Horizon Scanning

PATRICK J MCKENNA Patrick J. McKenna is an internationally recognized author, lecturer, strategist, and seasoned advisor to the leaders of premier professional service firms, and he has also had the honour of working with at least one of the largest firms in over a dozen different countries. Patrick is the author of numerous books, most notably his international business bestseller, First Among Equals (currently in its sixth printing and translated into nine languages). His consulting expertise was acknowledged in 2008, when he was identified through independent research compiled and published by Lawdragon as "one of the most trusted names in legal consulting", and his three decades of experience led to his being the subject of a Harvard Law School Case Study entitled 'Innovations In Legal Consulting' (2011). One example of that innovation was his launching the first instructional program designed to specifically address the issues that new firm leaders of larger firms face in their first 100 days - which has thus far graduated over 70 new leaders many from AmLaw 100 and 200-sized law firms, as well as from notable accounting and consulting firms. He is the only expert in professional service firms admitted to the Association of Corporate Executive Coaches, the #1 US group for senior level CEO coaches; and was acknowledged in 2014 by The American Lawyer magazine as 'a long time succession consultant and coach to new firm leaders'. DAVID KERR David Kerr is a director of Moore Legal Technology - a digital marketing agency that specializes in helping law firms succeed online. David has been with MLT since 2012 following the completion of his law degree and several years working in sales. David helps Moore Legal Technologies clients to improve their sales processes, and to develop marketing strategies tailored to their customers' needs. JON WHITTLE For the last ten years, Jon Whittle has been working on the future of law firms, focusing on strategies and tactics that help firms build sustainable, competitive advantage. Working in a senior leadership role at LexisNexis he has introduced cutting edge market research and thought leadership and is a recognized authority on how law firms can build and grow. He is also the architect and author of the widely read LexisNexis Bellwether Reports, which now play an important role in shaping the strategic development of law firms. Previously, Jon worked for two decades delivering commercial growth, at board level, in some of the UK's largest media companies and he applies the fruits of this experience, successfully, to the world of law firm development. Jon is particularly focused on helping law firms deliver commercial change with an emphasis on strategic development, successful project management, implementing new technologies, and evolving business operations. Jon is a specialist in building growth and value using market intelligence and customer insight. Jon is a regular speaker at legal conferences and seminars and is frequently asked to contribute thinking on the strategic future of legal markets. JASON P. WILLIAMS Jason P. Williams has worked in financial services for over 20 years, most recently responsible for client onboarding and outreach of HSBC customers impacted by Brexit. Previous roles include European COO for the legal department at Deutsche Bank, where he introduced digital technology into the organization as well as set up major teams in Birmingham, Mumbai, Berlin and Jacksonville. Jason has been a pioneer in legal change, partnering with many law firms to innovate in the way legal services are delivered to clients. WAYNE HASSAY Wayne Hassay began private practice in 1991 as a civil litigator and is now the managing partner of Maguire Schneider Hassay, LLP, in Columbus, Ohio. He serves on the Board of Directors of the American Bar Association affiliated Group Legal Services Association for the 2019-2021 term. His law firm serves as a provider firm for the legal service plan, LegalShield. As managing partner of MSH, his mission is to bring innovation and technology to the practice of law for the benefit of clients. The philosophy is to broaden access to justice by using technology in a way that helps clients afford the legal services they need. Wayne believes this will achieve the best possible result for his clients, while making their experience as stress-free as possible. NATHAN CEMENSKA Nathan Cemenska, JD/MBA, is a former lawyer and business consultant focused on technology, analytics, and process improvement in the legal space. Previously, he operated the largest-volume solo consumer bankruptcy practice in the northern half of Ohio. Prior to that, he operated the United States' most comprehensive online resource for election law analysis and authored one book and one book chapter on election law. MERRY NEITLICH Merry Neitlich is the founder and managing partner of EM Consulting, a leader in law firm marketing and business development solutions. With over 25 years of experience, Merry provides clients with tools to grow relationships and successfully identify, court and convert targets into clients. She consults with law firms wishing to overcome resistance and implement successful legal operations programs. Merry has extensive experience coaching attorneys in business development in order to grow their practices. She has interviewed hundreds of in-house counsels across the country for law firm clients in order to enhance relationships and client satisfaction. Merry offers training programs in business development, legal operations, client retention and satisfaction programs. In 2017, Merry was inducted into the LMA Hall of Fame and was inducted into the College of Law Practice Management in 2012. JERRY ROSENTHAL Jerry Rosenthal is the author of Small Doses: Common Sense to Common Practice. His book is about the intersection of life, leadership, and process improvement. Jerry is a seasoned leader who loves experiences to learn how to do things better. Jerry has spent most of his career in pharma and healthcare doing business process improvement work with a focus on improving the customer experience (both internal and external). LUCY ENDEL BASSLI Lucy Endel Bassli is assistant general counsel, legal operations and contracting corporate external and legal affairs at the Microsoft Corporation. Lucy joined the legal department of Microsoft in 2004, providing legal support to the central procurement organization globally and across all lines of business at Microsoft. She focused extensively on complex and global outsourcing contracts and gained firsthand experience in outsourcing by engaging an outsourced legal services provider (LPO) to assist her with high-volume contract transactions. She has launched a new 'managed services' engagement with law firms and most recently moved into the office of the president to expand legal shared services and implement operational improvements. She oversees Microsoft's legal operations and a centralized contracting office, specializing in process efficiencies and automation. DAVID GALBENSKI David Galbenski is an entrepreneur, lawyer, author, and public speaker with global reach. His entrepreneurial achievements include being recognized as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award winner and a two-time recipient of the Inc. 500 award, which celebrates the 500 fastest growing, private companies in the US. As founder of Lumen Legal, he is a frequent contributor to the ongoing dialogue of transformation in the legal services industry. His first book, Unbound: How Entrepreneurship is Dramatically Transforming Legal Services Today, has been sold throughout the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and Russia. His follow-up book, Legal Visionaries: How to Make Their Innovations Work for You, is helping organizations gain confidence to implement change in the rapidly evolving legal services industry. David graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan Business School in 1990 and cum laude from Wayne State University Law School in 1993. MARY E. JUETTEN Mary E. Juetten, CA, CPA, JD is founder and CEO of Traklight, and has dedicated her more than 30 year career to helping businesses achieve and protect their success. Mary serves on the Group Legal Services Association Board and is an Access Advocate for LegalShield. In 2015, Mary co-founded Evolve Law, an organization for change and technology adoption in the law. She was named to the ABA's Legal Technology Resource Center 2016 Women in Legal Tech list and the Fastcase 50 Class of 2016. PAUL WILLIAMS Paul Williams is a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon and co-chair of Shook's general liability litigation practice group, based in Kansas City. He focuses his trial practice on complex litigation and trial practice management and partners with clients to create relationships that align client and firm interests to achieve better legal outcomes at exceptional value. Paul believes win-win partnerships with clients are built on collaboration, innovation, strategic action, and trust - all of which ultimately bring better results and the metrics to prove them. He has received national recognition for his innovative use of alternative billing arrangements and the Coefficient (R) litigation management approach to curtail legal spend and effectively manage otherwise unpredictable litigation. Paul has been named as an Acritas Star, a Client Service All-Star by BTI Consulting, and as a Litigation Trailblazer by National Law Journal for his client-first focused relationships and his leadership in alternative fee arrangements.