Conference Sponsors:
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| Thursday, May 19 |
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| 7:00 – 9:00am | Registration |
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| 9:00 | Welcome and Opening Remarks |
| Beverly Hedrick, WLA President |
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| 9:30 – 10:30 | No More Glass Ceilings! |
Keynote Speaker: Regina Molden, Managing Partner, Molden Holley & Thompson
Regina will chronicle her journey from unemployed and uneducated teen mom to leading attorney and business owner. She will share how she combined sheer will power with positive thinking to overcome roadblocks that would have caused many to give up. In addition to her law practice, Regina is author of the books, "No More Glass Ceilings" and "Think Your Way to the Top", and owner of the Atlanta Professional Magazine.
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| 10:45 – 11:45 | Women on Top: Understanding and Using Your Personal Power |
Ida Abbott will present a framework she calls "ASPIRE" for guiding women to the successful careers they desire: Ambition, Strategy, Personal Power, Interpersonal Dynamics, Resilience and Empowering Others. This session will look in depth at how you can recognize and utilize your own personal power to receive the recognition, leadership roles, credit and compensation you deserve.
Ida Abbott, author, consultant and internationally recognized for her leadership in the fields of mentoring, leadership and professional development, and a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management.
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| Noon – 1:00 | Practice Groups Networking Lunch |
| Participants will dine with their peers from across the United States and Canada with similar practices.
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| 1:00 – 2:00 | Breakout Sessions for Small and Medium-Large Firms: |
Solo – Boutique Firms:
This roundtable discussion will be led by four WLA members all of whom left larger firms and in-house positions to establish their own law firms. Their firms range in size from solo to boutique.
Discussion Leaders:
Sally Higgins, Higgins Law Firm
Kerin Kaminski, Giffin & Kaminski
Elizabeth Lippincott, Lippincott Law Firm
Regina Molden, Molden Holley & Thompson
Topics of discussion include:
- The challenges and rewards of owning a small firm
- Successful business development strategies for women entrepreneurs
- How to collaborate with larger and other small firms
- Managing firm resources to meet client demands
Medium – Large Firms:
Stephanie Scharf, Partner, Schoeman Updike Kaufman & Scharf, will share her experiences and perspective as co-writer of the NAWL Reports on "Retention and Promotion of Women in Law Firms." Karen Kahn, Founder and Principal, Threshold Advisors, will lead a discussion regarding the 2010 survey findings.
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| 2:15 – 3:15 | Best Practices in Mentoring Women Lawyers |
Moderator: Ida Abbott, author, consultant and internationally recognized for her leadership in the fields of mentoring, leadership and professional development, and a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management.
Panelists:
Rebekah Fisher, Partner, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis
Anna Dailey, Partner, Dinsmore & Shohl
Randi Klein Hyatt, Partner, Kollman & Saucier
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| 3:15 – 5:00 | Networking in Action |
| Back by popular demand from the WLA’s inaugural conference, this interactive session will allow each participant to meet many of the other WLA members in a facilitated networking setting.
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| 5:00 – 6:30 | Cocktail Reception |
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| 7:00 | Dining in Chicago |
| WLA members wishing to continue networking with their peers will have the opportunity to dine together at some of Chicago’s finest restaurants. Registration will occur at the conference. (Dinner is not included in the registration fee.)
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| FRIDAY, May 20 |
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| 8:00 – 9:00am | Networking Breakfast |
| Open to all participants |
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| 9:00 – 10:00 | Better Choices: Play Smarter or Change the Rules |
Recent statistics for law firms demonstrate what many find intuitive (and disturbing): women lawyers have lost ground in too many ways. Jane Pigott and Karen Kahn will discuss "success strategies" and implementation of those strategies with a measurable return on investment. They will address the need for women to understand the choices, the prices for their choices and how to implement their given choices so that they get what they want from their careers. This session will challenge participants to commit to a direction and not only provide specific proven tactics, but will help them to understand how to personally implement, measure results and effectively communicate about both.
Jane Pigott, Managing Director, R3 Group, specializes in providing leadership, change and diversity/inclusion consulting to organizations.
Karen Kahn, Founder and Principal, Threshold Advisors. Karen is a recognized expert in helping lawyers and law firms impact the growth of leaders through teaching business development, strategic thinking, clear communication, personal effectiveness, team-building, and relationship development.
