Profitability, Pricing Chicago 2025

The conference will cover the many issues confronting firms in 2025 both because of economic uncertainty affecting clients and firms and the need to emphasize bottom line decision making. How AI is used in practice internally with clients will be thoroughly explored.

The Client Perspective

We are thrilled to have four clients from top companies and financial institutions. This year we will include a conversation with the clients and a client relationship partner, COO and pricing officer on rates, fee arrangements and other key parts of the client relationship.

Jared Applegate

Chief Legal Operations Officer,

Barnes & Thornburg LLP,

Indianapolis, IN

Erin L. Brooks

Office Managing Partner – Chicago,

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP,

Chicago

Michael A. Carrillo

Partner, Chicago Managing Partner,

Barnes & Thornburg LLP,

Chicago

Matthew J. Dunne

Senior Innovation and Data Science Manager,

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP,

Chicago

Christopher Emerson

Chief Legal Operations and Innovation Officer,

Quarles & Brady LLP,

Milwaukee

Jordan Galvin

Senior Manager of Data and AI Governance,

Holland & Knight LLP, Chicago

Dennis Garcia

Assistant General Counsel, Corporate,

External & Legal Affairs,

Microsoft, Chicago

Tracy Hannan

Vice President and Deputy General Counsel,

Exelon, Chicago

Teresa Wilton Harmon

Co-managing Partner, Chicago Office,

Sidley Austin LLP,

Chicago

Joseph Harris

Director of Revenue and Client Strategy,

Ice Miller LLP, Philadelphia

Richard Jolly

Associate Clinical Professor, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University;

Director, Stokes & Jolly Consulting Ltd.,

Chicago

Lynette Lupia

Director, Outside Counsel Strategy & External Initiatives, AbbVie, Inc.,

Chicago

Keith M. Maziarek

Director of Pricing and Legal Project Management,

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP,

Chicago

Timothy C. McCall
Director of Pricing – US,
Mayer Brown LLP, Chicago

Paul Nicandri

Chief Practice Management & Pricing Officer,

DLA Piper, New York

Program: 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. CDT

Panel 1: What Clients Want—And Expect: How to Collaborate Effectively with Them

Client expectations
Interacting with firm legal and business teams
Recording high billing rates
Dealing with lawyer leaders
Who on the firm business side are “in the room” with representatives of clients

Panel 2: Financial Discipline Makes a Difference: Trends in Profitability, and Data-Driven Decision Making

Law firm strategy
Preparing data to use in productivity and profitability analysis.
Firm rules and responsibilities including new positions and training staff in new data analysis methods
Continuing real estate spend
Examples of new arrangements

Panel 3: Pricing, Fees & Rates

Law firm billing rates
Keeping within budgeted prices
Alternative fee arrangements. Who approves AFAs in the firm? Lawyer leaders? Business executives? Which ones?
Handling pricing disputes

Panel 4: AI and Firm Strategy—What’s Next?

Getting past the pilot stage
Rolling out applications
Structuring data to use in large language models
Budgeting
- Predictive analysis and the budget process
- Firm attorney and matter budgets
New ways for firms to take advantage of AI for research and to improve forecasting and increase efficiency. Training
Business risk
Use Cases