LEX 2008 Programme



 

TIME

STREAM A: Strategic law firm management

STREAM B: Information technology management

08:15

Registration and refreshments

09:00

 

KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: Reviewing the UK 's changing legal market

•  Examining the impact of the Legal Services Act; assessing the opportunities and threats

•  Evaluating trends in the market: the growing presence of US firms in London , mergers, international strategies, volume spin-offs

•  Taking a long-term view of your firm's future in the changing business environment

•  Surviving increasing consolidation and commoditisation

Bob Heslett, Partner, BEACHCROFT LLP and Deputy Vice President, LAW SOCIETY

09:40

 

Maximising your firm's profitability

•  Identifying the optimum business model for your firm; aligning business and financial plans

•  Reviewing pricing structures and their impact on profitability

•  Focusing on cost management and driving cost reduction

•  Ensuring resources, including your human capital, are used to maximum effect

Arthur Ferry, Chief Financial Officer, BAKER & MCKENZIE

 

 

Web 2.0: a software revolution?

•  What are Web 2.0 and social software and what do they do?

•  What place does Web 2.0 have in a law firm?

•  Benefits for engaging the younger workforce

•  Leveraging innovative uses of social media

Damien Behan, IT Director, BRODIES LLP

10:40

One-to-one business meeting/networking

11:10

One-to-one business meeting/networking

11:40

 

Reviewing the trend for outsourcing

•  What are firms outsourcing and why?

•  Demystifying the TUPE process

•  Effective consultation with staff, partners and clients

•  Assessing and quantifying the benefits in terms of costs, time, service levels etc

David Smellie, Partner, FARRER & CO LLP

 

Deploying enterprise search to facilitate information retrieval

•  Reviewing the performance of your existing search tool

•  Developing an integrated search tool for internal and external resources

•  Understanding how people search and creating a user-friendly interface

•  Digitising and classifying information for easy retrieval

Fiona Evans, Head of Know-how, NORTON ROSE LLP

12:40

One-to-one business meeting/ networking

13:10

Lunch

14:10

 

Harnessing innovation to stay ahead of the game

•  Why do law firms need to be innovative?

•  Encouraging innovation in a traditionally staid and precedent-based environment

•  Innovation in product development

•  In what other ways can you innovate?

Martin Lewis, Director, Business Management, LINKLATERS LLP

 

 

Managing the challenges and benefits

of mobile working

•  Keeping abreast of developments in the functionality of PDAs

•  Addressing the cultural issues of encouraging the workforce to work remotely

•  Allowing remote document retrieval

•  Managing the security issues around remote working and portable devices

•  Maximising the business benefits of mobile working; measuring savings of cost, time and space

Abby Ewen, IT Director, SIMMONS & SIMMONS

 

15:10

One-to-one business meeting/networking

15:40

One-to-one business meeting/networking

16:10

 

PLENARY SESSION: Managing change effectively

•  How to generate change in a consensus-based, partnership environment

•  Engaging the workforce in change or transition; the importance of communication

•  Minimising pain, maximising incentives

Neville Eisenberg, Managing Partner, BERWIN LEIGHTON PAISNER LLP

17:00

End of day one

Cheese and wine tasting

Lex 2008
The UK’s leading business strategy forum for the legal profession
11-12 March 2008, London