March 12, 2020

7:30-8:45 AM Registration & Breakfast

8:45-9:00 AM Introduction with Travis Hise and Denny Newberry 

9:00-9:30 AM “The Path of a Legal Consumer” with Kelly Newcomb 

As more potential clients become comfortable researching and connecting with attorneys online, law firms are reassessing and recalibrating how they manage prospects’ expectations and client needs. During the past year, Martindale-Avvo has undertaken a number of research projects to help attorneys understand what matters most to their potential clients. As part of its research, the team mapped the consumers’ hiring journey from the moment the legal need arises to the time when their issue has been resolved and investigated how long it took for consumers to select a lawyer, what they expected to spend on their legal matter and how they handled referrals. This presentation will cull the key learnings from all of these studies to help you better understand and market to your prospective clients and to make you a more informed counselor.

9:30-10:15 AM “Your Firm: EVERYWHERE” with Michael Mogill

Michael Mogill demonstrates what it takes to capture and keep your ideal client's attention in the new legal landscape. Featuring the latest marketing, culture, and business development insights, this presentation takes a holistic approach to law firm growth. Rather than teaching you how to improve your skills solely in the courtroom, we pull back the veil to reveal how some of the nation's most successful law firms (and businesses) build the most efficient and successful teams, attract the best clients, and unlock unprecedented growth.

10:15-10:30 AM Break

10:30-11:30 PM Panel I “Proven Building Blocks to a Successful Practice”

11:30-12:00 PM “Hitting a Home Run: Culture Based on Positivity and Productivity” with Scott Monge and Janice Francis

12:00-1:00 PM Lunch

1:00-1:30 PM “When to Outsource your Intake” with Chris O'Brien

Law firms spend a significant amount of money marketing their services. However, marketing is only the first step. If your law firm is looking to maximize profits, you must ensure that you are prepared to handle the intake process efficiently and effectively. This is an extremely competitive industry. And winning or losing a client usually takes place at the intake stage. Your ability to separate yourself from your competitors at Intake could be the difference between a good year and a great year.

1:30-2:30 PM Panel II “Leveraging Technology to Sign More Clients”

2:30-3:00 PM “Why Prospects Prefer Text” with Denny Newberry

Businesses are using text messaging more and more to communicate to their potential and existing client base. Consumer firms are still far behind other industries in not only understanding the preference of their potential client to communicate in this manner, but the best process to follow to both efficiently and legally utilize SMS. This presentation will cover numerous studies, including Harvard Business School, that show the majority of claimants are more worried about getting a response from a firm than they are whether or not they are contacted by SMS. It will show firms how to effectively utilize SMS to communicate with potential clients and even get them signed up. 

3:00-3:15 PM Break

3:15-3:45 PM “You Might be Missing a Revenue Stream with Referrals” with David Phelps

3:45-4:15 PM “Let your clients do your selling for you: Managing your online reviews” with Erin Gerstenzang 

Like it or not, we now live in a world where clients choose lawyers just like they’d choose a restaurant – through ratings and reviews. If you’re not getting reviewed on Avvo or Google, are you missing out on potential business? We discuss the world of lawyer ratings, where and how to ethically get reviews, and how you might benefit from them.

4:15-4:45 PM “Niche to Mainstream: A Unique Tactic to Succeed in a Competitive Market” with Luis Scott

In an ever increasing competitive legal environment, finding a clear path to growing and maintaining a successful law firm can be confusing if not completely overwhelming. What if there was a way to be competitive against the already established legal giants in your market place without needing to have the giant bank account? Starting off with a Niche practice could be your ticket to hitting the ground running and growing a firm that dominates your market and then creates the path to a more general market strategy.  

4:45-5:00 PM Closing Remarks with Travis Hise & Denny Newberry

Post-Conference 

5:00-6:00 PM Cocktail Social

5:30-6:30 PM SunTrust Park Tour - Click here to open a map of the facility