New Solo

Drop a quarter in the slot and dig into the nontraditional career of Chrissie Scelsi who specializes in the law of video gaming. Scelsi forged her own way, untangling the intersection of entertainment, marketing, technology, and law. 

Games aren’t all fun and games. Scelsi deals with licensing, advertising, intellectual property, transactions, e-sports, content clearance, privacy law, and even influencer relations. “I lean something new every day, and that’s great,” she says. Throughout her career, she’s become a self-described legal Swiss army knife (and she’s a master at Pokémon Go).

Among the topics she encounters both in her practice and as the first woman president of the Video Game Bar Association is the impact of AI, from game development to game play. Working independently, hear how Scelsi has found her community, networks with others, and keeps current on the latest issues affecting not only legal aspects but also trends across the video gaming industry, an industry expected to approach $200 billion in annual revenue this year. 

Questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at [email protected]. 

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Have a passion? There’s a legal field for that! Hear how guest Chrissie Scelsi turned her love for entertainment and video gaming into a full-time practice.

Video gaming is big business not just in the U.S. but around the world, and that means a web of legal needs to help game developers and marketers navigate copyright, legal protections, liability, and intellectual property issues.

In a rapidly evolving field, it’s important for solo practitioners and consultants to build a community through associations, conferences, and networking to share ideas and understand ever-changing legal issues and challenges.

Meet Alyssa Vachon Daigneault, a new Massachusetts attorney who benefitted from a chat with lawyer and law coach Kellam Parks, an amazing guest from our previous podcast. Hear how Daigneault launched her law firm as a second career after years teaching high school chemistry and hear what she learned from Parks as she beefed up her technology.

Daigneault launched her own firm less than two years ago in the busy Boston area, specializing in real estate, land use, and property matters, all fields she was already well versed in.

A session with a coach helped Daigneault fully frame the vision and direction of her practice, craft policies, and understand onboarding new hires. Starting a new solo firm is hard, do you need help cutting through some of the steps and learning from those who went before you?  

Daigneault is an advocate for learning about and investing and experimenting in tech, AI, and other tools before worrying about office space. As a new solo, tech can save time, build efficiencies, and let lawyers do what they do best. 

Questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at [email protected]  

 

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A new solo, embarking on a second career as an attorney, took some tips from one of New Solo’s earlier guests, attorney and legal practice coach Kellam Parks. 

Not all tech and AI are the same, it takes time and research to understand what works for you. Lining up the right tools makes a difference.

In today’s legal environment, tech is becoming king. But if you can manage it, the right support staff and office space can push you forward and keep you growing.

Resources:

Previously on New Solo, “Six To-Dos Every Firm Can Embrace in 2026,” with Kellam Parks

The Real Estate Bar Association for Massachusetts

QuickBooks

Gusto

Adobe

ChatGPT

Perplexity

Spellbook

Lexis Protégé

Clio

ABA Techshow 2026

Clio Cloud Conference 2026

Where do you want your firm to go in the new year? Do you have a plan to get there? Intentional firm design and strategy trumps reactive growth every time. Don’t let your firm run you; take charge today!

Guest Kellam Parks is a partner with the metrics- and technology-driven family and cybersecurity law firm Parks Zeigler PLLC, and he runs the coaching program “The Motivated Lawyer,” helping firms craft a path to a successful future. Hear how he recently took on one new client pro bono to demonstrate how his coaching helps lawyers visualize and achieve their goals.

Parks began his own Virginia Beach firm as a “paperless” entity nearly 15 years ago, incorporating emerging tech to maximize efficiencies. As the firm developed, tech tools have helped his team automate the routine and focus on the most important and demanding tasks. He is a regular speaker and provider of CLE programs for attorneys and firms and produces educational videos and a popular newsletter packed with tips.

Do you need help building out your technological capacities and marketing? As Parks points out, “Nobody knows everything.” Always be learning and open to new ideas. 

Questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at [email protected]  

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Too many solos start out with no intentional plan, opting instead to gather as many clients as they can then scrambling to keep up. A recipe for stress and inefficiency.

In 2026, think about what you actually want from your firm. Then create an intentional plan to get there, step by step.

Technology is not an option. Use the tools available to you. But remember “technology does not fix chaos.” It all starts with your plan, your established systems, and understanding what you’re doing (and why).

 Mentioned in This Episode:

Previous appearance on New Solo, “Tech, Automation, and Cybersecurity: A Pioneering Attorney’s Perspective” 

Previous appearance on Legal Talk Network’s Digital Detectives, “Cybersecurity: Getting to Good for the Small Law Firm” 

Ben Glass, Great Legal Marketing

Gino Wickman, “Traction” 

Allie K. Miller, understanding AI

“Buy Back Your Time: Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire,” by Dan Martell 

Clio

ABA Techshow 2026

Clio Cloud Conference 2026

When family lawyer and podcaster Lee Rosen talks about referrals, he doesn’t call them a network. He calls them friends. He explains why you only need about 20 trusted relationships to sustain a thriving practice, how genuine curiosity and consistency outperform traditional “networking,” and why lawyers make some of the most powerful referral partners across practice areas. Lee also shares how thoughtful gestures, not referral fees, build long-term goodwill and how social media can strengthen real-world connections when used with intention. Then, ALPS Insurance’s Rio Laine joins host Adriana Linares to cover the risk-management side of referrals, including documentation best practices, appropriate thank-you gifts, when to decline referrals, and why every solo should have a backup attorney and succession plan in place.

Hear the original episode with Lee Rosen

Learn more about ALPS Insurance. 

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Let the record show, records were meant to be corrected. In this episode, we revisit something we mentioned that might not have been the full story, the role of the remote attorney and the freelance attorneys provided by LAWCLERK. 

Guest Kristin Tyler is a lawyer and co-founder and chief brand officer at LAWCLERK, which supplies contract attorneys for growing, busy law firms under an arrangement where freelance attorneys work under the supervision of a client’s in-house attorneys. 

From discovery to document review to deposition management, contract attorneys can manage routine tasks at rates designed to be affordable for growing firms. Why hire a part-time paralegal when you can hire an actual attorney at a comparable rate? 

Whether you’re a growing firm or an attorney looking for part-time work, hear why this could be the solution you’ve been looking for. 

Questions or ideas about solo and small practices? Drop us a line at [email protected]. 

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Contract and part-time remote attorneys can help busy, growing firms find affordable legal assistance when things get hectic.

Why hire a remote paralegal when you can hire an actual, licensed attorney at a comparable cost? Do your best and outsource the rest! Special for our listeners, for your first hire from LAWCLERK, use the promo code NewSolo25 for a $100 rebate.

Hear how the arrangement works, including ethical and licensing policies, confidentiality, state-specific availability, and even hiring attorneys who are experts in the exact area of law you need.

Resources:

Previous appearance on Legal Talk Network, “Clio Cloud 2022: Hire for Success – Best Practices for Growing Your Team”

Previously on New Solo, “Checking In! Four Years Later, Solo Practice Aloha Divorce Is Thriving” 

Clio

ABA Techshow 2026

Clio Cloud Conference 2026