Domains: Business of Law, Client Services

Lateral hiring makes for a big parade but all too often the music stops once the horns quiet. This panel shifts focus to what happens after the parade: the coordinated rhythm of integrating new lawyers into firm culture, business development and operations. Senior marketing and BD leaders and integration professionals from firms of various sizes will share insights on how to move from announcement to activation through structured plans, cross-department collaboration, and data-driven follow-through. Walk away with real-world examples to help your next lateral hit the right notes for the long-term.

Learning Outcomes:

• Outline the current trends in lateral integration covering what works and what doesn't.
• Analyze why traditional onboarding falls short and what strategies work better.
• Apply strategic methods for BD and Marketing to increase alignment, engagement, and accountability throughout the lateral integration lifecycle.
• Participate in a guided workshop to diagnose lateral integration scenarios.

Presenters:
Stacey McReynolds, Chief Marketing Officer, Fractional Law Firm CMO, LLC
Michele Golivesky, Director of Growth & Engagement, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP
Nikki Sherrill, Chief Business Development Officer, Parker Hudson
Pascale Bishop, Manager of Attorney Integration, Fisher & Phillips LLP

Domains: Business Development, Client Services

In this session, two passionate presenters will highlight how an alumni program can drive business development, enhance recruitment, and amplify your firm’s brand. They’ll tackle common barriers to launching and maintaining such programs, including leadership skepticism and resource limitations. Drawing on real-world lessons, they’ll share practical strategies for engaging key stakeholders and leveraging existing technologies to create and grow your own sustainable network .  

Through case studies and proven best practices, participants will uncover high-impact ways to position alumni programs as critical to the firm’s business strategy. You’ll gain access to practical next steps: engagement tactics, measurement methods, and take-home plans designed to set your alumni initiatives up for sustainable success.

Learning Outcomes:

• Define your business case to persuade senior stakeholders that alumni engagement is critical to firm strategy.
• Identify internal tools and resources to support alumni management and engagement. 
• Develop an action plan for alumni outreach within your firm as well as measurement methods to demonstrate early success.

Presenters:
Melissa Allen, Alumni Relations Manager, WilmerHale
Kyle Kraynick, Client Relations Manager, Barnes & Thornburg LLP 

Domains: Marketing Management and Leadership, Client Services

Legal marketers often struggle to gain influence, not because they lack expertise, but because they haven't applied client experience principles internally. In this session, you'll learn how treating lawyers as your first clients transforms marketing from tactical support into strategic revenue enablement.

Discover how to map the internal client journey, build trusted relationships that lead to lawyer advocacy, and translate marketing programs into revenue-focused language that resonates with firm leadership. You'll gain practical frameworks for stakeholder alignment and influence strategies that work without formal authority. Whether you're seeking partner buy-in or elevating your leadership brand, this session shows you how to lead from where you are and deliver measurable business impact.

Learning Outcomes:

• Explain how to map your lawyers' pain points, priorities, and decision-making processes using a proven CX methodology to position marketing as the solution to the business challenges. 
• Develop a practical translation framework that converts marketing activities into business outcomes firm leadership cares about. 
• Build strategic influence by learning how to lead with business value and internal client insights. 

Presenters:
Miki Hanlen, Sr. Director, Global Field Marketing, Intapp
Debra Hare, Sr. Director, BD Coaching and Training, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Domains: Business of Law, Marketing Management and Leadership

Over the past two years, Burr & Forman has reimagined the role of Practice Group Leaders -- shifting from administrative oversight to business leadership. The missing piece? A dedicated Practice Management function to provide structure, insight, and accountability. In this session, you'll learn how one firm built this new capability from the ground up: defining roles, earning partner buy-in, and measuring what matters. Attendees will leave with a roadmap for implementing their own scalable model, one that empowers lawyers to lead more effectively, drives profitability, and turns chaos into clarity.

