Strategy Summit: Get Cutting-Edge Advice On How to Make Your Law Practice Thrive

Sept. 12-13, 2024
Durham Convention Center
Early Bird pricing ends Aug. 18!
Hotel Block Rate ends Aug. 30!

Continuing Legal Education Credit pending approval: 4.5 hours total including 0.75 ethics; Certified Legal Manager Credit approved for 5.15 hours

Innovation, business development, current marketing practices and firm management seldom make the agenda on your average continuing legal education course. That’s why NCAJ, the state’s premiere provider of CLE, has stepped in to fill a void.

After hearing for years that attorneys crave advice and expertise not just on how to practice law but on how to build thriving law practices, we are launching Strategy Summit, a marketing, business development and innovation conference for legal professionals.

The day-and-a-half event will take place Sept. 12-13 at the Durham Convention Center and will include educational and networking opportunities for solo firm owners, law firm managers, legal marketers and others across the spectrum of practice and firm roles.

Strategy Summit includes admission to the Party Deck at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Thursday night where attendees can mingle while watching the Durham Bulls take on the Norfolk Tides. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided Thursday and breakfast is provided Friday.

Strategy Summit presenters and topics will include:

Ken Hardison, the “Millionaire Maker” has personally grown and sold two 7-figure law firms and has helped lawyers across the country double, triple, or quadruple their law practices and income by helping them experience exponential growth, increased profits, and ethical market preeminence. Hardison will discuss the crucial difference between working on your law firm and working in your law firm and how the change in perspective can benefit any firm. He will also present on educational-based marketing, why it works and what types of clients it attracts when it is also ethical.

Dan Bryson is a co-founder of The Milberg firm, one of the most successful plaintiffs’ firms in the United States with more than 100 lawyers in the states and international offices in London and Amsterdam. He has negotiated hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements. He will discuss the key concepts that have enabled him to help build one of the largest and most successful plaintiffs’ firms in the country.

Tanner Jones, vice president of business development for Consultwebs, a top-tier marketing agency for law firms. Jones will delve into the new LSA leads disputing process and its implications, provide strategic guidance on managing the potential impacts of TikTok’s uncertain future in the U.S. and explore innovative approaches to maintaining robust marketing campaigns as Google phases out third-party cookies.

Cassidy Lewis, chief marketing officer at Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers, will focus on the often-overlooked benefits of grassroots marketing including the strategies that helped make Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers a household name in the Hampton Roads community.

Ben Leader, managing partner of the Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys, has seen the firm experience explosive growth since his time in the role with more than a 200% increase in new clients. He will discuss the critical and often underappreciated role an efficient intake process has in growing a law firm, sharing key strategies and takeaways that will enable attendees to optimize and refine their firm’s intake processes to ultimately sign more new clients without incurring additional marketing expenditures.

Nick Mendez, a personal injury lawyer in Wilmington, N.C., will share actionable strategies for growing a law firm, focusing on three key areas: people and culture, marketing and management with KPIs. He will delve into practical methods for fostering a strong firm culture and attracting top talent, crafting effective marketing strategies to enhance visibility and client acquisition, and implementing robust management practices and key performance indicators to drive efficiency and profitability.

Eric Sanchez, founder of Maestro Strategic Partners, is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran turned to legal delivery systems architect who holds over 25 U.S. patents and was a key contributor to a $1.25B class action settlement. Sanchez will present on how key performance indicators not only promote accountability and transparency but also provide valuable insights into areas for improvement, enabling managers to offer targeted coaching and support to their staff.

Gracie Howes serves as the marketing manager at PILMMA, where she excels in devising and executing social media strategies, spearheading impactful marketing campaigns and managing creative projects. Howes will deep dive into the AI tools that really work when it comes to enhancing your law firm’s digital marketing efforts and online presence. 

Jason Melton,  a trial lawyer and co-founder of the Florida law firm Whittel & Melton, co-founded Regents Remote Services in 2020. Built on his own success near shoring assistants for his law firm, Regents provides virtual employment solutions for American corporations by connecting them to college educated workers in Mexico. Melton will present on hiring and effectively managing remote staff, and will discuss how he successfully hires, onboards and manages international virtual assistants.

Angela Doughty is a North Carolina State Bar Board Specialist in Trademark Law, a Certified Information Privacy Professional-United States (CIPP/US), and an AI Governance Professional who also serves as Ward and Smith’s Director of Legal Innovation. Her session will explore strategies for implementing and managing AI in one’s legal practice and law firm. Learn about creating AI policies, ensuring ethical use of AI technologies, addressing data privacy concerns, and training team members