Tomorrow is the big day for our inaugural virtual summit devoted to the Successful Business and Practice of Law! The agenda for our half-day event is below along with detailed information on each of the speakers. If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time! Sign up HERE – there is no cost thanks to our friends at Clio, LawPay, GNGF, and Time Miner for generously sponsoring this event.
SCHEDULE
8:30 am PT / 11:30 am ET Opening Remarks – Greg Garman, LAWCLERK CEO
PART 1: THE BUSINESS OF LAW ─ WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
8:33 am PT / 11:33 am ET Law Firms Must Look Ahead to New Normal – Ralph Baxter and Greg Garman
9:12 am PT / 12:12 am ET The Art of the Pivot: When and How to Change Your Business Development Strategy – Heather Hubbard
Sponsor Message: Clio
BREAK
9:40 am PT / 12:40 am ET COVID-19 Could Catalyze the Legal Industry Renaissance – Nancy Rapoport and Joe Tiano with Greg Garman
PART 2: EMERGING BUSINESS MODELS
10:22 am PT / 1:22 pm ET How I Built a National Practice Working Remotely – Megan Zavieh
Sponsor Message: LawPay
10:38 am PT / 1:38 pm ET How I Built a Subscription Based Practice – Jessica Birken
BREAK
11:04 am PT / 2:04 pm ET How I Built an Outside General Counsel Practice – Gina Bongiovi
PART 3: MARKETING IN THE NEW WORLD
11:17 am PT / 2:17 pm ET Expand Your Practice Through Podcast Appearances – Laurence Colletti
Sponsor Message: GNGF
11:33 am PT / 2:33 pm ET Harnessing the Power of YouTube to Grow Your Firm – Morris Lilienthal
11:47 am PT / 2:47 pm ET LinkedIn for Lawyers – Chuki Obiyo
Sponsor Message: Time Miner
12:00 pm PT / 3:00 pm ET Find Your Passion, Build Your Brand, Love Your Practice – Ross Fishman
12:38 pm PT / 3:38 pm ET Closing Remarks & Special Announcement – Kristin Tyler, LAWCLERK CMO
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS
RALPH BAXTER
After leading a prominent global law firm for nearly a quarter century, Ralph Baxter has turned his attention to a diverse set of activities, across the spectrum of the evolving legal profession.
He regularly advises law firms, legal technology start ups, and corporate law departments on their strategies and execution. He is an active writer and speaker, including participation in law firm partner meetings, about the emerging models for improved delivery of legal service.
Mr. Baxter is a Senior Advisor to Thomson Reuters Legal and Chairman of the Advisory Board of Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute, as well as a Senior Advisor and member of the Advisory Board of the Stanford Law School Center on the Legal Profession. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession, the Advisory Board of the Center for the Study of the Legal Profession at the Georgetown Law Center, the Advisory Council of Evolve Law, and the Advisory Board of Ravel Law.
From 1990 to 2013, Mr. Baxter served as Chairman and CEO of Orrick, leading Orrick’s progress from a domestic firm with California origins to become one of the world’s leading global firms. He launched numerous transformative initiatives during his tenure, including the creation of Orrick’s Global Operations Center in Wheeling, West Virginia, and changes in the firm’s talent and pricing models.
Mr. Baxter received his BA from Stanford University; his MA in Education from the Catholic University of America; and his JD from the University of Virginia.
Before his career in law, Mr. Baxter taught sixth grade at the Scott Montgomery Elementary School in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Baxter’s recent writings and interviews can be accessed on his website https://ralphbaxter.com and he can be followed on Twitter @ralphbaxter.
HEATHER HUBBARD
Heather Joy Hubbard is an attorney, speaker, author, and strategic coach. Through her personal and professional development company, she helps attorneys reduce stress, manage priorities, and build a book of business. Prior to her work helping professionals find more balance and success, Heather was a partner and practice group leader at an AmLaw 200 firm. She has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Copyright, Trademark, Intellectual Property Litigation and Patent Litigation, Mid-South SuperLawyers, Benchmark Litigation and Managing IP Stars. She was also named one of Nashville’s Top 40 under 40 by the Nashville Business Journal. Heather graduated summa cum laude from the University of Louisville and received her juris doctorate from Vanderbilt University Law School.
More information about Heather can be found at https://heatherjoyhubbard.com. You can subscribe to her podcast, Hustle & Flow, on all the major podcast channels. You can connect with Heather on all of the social media platforms and you can find her on Twitter @heatherjhubbard.
