"Inside the Mind of the Client” has won critical acclaim from leading legal industry thought-leaders and has been presented to a handful of leading law firms at partner meetings.  It focuses on how in-house counsel think when it comes to selecting, managing and collaborating with outside counsel. The presentation includes quantitative details, and relies heavily on statistics gathered from national surveys of Chief Legal Officers and other in-house counsel. The presentation includes extensive use of direct, off-the-record quotes from in-house counsel at leading companies on a range of relevant topics. For example, it explores their: thoughts on the typical law firm proposal process, comments on surprises that law firms should avoid, and the problems with cross-selling. The presentation also includes extensive facts and figures, gathered in research conducted by Inside Counsel, ACC, and other sources, on perceptions about: outside counsel that have under-performed and over-performed, the largest legal department challenges and how outside counsel can help solve those challenges, billing missteps and how firms can prevent them, and the nuances of legal department pressures when it comes to outside counsel costs and how to be sensitive to those pressures.

About the Speakers

Laura Meherg is a founder and partner in the Wicker Park Group. She was named Marketing Director of the Year by the Elite Excellence in Legal Marketing Awards at the 2004 Marketing Partner Forum. This award followed her development of a leading client feedback program for her firm, Burr & Forman, which produced measurable results, won universal praise from the leadership of her firm, and became a benchmark in the industry.  She has conducted hundreds of interviews over the past 10 years. Laura remained as director of client services and marketing at Burr & Forman from 1998 to 2005.  At the firm, Laura’s responsibilities covered every aspect of marketing and training. After leaving Burr & Forman in 2005, Laura founded Meherg Consulting, which later became part of the Wicker Park Group.  She regularly works with GC and facilitates GC roundtables for Martindale-Hubbell’s Counsel-to-Counsel Forum series and other in-house counsel programs.  She is a frequent speaker at legal marketing educational programs. She is a past- President of the Southeastern Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association and recently served on the board of directors of the Legal Marketing Association as Secretary and Member at Large. She currently serves as Chairman of the Board for Kid One Transport Systems of Alabama and volunteers with Girls Inc.

Nathaniel Slavin is a founder and partner in the Wicker Park Group. He is the former publisher of InsideCounsel (Corporate Legal Times), the management monthly for corporate legal executives, as well as a series of specialty publications. His monthly column, Interactions, explored the issues that challenge legal departments and their law firms and businesses advisors. In 2005 he led the sale of Corporate Legal Times LLC to a New York based private-equity sponsored publishing company. He remained executive vice president and publisher, and a member of the senior management team at Wicks Business Information until his 2006 departure. In 2007, he formed the Wicker Park Group. He was also co-founder and publisher of Business Without Borders. He is the author of more than 100 articles on legal department management and frequently speaks on legal department management and marketing strategies. He regularly works with law firm leadership to advise on marketplace trends, consults with corporate legal departments and is intimately involved in the creation of innovative brand initiatives for a variety of consultancies, technology companies and law firms. Previously he was founding editor and publisher of U.S. Business Litigation. From 1992-2006 he held a variety of editorial and management positions at Corporate Legal Times LLC and its predecessor company Giant Steps Media. He serves as the president of the International Board of Directors of Legal Marketing Association, is on the Board of Directors of the Poder Learning Center, and taught bi-lingual/bi-cultural English & History in Southern California.

Sponsored by: Nova Office Strategies