Later this week I'll be heading south to New Orleans for the Louisiana Bar's 4th Annual Solo and Small Firm Conference.  Here's the schedule of programming. I think it is beneficial for small firm lawyers to review schedules for these conferences and see what the hot topics are, even if you cannot attend. I've got quite an exciting personal opportunity as I open the first day of the conference with remarks on The Future of Solo Practice. Needless to say, I spend a lot of time thinking about the future of our profession and I sense some major sea changes ahead.

I'm also doing a presentation on the Perils of Metadata with Catherine Sanders Reach, Director of the Legal Technology Resource Center at the American Bar Association. I'm also doing programs on "Keeping 'em Happy: The Secrets of Client Satisfaction" and "Billing Strategies in a Changing Economy." Sixty Tech Tips in Sixty Minutes will conclude the conference. My friend, Ernest Svenson, will join me and Catherine for the tips program. There are also a couple of sessions that I want to attend.

I'm very excited about the opportunity to make new friends and renew some relationships in the Big Easy. I've done programs in Louisiana several times; most memorably, the disaster recovery programs after Katrina. I know many law firms in Oklahoma and around the world updated their backup procedures and disaster recovery plans after Katrina. Ernie Svenson took me on a tour of the Lower Ninth Ward before there was much in the way of rebuilding and recovery. I hope to see more signs of recovery this trip. But mainly I look forward to enjoying the hospitality of people who know how to entertain well.