On February 1st and 2nd, here in New York, PLI will be presenting what looks to be an all-star cast of speakers at what they’re calling the Law Firm Leaderhsip and Management Institute 2010.
More info here.
According to the overview:
Critical issues to be addressed include the future of "big law," billable hours, and alternative billing options, as well as concerns about delivering and maintaining the highest quality of work at a reasonable cost.
Law firms have been responding to these industry challenges with both expected and unexpected measures. Some have made significant cuts, deferrals and adjustments, and others are abandoning the associate class system and lockstep salary structures. Still others are lowering first-year associate salaries and billing rates, and at least one game-changing trans-Atlantic merger has been announced. The main question on the industry’s mind is whether these are temporary changes in response to the current market conditions, or if they are here to stay.
You may think that’s the typical PR puffery—and you would not be alone in that reflexive presumption—but I decided this was a "must-attend" for me when I read the list of participants. Did I mention "all-star"?
As a special feature, there will be two luncheon presentations: "Educating the Next Generation of Lawyers," presented by Dean David E. Van Zandt, Northwestern University School of Law; and "Ethics and the Management of Law Firms," presented by Anthony E. Davis, Partner, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP. Also, for the first time, attendees will hear a case study on the law firm Bingham McCutchen, presented by Ashish Nanda, Faculty Chair, Executive Education Research Director at the Center for Law and the Professions, Harvard Law School, and Jay Zimmerman, Chairman of Bingham McCutchen.
The program’s stellar faculty includes: Candace K. Beinecke, Chair, Hughes Hubbard; Heather Bock, Ph.D., Chief Professional Development Officer, Howrey LLP; Francis B. Burch, Chairman, DLA Piper; Evan Chesler, Presiding Partner, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP; H. Rodgin Cohen, Chairman, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP; Thomas A. Cole, Chair of the Executive Committee, Sidley Austin LLP; Arthur Culvahouse, Jr., Chair, O’Melveny & Myers LLP; Steven H. Davis, Chairman, Dewey & LeBouef LLP; John R. Ettinger, Managing Partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP; Martin Frederic "Rick" Evans, Presiding Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP; Michael D. Fricklas, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Viacom, Inc; Eric Friedman, Executive Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP; Kathy G. Gallo, Managing Principal, Goodstone Group LLC; Susan J. Hackett, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, The Association of Corporate Counsel; Andrew D. Hendry, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Colgate-Palmolive Company; Michael Hersch, Executive Director, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP; Brad S. Karp, Chair of the Firm, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; David Lat, Managing Editor, Breaking Media; Susan C. Levy, Managing Partner, Jenner & Block; Jon Lindsey, Managing Partner, New York, Major, Lindsey & Africa; Francis M. Milone, Chair, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP; Norm Mullock, Vice President, LexisNexis Redwood Analytics; Lester S. Pataki; National Banking Practice Leader and Chairman of Law Firm Group, JP Morgan Private Wealth Management; William J. Perlstein, Co-Managing Partner, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP; Peter John Sacripanti, Co-Chair, McDermott Will & Emery LLP; Esta Eiger Stecher, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.; Barton J. Winokur, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dechert LLP.
Let’s just hope Al Qaeda doesn’t have designs on the senior leadership of American law.
I hope to see you there!
