2021 ALA Annual Conference and Expo - E by C5Group

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#ALAConf21

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2021ALA OCTOBER 3–6 AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER AUSTIN, TEXAS

ANNUAL

CONFERENCE

&EXPO Register Now Phone 1-888-593-7243 Envelope customerservice@ALAannualconf.org Globe ALAannualconf.org

The 2021 Annual Conference Planning Committee Is Ready to Welcome You to Austin!

2021ALA

ANNUAL

CONFERENCE

&EXPO Sunday, October 3

Message from the Chair

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 3 4–5 6 7 8 8–14 15 15–21 24–29 31–32 33 36–37 38

Welcome Message Programming For All Three-Day Program Overview Featured Speakers Conference Speakers Conference Agenda – Sunday, October 3 Conference Agenda – Monday, October 4 Who You Will Meet Conference Agenda – Tuesday, October 5 Conference Agenda – Wednesday, October 6 Sponsors and Exhibitors Travel Information Special Events and Networking Opportunities Registration Information

It’s not been what I would call a typical journey as Chair of the Annual Conference Planning Committee because of the events of the last year, but I would never have had the privilege to witness firsthand the relentless spirit of ALA’s members and share their eagerness to once again meet safely in person. The Annual Conference & Expo is our yearly opportunity to celebrate ideas, swap stories and revel in the shared enthusiasm for our profession. My fellow committee members and I are proud to bring you an exceptional, fresh education schedule with topics spanning the legal industry/business management, operations management, finance, human resources and communications and organizational management. This year’s programming offers dynamic new ideas and some essential, evergreen topics, and it tackles some emerging challenges for our profession. Plus, you can obtain the continuing education credits you need and still have plenty of time to connect with your peers and scope out the latest innovations from our business partners. And, after pivoting throughout 2020, our biggest goal for Annual Conference is to CELEBRATE … celebrate ALA’s 50th Anniversary and what makes our community truly great—the varied perspectives, experiences and knowledge that ALA members have grown to love. ALA is the embodiment of the principle that we are better together. Better prepared to face the next hurdles, armed with the success stories of our peers. Better able to overcome our challenges, supplied with solutions road-tested by other firms and our business partners. Better equipped to expertly guide our firms through any environment. I cannot wait to welcome you all to Austin in October for this much-needed gathering of knowledge, innovation and community. Kara M. Brostron, CLM Director of Operations Lashly & Baer, PC, St. Louis, Missouri 2021 Annual Conference Planning Committee Chair

PROGRAMMING FOR ALL

Browse by Category using Sessions in the #ALAConf21 app!

Education Categories

2021

ALA ANNUAL

Look for these icons for the main five educational categories, which also align with the CLM Functional Specialty categories:

Communications and Organizational Management

Financial Management

Human Resources Management

CLM Functional Specialty

Operations Management

Legal Industry/ Business Management

CLM Functional Specialty

To see what programming categories apply to each session, see the AGENDA.

CLM Functional Specialty

CLM Recertification Categories

Session with these icons are applicable to the recertification credits from the category indicated.

Communications and Organizational Management

Financial Management

Human Resources Management

Legal Industry/ Business Management

cog sitemap

USER

Operations Management

Substance Abuse

CLM Application Categories Communication Skills

BRAILLE tv

Information Technology

Organizational Development

Self-Management Skills

Writing Skills

Competency Level To help you choose your schedule, sessions will also be categorized by level of competency level:

Essential: Sessions for all attendees with any working knowledge within the field of study. No advance preparation is necessary.

Intermediate: Sessions assume attendees have a working knowledge in the field of study with fewer than 10 years in the legal industry.

Advanced: Sessions assume that attendees have more than 10 years of experience and/or an advanced degree in the field of study.

OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE

Brain MEETING OF MINDS Engage. Collaborate. Innovate. Co-develop solutions to common challenges by leveraging the shared experiences and collective knowledge of your industry peers. ALA’s Meeting of Minds (formerly known as Idea Exchanges) enables participants to network extensively, discuss, debate and dissect best practices and topical issues within legal administration.

Connect:

Users

@ALABuzz

Cogs

MEETUPS

FIRST FIVE LIVE!

DEEP DIVES

BOLD Bites

#ALAConf21 Meetups allow you to enjoy the benefits of networking in a smaller group setting. With a combination of small-group gatherings around specific topics and local fun activities that allow you to get a taste of Austin, they’ll help you to get the most out of your time at the conference!

The First Five Community is a forum for legal management professionals in the first five-ish years of their career. First Five Live! is an in-person opportunity to advance your skill set in a collaborative, supportive environment. Come prepared to talk freely and have frank, open discussions for maximum value!

To meet the demand for higher-level content, ALA is pleased to offer “deep dive” sessions at #ALAConf21. Intended for more experienced attendees, Deep Dives are cohesive and interactive sessions that allow for a more focused, in-depth exploration of a subject than is possible in regular sessions.

BOLD Bites business of law discussions are presentations based on the popular TED Talks where presenters discuss practical tips and innovative and provocative ideas in a fast-paced format.

Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

PLEASE NOTE: The educational programming has staggered start and end times to allow for current social distancing protocols and sanitation measures. Subject to change.

CALENDAR-ALT SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2021

CALENDAR-ALT MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2021

9 a.m.

7:30 a.m.

Registration Opens

7:30–8:30 a.m.

Rise and Shine! Networking Continental Breakfast

Registration Opens

12:30–4:30 p.m. Meeting of Minds Brain – Personal Injury Plaintiff MEETING OF MINDS

12:30–4:30 p.m. Meeting of Minds OF MINDS Brain MEETING – Large Firm Principal Administrators

7:30–8:30 a.m.

CLM Breakfast (invitation only)

8:30–9 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

12:30–4:30p.m.

9–10 a.m.

4–5 p.m.

Path to Certification

9:30 a.m.

Start Your Exploration! Exhibit Hall Opens

5–6 p.m.

Newcomers Connection

10–11:30 a.m.

Break Time! Refreshments and Networking in Exhibit Hall

6–8 p.m.

Welcome Reception

11:15 a.m.–12:45 p.m. Breakout Sessions

FIRST FIVE LIVE!

First Five Live!

Keynote Speaker featuring Jen Welter, PhD, first female NFL coach, Arizona Cardinals

50 Critical Factors for Strategic Success USER

CONTINUING EDUCATION AND ACCREDITATION ALA is an approved provider for HRCI, SHRM, CPE and CLE (California) credits, and it is also the credentialing body for the Certified Legal Manager (CLM)® program. Certain conference sessions provide PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP recertification credits, CPE and CLE credits, and CLM credits for both recertification and application.

VIP PROGRAM SOLUTIONS ALA’s VIP Program is a valuable member benefit that offers exclusive discounts and service options that provide savings for you and your firm—enough to cover the cost of attending the Annual Conference & Expo! Learn more at ALAnet.org/VIP.

From Frazzled to Focused: Techniques on Productivity and Efficiency

The Future of the Legal Sector Workplace

Cogs DEEP DIVE

12:30–2 p.m.

Refuel and Connect! Networking Lunch

1:15–1:45 p.m.

Business Matters! Sessions

2–3 p.m.

Breakout Sessions

Getting More Out of the Tech You Already Have: Unlocking Your Software’s Hidden Potential

11:30 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions Scalable Solutions for Legal Project Management: The How-To and Why The Future of Work—Recalibrating Workplace Flexibility The Basics of Navigating the World of Law Firm Accounting

2:15–3:15 p.m.

Breakout Sessions

Lucky Zip Codes: How Are Some People So Lucky?

Grammar in Professional Communication

RFP Questionnaire from a Client’s Legal Operations Perspective and the Importance of DE&I

Empathy and Culture Have a Seat at the Table—and They are the Key Factor to Marketing and Branding Successfully Post-Pandemic

Don’t Let Institutional Knowledge Walk Out the Door: Succession Planning for Administrative Managers

3–4 p.m.

Break Time! Refreshments & Networking in Exhibit Hall

3:30–4 p.m.

Business Matters! Sessions

4–5 p.m.

Breakout Sessions

The Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) You Belong Here: Creating an Inclusive Environment Where Everyone Belongs What Legal Administrators Should Know About Litigation Financing

4:15–5:15 p.m.

Breakout Sessions

Dear Helga: It’s 2021 and Her Employees Are Back and the Issues Are Creating Chaos! Strategically Increasing Profitability: Increase Revenue and Leverage Your Place at the Table The Data Breach Epidemic: What Every Administrator Needs to Know Today

5:15 p.m.

Day 2 Adjourns

Evening

Look out for details of #ALAConf21 Meetups, which will allow you to enjoy fun activities that will give you a taste of Austin in a smaller group gathering.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

PLEASE NOTE: The educational programming has staggered start and end times to allow for current social distancing protocols and sanitation measures. Subject to change.

CALENDAR-ALT TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2021

CALENDAR-ALT WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2021

7:30 a.m.

Registration Opens

8:30 a.m.

Registration Opens

7:30–8:30 a.m.

Rise and Shine! Networking Continental Breakfast in the Exhibit Hall

8:30–9:30 a.m.

Rise and Shine! Networking Continental Breakfast in the Exhibit Hall

9–10 a.m.

Breakout Sessions

8:30–10 a.m. David W. Brezina Memorial Session featuring Rick Rigsby, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rick Rigsby Communications 10–11 a.m.

Break Time! Refreshments and Networking in Exhibit Hall

10:15–10:45 a.m.

Business Matters! Sessions

10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Breakout Sessions

Closing the Gap in Strategic Execution

Scalable Solutions for Legal Project Management: A Coaching and Implementation Workshop

Cogs DEEP DIVE

11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Breakout Sessions

The Urge to Merge: Merging for the Right Financial Reasons and Then Making It Successful It’s Time to Have the Conversation Return to Office: The Evolution of Law Firms

Breakout Sessions

1:45–2:45 p.m.

A Law Firm Built for 2021 and the Future: Examining Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, and Barriers to Implicit Bias

Proofreading and Punctuation Retirement by Design, Not Default

Reimagining the Post-COVID Law Firm 2:30–3:30 p.m.

Break Time! Refreshments and Networking in Exhibit Hall

2:45–3:15 p.m.

Business Matters! Sessions

3:30–4:30 p.m.

Breakout Sessions

3:45–4:45 p.m.

New and Different Staffing Models

BOLD Bites

A Fresh Look on Outlook: Productivity Techniques to Mastering the ART of Email Client and Employee Experience: The Stuff You Never Hear Market Research Debrief: The Legal Workflow Management Survey, 2021

5:30–6:30 p.m.

Breakout Sessions

Do More with Less: Leveraging Technology in Legal Operations

Leading Change through Organization Development

BOLD Bites

Human Capital Strategies in the New Legal Ecosystem

10 a.m.

Substance Abuse in the Legal Profession: Prevention, Detection and Treatment

Brain

Meetings of Minds — see page 21 for details

MEETING OF MINDS

5–5:30 p.m. BOLD Bites

BOLD Bites

Exhibit Hall Networking Reception

Cogs DEEP DIVE

USER

Brain

MEETING OF MINDS

Meetings of Minds

Break Time! Refreshments and Networking in Exhibit Hall

10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Breakout Sessions

Breakout Sessions

Achieving Cybersecurity Compliance and Preparing for Client Cybersecurity Audits

Don’t Leave Money on the Table, Part 1: The Mechanics of Cashless Payments and How to Increase Your Collections

4:45–5:15 p.m. BOLD Bites Breakout Sessions

LGBTQ: Allies and Inclusivity in the Workplace

Cogs DEEP DIVE

1:30–2:30 p.m.

Don’t Leave Money on the Table, Part 2: The Mechanics of Cashless Payments and How to Increase Your Collections

The Bill & Phil Show: It’s 2021, So Where Is My Flying Car?

Refuel and Connect! Association Lunch

Breakout Sessions

How to Develop an Encore Career, Part 1: Encore Career for Yourself Brave New World: Updates on Which States Permit Non-Lawyer Partners and Paying for Referrals

LGBTQ 101 for Legal Administrators

12–1:30 p.m.

9:15–10:15 a.m.

Cogs DEEP DIVE

11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Breakout Sessions

Workshop: Modernizing Partner Compensation

Learning from Your Frenemies: New Tools and Practices for the Evolving Legal Market

Default or Defined: What We Can Do to Positively Influence Culture in Our Law Firms

How to Develop an Encore Career, Part 2: How to Help Others Develop an Encore Career Don’t Hit the Panic Button: Meeting Client Diversity Initiatives

Supercharge Your Confidence, Resilience and Well-Being

12–1:30 p.m.

