13th October, 2020
11.00 BST
Welcome to delegates
Conference chairs: Terri Pepper Gavulic, Chief Business Officer, TerraLex
Moray McLaren, Partner, Lexington Consultants
11.10 BST
Keynote: Law firm trends, changes and what it takes to come out on top
Lisa Hart will open the day by sharing the latest research from Acritas Thomson Reuters on the current state of law firms including the early indications of the impact of Covid-19.
11.30 BST
Building your business during a crisis
The crisis has made law firms think more creatively about the services they provide to their clients. As they apply the Covid lens to threats and opportunities, where are the blind spots and where and how should they shift their focus? Richard will focus on what law firms should be doing to strengthen client relationships while laying the foundation for growth when the rebound happens.
11.55 BST
Panel Session: Managing Partners’ Forum
What next for law firms and their BD and Marketing teams?
Building upon the insights of the keynotes, this interactive session will assess how Managing Partners from a range of different types of firms view the impact of the pandemic.
- What are their priorities?
- What do they expect from their Marketing and BD teams given the circumstances?
- What are they tasking them with?
- How are they equipping them?
Moderator:
Panellists:
12.45 BST
Lunch Intermission
13.45 BST
Panel Session: Marketing Masterclass: The Clients Speak
How to engage with clients during a pandemic.
- How has the relationship changed?
- What do clients need?
- What activities cut through the noise?
Some law firms have gone into marketing overdrive – pumping out marketing materials and endless webinars – while others are rightly concerned about damaging valued relations. With clients more open than usual to new thinking and new relationships, communication is, however, subtly changing – becoming more personal and authentic whilst the importance of trust has never been higher.
Moderator:
Panellists:
14.30 BST
Building your business in the COVID-19 era?
This session focuses on building your business during a crisis. We will hear from heads of BD and marketing from a range of firms what they are doing to restructure and refocus their departments in a world without personal interaction.
- How to update clients and offer services without annoying them?
- Is Zoom the answer or are clients now bored with webinars?
- How to network into new and virtual contacts and generate new business opportunities?
We will also be reviewing the skills required to build trust over videoconference and how to pitch virtually – what works and what needs to be avoided.
Moderator:
Panellists:
14.55 BST
BD Express: Why lawyers need to learn to sell – and how to help them enjoy it
15.15 BST
Ensuring a place at the table: Influencing skills for business professionals
BD and marketing professionals are increasingly acting as business leaders, driving innovation around clients and markets, pricing and profitability. But despite their increasing investment in BD, law firms can still remain a difficult environment for marketing professionals. Many firms are willing to pay the high salaries now required, but fail to listen to the advice given.
The panel will explore the challenges of BD and marketing professionals at all stages of their careers and how to ensure they can have a voice at the top of the organization.
Moderator:
Panellists:
16.00 BST
Intermission
16.15 BST
BD Express: Business Creativity
16.30 BST
Dealing with a crisis? How to prepare for the unexpected
16.50 BST
A view from the States
Moderator: Terri Pepper Gavulic
Panellists:
17.15 BST
Insights from the Day: Moray McLaren and Terri Pepper Gavulic
Achieving the possible: How BD and marketing become change-agents
Moray McLaren, Partner, Lexington Consultants; Møller Institute, Cambridge University
Within law firms, implementing even the basics of BD and marketing can be challenging. Strategy papers can sit in bottom drawers gathering dust and partners´ business plans are sometimes never written or written and then forgotten. Persuading lawyers to pull in the same direction on such important initiatives as Key Account Management (KAM) or sector teams can be equally frustrating. But what is the problem here: lack of motivation, knowledge and skills? Or is the challenge around discipline, accountability or mis-aligned financial rewards?
Which battles can be won and which to avoid? Moray McLaren will explore the enablers and barriers to organizational change in law firms and the central role of BD and marketing professionals as change agents during the current crisis.
18.00 BST
Conclusions and Closing
18.15 BST
Networking and Social Event
Participants and panel members share their learning from the conference during an interactive networking session with table moderators.