Media Center

MPF Webinars — 2023

On-demand recordings and handout materials from The MPF Webinar Series — “The Law Firm of the Future” — presented in 2023.
~ Cristina Gonzalez, Esq.

It helped to know that I am not alone and that there are other like-minded women leaders out there.

Capital Partner | Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson
New York, NY
~ John E. Harrity, Esq.

The Managing Partner Forum is a go-to resource for not only what’s currently important to law firm leaders, but how law firm leaders are dealing with the issue of the moment and preparing for those of the future.

Co-Managing Partner | Harrity LLP
Fairfax, VA
~ Heather L. Rosing, Esq.

We have enjoyed working with John Remsen and his talented team. The Managing Partner Forum provides excellent content that truly assists in operating a successful business in today’s challenging environment.

Founding Partner | Rosing Pott & Strohbehn
San Diego, CA
~ Lisa Ramsay Cole, Esq.

The MPF programs always provide relevant, timely educational content. They are high energy and interactive which makes them fun to attend, too.

President & Managing Shareholder | Lewis Thomason
Nashville, TN
~ Mark A.B. Carlson, Esq.

Great conference, thank you for the invitation.

Chief Growth Officer | Baker Donelson
Atlanta, GA
~ Kellie L. Howard, Esq.

The information sharing at the MPIEs is especially valuable.

Chief Executive Officer | Collins Einhorn Farrell PC
Southfield, MI
~ Eileen R. Fullerton, Esq.

My partner and I really enjoyed the conference and we look forward to attending again next year.

Managing Partner | Fullerton Beck LLP
White Plains, NY
~ Ms. Natasa Karambatsos

Connecting with other firm leaders, as it felt more like a ‘retreat’ than a ‘conference.’ Fantastic format allowed for great information and advice sharing.

Managing Partner | KRB Lawyers
Montreal, QC
~ Charles B. Jimerson, Esq.

I go to a lot of conferences, and your event is the one I look forward to and gain the most from each year. The power of this group is incredible. So privileged to be a part of it. Thank you for what you do for our industry.

Chief Executive Officer | Jimerson Birr, PA
Jacksonville, FL
~ Linda Perez Clark, Esq.

Connecting with other firm leaders, as it felt more like a ‘retreat’ than a ‘conference.’ Fantastic format allowed for great information and advice sharing.

Managing Partner | Kean Miller
Baton Rouge, LA
~ Evan D. Schein, Esq.

ATL was a great time, and I really enjoyed the conference, as always.

~ Parker J. Lavin, Esq.

That was my first experience at the conference, and it was tremendously valuable.

Founding Member | Lavin Rindner Duffield LLC
St. Simons Island, GA
~ Whitney Cunningham, Esq.

Great job! Keep it going. Thank you for the excellent work you do for the profession.

Managing Partner | Aspey, Watkins & Diesel PLLC
Flagstaff, AZ
~ Russ Brown, Esq.

The collegiality and brainstorming opportunities can’t be beat.

Managing Partner | Brown Fox PLLC
Dallas, TX
~ Talon J. Powers, Esq.

The MPF Conference is always a great event. The MPIEs and Workshops were really good this year.

~ William O. London, Esq.

I love this conference!

Partner | Kimura London & White LLP
Irvine, CA
~ Eileen M. Letts, Esq.

The program topics are timely and well presented. Every time I attend, I learn something new.

Partner | Zuber Lawler
Chicago, IL
~ Ms. Lisa Armstrong

MPF is on top of the issues facing firm leaders, often before we even see them coming in our own firms, and provides timely advice from industry experts to see us through them.

Managing Partner | SBA Lawyers LLP
Kitchener, ON
~ Thomas C. Grella, Esq.

I highly recommend the MPF Leadership Conference. I’ve participated many times, as have several of my partners. We leave with new ideas and fresh perspectives every time.

Past Managing Partner | McGuire Wood & Bissette
Asheville, NC
~ Robert A. Young, Esq.

Hands down the best leadership conference for managing partners I’ve ever attended.

Managing Partner | English Lucas Priest Owsley
Bowling Green, KY
~ Marc D. Chapman, Esq.

This is my 12th or 13th time attending, and it’s always the best conference I attend every year.

President | Dean Mead
Orlando, FL
~ Wilbur E. Johnson, Esq.

The MPIEs are interesting, informative and very useful!

Partner | Clement Rivers, LLP
Charleston, SC
~ Jason P. Waguespack, Esq.

I look forward to this Conference every year. It really helps me to be a more effective firm leader.

