30 years of connection, learning at MOSOLO Small Firm Conference
Genna Tlustos is the assistant editor of the Journal of The Missouri Bar.
For 30 years, The Missouri Bar Solo & Small Firm Conference has brought together lawyers from across the state to learn new skills, make connections, and receive important legal updates.
After the second MOSOLO Small Firm Conference, an article from the July 1997 Missouri Bar Bulletin stated that there was “anticipation in the air on June 5, 6, and 7 at the Lodge of the Four Seasons at the Lake of the Ozarks. Was it really possible to duplicate the success of last year’s Missouri Bar Solo and Small Firm Conference?”
The answer that year, and every year since, has been a resounding “yes.” Each summer, hundreds of Missouri lawyers have returned or come for the first time to experience what MOSOLO has to offer.
This year’s MOSOLO Small Firm Conference will be June 11-13 at Margaritaville Lake Resort in Osage Beach. Registration is now open, and you can save $50 on a standard pass if you register by May 12.
At just one conference, Missouri lawyers can fulfill all 15 MCLE hours for the reporting year. This year, attendees will participate in a workshop that will enhance their observation, perception, and communication skills, along with sessions about expungement, preservation, voir dire, and more. See the full agenda here.
“Most CLEs for this many hours are far more expensive, and they don’t include networking, mentorship, or the opportunity to attend classes in shorts,” said Cassie Bugalski, this year’s chair of the Solo & Small Firm Practice Committee.
The 30th anniversary and the number of attendees each year show how important small firms are to the legal profession, said Bugalski, managing member at Gump, Faiella & Bugalski, LLC in Moberly and Columbia. In rural areas, small firms are essential in providing communities with legal services. Some lawyers have come since MOSOLO’s inception in 1996 and are now bringing their associates, children, and other young lawyers, she said.
“The legacy of mentorship created by this conference has proven to be invaluable,” Bugalski said.
David Macoubrie, a Chillicothe lawyer with Cleaveland, Macoubrie and Cox, LLC, said he was on the planning committee of the first MOSOLO Conference. He enjoys the camaraderie of Missouri Bar conferences and said that getting involved in the bar betters both you and other lawyers.
“I think we owe it to ourselves and to other lawyers to get involved, and you’ll be surprised, you might be able to contribute something,” Macoubrie said. “… Everywhere I go, I learn something. And also, I probably teach something at the same time.”
These conferences can help lawyers discover that they are not the first to have experienced a particular situation or issue. They can discuss how they approached those problems with other lawyers, he said.
For Bugalski, networking at MOSOLO has bettered her and her law firm.
“Being able to tell a client that you don’t practice in an area when they need help can be frustrating, but because of (MOSOLO), I can say, ‘But I know someone who will take care of you. Let’s give them a call,’” said Bugalski, who has attended the conference for eight years. “To see their faces soften and their load lighten because you’re able to continue to take care of them with referrals to good people with the same client care is pretty powerful.”
Bugalski said she comes back to MOSOLO each year to continue interacting with lawyers who have the common goal of treating clients with the utmost dignity and respect while making their businesses the best they can be, in the good times and the tough times.
This year, Bugalski said she hopes participants can see the value of personal interactions and connections, expanding their knowledge together while having some relaxation and fun.
“Our focus this year of in-person interactions and overall wellness within the profession makes (MOSOLO) a great fit for those of us that want something more than just CLE from a conference,” Bugalski said.
Join your colleagues and register now for MOSOLO!