AILA Launching a New Immigration Practice Live Online Course
Making the choice to start your own practice is a big decision. In exchange for the benefits of work-life balance and flexibility that come with being your own boss, you will need to take on business ownership and all its nuances. The practice of law is a profession, but a law practice is a business. This course will prepare you for the many considerations that come with becoming a law practice entrepreneur, including business planning, marketing, money management, staffing, technology decisions, and market awareness. Welcome to the AILA Launching a New Immigration Practice Live Online Course.
What to Expect
The program consists of five discussion panels presented over four weeks, interspersed with hands-on practice and feedback, and short videos from our faculty.
- Five 90-minute webinars, including lectures and Q&A
- Optional independent practice: exercises designed to continue learning and build skills
- Instructor reflection: A summary of discussion and lessons learned, posted to the course site following each session
- Short topic videos: Pre-recorded by faculty to accompany the live sessions
- Access to recordings of webinars
- AILA course discussion board
Live Sessions
| Date | Time | Session |
|---|---|---|
| September 17 | 1:00 - 2:30 pm ET | Session 1: Opening Your Practice |
| September 19 | 1:00 - 2:30 pm ET | Session 2: Building Your Client Base – Marketing Basics |
| September 26 | 1:00 - 2:30 pm ET | Session 3: How to Get Paid and Manage the Money |
| October 3 | 1:00 - 2:30 pm ET | Session 4: Leading and Running the Business |
| October 8 | 1:00 - 2:30 pm ET | Session 5: Making Good Technology Choices |
| Product Details | |
| Course Outline | AILA Launching a New Immigration Practice Live Online Course Outline |
| Event Date | September 17 to October 8, 2025 |
| Format | Online Course |
| Length | Five 90-minute webinars, including lectures and Q&A |
| CLE Eligible | Yes. To receive CLE credit, attorneys must record their attendance using the CLE code provided at the end of the program via My CLE. |
Course Outline
*Speaker invited, not yet confirmed
| Short Video: Course Introduction Prerecorded, about 5 minutes |
|
| Faculty |
Reid Trautz, Senior Director, AILA Practice and Professionalism Center, Washington, D.C.
Charity Anastasio, Practice and Ethics Counsel, AILA Practice and Professionalism Center, Washington, D.C.
|
| Short Video: Why Be in Business for Yourself Right Now? Myriad Delights of Solo Practice Prerecorded, about 5 minutes |
|
| Faculty | Elina Santana, AILA Board of Governors, Coral Gables, FL |
| Live Session 1: Opening Your Practice Wednesday, September 17, 2025 | 1:00 - 2:30 pm Eastern Time |
|
| This session provides a practical exploration of the basics of opening your own law practice by two experts who have advised lawyers collectively for over thirty years. Topics will include business planning, choice of business entity, budgeting basics; various office arrangements and essentials, the must haves before you take your first client, branding, and the complicated decision of "where you practice" for immigration lawyers. | |
| Faculty |
Reid Trautz (DL), Senior Director, AILA Practice and Professionalism Center, Washington, D.C.
Charity Anastasio, Practice and Ethics Counsel, AILA Practice and Professionalism Center, Washington, D.C.
|
| Instructor Reflection | Prerecorded, about 2 minutes |
| Reading | "Essentials to Opening Your Practice," by Charity Anastasio and Reid Trautz |
| Optional Independent Practice | Business Plan Exercise |
| Live Session 2: Building Your Client Base – Marketing Basics Friday, September 19, 2025 | 1:00 - 2:30 pm Eastern Time |
|
| Effective marketing is a major factor in the success of any law practice. The speakers will discuss the basics of a marketing plan, getting personal referrals, building a website, and how to develop a social media presence that credentials you while complying with ethics rules. The speakers will help you get a jumpstart on client development with proven ideas before you open the doors. | |
| Faculty |
Charity Anastasio (DL), Practice and Ethics Counsel, AILA Practice and Professionalism Center, Washington, D.C.
