Hello LMA Members and Happy 2011!

We have worked hard to schedule programs in 2011 that feature some of the industry's top legal marketing experts. The details are below.

In order to defray a portion of the costs associated with securing such outstanding speakers, we are implementing a new programming pricing model for 2011. It is as follows: 

• Member Only: Entire Year of Phoenix Programming Prepaid (12 Events) - $150.00
• Member Only: Per Program - $20.00 ($240 total for 12 Events)
• Non Member: Per Program - $35.00 

You’ll save $90 by paying in advance for all 12 events scheduled for 2011. Simply pay by credit card or request an invoice using this secure registration site. If you have any questions or difficulties, please contact Kristi Phillips at kphillips@gustlaw.com.

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January Luncheon

January 20
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Quarles and Brady

Title: Closing in on the Red Zone: Lawyers are the Missing Link in Business Development

Speaker:  Allan Colman

As CEO of the Closers Group, Allan Colman has spent more than two decades helping law firms and professional service firms generate more revenue.  He has brought in millions of dollars of new business and built business development structures that continue to perform.

Program Description:

Think about it – when you bring a business development consultant in to train and motivate your lawyers and get them out in front of prospects and clients, you are acknowledging they are missing from the action. Based upon successes in 6 month training and advisory programs, which have yielded an average of 12 new engagements and a 200+% increase in leads and opportunities, your speaker from the Closers Group presents this lively and productive seminar, covering:

I. First, we define the RED ZONE and who and what are missing.
II. The 4 Steps in Business Development are then identified. 
III. The how and why of building a “business partnership.”
IV. “Getting ‘em out there!”
V. Useless Business Development Plans and what really works.
VI. “The Takeaway!”  Getting Into the RED ZONE.

This program is designed to present the business development action tools lawyers need and how they can apply them to move practice groups, industry teams and firm offices and groups of lawyers.  Tracking action and producing measurable results become your focus and enables you to build the confidence of firm management.

February Luncheon

February 17
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location TBD

Title: 5 Myths and Truths for Cross-Selling Success

Speaker: Deb Knupp, Partner at Akina Corporation

Deborah Knupp has worked globally with CEOs, executives, managing partners and attorneys as a coach and business executive for over 20 years. She has helped these leaders align their people systems and business objectives to create cultures based on the principles of accountability, integrity and authentic relationship building. Her work has focused on making the work environment a place where employees "want" to be; where clients "want" to buy; and, where leaders "want" to serve a bigger purpose in their communities and families.

Program Description:
Cross-Selling is a great theory in concept that is often met with a harsh reality of “going no where” and marketing departments banging their heads against the wall. Your presenter will shed light on the top 5 Myths that keep law firms in the dark about how to leverage an existing client base as a firm-wide asset and the 5 Truths that will provide sanity and real opportunities to realize revenue results. At the completion of the program, the participants will be able to:

1. Understand the top 5 Myths of Cross-Selling and common pitfalls that keep law  firms from realizing revenue
2. Facilitate the 5 Truths as Myth alternatives to generate more predictable revenue results
3. Coach attorneys on how to navigate internal politics and barriers to success
4. Utilize best practices to make Cross-Selling a firm-wide reality and success

Participants will receive specific sales tools, templates and tactics that can be readily adapted for individual attorney and Client Team coaching. Participants will receive sample facilitation guides for teaching and implementing tools, templates and tactics.

March Luncheon

March 17
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location TBD

Title: Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers

Speaker: Cordell Parvin

Cordell Parvin practiced law for 37 years. He began in private practice in Roanoke, Virginia and from there and Richmond, Virginia he developed a highly successful national construction law practice. In 1996, Cordell left Virginia and joined the Dallas office of Jenkens & Gilchrist, PC. While there Cordell worked with the firm’s marketing professionals and set up a client development coaching program for new partners. He
enjoyed that experience so much that in 2005 he began coaching lawyers in firms throughout the United States and Canada. Cordell has written extensively on client development and has been a frequent speaker at Bar Meetings and firm retreats.

