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REGIONAL WRAP-UP CONNECTING SOLO PRACTITIONERS IN REMOTE AREAS B etter than e-mail? Better than Facebook? Better than Twitter? It's SoloNet — an online network that allows sole practi- tioners and small firm lawyers in remote locations in Alberta to connect and share information. Jocelyn Frazer, in her role as practice man- agement adviser for the Law Society of Alberta, is offering SoloNet to Alberta lawyers indepen- dently of the LSA. "SoloNet is a forum for lawyers who are practising in sole settings or in locations outside of major urban areas," says Frazer. SoloNet was launched as a pilot project on July 18, and will run for six months. "There is a need for an online network for lawyers working as sole practitioners or in remote locations of the province. SoloNet is a channel for two-way dialogue for sharing experiences, problems, and ideas," she says. The law society is hosting the pilot by providing in-kind support in terms of resources and will cover any nominal expenses. SoloNet lets sole practitioners ask questions, offer advice, and share information about their experiences. Group participants determine the topics for discussion. The contents of the network are confidential to the participants in SoloNet. It's getting good reviews right off the bat. "I appreciate the effort Jocelyn and the law soci- ety are putting into this [SoloNet]. Being a sole practitioner, particularly in a rural office, one can feel out of the loop. A network such as this could really grow into something very helpful. I think such support will also help in recruiting others to practise in smaller or rural locations. I look forward to seeing how this develops," says Arlan Delisle, a sole practitioner in Edson, Alta. Lee James Olesen of St. Albert, Alta., says: "SoloNet is a great idea that I wish had been in place years ago. As a sole practitioner, one of the biggest challenges is having a body in the next office to bounce ideas off [of], or to get advice on anything from procedural and substantive mat- ters to practical advice." At the end of the pilot project, the merits of the online network will be evaluated and it will be determined whether SoloNet will become a permanent fixture in the social media toolboxes of sole practitioners and lawyers in remote loca- tions. — DC 12 SEPTEMBER 2011 www. CANADIAN Lawyermag.com UBC fundraisers bring in debt-free new law building in late August and do it debt-free. "We are well over the total $35 million. We are very excited," said UBC law faculty dean Mary Anne Bobinski. Originally, the plan was to seek contributions from the federal government, T the university, and then secure debt financing after exhausting private donations. However, the Law Foundation of British Columbia's contribution to match up to $12 million plus private donations brought the fund to over $24 million. Peter Allard, a law school alumni, then donated $11.86 million to the law faculty with $9.82 mil- lion slated for the new building. The remaining $21 million will be paid for by the university. "With the private funding and the university commitment there will be no debt financing and from now on, private contributions can go toward making the programs better and aiding students," said Bobinski. Bobinski said it has long been a recognized fact that UBC had an excellent fac- ulty and produced sought-after law graduates but had no real faculty building that provided the space for teaching, research, collaborative study projects, and the UBC law library's extensive collection. The new five-storey building does all that as well as provides assembly, conference space, and state-of-the-art technology. The campaign's ability to raise $35 million in private funds, during a lacklustre Canadian economy, can be attributed to a number of factors. "I think we were incred- ibly fortunate to have the law foundation match funds, which meant every dollar raised was essentially doubled up to the first $24 million," said Bobinski. "The second factor was that people recognized that our building project is transformative." The legal community with connections to the university realized it is a unique opportunity to build a new structure that employs the latest technology (web casting), has a three-storey auditorium for large events, and a modern library. The message went out to former students around the world. Contributions came from alumni in Hong Kong, New York, Alberta, and Ontario, as well as B.C. The Allard contribution was one of the largest made to a Canadian law faculty, but equally impressive was what Bobinski calls "the outpouring of contributions of all sizes over a short period of time. It was heartwarming and exciting to have this level of support," she said, adding that word spread through the alumni. Other contributors to the building, which is being named Allard Hall, are: ($1 million) Borden Ladner Gervais LLP and the Ladner family, Davis LLP and Irwin Davis (grandson of the firm's founder Edward Pease David KC), Farris Vaughan Wills & Murphy LLP, and Richards Buell Sutton LLP; ($750,000 or more) Fasken Martineau DuMoulin; Clark Wilson LLP contributed $600,000; ($250,000 or more) Fraser Milner Casgrain, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Sangra Moller LLP, and Taylor Jordan Chafetz and the Lysyk family; ($100,000 or more) Roper Greyell LLP, Singleton Urquhart, Thorsteinssons LLP, UBC Law Class of 1968, and T. Wing Wai. — JEAN SORENSEN jean_sorensen@telus.net he new University of British Columbia law faculty building saw more than $35 million of the $56 million cost come from private donations, marking it as Canada's first new law school facility to open in 30 years