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| 10: 15 – 11:15 | Practice in the 21st Century: What It Means for You |
Based on her paper used at Harvard Law School, Ronda Muir will review the massive changes that the practice of law is undergoing globally and what it means to you, your departments and firms in terms of competition, recruitment, staffing, client development, compensation, professional training, and your personal career management.
Ronda Muir, Principal, Law People Management, Inc. is one of the country's leading authorities on the application of behavioral science to the legal workplace. She draws from years of practicing law in New York and Europe, both as outside counsel and in-house counsel, coupled with advanced study in behavioral science.
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| 11:15 – 12:15 | He Said – She Said: The Role Gender Plays in Communication |
This discussion will focus on gender prototypes (not stereotypes) and it will give participants practical, hands-on tools for better communication and negotiation with clients and colleagues alike.
Moderator: John Mitchell, a lawyer and leader who is committed to helping lawyers discover and maximize their leadership potential so that they continuously develop themselves and their firms in pursuit of changing the world. John has extensive experience assisting women and attorneys of color successfully apply their talents in new roles and new environments.
Panelists:
Larry Bridgesmith, Executive Director and Adjunct Professor, Institute for Conflict Management, Lipscomb University and Of Counsel, Miller & Martin.
Susan Sneider, Founder of New Vistas Consulting and internationally recognized management expert in the legal industry. Her experience as a corporate general counsel, marketing and business executive, and management consultant to law firms and corporate and governmental law departments provides her with a unique ability to understand and communicate ideas well.
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| 12:15 Adjourn |
Register for the
Conference:
You must be a
member of the WLA to attend the conference.
WLA members please go to www.wlalliance.org, sign in with your login and password and then click on the "Programs" link to register.
To become a member
you may apply at www.wlalliance.org. Click on the "Become a Member"
tab. (From February 15 - May 1 new members will have their annual membership dues waived if attending the conference - a $295.00 savings.)
Please allow 24-hours to process your membership application before registering for the conference.
Registration fee: $645 per person
Registration fees for the conference apply to individuals and may not be shared among women from the same firm.
The WLA has a hardship policy for this conference. Please contact Beverly Hedrick at Beverly@wlalliance.org for details.
CLE Credit:
This conference has been approved in Illinois and Georgia for 6.0 CLE credit hours. It is approved in Ohio and Tennessee for 4.0 CLE credit hours. Nevada has approved it for 2.5 CLE credit hours. Alabama has approved it for 2.0 CLE credit hours. Application for approval for a maximum of 6.0 CLE credits is PENDING in the following states: Georgia, and Texas. North Carolina has denied CLE credit for this conference.
Attorneys in other states or provinces may be entitled to reciprocal credit. You may view the BaranCLE Reciprocity Guide to see if your state permits CLE reciprocity. If your state or province is not listed above and does not offer reciprocity, you may apply directly for credit subject to the rules of each state/province. We provide a Certificate of Attendance to assist with this process. Please click here for information and links to CLE Course Accreditation Forms. Please contact Beverly@wlalliance.org if you have questions or need assistance with CLE credit.
If your state or province is not listed above and does not offer reciprocity, the WLA will apply for CLE credit in that state after receiving your registration if it is received least 45 days prior to the conference.
Refund Policy:
Cancellation and refund requests must be made via email to Beverly@wlalliance.org according to the following schedule:
On or before April 1, 2011: Full refund less a $100 handling fee
After April 1, 2011: No refund
Confirmation:
All registrants will receive a confirmation of registration via email along with an invoice for the conference. Registration fees are payable by check or credit card prior to the conference.
The Allerton Hotel:
The Allerton Hotel is a lovely, renovated historic hotel where the charm of the 1930s meets the amenities of today. A block of rooms at the group rate of $169 per night has been reserved for the WLA conference attendees at the Allerton Hotel, 701 North Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, 60611. The room rate is guaranteed until April 27, 2011. To make hotel reservations please click here or call 877-701-8111 or 312-440-1500. Mention that you are attending the Women Lawyers Alliance conference to receive the group rate.
Questions:
If you have any questions about the conference or registration please call Beverly Hedrick at 615-730-6148.
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