Refuel & Connect! Networking Lunch

12:45–1:15 p.m.

Business Matters! Sessions

1:30–2:30 p.m.

Breakout Sessions

1:45–2:45 p.m.

Operating the Ethical Law Office in the 21st Century: Professionalism, Finances, Cybersecurity and Client Relations

Brain

MEETING OF MINDS

Meeting of Minds

Brain

MEETING OF MINDS

Meeting of Minds

Breakout Sessions

Navigating the 2021 Workplace: An Employment Law Update Understanding the Law Firm Liability Environment Musings of a Recovering Miscommunicator— How to Craft More Authentic and Effective Written Communications

4:30–6 p.m.

Association Awards Presentation

6–8:30 p.m.

VIP Grand Finale

BOLD Bites Breakout Sessions

Supercharge Your Collaboration Adapting to Sociocultural Changes Alongside Your Clients Knowledge Management for Legal Support Staff

Educational Categories

Communications and Organizational Management

Human Resources Management

Legal Industry/Business Management

Financial Management Operations Management

To see what CLM Recertification and CLM Application Categories and Competency Levels apply to each session, see the AGENDA.

FEATURED SPEAKERS

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

DAVID W. BREZINA MEMORIAL SESSION SPEAKER

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5

Jen Welter, PhD

First Female NFL Coach, Arizona Cardinals Jen Welter, PhD, draws from her trailblazing journey to deliver memorable insight on the far-reaching benefits of being an authentic leader, focusing on one’s goals and cultivating a champion’s mindset. The first female coach in NFL history, Welter serves as a powerful role model and an inspiring reminder that barriers are meant to be broken. With a career studded with a number of firsts, Welter made history when she coached the Arizona Cardinals’ inside linebackers for their 2015 training camp. Previously, she became the first woman to coach a men’s professional football league team as linebacker and special teams coach for the Indoor Football League’s Texas Revolution. She was also the first woman to play running back in a men’s professional football season with the Revolution. In 2017, her first book, Play Big, revealed the grit and determination that it took to be a trailblazer in one of the country’s toughest boys’ clubs. Welter holds a doctorate in psychology and a master’s degree in sport psychology.

Rick Rigsby, PhD

President and Chief Executive Officer Rick Rigsby Communications Rick Rigsby, PhD, challenges leaders to excel at enhancing skill sets required by a new generation of employees. He argues that dynamic and effective leadership today must expand its focus to include technological expansion, knowledge acquisition, diverse demographics and increased globalization. Rigsby will empower you to discover how a leader’s journey to superior performance is reserved for the leader who is intentional, strategic and above all willing to grow!

With germane anecdotes drawn from her experiences on and off the field, Welter inspires and enlightens audiences with insight on breaking barriers, authentic leadership, achieving what others say is impossible and the true value of diverse teams. Participants take away a renewed sense of empowerment to aim high and realize any goal, and they are encouraged to know to know that hard work, perseverance and teamwork can get you to the end zone.

CONFERENCE CHAIR Kara M. Brostron, CLM Lashly & Baer, PC, St. Louis, MO BIO

ALA BOARD OF DIRECTORS LIAISON Eric Hightower, CLM, SPHR Davis Agnor Rapaport & Skalny LLC, Columbia, MD BIO

COMMITTEE MEMBERS Arthur P. Bernstein

Ellen Rosenstiel Clinton, SHRM-SCP

Representing the Large Firm Administrators Caucus

Representing the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Committee

Tucker Ellis LLP, Cleveland, OH BIO

Kutak Rock LLP, Washington, D.C. BIO

Terri J. Oppelt, CLM, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

Gail P. Semonian, CLM, MBA, PHR

Representing the Professional Development Advisory Committee

Representing the Certification Committee

Armanino LLP, Los Angeles, CA BIO

Matis Baum O’Connor, Pittsburgh, PA BIO

Elyssa A. Goldstein, CLM, PHR, SHRM‑CP

Lisa A. Sterritt

Representing the Membership Development Committee

BIO

Rebenack, Aronow & Mascolo, LLP, New Brunswick, NJ

Seattle, WA

Representing the Product and Service Review Committee

BIO

SPEAKERS Ida O. Abbott, JD President Ida Abbott Consulting LLC Greg Allen, PhD Chief Executive Officer and Founder Step Up Consultants Toby Brown Chief Practice Management Officer Perkins Coie LLP Michael S. Cohen, JD Partner Duane Morris LLP Anne E. Collier, MPP, JD, PCC Chief Executive Officer Arudia Matthew K. Corbin Senior Vice President and Executive Director, Commercial Risk Solutions, Professional Services Aon Risk Services Central, Inc.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Chassidy C. Deckard, SHRM-CP Director of Administration Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP Denise Dellaratta Director of Practice Support Fox Rothschild LLP Laura A. Dieudonné Legal Operations and Administration Director Delta Air Lines, Inc. Claude E. Ducloux, JD Director of Ethics, Education and State Compliance LawPay Sergeant J. Ferry Criminal Investigations Division Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office Debbie Foster Managing Partner Affinity Consulting Group

SPEAKERS

Jeffrey A. Healy Managing Director TRGP Investment Partners, LP Judy Hissong, CLM, PCC President Nesso Strategies Tiffany Ho Director of Operations Rogoway Law Group Brandi M. Hobbs, MPS, ALP Chief Strategy Officer Bell David & Pitt, P.A. Amy A. Hunter Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Caleres Terry M. Isner Owner and Chief Executive Officer Jaffe Jean Jewell, CLM Consultant Jennifer Johnson Chief Executive Officer Calibrate Legal

Timothy B. Corcoran Principal Corcoran Consulting Group, LLC

Duska Frink Solutions Consultant BigHand

Nichole Cornwell Associate Director of Legal Support Services Husch Blackwell LLP

Lynn S. Garson, JD Counsel BakerHostetler LLP

Sherry A. Cushman Vice Chairman, Tenant Advisory Services, Founder, Legal Sector Advisory Group Cushman & Wakefield

Denise Gaskin, PhD, MS President RavenWork Consulting & Coaching

Kristina Lambright, JD Senior Director of Strategic Growth Perkins Coie LLP

Phillip Hampton Founder and Chairman LOGICFORCE

Monique Mahler, CLM, SHRM-CP HR Manager BakerHostetler LLP

James Harrison Chief Executive Officer INVISUS

David Mann Northern California Consultant The Other Bar

Lisa R. Dasher, CPA, CGMA, CLM Chief Financial Officer Wicker Smith O’Hara McCoy & Ford P.A.

Connect:

@ALABuzz

Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)

AGENDA

Gretchen L. Luessenheide Executive Director Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.

Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

Alex Martinez Chief Executive Officer First Legal

Lynda C. Shely, JD Owner The Shely Firm, PC

Oluwafunmibi Matthew, ODCP, SPHRi, ACIPM Practice Development Manager Bloomfield LP

Ted Smith, JD Partner Cornell Smith Mierl Brutocao Burton, LLP

Jessica L. Mazzeo Chief Operating Officer Griesing Law, LLC Christina McEnroe, NCIDQ, LEED AP Senior Project Designer FOX Architects Manar S. Morales President and Chief Executive Officer Diversity & Flexibility Alliance

Michael G. Stephens, PHR, SHRM-CP Director of Human Resources & Diversity Alston & Bird LLP Chandra Storrusten, MBA Chief Executive Officer and Chief Value Creation Officer Visible Value Sarah M. Tetlow Chief Executive Officer and Founder Firm Focus, LLC

Marie Moutsos, NCIDQ Principal, Interiors FOX Architects

Cynthia Thomas Executive Manager PLMC Associates

Blane R. Prescott Managing Shareholder MesaFive LLC

Nia C. Troup Executive Vice President of Strategy and Organizational Development First Legal

William T. Ramsey, JD Partner Neal & Harwell, PLC Haley Revel Senior Manager, Global Talent & HR Operations Accenture Douglas R. Richmond, JD Managing Director, Commercial Risk Solutions, Professional Services Aon

Jordan Turk, JD Attorney and Legal Content & Compliance Manager LawPay Eric Wangler Managing Director of Workflow BingHand Joni Watke, JD President Academy LGBTQ

Rob Saccone Partner NexLaw Partners, LLC

*Speakers confirmed as of 8-17-21.

AGENDA SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3 9 a.m.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

Registration Opens

12:30–4:30 p.m.

Brain

Meetings of Minds – Personal Injury Plaintiff

MEETING OF MINDS

12:30–4:30 p.m.

Meetings of Minds – Large Firm Principal Administrators

Brain

MEETING OF MINDS

Co-develop solutions to common challenges by leveraging the shared experiences and collective knowledge of your industry peers. ALA’s Meeting of Minds (formerly known as Idea Exchanges) enables participants to network extensively, discuss, debate and dissect best practices and topical issues within legal administration.

Moderated by:

Moderated by: Gilbert J. Marquez Law Firm Administrator Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock Dodig LLP

12:30–4:30 p.m.

5–6 p.m.

First Five Live!

Kristi D. Stevenson Executive Director Berman, Sobin, Gross, Feldman & Darby LLP FIRST FIVE LIVE!

Arthur P. Bernstein Chief Operating Officer Tucker Ellis LLP

3:45–4:45 p.m.

Teresa J. Walker Senior Advisor, Chief Operating Officer, Emeritus Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP

Path to Certification

Regardless of the stage in your career, certification adds a valuable dimension to your professional development. ALA’s Certified Legal Manager (CLM)® program provides the opportunity to demonstrate you have mastered the knowledge, skills and abilities to operate at a high level of expertise in the field of legal management. If you want to learn more about the CLM exam, you won’t want to miss this session. Whether you are curious about the certification and want to know more or you have already applied to take the exam and not sure if you are ready yet, we can help. Please join us to learn what the certification can do for you, how to apply, the requirements for becoming and remaining certified, what courses to take during and after the conference, study groups available, how to meet others on the same journey, available resources such as the Study Guide for the CLM Exam, and much more. This session has been designed to help you choose your Path to Certification.

Newcomers Connection

6–10 p.m.

Sharon Van Dyke Practice Manager Graves McLain PLLC

Welcome Reception

AGENDA MONDAY, OCTOBER 4 7:30 a.m.

Registration Opens

7:30–8:30 a.m.

Rise and Shine! Networking Continental Breakfast

7:30–8:30 a.m.

CLM Breakfast (invitation only)

8:30–9 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

9–10 a.m.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER Jen Welter, PhD First Female NFL Coach, Arizona Cardinals Jen Welter, PhD, draws from her trailblazing journey to deliver memorable insight on the far-reaching benefits of being an authentic leader, focusing on one’s goals and cultivating a champion’s mindset.

10–11:30 a.m.

Break Time! Refreshments and Networking in Exhibit Hall

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

USER

cog sitemap

Search Cogs

DEEP DIVE

11:15 a.m.–12:45 p.m.

50 Critical Factors for Strategic Success During this deep-dive workshop, participants will work together to evaluate the 50 most effective factors for law firm strategy across five key areas (client experience, employee experience, offerings, markets and differentiators). We will then roll up our sleeves and create solutions to issues critical to our firms’ success. This session will be tailored to engage strategic leaders, helping them elevate their firms and build a sustainable competitive advantage. Objectives: • Evaluate and prioritize the most valuable factors that contribute to a firm’s strategic success and determine which factors to improve within their firm. • Identify your firm’s strengths in client experience, employee experience, offerings and markets to create clear differentiators. • Discover how to build a sustainable competitive advantage based on those clear differentiators. • Practice collaboration with the right people in the firm to answer critical questions to drive their firm’s success. Brandi M. Hobbs, MPS, ALP Chief Strategy Officer Bell, Davis & Pitt, P.A

Chandra Storrusten, MBA Chief Executive Officer and Chief Value Creation Officer Visible Value

Objectives: • Prepare for interruptions and prevent distractions. • Break down projects effectively. • Apply productive strategies to your practice to positively change your habits. • Plan and design a work day that you are confident in. • Discover increased job satisfaction and a healthy work-life balance. Sarah M. Tetlow Chief Executive Officer and Founder Firm Focus LLC

cog sitemap

Search Cogs

11:15 a.m.–12:45 p.m.

The Future of the Legal Sector Workplace

• Analyze the overall anticipated changes across the board in the legal sector. Sherry Cushman Vice Chairman & Leader, Legal Sector Advisory Group Cushman & Wakefield

CLM Recertification Categories Financial Management

Legal Industry/Business Management

Human Resources Management CLM Functional Specialty

Operations Management CLM Functional Specialty

DEEP DIVE

Objectives: • Discuss the shifts in recruiting and retention of talent. • Identify how firms are mitigating fee demands to increase profit.

