#MOLawyers experience valuable networking during in-person, virtual MOSOLO 2022

For Foristell lawyer Jim Wieczorek, the Missouri Bar’s Solo & Small Firm Conference isn’t just a conference to get continuing legal education credits – it’s a networking event where lawyers can create lasting professional and personal relationships. That is why he has been attending MOSOLO in person for 16 years.

“If you need some information down the road, people are more than willing to share their experiences, knowledge, and resources with the new lawyers and new attendees coming in,” Wieczorek said. “There are a lot of people starting their own law firms so having those resources is really important in that.”

For the first time in three years, more than 850 Missouri lawyers gathered for in-person and virtual networking and CLE opportunities at MOSOLO last week.

This year’s MOSOLO conference was held online and in person at Margaritaville Lake Resort in Osage Beach June 9-11. The conference featured more than 60 programs that covered a wide range of topics relevant to solo and small firm practitioners. Attendees also had access to dozens of exhibitors, and in-person attendees could attend a couple of themed dinners.

The Missouri Bar hasn’t hosted MOSOLO in person since June 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Digital marketing agency Law Quill was a gold sponsor of this year’s MOSOLO, and the company’s founder, Annette Choti, was a first-time attendee, speaker, and exhibitor at the conference. After presenting on the “5 steps to grow your law firm online,” Choti said the MOSOLO conference “surpassed her expectations” and was a great way to connect with lawyers and fellow legal vendors.

“The caliber of people who are showing up here is exceptional, not just the lawyers but also the exhibitors,” she said. “It has been truly a pleasure to be in this environment and the petri dish of people that understand and know the law and are experts in their field.”

Like Choti, Chris McHugh was also a first-time attendee and presenter at MOSOLO. He co-presented “Legal marijuana in Missouri: past, present, and future” to help clear up misconceptions about legal marijuana and how Missouri governs it.

“For what’s supposed to be a very dull, drab CLE conference, The Missouri Bar has made it into something that’s very cool,” he said.

When attendees wanted to take a break from sessions, many visited exhibitors both online and in person. At Margaritaville Lake Resort, Sam Portillo, with LawPay, chatted with lawyers continuously. LawPay, an online payment solution, was a platinum sponsor of MOSOLO.

“We love coming to MOSOLO because it’s geared towards small firms and LawPay is tethered towards small firms,” Portillo said. “We love to help these solo and small firm lawyers out so it’s a really rewarding job when we can see people get less stressed when they’re chasing all of their clients down for payments and all that.”

Visit The Missouri Bar’s Facebook page and Instagram page to view photos and videos from the conference.

Visit MoBarCLE.MoBar.org to sign up for upcoming conferences, such as the Bernard Edelman DWI Law & Science Seminar July 28-29 and the Annual Family Law Conference August 4-6.