Learning Outcomes:

Identify common obstacles that limit Practice Group Leader effectiveness and the structural supports that can remove them.

Design a practice management model tailored to your firm's size, culture, and leadership maturity.

Implement strategies to gain buy-in from partners and business professionals when introducing new roles and responsibilities.

Presenters:
Kathryn Whitaker, Chief Marketing Officer, Burr & Forman LLP
Charles Marshall, Chief Operating Officer, Burr & Forman LLP

Domain: Marketing Management and Leadership

The pace of change in law firms—and especially in legal marketing—has shifted from periodic projects to a constant stream of disruption: AI, competition, return-to-office pressures, and evolving client expectations. Yet many teams still use approaches designed for one-time change rather than today’s continuous transformation. 

This session explores why traditional persuasion often backfires when your audience is made up of lawyers—trained persuaders by profession—and how to replace it with influence, collaboration, and ownership. Participants will gain practical strategies to engage senior leaders, reduce resistance, and create lasting change that drives adoption of marketing, business development, and technology initiatives. 

Learning Outcomes:

• Explain why traditional change-management and persuasion tactics often fail in law firms and identify the dynamics that make continuous transformation uniquely challenging.
• Examine how influence, collaboration, and shared ownership can reduce resistance and improve adoption of marketing, business development, and technology initiatives.
• Develop practical strategies to engage senior leaders, navigate disruption, and drive sustained behavior change within legal-industry teams

Presenters:
Julia Montgomery, Director of Practice Enablement, King & Spalding

Domain: Marketing Management and Leadership

Mergers can be one of the most challenging and transformative moments in a law firm's life cycle, and the uncertainty for individuals going through one can feel overwhelming. A merger can also be a career-defining moment. This session will help you become a trusted resource and a steady hand during times of change.

We'll explore:

• Career Impact: What every legal marketer needs to know about opportunities, potential pitfalls, and duplicative roles - and how to be an invaluable contributor without doing so at the expense of others.
• Leadership from Behind: Practical ways to influence integration and be highly collaborative, even without a formal leadership title.
• Understanding when to lead and knowing when to follow.
• Personal Growth: Harness what you've learned to strengthen your role during a merger. 

Learning Outcomes:

• Identify how marketing professionals can contribute strategically during a merger - from internal communications to cultural integration - and why agility is critical.
• Recognize the operational and branding shifts that occur during mergers (e.g., new websites, rebranding, printed materials) and build a personal action plan to lead from behind while fostering a unified team culture.
• Exchange practical approaches to position yourself as a trusted resource, navigate duplicative roles, and leverage coaching and integration opportunities to advance your career

Presenters:
Truda Chow, Chief Operating Officer, FBT Gibbons
Ashley Horne, Chief Marketing & Business Dev. Officer, Womble Bond Dickinson
Michael Michaelides, Global Chief Marketing Officer, A&O Shearman
Carrie Remhof, Director of Firm Intelligence, Troutman Pepper Locke

Domains: Technology Management, Business of Law

The emergence of data lakehouses is reshaping not only how law firms operate, but how they compete and go to market. By centralizing data across systems, firms are creating a single source of truth that powers real-time analytics, responsive dashboards, and more informed decision-making. For marketing and business development leaders, understanding these developments is critical - data lakehouses will make traditional point-to-point integrations obsolete and redefine how marketing technologies connect and deliver insight. This program is designed for directors and above who want to understand why these conversations matter, how they impact marketing strategy and technology, and where the opportunities lie. The session will feature three TED Talk-style presentations from firms that have centralized their data - and the measurable benefits they've gained in client engagement, analytics, and growth.

Learning Outcomes:

• Explain how data lakehouses differ from traditional point-to-point integrations and evaluate their strategic implications for law firm marketing and business development.
• Identify the core components of a centralized data architecture and discuss how real-time analytics and unified data models enhance client engagement and decision-making.
• Examine real-world law firm use cases to assess the measurable benefits of data lakehouses and develop opportunities to apply similar approaches within your own marketing technology strategy.

