some firms also track work-life balance. Looking ahead to the next 12 months, respondents said their top two areas of investment are increased busi- ness development and marketing, and technology and infrastructure. Maine's small firms range from general practices, more common in less densely populated areas, to bou- tiques with a niche specialty. ough solo practitioners outnumber small firms, many who start on their own — including a handful of Maine Law graduates every year — join forces with others, says the school's A Different Way of Looking at Things In business, you have a lot to keep your eye on. Sometimes it's hard to see the opportunities and the risks clearly. That's where Drummond Woodsum can help. We use a team approach – a small group of highly specialized attorneys focused on helping your business see what's ahead before you take that next step. It's extremely efficient and cost-effective, and an excellent way to get the legal insight you need when you need it. We practice law differently. Since 1965. dwmlaw.com | 800.727.1941 P H O T O / B E A C H C O M B I N G S E R I E S N O . 8 1 B Y J E N N I F E R S T E E N BO O H E R , W W W. J E N N I F E R BO O H E R . C O M S P O N S O R E D B Y 2019 Book of Lists $19.95 December 24, 2018 VO L . X X I V N O. X X V www.mainebiz.biz SP ONSORED BY C O M I N G S O O N : The 2019 Mainebiz Book of Lists The Book of Lists is an annual publication that the Maine business community looks for every year. Mainebiz researches companies, executives and transactions in many industries and then ranks them by various factors. This comprehensive information on hundreds of companies makes it the ultimate tool for decisions makers who are doing business in Maine. The top 5 reasons to advertise in the Book of Lists: 1. It has the highest readership/distribution of any Mainebiz issue. 2. New and updated lists give you information you can't get anywhere else. 3. Reserve your ad opposite a specific list. 4. Its broad list of industries gives it a diverse readership statewide. 5. Its year-long usefulness gives advertisers multiple impressions as readers refer back to it many times via our print and digital edition. R E S E R V E Y O U R S P A C E B Y N O V E M B E R 2 1 / I S S U E P U B L I S H E D D E C E M B E R 2 4 C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E »

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