AttorneysEd Center

Long-held stereotypical attitudes continue to deprive women of a level playing field in law firm advancement, professional advance, and client-development efforts. For example, we still hear that a woman attorney is weak or ineffective because she speaks too softly or asks a lot of questions (she isn’t being heard) or she is too aggressive, strident, and shrill (she raises her voice), while a male attorney—in the same situation—is viewed as in command and assertive, that is, doing his job. Gender biases and gender communication differences can affect a woman’s success and hurt her professional and business development opportunities. Join Andrea Kramer, a partner in McDermott Will & Emery LLP, and a frequent speaker on improving gender diversity, for this important program for all attorneys. Offering tips for eliminating bias in the legal profession and leveling the playing field for both men and women attorneys, she: • teaches ways

Join popular presenter Steve Bennett, a partner at Jones Day, as he discusses lawyer advertising in the wake of the Second Circuit’s new decision in Alexander v. Cahill. Topics covered in this Ethics program include: 1. Why regulate lawyer advertising? 2. The New York amendments to its professional responsibility rules 3. The Alexander v. Cahill decision: background and reasoning 4. What’s next? 5. Practical implications.

Third party litigation funding is a new and creative tool for mitigating litigation risks and costs. Please join us as a panel that includes prior and current practicing attorneys and representatives of major litigation third party funding firms discuss the opportunities and challenges in transferring litigation risks and costs from parties to commercial investment vehicles. Topics include: • the nature of litigation funding • current and forecasted utilization of the litigation funding technique • ethical and legal issues • plaintiff-side products • defense-side products

Growing your business or advancing your career requires a strategic plan and set of skills that will help you to differentiate your legal services or products from those of everyone else. Join Susan Letterman White, Esq. for Part 2 of this two-part series in which she explains the process and skills needed to develop and execute a strategic plan for yourself or your small firm. • In Part I (program 2034), attendees learn how to create a competitive advantage for themselves and small law firms. This process helps them to: (1) identify their strengths and weaknesses; (2) locate opportunities and threats; and (3) develop a strategic intention to support marketing strategy or career advancement. Necessary leadership skills are explained. • In Part II (program 2036), attendees learn how to develop goals and action plans to advance personal career and law firm goals, such as an effective marketing strategy. Necessary leadership skills are explained.

Leadership, in today’s large and medium-sized law firms, must be built upon a foundation of innovation and relationships. Excellence in leadership requires more than a charismatic personality or ability to influence others. Join Susan Letterman White, Esq. for Part 2 of this two-part series in which she explains the actions and skills needed to successfully develop and advance firm-wide, practice group, and other client-development marketing strategies. • In Part I (program 2033), attendees are introduced to two processes. The first process helps attendees learn how to evaluate the current context in which they are trying to lead. The second process helps them to create a strategic direction and goals. Necessary leadership skills are explained. • In Part II (program 2035), attendees learn how to take strategic goals and create an action plan for implementing each goal. The presentation focuses on how to implement goals through effectively developing and leading teams and addressing obstacles that

Growing your business or advancing your career requires a strategic plan and set of skills that will help you to differentiate your legal services or products from those of everyone else. Join Susan Letterman White, Esq. for this two-part series in which she explains the process and skills needed to develop and execute a strategic plan for yourself or your small firm. Part 2 continues on June 3, 2010. • In Part I (program 2034), attendees learn how to create a competitive advantage for themselves and small law firms. This process helps them to: (1) identify their strengths and weaknesses; (2) locate opportunities and threats; and (3) develop a strategic intention to support marketing strategy or career advancement. Necessary leadership skills are explained. • In Part II (program 2036), attendees learn how to develop goals and action plans to advance personal career and law firm goals, such as an effective marketing strategy. Necessary leadership skills are explained.

Leadership, in today’s large and medium-sized law firms, must be built upon a foundation of innovation and relationships. Excellence in leadership requires more than a charismatic personality or ability to influence others. Join Susan Letterman White, Esq. for this two-part series in which she explains the actions and skills needed to successfully develop and advance firm-wide, practice group, and other client-development marketing strategies. Part 2 continues on June 2, 2010. • In Part I (program 2033), attendees are introduced to two processes. The first process helps attendees learn how to evaluate the current context in which they are trying to lead. The second process helps them to create a strategic direction and goals. Necessary leadership skills are explained. • In Part II (program 2035), attendees learn how to take strategic goals and create an action plan for implementing each goal. The presentation focuses on how to implement goals through effectively developing and leading teams and addressing

The recent explosion in demand for alternative fee arrangements in intellectual property cases has brought to the fore issues that had previously been unimportant. How does the lawyer square his obligations under both state and PTO rules of professional conduct with the economic realities of an alternative fee? Christopher May and Christina Ondrick of McDermott Will & Emery LLP examine some of the ethical problems and issues that can arise when attorneys agree to take an intellectual property case using contingency fee agreements, blended agreements, partial ownership of the patent, and others. NOTE to TX Attorneys: This course has been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of Texas Committee on MCLE in the amount of 1 credit hours, of which 1 credit hour will apply to legal ethics/professional responsibility credit.

We know the statistics on women and minority lawyers at the highest levels of our profession. We know the reasons in favor of improving these statistics and building diverse organizations. But, do we really know the strategies for building diversity into our firms and managing ourselves and our groups in diverse environments? Join Susan Letterman White, Esq. as she explains the strategies for creating diverse law firms and how to implement them so that everyone has a chance to do their best work. These strategies ultimately create firms with improved competitive positions in the marketplace.

Studies show that when partners, associates and support staff feel included, accepted, valued and safe, their performance can drive unprecedented productivity that exceeds even best-case expectations. David Rock's writing on leadership suggests focus and action by managing partners to bolster how firm employees feel in five areas: status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness and fairness—dubbed the SCARF model. What specifically can law-firm leaders do to create systems and processes that address human needs concerning these five workplace qualities? Susan Letterman White answers the question, drawing on her extensive research and experience as an author and consultant in helping lawyers leverage behavioral psychology to improve individual performance and firm productivity, and on her own experiences as the former managing partner of a law firm.