Saturday 18 June, 2011

"Law Firm Leaders Forum" in San Francisco

I'm composing this on the plane on my way to the 12th annual "Law Firm Leaders Forum: Leading the Law Firm of the Future" this Thursday and Friday, March 8 & 9, at the Four Seasons in San Francisco. Ralph Baxter of Orrick founded the "Leaders Forum" twelve years ago and has been its Chair ever since; this year it's produced in conjunction with The Hildebrandt Institute, and Brad Hildebrandt is the co-chair.

Just to whet your appetite (or mine) for what's on the agenda, here are the highlights:

  • Legal Marketplace 2012: The Profession and Business of Law in Five Years
    • Ralph Baxter
    • Dan DiPietro (Citigroup Private Bank, Law Firm Group)
    • Brad Hildebrandt
    • Aric Press (editor in chief, The American Lawyer)
  • Multi-Faceted Legal Market: One Size Does Not Fit All
    • Brad Hildebrandt
    • Guy Beringer, Senior Partner, Allen & Overy
    • Robert Dell, Chairman and Managing Partner, Latham & Watkins
    • Greg Jordan, Chairman and Managing Partner, Reed Smith
  • Facing Reality: How to Fashion a Strategy to Succeed in Today's Fragmented and Competitive Legal Marketplace
    • Ralph Baxter
    • Fred Bartlit, Jr., Bartlit Beck
    • Michael Boone, Co-Founder, Haynes and Boone
    • John Gamble, Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory& Natsis
    • Richard Racine, Managing Partner, Finnegan Henderson
  • Law Firm Leadership& Talent Management
    • Dr. Larry Richard, Hildebrandt
    • John Conroy, Jr., Chairman of the Executive Committee, Baker & McKenzie
    • William Perlstein,Co-Managing Partner, WilmerHale
    • Regina Pisa, Chairman and Managing Partner, Goodwin Procter
    • Barton Winokur, Chairman & CEO, Dechert
  • The Changing Mindset of Lawyers and How to Deal With It
    • Ralph Baxter
    • Arthur B. Culvahouse, Jr., Chair, O'Melveny & Myers
    • R. Bruce McLean, Chairman, Akin Gump
    • Francis Milone, Chairman and CEO, Morgan Lewis & Bockius
    • Aric Press
    • Mel Immergut, Chairman, Milbank
  • Law Practice Outside the United States: The View From Other Countries
    • Ralph Baxter
    • Jose Maria Alfonso, Managing Partner, Garrigues, Abogados Asesores Tributarios, Madrid
    • Akira Kosugi, Managing Partner, Nishimura & Partners, Tokyo
    • Robert Sutton, Senior Partner, Macfarlanes, London
  • Strategic Alternatives for Lawyers to Support the Global Issues Domestic Clients Confront
    • Brad Hildebrandt
    • T. Kennedy Helm, III, Managing Partner and Chairman, Stites & Harbison
    • Mark Wasserman, Managing Partner, Sutherland Asbill & Brennan
  • The New Supply Chain: Contract Lawyers, Outsourcing, and Other Alternatives
    • Ralph Baxter
    • Guy Beringer, Senior Partner, Allen & Overy
    • Mel Immergut
  • Annual Report on Law Firm Economics
    • Dan DiPietro
    • Brad Hildebrandt
    • Mel Immergut
    • Thomas Yanucci, Chairman, Kirkland & Ellis

As you see, a bluer-chip roster could scarcely be imagined. This should be a deeply stimulating feast of intellectual riches. I am deeply grateful to my friends at Orrick for making this possible for me and, in a future report coming to "Adam Smith, Esq.," for you. Home Saturday.

    March 8, 2007 5:19 PM       0 Comments       0 TrackBacks          Print

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The Story of Adam Smith, Esq.

Adam Smith, Esq., LLC was founded in 2003 by Bruce MacEwen.  Its driving focus is on the business, economic and strategic issues facing sophisticated law firms as they face the challenges of practicing in the 21st Century. .

Our consulting encompasses guidance and counsel to help firms navigate in an increasingly competitive environment as well as capitalize on the opportunities and challenges presented by such diverse forces such as globalization and technology.  Core competencies include geographic and practice area focus, partnership structure, compensation and incentives, practice group management, mergers & acquisitions, associate and alternative career paths and client relationship management.  Our client list is confidential but is concentrated in the AmLaw 100, Magic Circle, Silver Circle UK firms, leading European, Canadian and emerging market firms.  We regularly speak at firm retreats and industry conferences, globally.

AdamSmithesq.com, our online publication, serves as a companion to the consulting and is consistent with the overall positioning of the company, focusing on the business and economics of the global legal sector.  The site currently generates about 4.2 million page-views per year or nearly 400,000 per month.  It reaches a global audience, though a preponderance of readers are in the US.  Of US readers, 45% are at AmLaw 50 firms and over 70% are at AmLaw 200 firms.  Readership skews to senior management and partners at these firms.  As of April 2011 over 1,100 articles have appeared, written by Bruce.

Adam Smith, Esq. is owned and managed by Bruce, who serves as President and Janet Stanton, a Partner who joined the company in 2007.  She brings an augmented business focus to Adam Smith, Esq., based on perspectives gleaned from other industries and professional service sectors.

Adam Smith, Esq. has received plaudits from many of the top practitioners in the industry.  We have also appeared in or been quoted in the most influential national international and business press as well as the most notable legal media.  Our online publication has been hailed as “must read” by thought leaders throughout the sector.

Bruce MacEwen received his undergraduate degree from Princeton, magna cum laude in Economics and earned his JD at Stanford Law.  He practiced at two distinguished firms in New York, Breed, Abbot & Morgan and Shea & Gould.  Following that, Bruce practiced in-house for 10 years at Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter.  Bruce is currently a Fellow in the College of Law Practice Management.  He is based in New York.

Janet Stanton graduated from Vassar College and then entered the business world, where she worked in brand management at Johnson & Johnson.  She also worked at respected advertising agencies such as Grey and Benton & Bowles.  She spent 16 years at Bates Worldwide, reaching the level of Executive Vice President and was then President of a mid-sized agency near Philadelphia.  Most recently, Janet served as Director of Client Relationships Program at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.  She is based in New York.

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