Program Description:

How many of the rainmakers in your firm will be retiring in the next several years? If your firm is like many others, a significant number will be. For law firms to remain successful, they must develop the next generation of rainmakers. Our speaker, Cordell Parvin was a rainmaker in his Dallas based firm and developed a highly successful client development coaching program for new partners. Since 2005, Cordell has worked with firms throughout the United States and Canada. In this presentation, Cordell will share
how you can create a client development coaching program in your own firm with a great return on investment so you can make the business case to your law firm leaders.

April Luncheon

April 21
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location TBD

Title: Secrets of the Masters

Speaker: David H. Freeman, J.D.

For the past 16 years, David H. Freeman, J.D., has helped thousands of lawyers become better rainmakers and leaders in over 115 firms world-wide (with over 50 firms in the AmLaw 200). David is a former lawyer who accelerates revenue growth in firms through:
• Business development training and coaching
• Leadership training and coaching
• Accelerated cross-selling
• Client service training and planning
• Retreat design, facilitation, and speaking
• Business development culture assessments

As an internationally acclaimed speaker, he has been invited to present at law firm retreats, international, national and regional conferences, and bar association meetings.

Program Description:

This program is a compilation of “greatest hits” derived from a series of webinars recorded with 27 top CMO’s and law firm business development specialists, focused on helping lawyers generate more revenue, get more clients, and deliver higher levels of service. This information-packed session will include dozens of immediately useable tips and tactics, derived primarily from in-house CMO’s, in areas such as:

- Delivering exceptional levels of client service
- Maximizing cross-selling
- Techniques for obtaining and maximizing potential client meetings
- Building personal brands
- Social media, social networking and SEO
- Utilizing alternative fees
- Growing personal networks and staying top-of-mind
- Best practices in business development for laterals
- Developing ongoing business development habits in lawyers

The program will be led by David H. Freeman, J.D., a veteran law firm business development trainer, coach and consultant who has worked with thousands of lawyers in over 115 law firms world-wide. He is also the creator of a new DVD-based personal rainmaking system for lawyers, CMOplaybook™.
 

May Luncheon

May 19
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location TBD

Title: 10 Ways to Improve Business DevelopmentT

Speaker: Bill Flannery

Bill is the President of The WJF Institute, headquartered in Austin, Texas. The Institute's primary focus is business development, client development, client relationship management, law firm marketing and marketing support programs. The WJF Institute also trains lawyers and provides related consulting services in substantive legal skills, law firm management and leadership. Over the past twelve years, The WJF Institute has conducted intensive, small group training sessions for over 14,000 attendees.

Program Description:

The presentation will cover face-to-face business development to the implementation of worldwide global client-focused teams. This presentation is unique as it takes the best of corporate sales, marketing and global account management to show what law firms can learn from their clients.

Bill’s presentation is the collective knowledge of 40 years in business development, sales, marketing and global account management. This presentation is designed for all size firms, in all geographic locations and all practice areas. Bill has worked with 135 of the AMLAW 200 and firms of all sizes from all parts of the globe.
 

June Luncheon

June 16
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location TBD

Title: Making Horses Thirsty: How to motivate lawyers to sell

Speaker: Craig Brown

Craig Brown has worked with law firms for more than twenty years in the areas of business
development, finance, knowledge management and legal research. As a former lawyer and sales
executive in the legal industry, he coaches lawyers how to build relationships that lead to strong books of
business and meaningful practices. He is the founder of the Motivera Group and Modena Seminars and
has developed and conducted hundreds of action-oriented seminars using leading edge, adult learning
methodologies. |

Craig’s services include:
• Business development training and coaching programs
• Lawyer assessments through the Lawyer Behavior ProfileTM
• Law firm retreat facilitation
• Speaking and training engagements for individual meetings and retreats

He regularly speaks at industry conferences and events and at private law firms on marketing, business
development, sales and training.