Ruby L. Powers, AILA Author, Power Up Your Practice: Create the Law Firm and the Life You Deserve, Houston, TX
|
| Instructor Reflection | Prerecorded, about 2 minutes |
| Reading | "Practice Development: Building Your Client Base," by Reid Trautz |
| Optional Independent Practice | Marketing Plan Exercise |
| Short Video: Marketplace Snapshot Prerecorded, about 5 minutes |
|
| Faculty | Charity Anastasio, Practice and Ethics Counsel, AILA Practice and Professionalism Center, Washington, D.C. |
| Live Session 3: How to Get Paid and Manage the Money Friday, September 26, 2025 | 1:00 - 2:30 pm Eastern Time |
|
| This session addresses the important financial issues in a new practice including which fees and costs to charge for and how to set them, deciding on free or fee consultations, drafting representation agreements, basic time and billing policies all firms need, and what goes into sound financial management. | |
| Faculty |
Reid Trautz (DL), Senior Director, AILA Practice and Professionalism Center, Washington, D.C.
Andrew K. Nietor, AILA Board of Governors, San Diego, CA
Meghann Eileen LaFountain, Middletown, CT
|
| Instructor Reflection | Prerecorded, about 2 minutes |
| Reading | "The Fine Art of Getting Paid: How to Keep Clients Paying (And What to Do When They Don’t)," by Reid Trautz and Charity Anastasio |
| Optional Independent Practice | Business Budget Exercise |
| Short Video: Taking Care of Yourself While Running Your Own Immigration Practice Prerecorded, about 5 minutes |
|
| Faculty | Jennifer Howard, AILA Well-Being Committee Vice Chair, Aurora, CO |
| Live Session 4: Leading and Running the Business Friday, October 3, 2025 | 1:00 - 2:30 pm Eastern Time |
|
| This session will introduce the essential elements of law practice infrastructure. You'll learn how to streamline workflows and effectively recruit and train the people who support your firm—whether they’re staff, vendors, or consultants. We’ll break down the fundamentals of law firm operations and provide practical tools and templates to help you build and scale your own systems. | |
| Faculty |
Charity Anastasio (DL), Practice and Ethics Counsel, AILA Practice and Professionalism Center, Washington, D.C.
Kirby Gamblin Joseph, AILA Future of Immigration Law Practice Task Force Chair, Aurora, CO
Sandra Grossman, Bethesda, MD
|
| Instructor Reflection | Prerecorded, about 2 minutes |
| Reading |
“Managing Your Practice Ethically and Effectively,” by Reid Trautz and Charity Anastasio
"When (and How) to Hire," by Charity Anastasio and Reid Trautz
|
| Optional Independent Practice |
Financial Analysis of the True Cost of an Employee
Writing a Job Description – Identifying "What" You Want to Hire and Writing to Attract Applicants
|
| Short Video: Impact of the Second Trump Administration Prerecorded, about 5 minutes |
|
| Faculty | TBD |
| Short Video: Let’s Talk Tech: Using Technology to Lighten Your Load Prerecorded, about 5 minutes |
|
| Faculty | Elina Santana, AILA Board of Governors, Coral Gables, FL |
| Live Session 5: Making Good Technology Choices Wednesday, October 8, 2025 | 1:00 - 2:30 pm Eastern Time |
|
| The market is full of legal technology products to make your workflow easier, improve client communications, and help manage and measure your success. But if you aren’t careful, you can spend all your profits on shiny objects. Learn what is essential for a new law practice, where to find it, how much you should expect to pay, and how to choose what technology is right for your practice. Speakers will discuss the basic tech stack and what different investments or compromises in technology choices can mean for your budding business. | |
| Faculty |
Reid Trautz (DL), Senior Director, AILA Practice and Professionalism Center, Washington, D.C.
Elizabeth Rompf Bruen, Chicago, IL
|
| Instructor Reflection | Prerecorded, about 2 minutes |
| Optional Independent Practice | Technology Audit Exercise to Identify Your Needs |
| Short Video: Giving Yourself a Job - It’s Okay to Start Small Prerecorded, about 5 minutes |
|
| Faculty | Charity Anastasio, Practice and Ethics Counsel, AILA Practice and Professionalism Center, Washington, D.C. |
AILA has filed for CLE credits in appropriate jurisdictions. To receive CLE credit, attorneys must record their attendance using the CLE code provided at the end of the program via My CLE.