NANCY B. RAPOPORT
Nancy B. Rapoport is the Garman Turner Gordon Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and an Affiliate Professor of Business Law and Ethics in the Lee Business School at UNLV.
After receiving her B.A., summa cum laude, from Rice University in 1982 and her J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1985, she clerked for the Honorable Joseph T. Sneed III on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and then practiced law (primarily bankruptcy law) with Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco from 1986-1991.
She started her academic career at The Ohio State University College of Law in 1991, and she moved from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor with tenure in 1995 to Associate Dean for Student Affairs (1996) and Professor (1998) (just as she left Ohio State to become Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Nebraska College of Law). She served as Dean of the University of Nebraska College of Law from 1998-2000. She then served as Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center from July 2000-May 2006 and as Professor of Law from June 2006-June 2007, when she left to join the faculty at Boyd. She served as Interim Dean of Boyd from 2012-2013, as Senior Advisor to the President of UNLV from 2014-2015, as Acting Executive Vice President & Provost from 2015-2016, as Acting Senior Vice President for Finance and Business (for July and August 2017), and as Special Counsel to the President from May 2016-June 2018.
You can connect with Nancy on Twitter @NancyRapoport.
JOE TIANO
After practicing law for nearly 20 years, Joe founded Legal Decoder because he saw that clients lacked the analytic tools and data to effectively price and manage the cost of legal services delivered by outside counsel.
Together with Chris Miller, his Co-Founder, Joe set out to build an intelligent, data driven technology company that would revolutionize the way that legal services from outside counsel are priced and economically evaluated.
Previously, Joe was a Partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP and Thelen LLP where he grew and managed all aspects of a multi-million-dollar cross-border finance practice. Entrepreneurship runs through Joe’s veins since his early days as a venture capital lawyer representing transformative technology companies, like Blackboard Inc., and many of the outgrowths of Blackboard (WeddingWire, Presidium, Starfish Retention Solutions, and others). Joe has been a prolific writer publishing numerous articles on substantive legal issues and the legal industry in general.
Joe graduated from Georgetown University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and received his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1995.
You can learn more about Joe and Legal Decoder at https://legaldecoder.com/ and on Twitter @legaldecoder.
MEGAN ZAVIEH
Megan Zavieh focuses her practice exclusively on attorney ethics, representing attorneys facing State Bar disciplinary action, providing guidance to practicing attorneys, podcasting about legal ethics on Lawyers Gone Ethical, and writing about ethics on AttorneyatWork.com and her own blog, https://CaliforniaStateBarDefense.com.
Megan has always done things her own way, and her legal career has been no different. After a Federal clerkship and New York Big Law career, she transitioned to supporting attorneys facing difficult professional times. She found her passion and never looked back.
Zavieh Law is a national practice focusing primarily on California lawyers, but also assisting lawyers in New York, New Jersey, and Georgia. Megan also speaks and writes on a national platform, and she has gained recognition for her contributions to practical guidance for everyday lawyering. She began her solo practice in California, really got it growing from Sydney, Australia, and now practices from outside of Atlanta, Georgia.
You can subscribe to Megan’s podcast, Lawyers Gone Ethical, on all the major podcast channels, and you can connect with Megan on Twitter @ZaviehLaw.
JESSICA BIRKEN
Jess Birken is a solopreneur attorney. She helps nonprofits solve problems so they can quit worrying and get back to what matters most – The Mission. You can find her on twitter @JessBirken or at https://birkenlaw.com.
When Jess isn’t lawyering, she helps other lawyers to change their lives and their law practices through her “Hack Your Practice” project. Learn more at https://hackyourpractice.lawyer.
GINA BONGIOVI
Gina is Managing Partner of Bongiovi Law Firm, a boutique firm that provides on-demand outside counsel services to businesses of all sizes.
In 2005, Gina started a marketing company and, in need of legal advice, couldn’t find a lawyer that was willing or able to help a startup like hers. After hearing similar stories from other entrepreneurs, she decided to dedicate her practice to serving startups and small businesses. Over the last ten years, Bongiovi Law Firm has grown with its clients to serve businesses of all sizes – from one owner to 100, and from those without in-house legal to those whose legal departments need to offload some work. Its attorneys pair business education with real-world experience to provide clients with business-minded legal advice that addresses all facets of business ownership. Much like Robert Duvall’s character in the Godfather, think of Bongiovi Law Firm as a business consigliere, except with considerably less violence.
Gina has helped found several nonprofits – Dress for Success Southern Nevada, Vegas Shepherd Rescue, Working K9 Rescue – and is working on others. She also served on the UNLV Alumni Association Board, is former chair of Vegas Young Professionals Advisory Council; she currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Boards for the Lee Business School and UNLV Honors College, and the Vegas Chamber Board of Trustees as Chair-Elect.