Read our Justification Toolkit here

Education Categories

Despite your best intentions to complete everything on your to-do list, you, like many professionals, may feel unsatisfied and overwhelmed with your workload. You are interrupted throughout your workday by emails, client needs and tasks that leave you working into the late evening or finishing the day not feeling like you’ve accomplished anything. This session will help you get past the overwhelm and design your day with productive and intentional systems. You’ll walk away feeling a sense of relief and prepared to tackle the rest of the work week ahead of you.

Prior to COVID-19, the legal sector was changing at lightning speed in all aspects of business, financial and operational arenas. Now more than ever, these changes will continue at an even faster pace with the impact of the pandemic. In this session, we’ll discuss these changes and the return to the workplace, including anticipated workplace shifts, new design and hoteling concepts, the expanded use of technology and the overall streamlining of legal services and how it will impact real estate decision-making in the years ahead.

Need help justifying your attendance at #ALAConf21?

CLM Functional Specialty

DEEP DIVE

From Frazzled to Focused: Techniques on Productivity and Efficiency for the Overwhelmed Attorney and Legal Professional

CLOCK 11:15 a.m.–12:45 p.m.

CLM Functional Specialty

Cogs

11:15 a.m.–12:45 p.m.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Communications and Organizational Management

CLM Application Categories

Communications and Organizational Management

Financial Management

Legal Industry/ Business Management

Operations Management

Human Resources Management

Substance Abuse

Communication Skills

USER

BRAILLE tv

Information Technology

Self-Management Skills

cog sitemap

Organizational Development

Writing Skills

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

cog sitemap

BREAKOUT SESSIONS CLOCK 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

BRAILLE tv

11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Scalable Solutions for Legal Project Management: The How-To and Why This session will discover and discuss best practices of legal project management, contact compliance, process mapping, data collection and reporting. We will examine and apply essential elements of a legal project planning framework, including project charter, work breakdown, project scheduling, talent placement and measuring success. Objectives:

11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

You Belong Here: Creating an Inclusive Environment Where Everyone Belongs Join this interactive session for guidance on how leaders can enhance the sense of belonging in a firm by creating an open and welcoming environment in which employees can be their authentic selves. You’ll explore the economic and racial injustice crises from a diversity, equity and inclusion lens since the onset of COVID-19. You’ll consider implicit bias and how the sooner we’re able to recognize our biases and become more self-aware, the better we’ll be as leaders. You’ll also learn about imposter syndrome and how to recognize and address employees who feel as though they do not belong. Objectives: • Develop equity, inclusion and diversity programming for employees. • Create awareness of implicit bias and learn how to form healthy working relationships with employees who may not be similar to you. • Identify solutions for increasing employee engagement by creating a space of inclusiveness. • Appraise how to be a true ally to employees in underrepresented communities in the workplace. Chassidy C. Deckard, SHRM-CP Director of Administration Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

• Analyze contractual elements, examine legal and administrative process maps and appraise project planning elements. • Design and prepare a project charter and work breakdown structure (WBS) to plan and resource legal projects. Greg Allen, PhD Chief Executive Officer and Founder Step Up Consultants

cog sitemap 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

The Basics of Navigating the World of Law Firm Accounting Legal organizations face unique financial and budgeting considerations. If you’ve never worked directly in law firm accounting or if you focus your energy on other areas of law firm management, this session will cover essential accounting and financial management concepts in the legal profession. You’ll learn to navigate the murky waters of the unique components of law firm accounting, while also gaining a better understanding of financial statements, the function of trust accounting, the importance of having a budget and how it compares to actual dollars spent, and the significance of alternative fee arrangements. You’ll also delve into the relevance of legal process improvements and legal project management in law firms today. Objectives: • Define the specific concepts associated with law firm accounting methods and terminology. • Examine and articulate financial statement information. • Discuss rules related to client trust accounts. • Evaluate the importance of budgeting and variances. • Evaluate the use of alternative fee arrangements and how legal process improvement and project management are becoming more crucial. Lisa R. Dasher, CPA, CGMA, CLM Chief Financial Officer Wicker Smith O’Hara McCoy & Ford, PA

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

12:30–2 p.m.

Refuel and Connect! Networking Lunch

1:15–1:45 p.m.

Business Matters! Sessions

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

2–3 p.m.

Grammar in Professional Communication “Do I use who or whom?” “Infinitives: to split or not to split?” In this lighthearted yet usefully informative session, you will boost your writing confidence as we navigate the fascinating world of grammar. You will also learn tips for writing effective emails that will actually get read. Objectives: • Examine common grammar errors that you didn’t know were wrong. • Distinguish when sometimes “bad” grammar is okay. • Compose effective emails—learn when less is more; get to the point.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS CLOCK 2–3 p.m.

Gretchen L. Luessenheide Executive Director Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.

BRAILLE tv

2–3 p.m.

Getting More Out of the Tech You Already Have: Unlocking Your Software’s Hidden Potential

cog sitemap 2–3 p.m.

This has been a challenging time for firms of all sizes, and it may continue to be as we move forward, adjusting to our new normal. For some, this means delaying new technology purchases while they reassess both current and future requirements to support changing workflows. In the meantime, firm leaders must bridge the gaps between where they are and where they want to go. Learn how to make the most of what you have today, with reimplementations and training tailored to ensure staff are using the tools they have to their fullest capabilities. In this session, you’ll gain an understanding of how work gets done while focusing on meaningful change management. You’ll also leave with a plan for helping your firm get return on investment from current technology while navigating the path forward.

Empathy and Culture Have a Seat at the Table—And They Are the Key Factor to Marketing and Branding Successfully Post-Pandemic Discover how emotional marketing, empathy, well-being and corporate values have become our most important branding, business development and recruiting assets. The technology revolution and the COVID-19 pandemic moved us from slogans and selling to storytelling, self-expression and virtual connections and to empathizing with our audiences and humanizing our marketing. Join in a discussion of how 2020 not only changed the branding and marketing game but improved it by fostering an emotional connection with audiences and communities and creating caring cultures.

Objectives: • Evaluate your use of current technology. • Analyze the value and types of different training methodologies. • Assess how organizational change management can help improve user adoption. • Predict challenges specific to leveraging technology when embarking on process improvement projects.

Objectives: • Assess and reimagine the use of email, blogs, your website and social media with a humanfirst, always, approach. • Assess whether empathy now has a seat at the boardroom table, and if it does, figure out what to do now. • Discuss if culture is our compass and how we can reset it. • Analyze how human nature and an emotional connection are driving the way we market and recruit. • Evaluate how emotional connection is where brand loyalty begins, both internally and externally.

Debbie Foster Partner Affinity Consulting Group

Terry M. Isner Owner and Chief Executive Officer Jaffe Education Categories Communications and Organizational Management

CLM Recertification Categories Financial Management CLM Functional Specialty

Legal Industry/Business Management CLM Functional Specialty

Human Resources Management CLM Functional Specialty

Operations Management CLM Functional Specialty

CLM Application Categories

Communications and Organizational Management

Financial Management

Legal Industry/ Business Management

Operations Management

Human Resources Management

Substance Abuse

Communication Skills

USER

BRAILLE tv

Information Technology

Self-Management Skills

cog sitemap

Organizational Development

Writing Skills

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

BREAKOUT SESSIONS CLOCK 2:15–3:15 p.m.

cog sitemap 2:15–3:15 p.m.

Lucky Zip Codes: How Are Some People So Lucky? This interactive session focuses on the hot topics of social justice, race, equity and love. It offers you a new lens through which to see the world along with historic patterns and how they impact our connections to one another and within our communities today. You’re invited to uphold the highest goals and hope through community kinship. Don’t miss this opportunity to create and reimagine a world where zip codes do not determine outcomes. Objectives: • Discover how some people got “lucky.” • Assess why we have allowed luck to guide our outcomes. • Recognize the need to work together for equity. • Discover the empowerment to organize communities so there are no lucky zip codes. Amy A. Hunter Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Caleres

Don’t Let Institutional Knowledge Walk Out the Door: Succession Planning for Administrative Managers Succession planning is not just for managing partners. However, in the legal industry, most succession plans unfortunately are developed and created for only the firm’s rainmaker and partners. This oversight neglects the fact that a great deal of law firm operations and management depends heavily on legal executives and senior law firm administrative management professionals. In this session, you’ll address the leadership qualities, management skills and other attributes you need to identify and develop as well as the policies and procedures that should be in place before your firm’s institutional knowledge walks out the door and business disruption results. Join in this exploration and discussion of leadership development tips and tricks along with best practices for developing a succession plan for your law firm administrators. Objectives: • Recognize the importance of data analytics in succession planning and how to use it. • Discover the advantage of having a succession plan before one is needed. • Review illustrations of the risk involved when institutional knowledge is lost and client service requirements are not fulfilled. • Develop best practices to minimize disruption and avoid the stress of not having a plan. • Use a worksheet you can use to apply what you learn to create or enhance your firm’s succession plan. Cynthia Thomas Executive Manager PLMC Associates

2:15–3:15 p.m.

RFP Questionnaire from a Client’s Legal Operations Perspective and the Importance of DE&I Have you ever wondered what a client might focus on when a law firm is invited to participate in their RFP, or even why a client might think an RFP is important? In this session, you will receive a legal operations perspective to these questions, along with best practices, and do’s and don’ts when preparing your law firm’s responses to a client’s RFP. What exactly might your client be looking for through the RFP questionnaire and how might it impact the outcome as we look at technology, pro bono/community engagement, and last but not least, DE&I. Join the conversation and receive a few key takeaways.

3–4 p.m.

Break Time! Refreshments and Networking in Exhibit Hall

3:30–4 p.m.

Business Matters! Sessions

Laura A. Dieudonné Legal Operations and Administration Director Delta Air Lines, Inc.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Brain

CLOCK 4–5 p.m.

MEETING OF MINDS

4–5 p.m.

Meeting of Minds — Secretarial Support Co-develop solutions to common challenges by leveraging the shared experiences and collective knowledge of your industry peers. ALA’s Meeting of Minds (formerly known as Idea Exchanges) enables participants to network extensively, discuss, debate and dissect best practices and topical issues within legal administration.

cog sitemap 4–5 p.m.

The Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) This session is designed and built on the Avoid, Deny, Defend (ADD) strategy developed by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT)™ Program at Texas State University. Since 2002, ALERRT has been used to train law enforcement officers across the nation in how to rapidly respond to dangerous active threat situations. Over the years we’ve seen response times shorten and the capabilities of law enforcement increase. As a result of increased public awareness, many citizens have asked what individuals can do to protect themselves and reduce the dangers faced during one of these events. Avoid | Deny |Defend has been developed as an easy to remember method for individuals to follow, as we’ve seen that hiding and hoping isn’t a very effective strategy. This course provides strategies, guidance and a proven plan for surviving an active shooter event. Topics include the history and prevalence of active shooter events, civilian response options, medical issues, and other considerations. The course will provide attendees with the tools to improve survivability in an active attack event at the workplace, school or other public areas. The core principles of AVOID, DENY and DEFEND have been researched by Texas State University and proven to save lives of innocent people who find themselves trapped in an active shooter/ attack event. The CRASE message of empowerment and situational awareness is powerful and proven. What you do matters!

cog sitemap 4–5 p.m.

What Legal Management Professionals Should Know About Litigation Financing This session will begin with a primer on litigation financing, including a description of its history, how litigation finance firms evaluate and conduct due diligence on potential investments, the types of matters in which funders invest, general types of investment agreements and recoveries, and funders’ involvement once the investment is made. Then, you’ll discuss how litigation financing is relevant to legal managers, including how it can improve the bottom line, bring liquidity to and de-risk case investments, and serve as a client development and marketing tool. Objectives: • Discuss litigation financing 101: What it is and how it works. • Examine how litigation financing can help the bottom line. • Examine litigation financing as a tool for marketing and client development.

Sergeant J. Ferry Criminal Investigations Division Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office

• Illustrate how to incorporate litigation financing into your firm’s practice. Jeffrey A. Healy Managing Director TRGP Investment Partners, LP

plane-alt For special airline rates and ground transportation details, click here

Education Categories Communications and Organizational Management

CLM Recertification Categories Financial Management CLM Functional Specialty

Legal Industry/Business Management CLM Functional Specialty

Human Resources Management CLM Functional Specialty

Operations Management CLM Functional Specialty

CLM Application Categories

Communications and Organizational Management

Financial Management

Legal Industry/ Business Management

Operations Management

Human Resources Management

Substance Abuse

Communication Skills

USER

BRAILLE tv

Information Technology

Self-Management Skills

cog sitemap

Organizational Development

Writing Skills

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

cog sitemap

CLOCK 4:15–5:15 p.m.