Managing Director | Galloway Johnson
New Orleans, LA
~ Jason M. Casini, Esq.

MPF provides tremendous value and excellent resources. Great information. Great speakers. Great networking opportunities.

Past Managing Partner | Whitfield & Eddy Law
Des Moines, IA

MPF Webinars

MPF Webinars — 2023

Below (in reverse chronological order) are links to the on-demand recordings and handout materials for the MPF Webinars we presented in 2023. Moderated by John Remsen, Jr. and Uri Gutfreund, these sessions are fast-paced, highly interactive and full of benchmarking data.

December 20, 2023

by Managing Partner Forum with Uri Gutfreund and John Remsen, Jr.

One-hundred twenty-five (125) managing partners and law firm leaders participated. As always, we generate timely benchmarking data, and strive to make these programs fast-paced, entertaining and relevant. During the session, Uri Gutfreund and I shared our “Best of Show” MPF Webinars for 2023:

  • Winning the Law Firm Merger/Acquisition Game – March
  • The Rise of the Law Firm C-Suite: Importance of Data in Law Firm Management – July
  • What Law Firm Leaders Need to Know about AI and ChatGPT – August
  • Pricing Strategies to Improve Your Firm’s Profitability in 2024 – November
In addition, we offered our predictions for 2024. Here are some of the highlights:
  • Top Priorities for Small and Midsize Law Firms
    • Profitability Improvement – Forty-two percent (42%)
    • Marketing/Business Development – Eighteen percent (18%)
    • Succession Planning – Thirteen percent (13%)
  • Demand for Junior Partners and Senior Associates Will be Red Hot. Not so Much for Junior Associates
  • Women Will Leap into Leadership Roles
  • Bold Rate Increases Will Hold. (Go for it!)
  • MidLaw Will Kick Butt in 2024!

November 21, 2023

by Managing Partner Forum with Bo Yancey
Held on November 21st. One-hundred five (105) managing partners and firm leaders participated, and here are some of the highlights:
Annual Billable Hour Expectations Continue to Fall. Thirty-three percent (33%) of firms currently expect 1,700 or fewer billable hours for Associates. A whopping fifty-nine percent (59%) have similar expectations for Non-Equity/Income Partners.
Many Midsize Firms Achieved Nice Rate Increases in 2023. Forty-five percent (45%) reported that they achieved “meaningful” (5% or more) rate increases in the current year.
Most Firms Plan to Pursue Aggressive Rate Increases in 2024. Here is how it breaks down according to our survey results:
  • Ten percent (10%) plan to raise rates by ten percent (10%) or more.
  • Thirty percent (30%) plan to raise rates by six-nine percent (6-9%).
  • Forty-five percent (45%) plan to raise rates by four-five percent (4-5%).
We think you will find this benchmarking data very helpful as your firm contemplates its pricing strategies for 2024.

October 18, 2023

by Managing Partner Forum with Elise Holtzman
More than 75 firm leaders participated in the live Webinar and here are a few things they told us:
  • Forty-four percent (44%) of firm leaders said that they have or have had a woman managing partner.
  • Twenty-nine percent (29%) reported that they had women’s initiatives in play at their firms. (We were surprised that the number was not higher.)
  • Thirty-eight percent (38%) say that their firms provide business development coaching/training for women lawyers.
  • The top strategies to attract and retain women: 1) Flexible Work Options. 2) Mentoring and Sponsorship.

September 20, 2023

by Managing Partner Forum with Debbie Foster and Stephanie Everett
The session was fast-paced, highly interactive, and full of great ideas to implement at your firm.
As always, we feature live audience polling. Here are some of the things we learned:
  • When it comes to adapting to change, 6% of firm leaders say that their firms are “Innovators;” 15% say they are “Early Adapters;” 29% say they are “Early Majority;” 35% say they are “Late Majority;” and 13% describe their firms as “Laggards”.
  • 32% say that “Innovation” is among their firm’s “Core Values.”
  • 43% say that “Innovation” is rarely or never discussed at partnership meetings.

