What Looks Good for the Future?

In today's Attorney at Work ezine ("One really good idea every day"), I follow up on my earlier posts (here, here and here) about the College of Law Practice Management's recent Futures conference.  I write about the evolving structure of law firms and law firm pricing from both a law firm leader and law firm client perspective; I discuss some of the positive changes resulting from the UK Legal Services Act; and I heap more praise on two innovative law firms who have fully embraced efficiency and process improvement to boost client satisfaction.  See the article here at Attorney at Work. For additional feedback on the Futures conference, see live blogs and recaps from Ron Friedmann (here and here and here) and Carolyn Elefant (here and here) and Inside Legal (here) and Toby Brown (here).  Click here for a full recap of the robust Twitter stream, capturing multiple perspectives from a wide variety of thought leaders in attendance.

Timothy B. Corcoran delivers keynote presentations and conducts workshops to help lawyers, in-house counsel and legal service providers profit in a time of great change.  To inquire about his services, click here or contact him at +1.609.557.7311 or at tim@corcoranconsultinggroup.com.

Embracing the New Normal - The College of Law Practice Management's Futures Conference

Calling all lawyers, law firm managers, consultants and vendors! The College of Law Practice Management and Georgetown Law invite you to the 2012 Futures Conference, October 26-27, at the Georgetown Law Center, Washington, DC. Where better to examine leading-edge law practice management issues than to tap our Fellows and guests who are making the future happen now? We’ll discuss:

• The New Model of Law Firms
• “Value” From the Eyes of Different Beholders
• Managing Partners of the Future
• The Myriad Challenges of Diversity
• The Consumer Law Revolution (and What It Means for Biglaw)
• 2012 InnovAction Awards Presentation (hosted by yours truly, the awards chair)
• New Normal from the GC Perspective
• Also, for first time, the Legal Academy Practice Research Report —where academics cast a cold eye on your most vexing issues.

The roster of speakers and presenters is unprecedented and includes Jim Sandman, Susan Hackett, Eric Margolin, Amar Sarwal, John Michalik, Thomas Grella, Fredrick Lautz, Charles Vigil, Ward Bower, Aric Press, Toby Brown, Mark Chandler, Tanina Rostain, Stephanie Kimbro, Michael Mills, Marc Lauritsen, Mitt Regan, Juliet Aiken, Heather Bock, Lisa Rohrer, Verna Myers, Ron Friedmann, Mark Cohen, Ben Lieber, Andy Daws, Patrick Lamb and Steve Nelson.  For more details on each speaker, visit the conference website.  If you don't know most, or even many, of these speakers, then you can't possibly be serious about adapting to the new normal.

Learn more about the sessions from conference co-chair, Ron Friedmann, here.

Download the complete Futures Conference brochure here.

Expect a lively and engaging event. Panel presentations with active audience input will combine with breakout sessions to help you understand the forces jolting the legal market today.

Registration is Open 

Register online here for the Futures Conference. Be sure to watch the Futures Conference 2012 meetings page for more information on the program schedule, speakers and special events.

Special thanks to event sponsors (Platinum) Greenfield Belser, Attorney at Work and Practical Law Company, (Gold) American Bar Association's Law Practice Management section, the Canadian Bar Association, International Legal Technology Association, Ricoh Legal and Thomson Reuters and (Silver) Alexander Open Systems, Altman Weil, Inc., Association of Legal Administrators and the Legal Marketing Association.

LMA Southeast presents Legal Project Management for Law Firms

I'll be in New Orleans on Friday, October 12, to join a fantastic roster of presenters as we share best practices in Legal Project Management for law firms.  The day-long conference is hosted by the Legal Marketing Association's Southeast chapter and is one of several mini conferences the group is producing this year. The program kicks off with Catherine MacDonagh of the Legal Lean Sigma Institute, who will discuss the essentials of process improvement and project management for law firms. Monica Ulzheimer of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan will share learnings from the firm's significant investment in Legal Project Management.  Suzanne Donnels, the Chief Marketing Officer of Chicago's Jenner & Block, will present on content hygiene and optimizing marketing systems and processes.  After lunch Deborah McMurray of Content Pilot will discuss how Legal Project Management techniques can drive revenue and help manage the law firm business.  I'll contribute commentary on the business development aspects of Legal Project Management.  And Michael Webb of Jaffe PR will discuss the importance of strategic communications for project management.

The program will be hosted by Harrah's New Orleans, in the midst of the central business district and a short walk from the famed New Orleans French Quarter.  Registration and breakfast are offered starting at 8 AM CT, the programs commence at 9 AM CT, and the program concludes at 4:45 PM CT, immediately followed by a networking reception.  For those arriving from out of town the night prior, there will be a group dinner on Thursday evening at 7 PM CT at Drago's.

Legal Project Management is a relatively new but critical frontier for law firms, and everyone has questions.  While the session is produced by the LMA, the content is directed to all law firm leaders, including chairpersons, managing partners, practice group leaders, practice group managers, alternative fee and pricing analysts, chief financial officers, chief marketing officers, finance and marketing managers, practicing lawyers and even in-house counsel.  Based on my email inbox and client engagements, the common questions range from "What is it?" to "Is this additive or dilutive to profits?" to "Is LPM a fad that I can ignore when the economy picks up?" to "Isn't LPM just for commodity practices?" to "What's the difference between process improvement and project management?" to "How will LPM help me communicate more effectively?" to "What software must I install to run LPM?" to many many more.

Flights are inexpensive, the gumbo is fresh and while you may not want to relive your college days one Hurricane won't impact the diet. Plus, you can hear from several noted experts on a topic that is fundamentally changing the business and practice of law.  What are you waiting for?  Register here.

Social Media in the Professions - Is there an APPetite for the digital revolution?

I'm pleased to announce that I have accepted an invitation to serve as chair of the upcoming PSMG annual conference to be held in London on 14 November 2012.  This year's theme is "Social Media in the Professions - Is there an APPetite for the digital revolution?"  There are numerous substantive and informative sessions in the plans, as well as a compelling keynote presentation by Clare Adshead-Grant, managing partner of Calista, one of the leading digital marketing and business development consultancies in the professional services sector.

The Professional Services Marketing Group is for those with an interest in marketing within professional services organizations, including practitioners, recognized consultants, suppliers and those who have an interest in this sector.  PSMG is a UK-based organisation with active groups in key commercial centers in the UK and international links in North America, Canada, Europe, Australasia and the Middle East.  Its members come from various professions, including law, accountancy, real estate, banking, architecture, actuarial, insurance, management consultancy, marketing communications, engineering and construction as well as those with an interest in professional services marketing.

Book your tickets now and join me in London in November!

Law Firm Management Science: Ignore At Your Peril

"Imagine this business school case study:  A global business is managed by part-time leaders with minimal business training.  The business offers different products to different customers depending on the varying skills and interests of the local service providers, who also serve as the salespeople, project managers and product managers.  Pricing is customized to each transaction and rarely follows a cohesive strategy, save for the fiat that prices must increase each year.  Marketing consists of promoting the business’s capabilities, which are presented as vast and unparalleled.  Customer demand has been a constant for as long as anyone can remember.  The challenge:  Customer demand shifts overnight from a constant to a variable, with immense competition for declining customer budgets.  What should the leaders do first to ensure the survival of the business?" Welcome to the dilemma facing law firm leaders today.  How would you respond?  See my recent article here in the ABA's Law Practice Today ezine.