4:15–5:15 p.m.

The Data Breach Epidemic: What Every Administrator Needs to Know Today

cog sitemap 4:15–5:15 p.m.

Dear Helga: It’s 2021 and Her Employees Are Back and the Issues Are Creating Chaos! We’ve all said it: “I would write a book, but who would believe these stories are true?” And in this post-2020 environment, many of the tales are unfortunately far too real. Given the effects of all things 2020–including massive social unrest, the COVID-19 pandemic and the new realities of our law firm “workplaces”–the legal workspace has become far more complicated to manage. Designed for administrators and those with human resources responsibilities, this fast-paced session will focus on workplace issues and examine practical, business-focused solutions you can use immediately.

Fast-growing cyber risks may be the greatest threat your firm faces today. Law firms must begin to think differently about cybersecurity, as it’s not just an IT problem to be solved—it’s a business risk that must be managed. Expect greater scrutiny from clients and regulators as well as higher cyber insurance premiums in the coming year. It’s more important than ever to have a comprehensive cyber risk management game plan led from the top down. In this session, you’ll learn about the latest data breach threats, what a common-sense cyber risk management plan looks like, and what you as an administrator can do to help protect your firm. Objectives: • Examine the latest data breach threats and risks. • Assess what a data breach could cost your firm. • Analyze the essentials of good business cyber risk management. • Conclude what administrators can do to help protect their firm.

Michael S. Cohen, JD Partner Duane Morris LLP

James Harrison Chief Executive Officer INVISUS

cog sitemap 4:15–5:15 p.m.

Strategically Increasing Profitability: Increase Revenue and Leverage Your Place at the Table

5:15 p.m.

Day 2 Adjourns

Evening

Look out for details of #ALAConf21 Meetups, which will allow you to enjoy fun activities that will give you a taste of Austin in a smaller group gathering.

Are your lawyers profitable? How do you know? And what if they aren’t? Whether you manage a large firm, or are a sole-practitioner, profitability is the most important measure of success. With clients making a wide array of demands on their lawyers, law firms have had to adapt and evolve their skillset and strategies with pricing. Learn from two seasoned pricing professionals, the current state of legal pricing and its ever-present focus on driving both revenue and profits for law firms. You’ll walk away with practical knowledge on how you can help your firm improve profitability and increase your personal ROI for your firm. Objectives: • Understand how legal pricing started and where it is today. • Learn how to “speak” and then prove profitability with your attorneys. • Demonstrate how to collaborate directly with clients to drive win-win outcomes. Toby Brown Chief Practice Management Officer Perkins Coie LLP

Kristina Lambright, JD Senior Director of Strategic Growth Perkins Coie LLP

quote-left The Annual Conference rejuvenates me to go back and do it all over again. It’s nice to be reminded we all have the same issues and nice to learn about new vendors, products and services. quote-right C. Olyvia Eldridge Administrator, Florida Offices Cummings & Lockwood, LLC

AGENDA TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

7:30 a.m.

Registration Opens

7:30–8:30 a.m.

Rise and Shine! Networking Continental Breakfast in the Exhibit Hall

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

8:30–10 a.m.

DAVID W. BREZINA MEMORIAL SESSION

Rick Rigsby, PhD President and Chief Executive Officer Rick Rigsby Communications Rick Rigsby, PhD, challenges leaders to excel at enhancing skill sets required by a new generation of employees. He argues that dynamic and effective leadership today must expand its focus to include technological expansion, knowledge acquisition, diverse demographics and increased globalization. Rigsby will empower you to discover how a leader’s journey to superior performance is reserved for the leader who is intentional, strategic and above all willing to grow!

10–11 a.m.

Break Time! Refreshments and Networking in Exhibit Hall

10:15–10:45 a.m. Business Matters! Sessions

WHO YOU WILL MEET* Participation from over 700 organizations! Size of Firms in Attendance**

47% 15% 1,000+

18%

@ALABuzz

10%

500-999

11%

250-499

13%

Attendees by Primary Job Responsibility

24% 21%

30%

100-249

**based on a sample of attendance where firm size was known/identified.

Connect:

Attendees by Title

Under 100

*based on 2018 & 2019 attendance

C-Level – 10% VP/Director/Officer – 24% Administrator – 30%

Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)

Manager/Supervisor/Lead – 21% Coordinator, Adviser, Other – 13% Partner, Attorney/Lawyer, Counsel – 2%

Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)

Overall Management – 59% Human Resources – 10% Financial Management – 7% Practice Management – 2% Facilities – 2% Systems/IT – 3% Premanagement/Support Staff – 3% Marketing/Business Development – 3% Practicing Attorney – 3% Other – 8%

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

Search Cogs

BRAILLE tv

Scalable Solutions for Legal Project Management: A Coaching and Implementation Workshop

CLOCK 10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

Search Cogs

DEEP DIVE

10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

This session carries from the previous “How-To” session by taking a deeper dive into considering and analyzing legal project management case studies from a project-planning perspective. As a project team, you will assess a variety of project-planning tools that can achieve the goals of each matter. We will dive into matter management that includes design and deliberating the following: project-planning documents, illustrated administrative processes, SaaS or open-source tools, and measuring project targets. Objectives:

Closing the Gap in Strategic Execution All great organizations wrestle with staff engagement and ownership, especially over time. Initiatives that were inspired to solve important problems later become policies and practices without context, bottlenecked further by company politics and legacy ways of doing business. This case study will illustrate how First Legal dramatically transformed its culture and shifted from small, familial and steeped in tribal knowledge, to an agile team of people united by a common vision and all rowing in the same direction. Learn how you can get underneath the hood of your organization’s culture to achieve alignment top-down and bottom-up, and take home tools that ensure accountability and sustained change over time.

• Evaluate a legal matter’s contract and associated process maps, and then design a project charter, work breakdown and project schedule. • Discuss and compare various SaaS or open-source legal project management solutions that can be used for communication, data collection, reporting and project templates in both the virtual and face-to-face working environment. • Examine and discuss effective management strategies that can be used to improve communication, productivity, and execution within a project team. Greg Allen, PhD Chief Executive Officer and Founder Step Up Consultants

Objectives: • Change from reactionary business planning (or simply reacting) to plans that holistically shift the internal culture of the law firm, generate staff performance in alignment with core values, and improve succession outcomes. • Identify the gap between planning and execution so that your creative ideas for improving the organization are embraced, acted upon and even promoted by team members. • Examine how to articulate and document expectations for your team members that stem from the organizational vision, including position mission, objectives, qualifications, expectations and goals. • Illustrate the difference between a job description and a position commitment, and how a position commitment powerfully up-levels the quality of talent you attract, recruit and retain. • How to elevate your own position commitment to better articulate your value to the organization and accelerate your professional development. Alex Martinez Chief Executive Officer First Legal

DEEP DIVE

10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

cog sitemap

Nia C. Troup Executive Vice President of Strategy and Organizational Development First Legal

cog sitemap

Search Cogs

DEEP DIVE

10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

LGBTQ 101 for Legal Administrators Many organizations have worked at diversifying their workforce to include LGBTQ employees, but few have shifted to true inclusion. The first step to inclusion is education about the components of our sexuality, so we have a common language and understanding from which more work can done. Another factor hindering the shift to true inclusion are conscious and unconscious biases that reinforce stereotypical gender roles and expectations that adversely impact both LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ employees and the workplace environment. Find out how to be an inclusive firm that recognizes and embraces employees’ intersectional identities, knowing that a diverse workforce improves productivity and retention. Objectives: • Identify the components of our biology, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation. • Recognize how the components of our sexuality differ and how they are connected. • Identify the identities relating to a person’s gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation. • Recognize how to identify and quantify your unconscious biases. • Discuss how intersectionality affects workplace culture.

Joni Watke, JD President Academy LGBTQ

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

cog sitemap

CLOCK 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

11 a.m.–12 p.m.

The Urge to Merge: How to Merge for the Right Financial Reasons—and Then Making It Successful

cog sitemap 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Return to Office: The Evolution of Law Firms There has been a massive shift in the way we work and how we use space. In planning the return to office amid the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, law firms are trying to determine what role their office space will play in supporting their business goals as well as their culture. While already beginning to see the gap between the traditional office and the workplace of the future shrinking, the pandemic has only accelerated this evolution. Join us to discover the key trends that have become important in return to office based on the changing nature of the work environment. Objectives: • Assess the shift in how law firms work and how space will be used post-pandemic, including law firms of the past, firms pre-pandemic and how they’ve evolved. • Identify key themes and trends we are seeing with law firms and how we believe these trends will continue to impact office design, including health and well-being, convening and communal spaces, alternative workspaces and culture. • Discover adaptive design concepts for creating the new office experience of the future, including how space can impact your firm’s productivity in a hybrid work style, increase efficiency, attract and retain talent, and bring people together. Marie Moutsos, NCIDQ Principal, Interiors FOX Architects

As firms emerge from the pandemic—and for many, a surprisingly profitable year—the interest in mergers is growing worldwide. Unlike organic growth and one-off lateral hires, the right merger can create instant market recognition and depth. The challenge is determining whether a merger is the right merger. In this session, you’ll focus on advanced financial analyses to assess whether a potential merger is a good match, and then learn how to plan to make it successful. This is not an accounting program; it is intended for managers and leaders helping a firm to assess and execute a merger. Objectives: • Identify unique and underused analyses that quickly reveal whether two firms are complementary and/or financially compatible to combine. • Assess the difference between carrying out a merger efficiently and doing the right merger. • Analyze beyond a spreadsheet and explain what the numbers mean and how they impact the success or failure of a potential deal. • Explain the distinction between irrelevant financial differences and fundamental financial issues that could lead to years of problems or ultimate failure. Blane R. Prescott Managing Shareholder MesaFive, LLC

Christina McEnroe, NCIDQ, LEED AP Senior Project Designer FOX Architects

11 a.m.–12 p.m.

• Recognize that stigma maximizes the effects and outcomes of mental illness, up to and including death by suicide. • Explain that language matters (she’s crazy, what a nut, he’s mental, she’s insane … ). • Illustrate that normalizing the conversation takes practice and a willingness to tolerate discomfort. • Recognize that listening does not mean fixing.

It’s Time to Have the Conversation There are myriad statistics documenting that we are losing far too many people in the United States to suicide. Couple that with the high rates of depression, the low rates of access to meaningful care and the exponential increase in stress level resulting from the pandemic, and the depth and breadth of the problem takes shape. But you can’t address a problem that no one talks about. Step one is to start the conversation. Hence, this presentation.

Lynn S. Garson Counsel BakerHostetler

Objectives: • Recognize that recovery from mental illness is possible, but it is not linear and typically there is not a “cure.” Education Categories Communications and Organizational Management

CLM Recertification Categories Financial Management CLM Functional Specialty

Legal Industry/Business Management CLM Functional Specialty

Human Resources Management CLM Functional Specialty

Operations Management CLM Functional Specialty

CLM Application Categories

Communications and Organizational Management

Financial Management

Legal Industry/ Business Management

Operations Management

Human Resources Management

Substance Abuse

Communication Skills

USER

BRAILLE tv

Information Technology

Self-Management Skills

cog sitemap

Organizational Development

Writing Skills

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5 CONT’D 12–1:30 p.m.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Refuel & Connect! Association Luncheon

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

cog sitemap 1:30–2:30 p.m.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS CLOCK 1:30–2:30 p.m.

cog sitemap 1:30–2:30 p.m.

A Law Firm Built for 2021 and the Future: Examining Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging and Barriers to Implicit Bias The case for creating and sustaining a law firm culture of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEI&B) is not only compelling in 2021 and beyond—it’s an absolute necessity. A diverse and inclusive workforce creates a more comfortable working environment, generates improved decision-making and problem-solving and has a positive impact on the performance of a firm. The greatest impediment to creating DEI&B at work is implicit bias, so an examination of the topic is crucial. Until and unless we realize that we all have implicit biases, the journey toward DEI&B cannot truly begin. This session will focus on the motivation for creating a DEI&B program and how to translate that motivation into action that will positively impact employee relationships as well as support your firm’s business objectives. Michael S. Cohen, JD Partner Duane Morris LLP

Don’t Leave Money on the Table, Part 1: The Mechanics of Cashless Payments and How to Increase Your Collections Consider this an introduction to all things online payments, from credit cards to wire transfers to e-checks. How does a wire transfer actually work? Can you recall it once it’s sent? How long does it take for a credit card payment to hit your account? What about an ACH transaction? Can you force the client to pay for your credit card processing fees? Usually, you don’t worry about the answers to these questions—until you have to. This session (part 1 of 2) will explore the mechanics of cashless payments and how they actually work in the daily life of a firm. You’ll also discuss the importance of processing these transactions correctly to avoid possible sanctions by your state bar or legislature—every year, attorneys lose their licenses to practice law due to IOLTA or trust account violations. Part 2 will give you tips and tricks for online payments to help you maximize your firm’s profitability and decrease your stress level. Objectives: • Explain how cashless payments work so you can plan better for your receivables (i.e., what is a wire transfer, and should you take that over a check?) • Evaluate credit card interchange and/or processing fees and whether you can pass them on to your clients. • Discover how to use ACH and wire transfer payments, and how to deal with them if a client contests the payment after it is sent or if they send you money in error. • Discuss the rules and regulations of using credit cards in your firm, including what happens when a client institutes a chargeback, the deadlines by which they can do so and how to win the chargeback. • Discover how to avoid possible state bar sanctions and state violations with regard to your IOLTA or trust account. • Evaluate PCI compliance and how to make sure you’re taking payments securely from anywhere. Jordan Turk, Esq. Attorney and Legal Content and Compliance Manager LawPay

cog sitemap 1:30–2:30 p.m.

