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2025 Priorities, Prospects, Pitfalls—Key Themes
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Can the Economy Withstand the Headwinds from DC and Global Uncertainty?
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Views of Clients on Raising Rates and Working Relationships with Firms
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Roles of Lawyer Leaders, Senior Business Executives including
COO, CFO, CKO, and CPOs
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Complying with Outside Counsel Guidelines
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Corporate Counsel Collaboration with Law Firms
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Can Firms Charge Clients for AI?
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How Does AI Change the Client Relationship?
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Internal Pricing Models Using AI and/ or other Metrics
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AI Investment
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Internal Performance Management and Project Management
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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 three 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.
Stellar Panel of Experts…
CLIENTS
Matt Rubbelke
Strategic Spend & Budget Advisory,
Google, New York
Raman Sharma
Vice President, Outside Counsel Management,
Deutsche Bank, New York
Pamela Torres
General Counsel of Global Investment Research; Global Head of the Technology, Sourcing and Intellectual Property Legal Group
Goldman Sachs & Co,
New York
LAW FIRMS and Advisors
Ralph Allen
Kelley Drye & Warren LLP,
Chief Operating Officer,
New York
Jared Applegate
Chief Legal Operations Officer,
Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Chicago
David Cunningham
Chief Innovation Officer,
Reed Smith LLP, Houston
Matthew Dunne
Senior Innovation and Data Science Manager,
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP,
Chicago
Dwight Floyd
Chief Operating Officer (US),
Eversheds Sutherland LLP, Atlanta
Alexandra Guajardo
Global Director of Commercial Strategy,
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, Dallas
Melissa Gyure
Director of Pricing,
Paul Hastings LLP, New York
Richard Hans
Managing Partner, Verticals,
DLA Piper, New York
Kelly Jana
CFO, FTI Consulting –
Forensic and Litigation Consulting,
Washington, D.C.
David M. Kleinhandler
Senior Vice President,
CBRE, Advisory & Transaction Services,
New York
Keith Maziarek
Director of Pricing and Legal Project Management, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP,
Chicago
Barry J. Mehew
Global Chief Pricing & Value Officer,
Mayer Brown LLP, New York
Sean McNamara
Chief Financial Officer,
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP,
New York
Paul Nicandri
Chief Practice Management & Pricing Officer
DLA Piper, New York
Cynthia Romano
Senior Managing Director,
FTI Consulting, New York
Joel A. Wirchin
Managing Director, Professional Services,
RR Donnelley, New York
Mark D. Wasserman
Co-Chief Executive Officer; Managing Partner,
Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP,
Atlanta
Program: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. EDT
Panel 1: What Clients Want—And Expect: How to Collaborate Effectively with Them
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Client expectations
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Interacting with firm legal and business teams
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Recording high billing rates
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Dealing with lawyer leaders
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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
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Law firm strategy
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Preparing data to use in productivity and profitability analysis.
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Firm rules and responsibilities including new positions and training staff in new data analysis methods
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Continuing real estate spend
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Examples of new arrangements
Panel 3: Pricing, Fees & Rates
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Law firm billing rates
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Keeping within budgeted prices
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Alternative fee arrangements. Who approves AFAs in the firm? Lawyer leaders? Business executives? Which ones?
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Handling pricing disputes
Panel 4: AI and Firm Strategy—What’s Next?
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Getting past the pilot stage
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Rolling out applications
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Structuring data to use in large language models
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Budgeting
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Predictive analysis and the budget process
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Firm attorney and matter budgets
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New ways for firms to take advantage of AI for research and to improve forecasting and increase efficiency. Training
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Business risk
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Use Cases

Questions? Email: GinaRivera@sandpiperpartners.com Or Call: 973-278-8800.
CLE, CPE credit has been applied for.