August 16, 2023

by Managing Partner Forum with Rosanna Berardi and Tony DeSimone
We thank our guest speakers Rosanna Berardi, Esq., Managing Partner of Berardi Immigration Law; and Anthony DeSimone, President of YEN LLC. We had a great conversation with practical advice and guidance provided. Here are a few topics we discussed:
  • AI’s Impact on the Legal Industry
  • Lean, Learn, Get Ahead of the Curve
  • Tony’s Cheat Sheet RE: Bard, Bing, Chat
  • Training Your People, both lawyers and staff
  • Adopting Firm Policy

July 19, 2023

by Managing Partner Forum with Julie Boehme, Rebecca Goodman-Stephens and David Schaefer
Among other things, we discussed the importance of metrics and KPIs to the business and practice of law, and the future of data analytics in the legal industry. As always, we collect and share current benchmarking data.
Our guest speakers were Julie Boehme, Chief Operating Officer of Bernstein Shur; Rebecca Goodman-Stephens, Chief Executive Officer of Moses Singer; and David Schaefer, Managing Director of Calibrate.

June 21, 2023

by Managing Partner Forum with Roy Sexton, Susan Slifer and Lee Watts
Fresh off the LMA’s Annual Conference in Hollywood, Florida, we invited Roy E. Sexton, President of the Legal Marketing Association and Director of Marketing of Clark Hill; Susan Slifer, Principal of Edge International; and Lee Watts, Founder/CEO of Ashby & Co. Consulting, to share the latest trends and developments. Here are a few things we learned:
  • Less than ten percent (10%) of firms regularly solicit client feedback. This is low-hanging fruit, and there are plenty of ways to go about it.
  • Sixty-eight percent (68%) of firms say they provide business development training for lawyers. Only nine percent (9%) include staff. We think you should include everybody at your firm in business development training.
  • Fifty-nine percent (59%) of firm leaders say that their firms track marketing/business development time. Twenty-six percent (26%) say that it matters. We say track it and reward it. You get what you pay for.

May 17, 2023

by Managing Partner Forum with Bill Meck and Rob Mattern
We discussed how to improve your firm’s bottom line through a strategic approach to expense management. One hundred and forty-eight (148) managing partners and firm leaders participated, and we learned the following:
  • Forty percent (40%) of firm leaders reported that Total Firm Profitability is “up” this year, compared to 2022. Forty percent (40%) said it was “about the same.”
  • Fifty-six percent (56%) said that Associate Salaries are the fastest growing expense category at their firms.
  • Ninety three percent (93%) reported that their firms have Raised Rates in 2023 to improve the bottom line.
  • Sixty-six percent (66%) told us that they are focusing on Expense Management “more than usual” in 2023.

March 15, 2023

by Managing Partner Forum with Corey Castillo, Roger Hayse and Alex Muñoz
The live session was held on Wednesday, March 15th, and our guest panelists were Corey Castillo, Roger Hayse, and Alex Muñoz. Eighty-eighty (88) law firm leaders participated, and here are some of the things we learned.
  • Fifty-seven percent (57%) observe an uptick in merger/acquisition activity in their regions
  • Eighty-one percent (81%) say their firms are in growth mode, and seek to acquire smaller firms/practice groups
  • Forty-five percent (45%) say growth is driven by a “written” or “adopted” firm strategic plan
  • Fifty percent (50%) say cultural fit is the biggest concern assessing opportunities
These popular programs are complimentary for our readers. Participants value the fast pace, the interactive format, and the timely bench-marking data we share.

February 15, 2023

by Managing Partner Forum with Whitney Cunningham and Carson Pearson
During the session, we asked Whitney and Carson to provide an overview of the reform efforts in their jurisdictions, discuss how law firms have responded, and share what their firms are doing in light of regulatory reforms. Eighty-five (85) managing partners and firm leaders participated in the live session, and here are a few things we learned via surveys and live audience polling:
  • Ninety-four percent (94%) of participants think the legal profession is not doing a good job educating society-at-large about the law and the legal profession.
  • Sixty percent (60%) of participants said that access to capital is important for their firms.
  • Fifty percent (50%) of participants think that technology companies are a competitive threat to their firms.
  • Seventy percent (70%) favor Multi-Disciplinary Practices (MDPs) and Alternative Business Structures (ABSs). Fifteen percent (15%) are strongly opposed.
This session offers an interesting and thought-provoking conversation with two firm leaders on the front line of regulatory reforms in the legal profession.

January 18, 2023

by Managing Partner Forum with Uri Gutfreund and John Remsen, Jr.
Drawing on insights and perspectives from managing partners and law firm leaders from across the US and Canada, Uri Gutfreund and John Remsen Jr. presented their BIG BOLD predictions for the legal profession in 2023.
As always, the session was fast-paced, entertaining and featured plenty of current survey and benchmarking data.
Presented by

Free weekly newsletter

The MPF Weekly

Each Friday, law firm managing partners and firm leaders get the latest on strategy, talent, succession and more, straight to their inbox.

Takes about a minute. Unsubscribe anytime.