Reimagining the Post-COVID Law Firm

Objectives:

Pre-COVID-19, many lawyers believed that an elegant office downtown near the courthouse and populated by all lawyers and staff was a critical business need. Post-COVID, law firm leaders are questioning whether more flexible work locations, work schedules and staffing models can be just as effective. They’re asking: What would it take to operate differently? In this session, you’ll discuss the long-term impact of COVID-19 on law firm operations, with an emphasis on the changes that are likely to endure long past the end of the pandemic—and possibly permanently. You’ll review how these changes could improve law firm financials, operations, productivity, morale and competitive positioning of law firms. We’ll also discuss how law firm leaders are weighing the relative benefits of these new ways of doing business.

• Evaluate which operational changes are likely to endure and why.

• Assess the most impactful lessons learned by law firm leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic. • Examine the decision frameworks that law firm leaders are using to weigh alternative approaches. • Evaluate how to apply these learnings to the benefit of your own organization.

Timothy B. Corcoran Principal Corcoran Consulting Group, LLC

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

cog sitemap

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

1:45–2:45 p.m.

CLOCK 1:45–2:45 p.m.

Retirement by Design, Not Default

tv BRAILLE

1:45–2:45 p.m.

Achieving Cybersecurity Compliance and Preparing for Client Cybersecurity Audits Law firms face increasing pressure from both clients and regulators to demonstrate compliance with cybersecurity and data privacy best practices. This can be a difficult and painful task without proper preparation and planning. Responding to cybersecurity audits and managing the firm’s risk and compliance efforts is not simply a function of IT, but an important executive management responsibility. In this session, you’ll see how administrators play a vital role in management oversight of the firm’s information security plan, including demonstration of compliance with federal, state and industry data security and privacy standards. You’ll leave knowing how to simplify and effectively manage your firm’s cybersecurity compliance and audit response. Objectives: • Examine the common cybersecurity regulations and industry standards (HIPAA, NIST, ISO27001, GDPR, etc.) that serve as the framework for client IT surveys and audits.

Retirement planning is a critical topic today—and for good reason. Two-thirds of equity partners are projected to retire over the next decade, and other legal employers expect a similar exodus from their leadership ranks. Yet few firms feel prepared to address partner retirement, client transitions and leadership succession. And few partners feel prepared to face or plan for life post-career. This session will present design thinking as a creative approach to retirement planning. You’ll learn how to promote succession, transition and retirement planning in ways that will make the process more constructive, effective and satisfying for firms and lawyers alike. Objectives: • Create a process for retirement planning that addresses the needs and concerns of the firm, its senior lawyers and its clients. • Recognize and overcome factors that prevent senior partners from planning for life after law practice. • Design strategies that firms can use to normalize succession, client transition and retirement planning. • Identify how individuals, including administrators, use design thinking to create meaningful retirements. Ida O. Abbott, JD President Ida Abbott Consulting LLC

• Arrange your firm’s compliance into 10 key areas of cybersecurity compliance and best practices. • Identify strategies and tips for the easiest and best response to client cybersecurity assessments. • Assess how legal management professionals can confidently and effectively manage the firm’s compliance efforts without a technical background. James Harrison Chief Executive Officer INVISUS

1:45–2:45 p.m.

2:45–3:15 p.m.

Business Matters! Sessions

• Demonstrate proofreading like a pro (you are smarter than spell-check).

“Did I catch all the typos?” “What is an Oxford comma, and why is it so important?” Don’t let these distressing questions keep you awake at night. In this session you learn the art of proofreading past simply checking for spelling errors, and how a misplaced comma could cost you $5 million. Literally!

Education Categories

• Interpret punctuation (The $5 million comma). Gretchen L. Luessenheide Executive Director Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.

CLM Recertification Categories Financial Management CLM Functional Specialty

Legal Industry/Business Management CLM Functional Specialty

Break Time! Refreshments and Networking in Exhibit Hall

Objectives:

Proofreading and Punctuation

Communications and Organizational Management

2:30–3:30 p.m.

Human Resources Management CLM Functional Specialty

Operations Management CLM Functional Specialty

CLM Application Categories

Communications and Organizational Management

Financial Management

Legal Industry/ Business Management

Operations Management

Human Resources Management

Substance Abuse

Communication Skills

USER

BRAILLE tv

Information Technology

Self-Management Skills

cog sitemap

Organizational Development

Writing Skills

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

cog sitemap 3:30–4:30 p.m.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Don’t Leave Money on the Table, Part 2: The Mechanics of Cashless Payments and How to Increase Your Collections

CLOCK 3:30–4:30 p.m.

cog sitemap 3:30–4:30 p.m.

New and Different Staffing Models Through the numerous amount of changes brought on in the last years, many firms have taken the opportunity to look for different ways that their firms can operate more effectively and efficiently in the delivery of legal services to the clients. This session will explore how different sized and managed law firms have taken advantage of and are driving change in their firms to adjust, retool and reinvent law firm’s traditional staffing models. Objectives: • Recognize how to take advantage of events and the experiences of peer ALA law firm managers to make changes in your firm’s staffing and operations. • Assess how other firms used technology, training and other key work compenents to make changes to their staffing models. • Evaluate about other staffing models that law firms have reported on and generally how the constant change environment is affecting and driving staffing models and the delivery of law firm services. Nichole Cornwell Associate Director of Legal Support Service Husch Blackwell LLP

Jordan Turk, Esq. Attorney and Legal Content and Compliance Manager LawPay

cog sitemap Ellen Rosenstiel Clinton, SHRM-SCP Administrative Manager Kutak Rock LLP

Objectives: • Explain what a realization rate is and how to calculate it for your firm—this is critical to improving your firm’s profitability. • Assess how to improve your collections realization with tips and strategies that work, including email templates to send to clients. • Apply best practices for billing and payments to keep your firm in the black, including using available technology to your advantage, as well as reaping the tangible benefits of online payments versus traditional methods. • Illustrate how to create a clear, consolidated and actionable list of outstanding accounts receivable and how to collect on aged balances, with email templates included. • Identify best practices for increasing revenue in your firm, from putting attorneys on a schedule and adhering to a monthly checklist (which will be provided) to promoting client referrals and firm recognition.

Denise Dellaratta Director of Practice Support Fox Rothschild LLP

Moderated by: Terri J. Oppelt, CLM, SPHR, SPHR-SCP Director, Law Firm Services Group Armanino LLP

In this session, you’ll discuss strategies to stay on top of your receivables and create a more efficient office. You’ll leave with tips, tools and resources you can start implementing immediately in your office to get more money in your firm’s pocket. Topics we’ll address include: How can you get a problem client to pay their invoice? Is there a chance you can collect on your aged accounts receivable, or will you have to write if off at the end of the year? When should you follow up with clients about unpaid invoices? What should you say to them? Are there any unique ways you can help generate more revenue for the firm? What is a realization rate and why is this important to your firm? Can online payments make a positive impact on your bottom line?

3:30–4:30 p.m.

Leading Change Through Organization Development Organization development is a critical competency for legal support professionals. Human resource managers, learning and development managers, administrators and chief operating officers who coordinate the activities of the law firm’s functional departments are expected to drive firmwide effectiveness. We are in the new normal and the competencies of administrators need to include change management. In this session, we’ll learn how to lead change and improve processes and performance using the Action Research Model. Objectives: • Recognize the history of organization development (OD). • Define and identify seven phases of the Action Research Model (OD’s model for change management). • Discuss how to use action research model to drive change. • Devise how to measure success of change interventions. • Create an understanding of the role of administrators as internal consultants within the law firm. Oluwafunmibi Matthew, ODCP, SPHRi, ACIPM Practice Development Manager Bloomfield LP

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

cog sitemap SA

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

3:45–4:45 p.m.

CLOCK 3:45–4:45 p.m.

Substance Abuse in the Legal Profession: Prevention, Detection and Treatment

Do More with Less: Leveraging Technology in Legal Operations

In this session, we’ll review the brain chemistry of addiction and alcoholism and discuss the behavioral and health consequences of the disease. You’ll gain insight into the personality traits of attorneys and the qualities of the legal profession that combine to make lawyers significantly more susceptible to addiction–and more difficult to treat–than the general population. The session includes a case study of an addict attorney, as well as a selfdiagnosis exercise for attorneys concerned they may have a problem that needs to be addressed. You’ll take away both systemic and individual solutions to the problem, with references to specific strategies and resources available to attorneys. This serious topic will be addressed with humor and irony, while inviting legal management professionals to engage in a bit of sometimes much-needed self-reflection.

With the help of technology, you can now do more with less time, resources and people. Having worked through the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have experienced working remotely and how technology plays a key part in making remote work life efficient and collaborative. But there are many different applications and technology tools in the market to select from. Which ones are right for you and your firm? This session will provide you with an overview of the trending technology for law firms, actionable guidance in identifying where technology will help your legal operations the most, tips for identifying low-hanging fruit in updating your firm’s current applications, and a how-to guide on selecting the right technology for your firm.

Objectives: • Assess the scope of the problem, from statistics and professional consequences to the difficulty of solution. • Breakdown the disease of addiction, including symptoms, traits, brain chemistry and treatment. • Analyze the legal profession and the why it’s so prevalent in the profession. • Review a case study: the Addicted Lawyer. • Evaluate prevention and detection options.

BRAILLE tv

3:45–4:45 p.m.

Objectives: • Identify an overview of trending technology for legal operations. • Identify the most valuable technology for your legal operations. • Devise tips for selecting the right technology for your firm.

David Mann Northern California Consultant The Other Bar

Brain

Tiffany Ho Director of Operations Rogoway Law Group

MEETING OF MINDS

3:45–4:45 p.m.

Meetings of Minds — Small Firm (1-30 attorneys) Co-develop solutions to common challenges by leveraging the shared experiences and collective knowledge of your industry peers. ALA’s Meeting of Minds (formerly known as Idea Exchanges) enables participants to network extensively, discuss, debate and dissect best practices and topical issues within legal administration.

Education Categories Communications and Organizational Management

CLM Recertification Categories Financial Management CLM Functional Specialty

Legal Industry/Business Management CLM Functional Specialty

Human Resources Management CLM Functional Specialty

Operations Management CLM Functional Specialty

CLM Application Categories

Communications and Organizational Management

Financial Management

Legal Industry/ Business Management

Operations Management

Human Resources Management

Substance Abuse

Communication Skills

USER

BRAILLE tv

Information Technology

Self-Management Skills

cog sitemap

Organizational Development

Writing Skills

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

BOLD BITES BREAKOUT SESSIONS CLOCK 4:45–5:15 p.m.

ADVANCE

REGISTRATION

DEADLINE:

BOLD Bites

SEPTEMBER 10 Register now

4:45–5:15 p.m.

A Fresh Look on Outlook: Productivity Techniques to Mastering the ART of Email According to a recent Harvard Business Review article, the average person receives over 120 emails per day. Each email is communicating something to the recipient: an important project, a question or an urgent need. Leaving messages in your inbox, relying on “read and unread” or flags, is inefficient and leads to lost revenue, lost time and increased stress. Email has transitioned from a communication tool into something that demands our constant attention. Through this BOLD Bites session, busy professionals learn an effective way to be in control of their email, organize their inbox and stop missing important communications. 4:45–5:15 p.m.

Sarah M. Tetlow Chief Executive Officer and Founder Firm Focus, LLC

Market Research Debrief: The Legal Workflow Management Survey, 2021 BOLD Bites

4:45–5:15 p.m.

