Day 1
THURSDAY, SEPT 27
FULL AGENDA:
8:00 - 9:00 AM: Breakfast with our Sponsors
9:00 - 9:15 AM: Opening Remarks
9:15 - 10:15 AM: Keynote Address: Kevin Krone, former Chief Marketing Officer for Southwest Airlines
10:15 - 10:45 AM: Networking Break with our Sponsors
10:45 - 11:45 AM: Breakout Session 1
12:00 - 1:00 PM: LMA Update + Your Honors Awards, Lunch Served
1:15 - 2:15 PM: A Fresh Perspective: Client Panel
2:20 - 3:20 PM: Breakout Session 2
3:20 - 3:50 PM: Networking Break with our Sponsors
3:50 - 4:50 PM: Breakout Session 3
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6:00 - 8:00 PM: Cocktails Around Town
Sessions
Breakout Session 1
10:45 – 11:45 AM
Patrick Fuller, Vice President, Legal, ALM Intelligence
This session will look at the state of the legal market through analytical trends and research, including financials, diversity & staffing, expansion, lateral movement, technology, legal departments, and more. This is designed to provide context to a range of marketing and business development professionals, from newcomers to season veterans. The program will also include some suggestions for navigating some of the complexity that will be surfaced during the presentation.
Patrick Fuller, Vice President, Legal, ALM Intelligence
Lynne Kilgore, Manager of Competitive Intelligence, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Dave Whiteside, Director-Client Growth & Success, CLIENTSFirst Consulting LLC
Stephanie Hinrichs, Director of Client Service, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
Anne Reavis, Director of Research and Business Intelligence, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
Emily Woloschuk, Director of Marketing & Business Development, Lightfoot, Franklin & White, LLC
Firms recognize today that preparing the attorney for the pitch or client meeting is important. But how does this happen? This panel will discuss and share how they research and prepare the information. How they prepare, package and edit information for relevancy and ease of use. How does a BD Manager use that information to prepare and coach an attorney or pitch team for a prospect or client meeting? Attendees will learn the workflow of how the information is requested, to what is researched, delivered, and how it is used. Attendees will gain best practices and insights from presenters doing this every day.
Lynne Kilgore, Manager of Competitive Intelligence, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Dave Whiteside, Director-Client Growth & Success, CLIENTSFirst Consulting LLC
Stephanie Hinrichs, Director of Client Service, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
Anne Reavis, Director of Research and Business Intelligence, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
Emily Woloschuk, Director of Marketing & Business Development, Lightfoot, Franklin & White, LLC
David Ackert, President, Ackert Inc.
Isham Colosetti, Co-founder and Chief Strategist, Creative Mischief
Michelle Calcote King, Principal & President, Reputation Ink
Moderator: Adrian Dayton, Founder, ClearView Social, Inc.
In a series of short, TED-style segments, these industry leaders will share the latest technology tools, processes, and efficiencies that can take the client experience to a new level.
- Marketing automation
- AI/cognitive technology
- Gamification
- Social media
David Ackert, President, Ackert Inc.
Isham Colosetti, Co-founder and Chief Strategist, Creative Mischief
Michelle Calcote King, Principal & President, Reputation Ink
Adrian Dayton, Founder, ClearView Social, Inc.
Client Panel
1:15 – 2:15 PM
Panelists:
- Chris Greene, SVP/CCO/GC and Corporate Secretary at Canal Insurance
- Meredith Green, General Counsel, Furman University
- Scott Hile, Managing Principal & Founder at The Stamm Collaborative
Moderator:
- Laura Meherg, Partner and Founder, Wicker Park Group
This session will bring together general counsel, legal operations leaders, and internal corporate clients to discuss their individual perspectives on hiring and working with outside counsel. Panelists will also discuss collaboration strategies with internal departments on managing outside counsel relationships, monitoring spend, communication of status and outcome, and other critical issues facing their companies.
