Law Firm 4.0 Blog

2014 Futures Conference on Legal Innovation will Break the Mold - October 16-17

What happens when you put 150 legal practice innovators together with 10 pioneers and leading-edge thinkers for two days of brainstorming and problem-solving at one of the country’s most innovative law schools?

One can only imagine the possibilities!  On October 16-17, 2014, The College of Law Practice Management will host this year’s annual conference at Suffolk University Law School in Boston.  Co-Chairs Lisa Damon, a partner at Seyfarth Shaw and a widely-recognized innovator, Susan Saltonstall Duncan of RainMaking Oasis, and Deborah McMurray of Content Pilot, have designed a one-of-a-kind, dynamic and inspiring program that promises to engage participants in discussing issues facing the legal profession and push the envelope toward new ideas and solutions. Speakers will give short, provocative TED-like presentations. Small groups will  brainstorm about new approaches and new products for making law more accessible, practical and sustainable. The program culminates in a Shark Tank-like competition during which participants will pitch their innovative concepts to a panel of judges.

The all-star line-up includes:

Keynote: 

Tom Sager, Recently Retired Senior Vice President and General Counsel of DuPont after 37 years, and American Lawyer Top 50 Legal Innovator and recipient of the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award.

TED (like) Speakers:

Jeff Carr, Former General Counsel at FMC Technologies

Ron Dolin, Legal Technologist, Fellow, Instructor of Law, Stanford University

Abe Gieger, CEO of ShakeLaw

Carla Goldstein, Associate General Counsel and Director of Strategic Initiatives, BMO Financial Group

Michael Mills, President and Chief Strategy Officer, Neota Logic Inc.

Ron Staudt, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Access to Justice & Technology, Chicago-Kent Law School

"Shark-Tank" Competition Judges:

Susan Hackett, Legal Executive Leadership

Josh Kubicki, Transformation Institute

Chris Marston, CEO, Exemplar Companies

Registration for College Fellows is $495 and for non-Fellows is $595.  Registration is also discounted for other legal industry association members, such as ABA, ALA, ILTA and LMA, to $495. 

We invite reporters and editors who cover the business of law to participate as registered attendees, and will waive the registration fee for the first five media professionals who contact COLPM Administrator, Stacey McIntyre, at [email protected].

For more information, please download the 2014 Futures Conference brochure here: 

http://collegeoflpm.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/CLM14004-brochure_SINGLE_FINAL2.pdf

The College Law Practice Management was formed in 1994 to honor and recognize distinguished law practice management professionals, to set standards of achievement for others in the profession, and to fund and assist projects that enhance the highest quality of law practice management.

CONTACT:  Stacey McIntyre, [email protected], 734.929.0361

What law firms can learn from perfect food and wine pairings at Beausoleil in Baton Rouge

Thanks to a generous and well organized client in Baton Rouge, powerhouse litigation boutique Keogh Cox & Wilson, I was treated to a food and wine extravaganza at Beausoleil Restaurant & Bar.  Partners on the Keogh Cox management committee brainstormed with executive chef and owner, Nathan Gresham (also former chef de cuisine at Galatoire's) to design a five-course tasting menu that combined the tastes and techniques of new southern cooking and classic French cuisine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Executive Chef Nathan Gresham, Beausoleil

 

 

 

 

 

Partner John Wolff and managing partner Drew Blanchfield dug into their personal wine collections and uncovered perfect bottles of white and red wines, mostly French, but also some California reds, to perfectly pair with the flavors and textures of Chef Gresham's dishes.

We started with housemade cracklins. OK, I don't love fried pig skin - I'm just not Southern or devil-may-care-about-my-health-and-figure enough. The real first dish was flash-fried gulf oysters with creamy truffle vinaigrette (pictured above) and shaved manchego - paired with a 2004 Chablis Premier Cru - Monts Mains. The wine was both crisp and buttery, and the oysters melted in our mouths, they were so tender.

Our second course was a lamb meatball "masala" over stone-ground grits and raita sauce paired with a 1997 Kistler Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. This wine was called a "cult favorite" by Robert Parker and is nearly impossible to find today. It was a dark red, suitable for the lamb, but smooth.

Our third course was spear-caught cobia, stewed crowder peas, poached shrimp and saffron butter. The cobia, which was new to me, had been speared the day before, so it couldn't have been fresher and more flavorful. The Louisiana state record for cobia was 91 pounds; ours was 90.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Spear-caught cobia fish

 

 

 

 

The cobia was paired with a 2008 Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot Puligny Montrachet - again, a pairing that brought out the best of this dish, without either over-powering the other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spear-caught cobia, stewed crowder peas, poached shrimp and saffron butter

 

 

 

The meat course (yes! we are still eating!) was grilled Collete de Boeuf (cap of beef - of the ribeye) Bourgogne, baby carrots and shitake mushroom. It was paired with one of my favorite non-Pinot Noir reds of all time, Turley Zinfandel. This 2008 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel from Grist Vineyard was a chewy, hearty wine, substantial enough for the beef, but not distracting from the feast of flavors on the plate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grilled Collete de Boeuf Bourgogne, baby carrots and shitake mushroom

 

 

 

 

Dessert needed to be gentle after this beautiful food fest, and it was - Louisiana poached pears, whipped mascarpone cheese with cinnamon syrup.  And this was paired with a 2001 Chateau Guiraud 1st Cru Sauternes - a fitting choice to top off this extraordinary meal.

Remarkably, there was no food/wine coma immediately after our dinner, or even the next morning.  It demonstrates the care taken in portion-sizing and pairings.

So, what can law firms learn from this one-of-a-kind experience?

1.    This evening was entirely unexpected.  It took a lot of advance designing, creativity and follow through. These lawyers didn't just make a reservation at a nice restaurant, they created an experience that I will remember (and talk about) for a long time.

Lawyers: create unexpected, surprising experiences and memories for your clients and colleagues. Stand out from the throngs of other lawyers who aren't clever or thoughtful enough to design an evening like this.

2.    Seek perfection outside  the practice of law.  You can find it in an orchestra hall, on a theater stage, in a book of poetry, in the kitchen or at a farmer's market.  Recognize it, embrace it, fall in love with it. Lawyers are trained to be critical thinkers, and that often leads to cynicism, which is a precursor to disappointment.  If you don't stem that tide, you will no longer be good company; and clients admit that they want to do business with people they like and enjoy.  

If you aren't skilled enough to create perfect evenings like the one I've just described, then find a chef like Nathan Gresham who can help you design one.

3.    Don't be snobs.  I am passionate about brilliant food and wine, and I've had remarkable meals all over the world. I have also swooned over a bite of warm, crusty French bread with unsalted butter in a tiny restaurant in a little town in Minnesota.  True foodies celebrate food everywhere, not only in major market cities at Michelin star restaurants.

Stay grounded. Open your eyes so you can witness the great gifts of talented people who are surrounding you everyday.

4.    Don't be afraid to be memorable. I've written this before in several blog posts, and it bears repeating.  Chef Gresham was memorable, because he married classic French cooking with beloved Southern flavors and dishes, and then opened a restaurant to share it with others.  

What can you do to be truly memorable?