State Bar of Wisconsin's video: Client Communication is Key for Solos Seeking Flexibility

For solo practitioner and single parent JoAnn Gromowski, maintaining a flexible work schedule is a must. When her daughter was young, Gromowski did things like blocking out time for phone calls and only returning client emails during certain times, to free up time to spend with her daughter. She also stopped taking phone calls or answering emails on Fridays, to spend time on substantive legal work. Gromowski, a recent presenter at the Wisconsin Solo & Small Firm Conference (WSSFC) (https://www.wisbar.org/wssfc/2022/Pages/default.aspx), produced by the State Bar of Wisconsin in-person and virtually this year, said the key to maintaining such a schedule is managing client expectations. “My clients for the most part were very good with what I was doing, as long as I communicated with them,” Gromowski said. Gromowksi, whose practice is focused on estate planning, said her clients accept and even support her work schedule. “They seemed to be very flexible with it. Most of them wanted me to have that time with my daughter, because my estate planning clients had already experienced that ‘Hey, I didn’t get to go to my kids’ activities because I put in all these hours working.’” Gromowski said that a flexible schedule enables her to be more productive, just one of many tips and conversations at this year’s WSSFC, which was delivered in-person Oct. 27-29, and virtually Nov. 14-16. Watch for webcast replays in November and December. Complimentary webcast replays of eight sessions will be available to attendees of the in-person conference in October. Others can register for select webcast replay sessions. Check the State Bar Marketplace, https://marketplace.wisbar.org/.