Client and Employee Experience: The Stuff You Never Hear Unless you are intentional and make space for meaningful feedback from both your clients and employees, you will never hear the things you need to make the changes necessary to evolve as a firm and be successful long-term. When you are truly focused on both client and employee experience (CX and EX), you will first ask, then listen and then act. However, you also need to listen for what is not being said. Join us to hear what the people you do business with, including your employees, are not saying and how to elicit the information you need to thrive. Chandra Storrusten Chief Executive Officer and Chief Value Creation Officer Visible Value

BOLD Bites

We’re thrilled to share the findings of the Legal Workflow Management Survey 2021―the largest survey of its kind in the legal industry. By gathering in-depth data from over 900 senior operations, HR and secretarial services professionals working at law firms around the globe, we can share unique insight into the latest back-office trends, including lawyer and support staff working practices, law firm plans for hybrid working, team structures and the allocation of legal work, and the impact of the pandemic on billable hours and staffing rates. This not-to-be-missed session is recommended for anyone involved in legal operations, HR, administration, support services or resource management.

Brandi M. Hobbs, MPS, ALP Chief Strategy Officer Bell, Davis & Pitt, P.A.

Duska Frink Solutions Consultant BigHand

Eric Wangler Managing Director of Workflow BigHand

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

BOLD BITES BREAKOUT SESSIONS CLOCK 5–5:30 p.m.

BOLD Bites

Brain

MEETING OF MINDS

5–5:30 p.m.

Meetings of Minds — Human Resources Co-develop solutions to common challenges by leveraging the shared experiences and collective knowledge of your industry peers. ALA’s Meeting of Minds (formerly known as Idea Exchanges) enables participants to network extensively, discuss, debate and dissect best practices and topical issues within legal administration.

BOLD Bites

5–5:30 p.m.

Knowledge Management for Legal Support Staff Gain quick tips on how to train and onboard new staff members in a hybrid/remote environment. We will be presented a variety of challenges as law firm managers as we enter the new normal of hybrid/remote working, recruiting and training new staff members. The basics, such as the transfer of knowledge and creating and maintaining a firm culture, will not be so elementary. Law firm managers will be expected to manage legal processes and the hybrid/ remote team, as well as continued responsibility for financial, strategic and risk management operations. Simple tasks to promote greater collaboration within a firm while improving firm operations and efficiencies must be revisited and more than likely redesigned. We will also review how to manage your legal team in a way that will nurture their talent and ensure they deliver. Cynthia Thomas Executive Manager PLMC & Associates

Adapting to Sociocultural Changes Alongside Your Clients The world is changing so fast that we can barely make the changes needed before new ones are ushered in. The pandemic; generational changes including new values and work expectations; cultural and social issues like diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; costs; availability; and even new “shiny things” have all disrupted our status quo. How do you keep up and stay relevant?

5:30–6:30 p.m. Exhibit Hall Networking Reception

This talk explores the hard truths about the new norms—where do you need to make changes to better serve your clients, your firms and your people; and attract more of each? Terry M. Isner Owner and Chief Executive Officer Jaffe

Connect:

@ALABuzz

Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)

AGENDA WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

8:30 a.m.

Registration Opens

8:30–9:30 a.m.

Rise and Shine! Networking Continental Breakfast in the Exhibit Hall

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

cog sitemap 9–10 a.m.

LGBTQ: Allies and Inclusivity in the Workplace Many firms have LGBTQ employees and clients, but many don’t know how to create a culture that encourages allyship to the LGBTQ community. What does LGBTQ allyship look like? How can we progress in our allyship as employees and as firms? What do LGBTQ allies avoid doing? How can we update our firm policies with LGBTQ-inclusive language and learn to incorporate inclusive language in our workplaces? Get answers here.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS CLOCK 9–10 a.m.

Objectives: • Distinguish how we learn new topics. • Explain the Allyship Progression©. • Identify what good LGBTQ allies don’t do. • Discuss specific ways to improve your allyship (immediately). • Discover best practices for inclusive policies and language.

USER

Joni Watke, JD President Academy LGBTQ

9–10 a.m.

How to Develop an Encore Career, Part 1: Encore Career for Yourself Have you been thinking about a different kind of career, or a different position within your current firm? Would you like to explore the connection between the kind of work you want to do, with the skills you bring to that potential role? This is an involved session combining small segments of information followed by exercises to help you understand what you want to do and how to make it happen. This session is a focus on you. In Part 2, you will learn how to work with others who want to develop an encore career. Objectives: • Explain what an encore career is and how it might apply to you personally. • Identify your personal work view and life view and where they complement one another and where they might clash. • Discover how to track energy and engagement of activities to identify your “sweet spots”. • Identify how to use design thinking to map options: ideate, name, frame, prototype. Denise Gaskin, PhD, MS President RavenWork Consulting & Coaching

cog sitemap 9–10 a.m.

Brave New World: Updates on Which States Permit Non-Lawyer Partners and Paying for Referrals This session will review some of the recent state changes permitting partnerships with non-lawyers, licensing of non-lawyer legal professionals and paying for referrals. Hear from a national legal ethics expert familiar with applying many of these changes at firms in this entertaining and engaging format. Objectives: • Identify which states permit non-lawyer ownership of law firms and what the process is. • Assess how a national firm complies with varying state rules. • Identify which states permit paying staff/clients/others for referring cases to the firm. • Discover what else is on the horizon in the way of law firm regulation (and how soon). Lynda C. Shely, JD Owner The Shely Firm PC

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

cog sitemap

CLOCK 9:15–10:15 a.m.

9:15–10:15 a.m.

Human Capital Strategies in the New Legal Ecosystem BRAILLE tv

9:15–10:15 a.m.

The Bill & Phil Show: It’s 2021, So Where Is My Flying Car? Bill and Phil look at the state of technology heading into the decade of the ’20s and coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. So much has been promised with the booming technological revolution. Many promises have been kept, but others have proven to be elusive. This session showcases the latest technology trends for law firms that have proven to be revolutionary and practical. You’ll examine the role of the cloud and mobility in the ongoing transformation of the legal tech space and how the utility of the cloud has evolved over the past decade. You’ll discover how the cloud played a huge role in law firm survival during the pandemic. In addition, this session will unveil some of the latest gadgets and innovations that every legal professional will want. Objectives:

The history of law firm talent strategies has been predominately focused on the hiring and retention of lawyers. In today’s competitive landscape, firms who build a holistic talent strategy that prioritizes the full scope of their business operators will experience a positive brand impact and succeed in attracting the best and brightest talent for their firms. The long-term impact of this strategy enables lawyers to realize greater success when the right business professionals help lead their firm, which is beneficial to the bottom line. In this interactive session attendees will: • Review and react to results from recent survey on workforce motivators • Learn how to create a narrative to position yourself with Partners as an advisor to their business • Understand how to leverage data to sell new holistic talent strategies to decision makers • Reframe the hiring process centered around the candidate’s experience • Review leading practices related to onboarding and retention including implementing ‘stay interviews’ Jennifer Johnson Chief Executive Officer Calibrate Legal

• Examine the technology S-curve that is driving rapid adoption of new tech changing the way we work and live. • Identify new tech products that enhance workforce mobility and are key to maintaining a competitive edge.

Haley Revel Senior Manager – Global Talent & HR Operations Accenture

Brain

• Illustrate how law firms have been slow to adapt to a cloud-centric ecosystem, but now see the cloud as essential. • Illustrate how security and privacy in a mobile workforce are more important than ever. • Demonstrate how new technology makes work-life balance a reality. Phillip Hampton Founder and Chairman LOGICFORCE

MEETING OF MINDS

9:15–10:15 a.m.

Meetings of Minds — Branch Office Managers Co-develop solutions to common challenges by leveraging the shared experiences and collective knowledge of your industry peers.

William T. Ramsey, JD Partner Neal & Harwell, PLC

ALA’s Meeting of Minds (formerly known as Idea Exchanges) enables participants to network extensively, discuss, debate and dissect best practices and topical issues within legal administration.

10–11 a.m.

Break Time! Refreshments and Networking in Exhibit Hall

Education Categories Communications and Organizational Management

CLM Recertification Categories Financial Management CLM Functional Specialty

Legal Industry/Business Management CLM Functional Specialty

Human Resources Management CLM Functional Specialty

Operations Management CLM Functional Specialty

CLM Application Categories

Communications and Organizational Management

Financial Management

Legal Industry/ Business Management

Operations Management

Human Resources Management

Substance Abuse

Communication Skills

USER

BRAILLE tv

Information Technology

Self-Management Skills

cog sitemap

Organizational Development

Writing Skills

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

cog sitemap

CLOCK 10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

Cogs

DEEP DIVE

10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

Default or Defined: What We Can Do to Positively Influence Culture in Our Law Firms

cog sitemap

Cogs

DEEP DIVE

10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

Workshop: Modernizing Partner Compensation Despite tremendous changes in the last 10 years across the legal marketplace—which accelerated and expanded during the pandemic—most law firm partner compensation plans haven’t been updated in a generation. However, law firm leaders who have modernized partner compensation plans stand to benefit financially, culturally and competitively. In this interactive and collaborative workshop, you’ll review the primary changes taking place in partner compensation design and discuss the relative advantages and disadvantages of different approaches. You’ll have the opportunity to work with these concepts by collaborating in small groups on a series of case studies.

From where you sit, it is understandable if you feel that firm culture is something that happens to you, and not by you. Especially now, in the wake of the pandemic and increased racial awareness, firm cultures have shifted and there may not be a solid vision or set of norms around what it should be. When you deconstruct culture and see that it is the compilation of the values, mindsets, decisions, habits, systems, conversations and actions of those who populate it, you realize those factors can be influenced. Invoking the spirit of Steve Jobs, we CAN bend reality, as long as we are clear on our vision and our toolkit. In this interactive workshop, Judy Hissong, President of Nesso Strategies and Monique Mahler, Human Resources Manager at BakerHostetler will lead a process where you will 1) identify key cultural elements you have the power to influence, and 2) break into group discussions to find specific cultural levers you can immediately apply to move your firm toward a higher performing, higher revenue, higher satisfaction place to work. Monique Mahler, CLM, SHRM-CP Human Resources Manager BakerHostetler

Objectives: • Review the elements of partner compensation that are undergoing the most change, such as the addition of profitability metrics, origination sharing, performance management and fiscal hygiene.

Judy Hissong, CLM, PCC President Nesso Strategies

• Identify the critical links between partner compensation and profitability, pricing, succession planning, recruiting and associate elevation. • Apply these concepts to case studies, derived from actual compensation plans, to illustrate the short- and long-term impacts. As a registered attendee, you can shape the discussion by participating in a pre-workshop survey to identify your firm’s greatest compensation challenges and opportunities. Timothy B. Corcoran Principal Corcoran Consulting Group, LLC

Brain

MEETING OF MINDS

10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

Meetings of Minds — Remote Work Policy Join this facilitated open-forum discussion to journey through the roadmap of considerations and best practices in creating a remote work policy. Whether you have a policy in place (and can share your experience) or are just embarking on this new endeavor, we’ll kick the tires on this topic, map out items to consider, and provide a template policy that will guide you to establishing an effective hybrid workforce. You can help shape this discussion by participating in this survey click here.

Education Categories Communications and Organizational Management

CLM Recertification Categories Financial Management CLM Functional Specialty

Legal Industry/Business Management CLM Functional Specialty

Human Resources Management CLM Functional Specialty

Operations Management CLM Functional Specialty

CLM Application Categories

Communications and Organizational Management

Financial Management

Legal Industry/ Business Management

Operations Management

Human Resources Management

Substance Abuse

Communication Skills

USER

BRAILLE tv

Information Technology

Self-Management Skills

cog sitemap

Organizational Development

Writing Skills

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

BREAKOUT SESSIONS CLOCK 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

cog sitemap 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

Don’t Hit the Panic Button: Meeting Client Diversity Initiatives 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Composing a Communications Strategy: Play Your Own Tune for Limitless Opportunities Regardless of size, every lawyer and every firm asks the question: what does my firm really need to do in terms of a communications, marketing, and business development strategy? Applying decades of experience in legal marketing, this presentation will show that successful communications strategies have key components: starting with a financial analysis and marketplace research to uncover and confirm potential opportunities, combined with your passion, interest and creativity for wise, informed and focused choices about where to invest your resources This program will provide a deep dive into winning case studies of innovative yet targeted communications campaigns defined by specific goals and measurable results. Objectives: • Discover how to conduct a simple financial analysis. • Discover how to research and uncover market opportunities. • Identify and align your passion and interests with your goals. • Combine all these elements together into viable, focused campaigns that you can easily implement and follow up with a measurement of your success as the go-to resource in niche practice areas and locations. • Use a list of more than 20 checklists, templates and samples that help move your campaign(s) from ideas to execution.