She’s been honored as a Woman of Distinction by NAWBO, recognized as a Rising Star of Business by Las Vegas Business Press, listed among the Legal Elite for five years running, awarded the International Women’s Forum Carolyn Sparks Founder’s Award, was named Alumnus of the Year for both the MBA Program and, in 2020, the Lee Business School.
You can connect with Gina at https://bongiovilaw.com/ and on Twitter @lawyergina.
LAURENCE COLLETTI
After receiving his J.D. and MBA, Laurence Colletti went into solo practice with an emphasis in general business and commercial real estate. He has always carried a strong passion for web-based media with a particular interest in podcasting and video. Laurence leverages his legal background against that passion to help bring sophisticated, relevant content to Legal Talk Network podcasts. You can follow Laurence on Twitter at @LaurenceEsq.
MORRIS LILIENTHAL
Morris Lilienthal is a top-rated Alabama Trial Lawyer that has been selected six times to the Mid-South Super Lawyers List and The National Trial Lawyers Top 100. Morris has devoted his practice to representing injury victims and their families. The same competitive nature and drive that helped Morris excel as a college football player continues to help in his law practice today.
Morris is actively engaged on social media and dedicated to providing knowledge, value, and inspiration to others. He is known on social media for his #TipsFromMo, which are daily video tips, his Facebook Live Interview Show – The Mo Show Live and his #WkndWkShirt. He’s also a contributing author in the book The Ultimate Guide to Social Media for Business Owners, Professionals and Entrepreneurs by Mitch Jackson.
Family and community are also an integral part of Morris’s life. Morris is an active member of the Rotary Club of Madison, Alabama and often volunteers at Madison Elementary School. Morris and his family are also avid supporters of the March of Dimes having started a family team – Team Will in honor of their late son.
You can connect with Morris via email at morris@martinsonandbeason.com and learn more about what he’s doing on social at: https://TheMoShow.Live; Facebook: morrislilienthal; Twitter: moScots73; and Instagram: molilienthal73.
CHUKI OBIYO
Chuki Obiyo, J.D. is a business development consultant with 20 years of experience. He is the Chief Coaching Officer of Chuki Law, the premier initiative that leverages personal development, business development, and management consulting to help lawyers at all levels sell better. Why? Because lawyers sell advice to promote justice and protect rights.
Chuki grew up in a village in Africa where people lived on less than $1 a day. His parents worked very hard to send him to America to get a good education. In turn, he worked very hard to turn a good education into a passion to help others.
During law school, he discovered that the biggest threat to the legal profession is business development – lawyers rely on networking but recoil at selling. After law school, he consulted with C-level executives at Fortune 500 CEB member companies to learn more about business development from the perspective of a law firm client. He then partnered with LinkedIn Corporation to help lawyers use their networks for business development; and he advanced this effort at Morae Global Corporation where he helped corporate lawyers become better at balancing their role as a business protector and a business enabler. Then he partnered with Wolters Kluwer and ClariLegal to help simplify the buying and selling of legal services locally and globally.
Today, he consults and coaches lawyers, leaders, and business professionals. You can learn more about Chuki at https://chukilaw.com/ and follow him on Twitter @MyAfricanPlan.
ROSS FISHMAN
Called “one of the country’s leading experts on law firm marketing” by Lawyers Weekly USA, Ross is known as one of the legal profession’s most innovative marketers and strategists. As CEO of Fishman Marketing, Inc., he helps law firms dominate their chosen markets and generate significant revenue.
Ross was a commercial litigator from 1985-90 before moving to Winston & Strawn to practice marketing full-time, later becoming Marketing Partner of Ungaretti & Harris. Called “the creative mind behind a host of law firm campaigns that have redefined the field” (San Jose Business Journal), Fishman Marketing has launched effective campaigns for nearly 100 firms from Istanbul to Iceland.
Recipient of a peer-selected LMA 1998 Lifetime Achievement Award, Ross was the first legal marketer inducted into the LMA’s Hall of Fame. Known for his “educational and entertaining” presentation style, he has conducted more than 250 firm retreats and training programs on five continents, from Tobago to Thailand — including once presenting on three continents within 24 hours. A Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management, Ross has written over 250 bylined articles, including five monthly columns, and has sat on the editorial board of five national magazines.
Learn more about Ross at https://fishmanmarketing.com/ and follow him on Twitter @rossfishman.