Chris Greene, SVP/CCO/GC and Corporate Secretary at Canal Insurance
Meredith Green, General Counsel, Furman University
Scott Hile, Managing Principal & Founder at The Stamm Collaborative
Laura Meherg, Partner and Founder, Wicker Park Group
Breakout Session 2
2:20 – 3:20 PM
Keith Wewe, VP-Strategy and Solutions, Content Pilot LLC
Deborah McMurray, CEO and Strategy Architect, Content Pilot LLC
Let’s face the facts, folks — the expectation for law firm business development teams to drive top line revenue is coming from every part of the organization, from the managing partner, to practice group leaders, to COO's. And while taking control of revenue generation in the BD Department might seem like a risky proposition, it presents many opportunities for those who can figure out how to navigate it via a killer proposal process and strategy.
In this session, we will:
- Review the research results from our 2018 Best Practices in Proposal and Experience Management survey and identify trends that will lead any law firm into the future
- Discuss the must-have components for law firm proposals
Provide a fail-safe proposal process and timeline, from start to finish, and how firms can use technology to drive success - Discuss where most business development teams fail and discuss strategies to lead to a higher win rate
Keith Wewe, VP-Strategy and Solutions, Content Pilot LLC
Deborah McMurray, CEO and Strategy Architect, Content Pilot LLC
Jennifer Scalzi, CEO and Founder, Calibrate Legal
Gordon Braun-Woodbury, Marketing Operations Consultant, Calibrate Legal
Research shows that today’s Marketing and BD departments are not equipped to keep pace with the demands and expectations that will be imposed on them in the next chapter of our industry. In a data-driven world where more and more questions are being asked about return on marketing investment, the onus is on you to prove your value. Running your department like a business can meet that need, but it requires leaders and M/BD teams to re-evaluate how they manage and report on their work. Ensure your department is ready to tackle what's ahead by preparing an offensive playbook that will align your team’s activities with the firm’s overall strategic objectives, add quantifiable value and serve as a model to other departments on operational excellence. This program will identify where to begin and the tools you will need to see it through to success.
Jennifer Scalzi, CEO and Founder, Calibrate Legal
Gordon Braun-Woodbury, Marketing Operations Consultant, Calibrate Legal
Jaron Rubenstein, President, RubyLaw
Nancy Slome, VP Content Strategy, Jaffe PR
In-house counsel are drowning in a sea of content. Learn how one AmLaw 100 firm was able to declutter their new site – by creating easy-to-digest web content designed to meet the needs of their time-challenged clients and prospects. Pillsbury achieved these goals, first by listening to their clients — and then, by collaborating with their lawyers on a bold content strategy for their new mobile-first website. The result: Concise bios and practice area descriptions, and client alerts that quickly get to the critical issues facing clients and prospects. Changes to the new site have also resulted in an increase in:
- Page views per session
- Average session duration
- Number of returning visitors
Since launching the new site, Pillsbury’s Web team notes a lower bounce rate, indicating a decrease in the percentage of visitors who navigate away from the site after having viewed only one page. In this case study session, Jaron Rubenstein, President of RubensteinTech and creator of RubyLaw—the technology platform powering Pillsbury’s site—and Nancy Slome, VP Content Strategy, Jaffe PR, will share key steps in the process, which helped make Pillsbury’s new site such a standout.
Attendees will leave with tips they can implement right away, such as:
- How technology can be used to manage, curate, publish and share dynamic content
- Technical and practical considerations for implementing a “mobile first” content strategy
- Examples of communications used to get lawyer buy-in for Pillsbury’s shortened bios
- How client interviews can inform lawyers as to what is/isn’t important to their clients
- Pointers on preserving the content strategy program, which is especially helpful for keeping the rogues in check
- “Call to action” tactics that are appropriate for a corporate law firm
Jaron Rubenstein, President, RubyLaw
Nancy Slome, VP Content Strategy, Jaffe PR
Deep Dive!