In 2020, a global pandemic changed the future of the work environment. In addition, many instances of injustice also brought about a cry for social reform in America, both at home and in the workplace. As a result, law firms now more than ever must realize that clients are no longer just talking about inclusion and diversity—they are putting their money where their mouths are. Both public and private clients are requiring that the attorneys and other team members assigned to their matters be more diverse. In this session, you’ll gain a new perspective on zero tolerance and how it results in the loss of both potentially long-standing clients as well as good and valuable employees. Objectives: • Identify client inclusion and diversity demands, including staffing requirements on matters and the effect on the law firm as a whole. • Identify how to change hiring and promotion practices to effect real change. • Practice drafting a diversity and inclusion (D&I) statement. • Identify other resources and tools for responding to client inclusion and diversity initiatives. • Examine how to implement and utilize D&I committees and employee resource groups to enhance your initiatives. Jessica L. Mazzeo Chief Operating Officer Griesing Law, LLC

Michael G. Stevens, PHR, SHRM-CP Director of Human Resources & Diversity Alston & Bird LLP

cog sitemap 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

12:00–1:30 p.m. Refuel and Connect! Networking Lunch

Law firms are notorious for places where people never retire. In this session you will learn how to help others think about and explore an encore career, to grow into a different role, or choose to leave the firm to pursue a new passion. This session will show how to work with others and give you specific tools you can immediately use to help others develop a new focus and move towards a new, exciting opportunity.

12:45–1:15 p.m. Business Matters! Sessions

How to Develop an Encore Career, Part 2: How to Help Others Develop an Encore Career

Objectives: • Identify people who want to develop an encore career. • Identify the process for coaching others through exercises to design an encore career. • Select specific tools to implement immediately at your firm. • Relate to others in the workshop to build a network to support one another in being an encore coach. Denise Gaskin, PhD, MS President RavenWork Consulting & Coaching

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

BREAKOUT SESSIONS CLOCK 1:30–2:30 p.m.

Brain

BRAILLE tv

1:30–2:30 p.m.

Operating the Ethical Law Office in the 21st Century: Professionalism, Finances, Cybersecurity and Client Relations This session covers all important aspects of securing business, retaining clients, securing financial operations, and the requirements of modern billing practices and collections. We’ll also discuss using technology to improve and secure income. Objectives:

MEETING OF MINDS

1:30–2:30 p.m.

Meetings of Minds — Large Firm (100+ attorneys) Co-develop solutions to common challenges by leveraging the shared experiences and collective knowledge of your industry peers. ALA’s Meeting of Minds (formerly known as Idea Exchanges) enables participants to network extensively, discuss, debate and dissect best practices and topical issues within legal administration.

• Identify the five common problems facing the modern law office. • Outline realistic goals and the metrics to measure them.

Brain

• Define fees and payment expectations, including use of trust accounts. • Discuss how to avoid fee disputes and claims. • Prepare office operations, cybersecurity and mandatory communications. Claude E. Ducloux, JD Director of Ethics, Education and State Compliance LawPay

MEETING OF MINDS

1:30–2:30 p.m.

Meetings of Minds — Medium Firm (31–99 attorneys) Co-develop solutions to common challenges by leveraging the shared experiences and collective knowledge of your industry peers. ALA’s Meeting of Minds (formerly known as Idea Exchanges) enables participants to network extensively, discuss, debate and dissect best practices and topical issues within legal administration.

quote-left The Annual Conference is a great way to recharge. The sessions remind you why we are in this business and how to be successful leaders. I always leave the Annual Conference excited to return to my office and implement what I’ve learned from the sessions. quote-right Michelle Krapfl, CLM Executive Director Fraser Stryker, PC LLO

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6 CONT’D

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

cog sitemap

BREAKOUT SESSIONS CLOCK 1:45–2:45 p.m.

1:45–2:45 p.m.

Understanding the Law Firm Liability Environment

cog sitemap 1:45–2:45 p.m.

Navigating the 2021 Workplace: An Employment Law Update As we emerge from COVID-19, employers will continue to face new challenges in the workplace. Get updated in this session on the latest employment laws and human resources best practices as companies look to reopen and employees return to the workplace. You’ll explore the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, applicable federal government regulations, what to know about vaccines for employees and recent employment law court decisions. Objectives: • Identify ongoing employer requirements under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. • Explain how to navigate continuing employer obligations under federal regulations regarding COVID-19. • Identify best practices for handling vaccines for employees. • Review recent employment laws and court decisions. Ted Smith, JD Partner Cornell Smith Mierl Brutocao Burton, LLP

Law firms today face difficult and diverse risks and dynamic professional liability and responsibility challenges. Aon, a global risk management consulting and insurance brokerage firm, recently completed a multiyear study of the lawyers’ professional liability claims experience of the company’s nearly 300 law firm clients. Join this session to discuss the results of the study, including an analysis of claims frequency and severity by practice area and law firm size, and the primary causes of claims against law firms. In sharing lessons learned from the claims data, the session will offer practical advice on good client intake, avoiding key conflicts of interest and preventing and mitigating mistakes by lawyers. Objectives: • Evaluate law firms’ professional risks based on actual claims experience. • Illustrate how to (re)sensitize law firms to the importance of effective risk management practices. • Identify practical advice and proactive risk management solutions you can apply in your firm. Matthew K. Corbin Senior Vice President, Professional Services Group Aon

Douglas R. Richmond Managing Director, Commercial Risk Solutions, Professional Services Aon

1:45–2:45 p.m.

Musings of a Recovering Miscommunicator: How to Craft More Authentic and Effective Written Communications

4:30–6 p.m.

Association Awards Presentation

Has anyone ever totally misinterpreted one of your emails, texts, memoranda or letters? Or has an email ever emotionally triggered you? Have others completely missed your good intent? It happened to me, and so my quest began to determine where things went off the rails. Coaches, writers and colleagues shared the tips and techniques to help me on my recovery to write more effective and authentic communications.

6–8:30 p.m.

Objectives: • Identify how to become clear on the intention of your communications. • Evaluate your understanding of the needs of your audiences. • Identify phrases that trigger emotional responses.

VIP Grand Finale

• Recognize how to avoid based on real-life examples, both good and not so good. Jean Jewell, CLM Consultant Education Categories Communications and Organizational Management

CLM Recertification Categories Financial Management CLM Functional Specialty

Legal Industry/Business Management CLM Functional Specialty

Human Resources Management CLM Functional Specialty

Operations Management CLM Functional Specialty

CLM Application Categories

Communications and Organizational Management

Financial Management

Legal Industry/ Business Management

Operations Management

Human Resources Management

Substance Abuse

Communication Skills

USER

BRAILLE tv

Information Technology

Self-Management Skills

cog sitemap

Organizational Development

Writing Skills

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

WHAT PAST ATTENDEES HAVE SAID

quote-left The ALA Annual Conference is a deluxe buffet covering all of my interests, educational needs, introduction to best practices and the most motivational networking opportunities ever. quote-right Stacey Coleman, CLM Administrative Director Elam & Burke

quote-left I am a first-time attendee and have already benefited from the abundance of shared knowledge and from our business partners. I wish to continue the growth! quote-right

quote-left ALA Conference is the most uplifting, empowering and motivational tool in my career toolbox. Sessions enlighten to empower me to make change and improvements in my career and firm. The ALA Conference is a catalyst to an administrators career. Conference educates, invigorates and empowers attendees to excel in their profession. The ALA Conference is the ultimate recharge of an administrator's career. The learning is invigorating and the networking is inspiring. quote-right

Vesatee Merkerson Director of Legal Operations Patrick Law Group

Susan Weidman Legal Recruitment & Operations Manager Whiteman, Osterman & Hanna LLP

quote-left This conference is imperative for the education + learning tools it provides; plus the networking is priceless. quote-right Christine Peterson Director of Administration Womble Bond Dickinson

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS*

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

G O L D SP O N SO R S

V I P SP O N SO R S

SI LV E R SP O N SO R S

Connect:

@ALABuzz

Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)

*Sponsors confirmed as of 7-12-21.

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS*

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

B R O N ZE SP O N SO R S

EXHIBITORS

LEOPARD

SOLUTIONS

VENUE & HOTEL DETAILS Conference Venue

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

Host Hotels

Telephone: +1-512-404-4000

Find your perfect hotel stay and enjoy special benefits with ALA’s preferential hotel rates.

Fairmont Austin

• Lowest rates* • Still earn your hotel reward points • Easy group bookings

101 Red River St., Austin, Texas, 78701, USA

Website: austinconventioncenter.com

Reserve your room online: bit.ly/ALAConf21Hotel

The Austin Convention Center has achieved Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC) STAR™ accreditation, the gold standard for prepared facilities. Learn more.

plane-alt

TRAVEL & SAFETY

Hotel Reservations

Austin Convention Center Address: 500 E. Cesar Chavez St., Austin, TX 78701

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

Hilton Austin 500 E. 4th St., Austin, Texas, 78701, USA

For special airline rates and ground transportation details, click here.

Please note that the guest room block cut-off date for the Fairmont is Tuesday, September 1, 2021, and for the Hilton is Wednesday, September 8, 2021. After that date OR when the room block fills, guest room availability and rate can no longer be guaranteed. *Plus applicable tax

COVID-19 Measures: Safety and Precautions The health, safety and well-being of our attendees remains our top priority. As new information is made available, we will enhance our preparation to comply with social distancing recommendations and to ensure a safe environment for all attendees. When you arrive at the event, you will see that a lot has changed. Steps planned to protect you include: • Attendance screening • Enhanced communication • Facial coverings • Reduced touchpoints

• Increased cleaning and sanitation • Physical distancing

For more details on these safety measures, please visit ALAannualconf.org/safety.

Hotel Piracy

We have received information that several travel housing companies are claiming to have a relationship with ALA, the ALA Annual Conference & Expo, American Conference Institute (ACI), the Hilton, the Marriott, and/or onPeak.

Connect:

@ALABuzz

Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)

These companies and others like it are NOT in any way affiliated with us. There are only two official, exclusive housing blocks for this event that can be accessed directly from the event website. Any other channels of booking reservations are not authorized and are not recommended as they may be a scam.

Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)

DISCOVER AUSTIN

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

You’re in for a great time in the heart of the Live Music Capital of the World®. Whether you identify as a foodie, like to bar hop, love to shop, wish to soak up some history or want to take advantage of the great outdoors, Austin lets you create a soundtrack all your own!

+ 100 Unique

777 Utensils-alt Restaurants

Neighborhoods

Breweries

82 Bicycle

15 football-helmet

Sports Teams

Popular Musical Festivals

9 books

Indie Book Stores

AUSTIN, TEXAS

Walking, Hiking, and Biking Trails

250+

Live Music Venues

DISCOVER AUSTIN

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

WELCOME TO AUSTIN, TEXAS,

ALA’S 2021 ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXPO! THE EXCITING LOCATION OF

By October, Austin’s temperatures will be in the 60s at night but the 80s during the day. We’re casual, even during the workday. Layer your clothes and be comfy. Live bands will be all over, so follow your ears! Some of our longest-lived music venues are Scoot Inn, Emo’s and The Continental Club. (As of this writing, not all venues have reopened after their COVID-19 closures, so check back when we get closer to the event dates.) Parker Jazz Club is lovely, but reservations are required. The Austin City Limits Music Festival, featuring a diverse lineup of acts, 8 stages and 100+ performances, takes place over the two weekends before and after the conference. For those of you fond of brew, be sure to visit (512) Brewing Company, Hops & Grain, Austin Beerworks or one of our other local craft brewers. If you really love beer, you might visit the breweries. You can do so individually or on a tour from Austin Brewery Tours. Most of us can’t party all the time, so take a break to stroll and people-watch. Afternoons and evenings, head down Rainey Street or South Congress Avenue (SoCo). Saturday morning, hit the farmers’ market at Republic Square to try charcuterie from Belle Vie Farm & Kitchen and treats from Cake and Spoon (justifiably famous for their bourbon banana cream pie, also sold at the equally famed Franklin Barbecue). A short walk away is the award-winning Central Library, more of a community experience than a library. Grab a drink from the coffee bar and head to the rooftop garden for a great view. It’s no secret that Austinites love the Congress Avenue Bridge and its bat colony. Peak batwatching season will have passed by the time ALA rolls into town, so before making an excursion to the bridge, check for updates at the Austin Bat Refuge website. Our motto, “Keep Austin Weird” (in a good way), is our badge of pride. Check out Casa Neverlandia, the Museum of Natural & Artificial Ephemerata, the Museum of the Weird or hearse tours with Haunted ATX. Movie geeks, come down early for Fantastic Fest, a genre film festival presented by Austin’s own Alamo Drafthouse. In the Zilker Park area, the outdoor Barton Springs Pool is a brisk 68 to 72 degrees yearround. A short walk east is the lovely Umlauf Sculpture Garden. You’ll also find many local restaurants and food trucks on this stretch. We are ready to welcome you—see you soon! ALA’s Austin Chapter 2021ALA

ANNUAL

CONFERENCE

&EXPO

USTIN THIS IS A

Sunday, October 3

Video Credit: Nicole Heger

Connect:

@ALABuzz

Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)

SPECIAL EVENTS AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

Let’s Get Together at #ALAConf21 The pandemic has highlighted the importance of connecting with the people around you, personally and professionally. As we hopefully put isolation, quarantine and mandatory work from home behind us, we can look forward to reconnecting at the varied social events that are a crucial part of the ALA Annual Conference & Expo.

