Today's law firm management is constantly challenged to be on the lookout for ways to grow and prosper. In order to succeed in an increasingly competitive market, firms must not only retain the lawyers in their ranks, but add top talent by combining firms, acquiring lateral talent, and / or acquiring practice groups.

In 2007, there were more than 50 mergers involving US law firms and nearly 2,500 partners who changed firms. Clearly, firms are still hungry for lateral partners - in the early part of 2008, some of the nation's biggest law firms had already wooed lateral partners from their competitors. Additional firm consolidation is expected for the remainder of 2008.

This networking event will examine current trends for growth specifically through mergers, lateral acquisition, and practice group acquisition. Our esteemed faculty will evaluate the trends of the past year, make predictions for the future, and will assess what it takes to lure - and retain - top talent today. Firms that have already led the charge in growing headcount will be there to offer insights and suggestions for successfully bringing on lateral superstars - or an entire practice group - along with an existing client base.

No program on law firm growth would be complete without a thorough analysis of law firm merger activity. The merger portion of the program will kick off with a keynote presentation by those involved in recent key mergers, highlighting the reasons why firms are seeing out merger opportunities today. That session will be followed by a panel comprised of firms that have merged successfully recently, to assess what worked and what didn't.

Highlights of this comprehensive one-day event include:

• Overview of Law Firm Financials as They Relate to Growth
  
• Analysis of Lateral Partner Movement in 2007
  
• Luring Practice Groups as a Growth Strategy
  
• Why Firms Choose to Merge or Acquire Lateral Talent
  
• Merger Dos and Don’ts
  
• What Works and What Doesn’t When Firms Merge