Jennifer Dezso, Principal, The BTI Consulting Group
Joyce Miccile, Senior Interviewer, The BTI Consulting Group
Watch what happens when a client interview goes well—and when one goes off the rails. In this high-energy, interactive session, BTI will build on its 28 years of experience conducting more than 9,000 client feedback interviews to lay the foundation for attendees to conduct world-class interviews with their firm’s clients. Well-designed client feedback is proven to generate higher rates, happier clients, and increased fees per client. BTI’s research shows law firms able to leverage their feedback into action enjoy 2.7 times the returns of law firms not conducting client feedback. Join the BTI team as they conduct a mock interview and interactive discussion to break down the critical components of what drives a world-class interview, major pitfalls to avoid, and what to do with positive (and negative) feedback. Attendees will then put their learning to immediate practice with audience mock interviews and real-time feedback. Attendees will leave the session with sample client interviews taken from real client feedback initiatives, a client feedback agenda, and BTI’s Guide to Client-focused Discussions and Client Feedback Interviews.
Jennifer Dezso, Principal, The BTI Consulting Group
Joyce Miccile, Senior Interviewer, The BTI Consulting Group
Breakout Session 3
3:50 – 4:50 PM
Jill Huse, Partner, Society 54, LLC
Erin Ryan, Senior Business Development Manager, McGuireWoods LLP
Have you ever wondered what lawyers actually learn in law school? It certainly is based more in theory than practicality. Due to the lack of business teachings and tools in our nation’s law schools, it is imperative that legal administrators and M&BD professionals help to bridge the gap between the practice of law and the business of law. In this interactive session, we will break down the pillars of what law students do and do not study. Then, we will cross-reference those gaps with the teachings of a Masters-level business course to identify challenges and opportunities for educating and coaching the attorneys at our respective law firms.
Jill Huse, Partner, Society 54, LLC
Erin Ryan, Senior Business Development Manager, McGuireWoods LLP
Choosing the Right Client-centric Strategy for Your Firm and Practice Groups
Is your firm's go-to-market strategy based on the realities of today's legal environment? Or is it ready for a reboot? As part of the LMA 2018 Next Big Thing (NBT) Initiative, this session will outline the core business drivers and competitive forces impacting the marketplace. Attendees will gain a framework to diagnose the relevance of your firm's current strategy and help you redesign your market approach to build sustainable competitive advantage.
- Discuss how the legal market is changing and the nature of market disruption
- Examine how clients are changing how they select, manage and measure outside counsel
- Explore strategy options for law firms
- Discuss how to choose the right strategy for your firm
- Identify Implications for marketing, business development and client service tactics
Mark Beese, President, Leadership for Lawyers LLC
Cari Brunelle, Partner, Baretz + Brunelle
Whether your firm is preparing to roll out a merger or acquire a large lateral group, your external communications can help chart your course for success. A strategically designed and executed media plan can support your firm’s business goals and may even help get the deal done. But it’s not easy to determine the best path to take – do you say no comment until it’s done? Do you update the media every step of the way? Do you offer an exclusive? And how do you integrate your internal and external communications? This presentation will detail various scenarios and options to consider for each – using case studies from the past year. With massive movement across firms, and in what may end up being the year of the law firm merger, chances are your firm will need to consider these questions from one side or the other. Participants will walk away with practical tips and a game plan for when the big day comes.
Cari Brunelle, Partner, Baretz + Brunelle
Deep Dive: Client Feedback, Part II
Adam Severson, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
Kathryn Whitaker, Director of Marketing and Business Development, McNair Law Firm
This interactive workshop takes the client feedback discussion to the next level. Adam Severson and Kathryn Whitaker will share best practices in implementing lessons learned from client feedback, ensuring it's a sustainable effort within your firm, and dealing with some of the thorny issues they can present. The workshop will also include various case studies where attendees can learn from their peers and be coached by the presenters.
Adam Severson, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
Kathryn Whitaker, Director of Marketing and Business Development, McNair Law Firm
Cocktails Around Town
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Cocktails Around Town is a networking opportunity to connect with colleagues and vendors across the Southeast region who will be attending the conference. Location details will be available closer to the conference date. You will be notified of your CAT venue upon arriving at the conference. If you’re a repeat Conference attendee, the Cocktails Around Town are replacing the Dine Around Dinners. This new format will allow for more conversation and getting to know your peers.