Program Description:

A recent Wall Street Journal article reports that law firms have become increasingly aware that training
lawyers in marketing and business development is a key way to drive business. But, seasoned
marketers know that training by itself is only a partial solution. As the old saying goes, “You can lead a
horse to water, but you can’t make ‘em drink.” Even a lawyer well-schooled in the fundamentals will
complain about lack of time, natural skill or interest. This workshop reveals how to leverage the lawyer personality to motivate your lawyers to be regular
active builders of business.

Join us as we dive deep into the lawyer mindset and explore how to best leverage each lawyer’s unique
strengths for business development success. Discover the seed’s of your lawyers’ reluctance and lack of
business development motivation and learn how to overcome it. You’ll enjoy fun war stories,
heartwarming personal successes and interesting insight as you discover how to get your lawyers to act.

This program will help participants to:
• Identify obstacles to sustained business development
• Understand how the lawyer personality blocks business development and how it can be used in
the reverse, to kick-start business development.
• Understand lawyer-focused assessment tools that provide a framework for coaching each
personality type to bring in business.
• Identify distinct personality types and how to work with them
• Coach lawyers to use their unique strengths to their advantage in finding and servicing clients
• Get excited about motivating lawyers to take advantage of unique business development
opportunities in the current economy.  

July Luncheon

No lunch program in July. There will be a summer social with details to follow as the date draws nearer.

August Luncheon

August 18
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location TBD

Title: In-House Corporate Counsel Panel

Speaker: Various, TBD

Program Description:

This program will assemble some of the region’s most prestigious in-house counsels to field questions from marketers and lawyers about things that law firms do well—and where there is room for improvement.

September Luncheon

September 15
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location TBD

Title: Boost Your Brand with an Online Marketing Strategy

Speaker: Jeff Morgan, President and Creative Director of Moiré Marketing Partners

Jeffrey Morgan is one of the true pioneers of law firm marketing. He brings more than 20 years of experience developing legal marketing and branding campaigns for hundreds of law firms in North America and Europe. As Principal and head of West Coast operations at Moiré Marketing Partners, Jeffrey advises clients on a full compliment of marketing issues and challenges including internal/external marketing audits, branding, advertising, web development, media strategies and personal marketing plans.

Program Description:

Your website was launched some time ago, you send clients e-newsletters and alerts, you've dipped your toes in social media and online advertising, you realize SEO and web analytics are also important. How do you integrate these individual efforts in a coordinated strategy to build brand awareness and achieve your marketing and business development goals?

In this interactive, multimedia presentation will help you develop a strategy to guide your firm’s online marketing efforts that will boost your brand, support your business development efforts and grow your practice areas.

You will learn:

• The practical tools you'll need to build a sound online strategy
• The role of each tool in your marketing mix and business development goals
• How to make your website a destination for clients
• How to measure the success of your online plan.

October Luncheon

October 27
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Venue TBD

Title: They Didn’t Teach Us This in Law School - What Lawyers Really Need to Know to Develop Business

Speaker: Christina Fritsch, Business Development Consultant

As a Business Development Consultant, Chris Fritsch partners with top law firms across the country to provide business development education and coaching solutions to help make business development easier, more effective and less time consuming for attorneys and to help them grow their practices by growing and leveraging their relationships.

Chris has a background as an attorney, a legal technologist and a successful salesperson and sales manager. She writes and speaks nationally on topics including business development, client relationship management and legal technology. Chris received her law degree from Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, GA, where she served as Managing Editor of the Emory International Law Review, as well as student and faculty technology consultant. 

Program Description:

Effective business development has become one of the primary keys to success in the practice – and business – of law. Still, most lawyers don’t make business development a priority. While they may be able to articulate a variety of reasons (and a few excuses) for this, one of the primary ones is that they just haven't been truly educated about business development. Let’s face it, they didn’t learn this in law school. It just makes sense that most attorneys can benefit from being trained - and coached in business development.

Additionally, many lawyers have the misguided perception that business development has to be difficult, expensive or time consuming – or worse, that to develop business, they will have to act like ‘salespeople.’ Nothing could be farther from the truth. Instead, if they just focus on the right things and commit to spend the time building relationships, providing good service and delivering value to potential Clients, they can become successful business developers.

