WASHINGTON, D.C., July 11, 2013 — The American Bar Association Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division (GPSolo) will honor the Thomas Jefferson School of Law’s Small Business Law Center with its Solo and Small Firm Project Award at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Marines’ Memorial Club Hotel in San Francisco.  

The award, which honors bar leaders and associations for their successful implementation of a project or program specifically targeted to solo and small-firm lawyers, will be presented at the GPSolo Division’s Military Dining Out event during the ABA Annual Meeting. 

“The mission of the Small Business Law Center at Thomas Jefferson School of Law is an exciting example of providing law students with practical skills opportunities that support community economic development in low-income communities as in San Diego County,” GPSolo Chair Benes Z. Aldana said.   “ABA GPSolo is proud to honor SBLC’s effort to provide legal assistance to those in need of legal advice and also foster the preparation of lawyers in solo and small-firm practices.” 

Thomas Jefferson School of Law is a nonprofit, ABA-accredited law school located in San Diego. 

The SBLC provides legal assistance to entrepreneurs, artists, small businesses and nonprofit organizations that do not have the financial means to hire a lawyer or are underrepresented. Under the supervision of California-licensed attorneys, law students assist clients with their legal needs. The components of the SBLC include the Art and Entertainment Law Project, the Community Economic Development Clinic, the Patent Clinic and the Trademark Clinic. This underrepresented community also includes many students who need guidance to establish viable law practices after passing the bar. 

The SBLC is one of various programs at TJSL designed to encourage students to think about what will be required of them to start their own law firms. The SBLC encourages students to enroll in the solo practice concentration and to consider applying to the TJSL Center for Solo Practitioners, a lawyer incubator program. The Center for Solo Practitioners is a post-graduate program designed to help alumni develop law practices devoted to the representation of people who are traditionally cut off from legal services and denied access to justice. 

With over 20,000 members, the ABA Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division (GPSolo) is committed to providing unique resources exclusively for solo, small-firm and general practitioners, who represent half of the nation’s lawyers. For more information on ABA GPSolo, go to www.ambar.org/gpsolo. 

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