Presenters:
Benjamin Chi, Director, Litigation Technology and Knowledge Management, Finnegan
Jennifer Mapp, Senior Director, Data Management & Analytics, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Addison C. Larrow, Director of Innovation Analytics, Crowell & Moring LLP
Tom Baldwin, CEO, Entegrata

Domain: Business of Law

In this session, legal marketers will hear directly from Legal Operations and client-side professionals about how they can strengthen relationships and drive growth for their firms. Through real-world examples, the discussion will explore what truly matters to clients and how marketing strategies can align with their priorities. 

Attendees will gain insights into whether Legal Ops professionals value invitations to events, how they engage with legal updates, and what captures their attention in a crowded marketplace. The session will also clarify who makes buying decisions - Legal Ops or procurement of the GC - and examine the role RFPs play in the selection process. Walk away with practical strategies to build meaningful connections that translate into business success.

Learning Outcomes:

• Explain the RFP and procurement process from the client's perspective.
• Identify client-focused touchpoints and initiatives that matter most to Legal Operations professionals.
• Discuss best practices and key priorities for portal submissions. Recognize examples of client service impactful wins beyond billed work. Develop strategies for positioning their firm to earn favor with Legal Ops teams

Presenters:
Mike Haven, Director of Legal Ops, Meta
Ross Booher, CEO, Latitude Legal Farrah Pepper, Head of Legal Ops, Marsh McLennan
Kimberly Bell, Director of Innovation & Technology, American Express
Farrah Pepper, Legal Innovation Partner, Harvey

Domains: Business Development, Client Services, Marketing Management and Leadership

Based on a yearlong global research project, this session uncovers what more than 60 of the world's most successful female super-rainmakers are doing differently to win work, build trust, and grow authentic practices. Through revealing case studies and first-hand insights gathered across Europe, Asia, and Africa, you'll discover the mindsets, habits, and strategies that drive real business results - lessons that apply to every lawyer, regardless of gender or geography. You'll leave with concrete tools (and written guidelines) for helping lawyers deepen relationships, overcome self-imposed barriers, and cultivate a business development style that aligns with their values. Whether you're new to business development or leading firm-wide initiatives, this program will challenge old assumptions and introduce a data-driven, human-centered approach to growth.

Learning Outcomes:

• Identify outdated assumptions about business development and open your eyes to three elements that make a difference in selling legal services and new approaches that are proven to work
• Explore alternative strategies used by successful professionals who May not fit the traditional rainmaker profile, as defined in current literature.
• Help lawyers to develop a personalized approach to business that works for them and aligns with their own strengths. 
• Return to your office with guidance and examples. 

Presenter:
Deborah B. Farone, CEO, Marketing Strategist, Author, Farone Advisors LLC

Domains: Business Development, Client Services

This session explores how to move beyond "checking the boxes" to create proposals that connect with clients on a strategic and emotional level. Attendees will learn how to balance efficiency with creativity, ensure diverse perspectives are incorporated into the response process, and utilize AI as a fact-finding tool without compromising the human narrative. The session will also include a hands-on workshop component, allowing participants to apply new strategies in real time, experiment with improved messaging approaches, and walk away with practical tools to elevate their next proposal.

Learning Outcomes:

Demonstrate how to move beyond generic responses by leveraging a deep understanding of the client's business context to create proposals that educate, differentiate, and resonate on both strategic and emotional levels.

Identify which parts of the proposal process AI can support effectively and establish guardrails to ensure responses maintain the firm's voice, client service philosophy, and human narrative.

Apply methods to evaluate proposal success beyond "winning," including client feedback, message resonance, and internal alignment, and use these insights to improve future responses and develop team capabilities.

Presenters:
Vanessa Petrea, Pursuit Director, Perkins Coie
Ed Perugia, Interim Director, Client Development, Jenner & Block