This presentation will provide marketing or business development professionals with the knowledge they need to convince – and coach – their attorneys to be more effective at business development. This program will also be well-suited for encouraging attorney attendance.

November Luncheon

November 10
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Venue TBD

Title: Digital Outlook 2011 - Finding and Selecting Professionals Online

Speaker: Gayatri Bhalla 

Gayatri Bhalla of Greenfield/Belser Ltd., has over a dozen years of experience in interactive marketing and strategy disciplines. She has worked with a wide range of Fortune 500 and industry-leading clients. Past client engagements include user experience design for an online health portal targeted to seniors, integrated product launch strategy and execution for a blockbuster vaccine product, global Web strategy for a leading diagnostics corporation and interactive dashboard design and development for a leading investment bank. She brings a depth of understanding and experience with new media platforms and knows how to marry marketing with meaningful technologies.

Program Description:

Gather the facts behind executive-level usage of the Internet as a tool to find information and inform choices about professional services providers. We'll present updated findings from our annual research on executive-level buyers of accounting, consulting and legal services across the U.S. including how, where and what they search for online as they consider firms like yours.

December Luncheon

December 1
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Venue TBD

Title: Client Conversations: Better Communication for Better Business

Speaker: Jill Weber, Chief Business Development Officer for Leonard, Street and Deinard & Laura Meherg, Founder and Partner in the Wicker Park Group

Jill Weber is Chief Business Development Officer for Leonard, Street and Deinard, where she is responsible for creating and executing marketing and business development strategies, including Fast Forward®, a nationally recognized integrated business development initiative. Jill offers more than 20 years of experience creating marketing and business development strategies for professional service firms, including law firms, accounting firms and financial institutions.

Laura Meherg is a founder and partner in the Wicker Park Group. She was named Marketing Director of the Year by the Elite Excellence in Legal Marketing Awards at the 2004 Marketing Partner Forum. This award followed her development of a leading client feedback program for her firm, Burr & Forman, which produced measurable results, won universal praise from the leadership of her firm, and became a benchmark in the industry. She has conducted hundreds of interviews over the past 10 years. She regularly works with GC and facilitates GC roundtables for Martindale-Hubbell’s Counsel-to-Counsel Forum series and other in-house counsel programs. 

Program Description:

Excellent communication and other business skills are consistently identified by law firm clients as the critical differentiators between average and great attorneys and firms. These skills also directly correlate to an attorney’s realization, perceived value and ability to develop business. The Association of Corporate Counsel’s (ACC) Value Challenge further emphasizes the importance of regular, off-the-clock communication between in-house counsel and outside lawyers, encouraging us to come together to “Meet-Talk-Act.”

To provide attorneys with knowledge and tools to embrace and engage in the ACC Value Challenge and increase the number of face-to-face meetings with key clients, Leonard, Street and Deinard worked with Wicker Park Group to design “Client Conversations,” a turnkey program and toolkit. The firm challenged the attorneys to schedule and conduct three to five meaningful client conversations each over a three month period. The goal was simple:  To increase the number of face-to-face meetings with clients in order to retain and expand quality business.

By developing a packaged training program and toolkit to prepare the attorneys for the challenge, encouraging participation through friendly competition and incentives, and tracking the feedback and results, the firm’s attorneys gained great insights into their client’s businesses, expanded contacts within the clients’ organizations, built goodwill and better relationships, identified new practice opportunities and improved internal communication among shareholders.

This program will outline the key components of “Client Conversations” and how Leonard Street and Deinard motivated 47 attorneys to conduct 100 meaningful client conversations resulting in 15 cross-sell opportunities, 13 new matters in current service areas, and two new client opportunities.   More important, the firm received extremely positive feedback from attorneys who engaged in Client Conversations. The ACC considers “Client Conversations” a best value practice, and recently featured it on the resources section of their Web site.