Reconnect and Expand Your Network with a Variety of Special Events Refresh old friendships and form new connections with fellow legal management professionals as they gather for these social events and networking activities:

NEWCOMERS RECEPTION Sunday, October 3 CLOCK 5-6 p.m. Join other first-time attendees and those new to the legal management profession for a fun and informal event with ALA leadership.

WELCOME RECEPTION Sunday, October 3 CLOCK 6-8 p.m. Jump-start your conference experience with an entertaining night at Speakeasy, a locally owned bar just a short walk from the Austin Convention Center and our host hotels. Join fellow attendees, conference speakers and business partners as we celebrate ALA’s 50th anniversary.

ASSOCIATION LUNCH Tuesday, October 5 CLOCK 12-1:30 p.m. Refuel and connect while staying up to date on the latest ALA happenings.

SPECIAL EVENTS AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

EXHIBIT HALL RECEPTION Tuesday, October 5 CLOCK 5:30-6:30 p.m. Take part in the tradition! Relax at the end a full day of education while you explore the products and services from our valued ALA business partners.

AWARDS PRESENTATION Wednesday, October 6 CLOCK 4:30-6 p.m. Raise a glass with us as we celebrate ALA’s 2020 and 2021 award winners. Enjoy a special awards presentation while sampling delicious food and refreshing drinks.

VIP GRAND FINALE Wednesday, October 6 CLOCK 6-8:30 p.m. Immediately following the Awards Presentation and conveniently located in the Austin Convention Center, this VIP Grand Finale is one you won’t want to miss. Hosted by ALA’s VIP business partners, join the live band, The Grooves, for a fun evening of dancing. Sponsored By:

Connect:

@ALABuzz

Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)

REGISTRATION INFO

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

Three Ways to Register

All ALA’s 2021 Annual Conference & Expo registration prices are in U.S. dollars. Prices listed below are per person.

Full Conference

EARLY BIRD

ADVANCE REGISTRATION

Registration Package

$1,299

$1,499

$1,699

ALA Member

Managing Partner at a Law Firm

Phone PHONE

1-888-593-7243

Globe

Qualify for a special discount*

ONLINE

ALAannualconf.org

Member of a Strategic Alliance Partner

Nonmember

Qualify for a special discount* $1,699

$1,899

Envelope-open

$2,099

customerservice @ALAannualconf.org

Can’t attend the full conference? Contact us at 1-888-593-7243 or email customerservice@ALAannualconf.org to find out about one- and two-day registration packages.

SPECIAL DISCOUNTS* Managing Partner at a Law Firm

Student Registration

Take Advantage of Team Pricing!

If you are a managing partner of a law firm, you qualify for a special discount, equivalent to the ALA member rate (at the time of registration).

Students may apply to register for the full conference for a fee of $599.

Now it’s even easier to share the learning with your colleagues. Groups of five or more attendees (from the same firm) receive a 10% discount* on the total registration price.

To register at this rate, contact us at 1-888-593-7243 or customerservice@ALAannualconf.org, or register online and specify “Managing Partner at Law Firm” in the membership information section of the registration form.

To qualify for this special rate, you must be a full-time college or university student and provide a copy of your transcript upon request.

APPLY NOW

Register online or call our customer service team at 1-888-593-7243 or email customerservice@ALAannualconf.org to register your group. *All attendees must be from the same firm and register together in one transaction. Team pricing is not available for online registration; please call or email us. Group booking discounts apply to full conference registrations only.

Strategic Alliance Partners If you are a member of one of our Strategic Alliance Partner organizations, you qualify for a special discount, equivalent to the ALA member rate. To be eligible for this rate, you must be a member in good standing with your organization. To register at this rate, contact us at 1-888-593-7243 or customerservice@ALAannualconf.org, or register online and specify “Member of a Strategic Alliance Partner” in the membership information section of the registration form. Strategic Alliance Partner organizations include: • American Association of Law Libraries (AALL)

• British Columbia Legal Management Association (BCLMA)

• Legal Marketing Association (LMA)

• American Bar Association Law Practice Division (ABA-LP)

• Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC)

• Legal Support Network (LSN)

• ARMA International

• International Bar Association (IBA)

• Meritas

• Asociación Nacional de Empresarios de Colombia (ANDI)

• International Legal Technology Association (ILTA)

• National Association for Law Placement (NALP)

• Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)

• International Paralegal Management Association (IPMA)

• TerraLex

• Association of Legal Technologists (ALT)

• Law Council of Australia

• The Law Office Management Association (TLOMA)

• Australasian Legal Practice Management Association (ALPMA)

• Lawyers Associated Worldwide (LAW)

For assistance with your registration please contact our customer service team at 1-888-593-7243 or email customerservice@ALAannualconf.org

REGISTRATION CODE

B00-690-690L21.E

TERMS & CONDITIONS Registration fees apply to the individual and cannot be shared among people from the same firm or company.

Full Conference registration includes: • • • •

Admittance to the Exhibit Hall All general and breakout educational sessions Access to online conference speaker materials Admittance to the special events — Welcome Reception, Networking Reception, Awards Presentation dinner and Grand Finale Reception • Access to conference breakfasts, lunches and refreshment breaks

Guest Registration The purchase of a guest registration is restricted to guests of registrants only. A guest may not be someone eligible for membership in ALA, a business partner or a supplier who is not exhibiting. The ALA Annual Conference & Expo reserves the right to review eligibility for guest registration. You may add guest passes to your online registration or contact us at 1-888-593-7243 or customerservice@ALAannualconf.org Guest Registration Package

Fee per Guest

Full Guest Registration (all meals and special events)

$549

Sunday Welcome Reception

$99

Tuesday Exhibit Hall Reception

$59

Wednesday Awards Presentation and Grand Finale

$149

Registration Eligibility Registration fees are based on membership status (ALA member or nonmember) on the date registration and payment are received (by 11:59 p.m. Central). However, all member rates are contingent on the member renewing their full ALA 2021 membership. Nonmember registration is restricted to individuals who are not currently members of ALA but who do meet the eligibility requirements for ALA membership. Learn more about membership eligibility requirements or contact the ALA Membership Department at 847-267-1585. Business partners, including legal industry suppliers who are not exhibiting, are not permitted to register as attendees or guests. Exception: All those holding the Certified Legal Manager (CLM)® designation are eligible to register for the conference. A guest registration may not be used by someone eligible for membership in ALA, a business partner or a supplier who is not exhibiting.

Payment Policy Payment must be received in full by the conference date. All discounts will be applied to the full conference fee only (excluding add-ons), cannot be combined with any other offer‚ and must be paid in full at the time of order.

Confirmation All registrants will receive written confirmation/receipt of registration. If you do not receive confirmation from the organizers, please contact Customer Service at 1-888-593-7243 or customerservice@alaannualconf.org

Worry-Free Registration Guarantee We want to assure you that you can secure your place at the Annual Conference & Expo, knowing that your investment won’t be lost should inperson attendance no longer be possible for you due to the pandemic. All paid conference registrations will have access to alternative attendance choices such as livestream participation, no-hassle substitutions or transfers to a future Annual Conference & Expo. As we are all facing uncertainty due to COVID-19, we will offer a no-fee cancellation option until July 16, 2021. In addition, should pandemic circumstances or local restrictions on gatherings/

Connect:

@ALABuzz

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

travel be imposed and the in-person 2021 ALA Annual Conference & Expo transitions to a fully virtual event, we will contact you with an update on your registration options. If you elect to cancel your registration after July 16, 2021, the below cancellation fees and options will be assessed.

Cancellations All cancellations require a written request and can be sent to customerservice@alaannualconf.org. Date Cancellation Received

Attendee Cancellation Fee

Guest Cancellation Fee

Special Event Cancellation Fee

Before July 16, 2021

Full refund

Between July 16 and August 13, 2021

$219

$119

Full refund

Between August 13 and September 3, 2021

50% of fee paid

$119

Full refund

September 3, 2021, and after

No refund

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

TRAVEL & SAFETY

4. You have not been advised by any health authority, government agency or regulation to self-isolate due to possible exposure to COVID-19. **For our Canadian and International members and conference attendees, we continue to follow government recommendations and monitor border closure and travel restrictions/ advisories. Please stay tuned for an update to the above policies as it impacts non-U.S. attendance. Canadian and International participants may register at any time and rest assured that your investment will not be lost (see worry-free registration).

Association of Legal Administrators Meeting Code of Conduct The Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) is committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for all meeting participants and ALA staff. All participants, including but not limited to, attendees, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, guests, ALA staff members and service providers, are expected to abide by this Meeting Code of Conduct (“Code”) whether participating in-person or virtually. This Code applies to all ALA webinars, educational sessions, conferences, meetings and meeting-related events, including those sponsored by organizations other than ALA but held in conjunction with ALA events, whether on public or private platforms (collectively, “meetings”). ALA has zero-tolerance for any form of discrimination or harassment, including but not limited to sexual harassment by participants or our staff at or during meetings. For more information on reporting incidents, unacceptable behaviors and resulting actions, click here.

Conference Consent Policy

Cancellation notifications via social media (e.g., posting on our Facebook page or Twitter) are not accepted. No-shows and late cancellations forfeit the full registration fee. Any requests for refunds of hotel room reservations booked through onPeak must go directly through onPeak by calling 312-527-7270. If hotel reservations were made outside the room block through the hotel or a third party, requests for refunds must go through those avenues.

Substitutions A substitute from the registrant’s organization or chapter is subject to an administrative fee of $150. The substitute’s registration fee will be adjusted if a nonmember replaces an ALA member. Please submit a written request to customerservice@alaannualconf.org no later than September 10, 2021, for more information and processing. Late or on-site substitutions will be assessed a $250 administrative fee.

COVID-19 Warning We have taken enhanced health and safety measures for the protection of all our attendees, speakers, sponsors and staff. It is imperative that all registrants for the Annual Conference & Expo follow all instructions when attending the conference. An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. COVID-19 is an extremely contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death. It is extremely dangerous to senior citizens and to any person that has underlying chronic health problems. By attending the Annual Conference & Expo, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19. To learn more or read our terms of service, click here.

By registering for this ALA conference, you are consenting to receive conference-related communications in addition to sharing your contact information publicly on attendee rosters. You will have the ability to withdraw your consent at any time by contacting info@ALAannualconf.org.

Promotional Photos and Videos Participation at and registration (attendee, guest and exhibitor) for the conference gives consent to the use and distribution of the participants’ image or voice in any pictures, video or audio recordings, or electronic reproductions taken during ALA and ALA-related events for conference coverage and future ALA promotional purposes. ALA is able to use your likeness without remuneration.

Other Ways to Register Email: customerservice@ALAannualconf.org Phone: 1-888-593-7243 Mail: 2021 ALA Annual Conference & Expo c/o American Conference Institute 2 Park Ave., 20th Floor, New York, NY 10016 Fax: 1-877-927-1563

Questions If you have any questions about the 2021 ALA Annual Conference & Expo and registration policies or procedures, please contact us at 1-888-593-7243 or customerservice@ALAannualconf.org. American Conference Institute acts on behalf of the Association of Legal Administrators in developing and managing the Annual Conference & Expo.

You also assure us that at the time that you first attend the conference and for the 14 days prior: 1. You are not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. 2. You have not provided care or had close contact with any person with or reasonably suspected of having COVID-19, or with any person who traveled outside of the United States** or to an area under a travel health advisory. 3. You have not traveled outside of the United States** or in an area under a travel health advisory.

Association of Legal Administrators (ALA)

2021ALA

ANNUAL

CONFERENCE

&EXPO OCTOBER 3–6 AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER AUSTIN, TEXAS

2021 ALA Annual Conference and Expo - E

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