Market Areas > Practice Management > Associates for Max Profitability

Managing Associates for Max Profitability

Course Description:

Will new associates ever be as profitable for the firm as they were before the economic downturn?

It takes, on average, from three to five years for a young associate to contribute to the net profit of the firm and for the firm to break even on its investment.  Today’s economic reality has firm managers unsure about how to achieve the greatest production and profitability from new associates for the money being invested.  

This 75-minute audio conference will explore how current associate management trends, new compensation systems, and other key aspects of associate supervision will impact your law firm’s bottom line.

Course Highlights:

• Where we are today and what has changed
• Emerging economic models and how they affect associate profitability
• New profitability drivers for 2011
• Trends and changes to the associate management process
• Best practices for handling the first two years

Featured Faculty:

Norman Clark, Business Advisor and Counselor to the Legal Profession, Walker Clark LLC

Norman Clark is one of the founders of Walker Clark, LLC.His consulting practice specializes in issues of international business and legal practice strategy, mergers, risk management, internal productivity, and lawyer performance and profitability. He also specializes in business and marketing strategy for law firms in emerging markets.

Norm's 35-year career as a lawyer includes experience as a trial lawyer, trial judge, law professor, and manager of legal services on a global scale, including the management of an 800-lawyer legal services organization in 50 locations on three continents.   He was a pioneer in the application of quality management concepts and methods to the practice of law, and was one of the first legal managers to exploit the potential of information technology to bring about breakthrough improvements in the delivery of legal services worldwide. Before forming Walker Clark, Norm was a shareholder and principal in another leading legal management consultancy.

Norm Clark speaks, writes and publishes widely on a variety of timely issues and is a sought-after speaker for major conferences of professional associations and organizational retreats.  Recent engagements have included the International Bar Association, American Bar Association, Lex Mundi, Meritas, the State Capital Law Firm Group, Terralex, and the World Services Group.

Frederick J. Esposito, Jr., CLM, Director of Administration, MEYER, SUOZZI, ENGLISH & KLEIN, P.C.

Frederick J. Esposito, Jr., CLM joined Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, PC in Garden City, NY, in March 2007 as the firm’s Director of Administration.  Mr. Esposito has more than 20 years of law and accounting firm experience. He serves on the firm’s Management Committee. Mr. Esposito is responsible for developing strategic plans for eighteen distinct practice groups, creating profitability improvement plans, assessing M&A opportunities, updating the firm’s business and strategic plans; risk management programs, most recently developing a Document/Electronic Records Retention and Destruction Policy and a Social Media/Networking & Blogging Policy, and has developed and implemented other best practices initiatives.

Having achieved the status of Certified Legal Manager (CLM) in 2006, Mr. Esposito has served in various Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) leadership positions, including President-Elect, President and Past-President of the Philadelphia Chapter (2006-2008), Regional Officer for the Northeast territory (2008-2010), and is currently serving a three year term as a member of the CLM Certification Committee.  Mr. Esposito has authored many articles and lectures extensively on a wide-range of legal management topics including billing and collection best practices, financial and profitability models, risk management, human resource development, project management for attorneys and alternative fee arrangements.

MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE:

Pricing:

Your CD recording includes the complete audio conference presentation, audience Q&A and presentation materials.

CLE:

CCM provides audio conference attendees with CLE credit processing services. To expedite CCM processing your CLE request, please complete and submit the evaluation form available from CCM at the conclusion of the audio conference. It will be necessary to enter the following information: name of each attorney requesting CLEs with full contact information, including e-mail address, bar number, and the state in which the attorney wants credits. Each attorney requesting credits must submit an evaluation.

Please be advised CCM audio conferences are subject to approval from each CLE issuing organization and approval is not guaranteed (state bar associations in Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania do not grant CLE credits for audio conferences). The approval process takes approximately 6 - 8 weeks for most organizations but can take as long as 3 - 4 months. You will be notified via e-mail with the final status of your CLE application.

Any person applying for CLE credits must attend the audio conference from start to finish (attendance will be taken for compliance reasons). Requests for CLE credits must be received no later than two weeks following the conclusion of the audio conference or live conference. CLE credits are not available for CD recordings.

If you have any questions regarding CLE credits, contact Jill Adler at 631.368.2082 x 21 or jill.adler@meeting-matters.com.

Each CCM event presents a variety of information and is presented for each organization to develop its own approach and methodology.