Schedule of Events

Emotional Intelligence (EI) may not be something you think about often, however, it has a great impact on your resilience, how you manage conflict, your motivation to achieve goals, and your ability to navigate a range of personal and professional social situations. Individuals with higher EI are better equipped to work on teams, deal with change and transition, and manage stress. Yes, you still need your intellect to retain knowledge and continuously learn, but the results are better when it is accompanied with high emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence (EI) sits at the intersection of cognition and emotion, and the good news is that EI skills can be learned and developed.

What are the EI Skills we Need to Thrive?

In this one-hour keynote, Shawn Devine will provide an insightful and humorous look at what emotional intelligence is – and is not. The conversation will focus around three simple questions that drive EI and will introduce tools to help a range of situations where managing emotions is crucial to success:

How am I feeling?

• Becoming more aware of emotions
• Name it to tame it: developing a better vocabulary of emotions
• Gather and use the data of emotions

What options do I have?

• Fight, flight, or freeze: the amygdala hijack
• Take a breath: creating space for choices
• Respond vs. react

What is truly important?

• Looking beyond the “emotional moment”
• Who do I choose to be in this situation?
• Using empathy and connection to build and manage relationships

Shawn Devine Loeb Leadership

Your chapter’s accounting policies and procedures are the responsibility of every person involved with your chapter’s financial transactions. In this session, you’ll move beyond that as you examine how chapters of all sizes are establishing and maintaining financial controls. Join in to review critical issues surrounding your chapter’s finances and discuss how to create or update your chapter's official financial policy.

Objectives:

• Construct, review and fine-tune your chapter’s written financial policy.
• Assess the cybersecurity risks to chapters and how to mitigate them.
• Develop chapter financials and incorporate key financial controls.
• Identify potential risks inherent in your chapter’s financial structure.

Amanda R. Koplos, CLM, CPA Chief Executive Director Shuffield Lowman & Wilson, PA

Other Information:

• CLM® Application Credit for Functional Specialists: 1 hour in the subject area of Financial Management (FM) towards the additional hours required of some Functional Specialists to fulfil the CLM application.
• CLM® Recertification Credit: 1 hour in the subject area of Financial Management (FM).

Learn strategies and tactics that will help you establish an environment that encourages both tenured and new legal administrators to join and engage in the chapter. You’ll discuss how to make everyone feel welcome from the start, and how to ensure former chapter presidents continue to feel needed. By the end of the session, you’ll understand how to let every member and potential member know they bring value to the chapter and how to grow and retain members while capitalizing on their talent.

Objectives:

• Discover creative strategies to attract and retain chapter members.
• Apply diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) principles to make members at all levels feel valued.
• Formulate how to engage existing and potential members by utilizing their strengths for the good of the chapter.  

Kelly Atkinson DEI Director and Office Administrator Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Laura L. Carpenter Office Administrator Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.

Other Information:

• CLM® Application Credit: 1 hour of Organizational Development.
• CLM® Application Credit for Functional Specialists: 1 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR) towards the additional hours required of some Functional Specialists to fulfil the CLM application.
• CLM® Recertification Credit: 1 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR).

Explore the many benefits and rewards of volunteering in a leadership role. In this session, you’ll investigate how to exercise effective leadership when planning projects, build your team, cultivate relationships and motivate people in your organization. You’ll discover how volunteerism can help you develop and improve business skills you can use to lead your firm and team with confidence and experience a sense of achievement. Come find out how to volunteer to get noticed and get the job you’ve always wanted.

Objectives:

• Formulate your next step towards becoming a leader.
• Prepare a strategy for becoming a volunteer leader.
• Demonstrate and gain leadership skills while volunteering.
• Employ your team of volunteers.
• Examine how to make a difference in your community.

Grace C. Lopez Chief Executive Officer iManage Law Firms, LLC

Other Information:

• CLM® Application Credit: 1 hour of Organizational Development.
• CLM® Application Credit for Functional Specialists: 1 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR) towards the additional hours required of some Functional Specialists to fulfil the CLM application.
• CLM® Recertification Credit: 1 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR).

The Houston Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators created a Diverse Scholar Internship Program to help introduce diverse undergraduate students to the business of law. During this session, you’ll learn why the chapter felt this program was important and how creating this pathway has been mutually beneficial to the chapter and diverse students. Plus, you’ll hear from a student currently participating in the Houston Chapter’s inaugural class of the internship program as they describe their experience.

Objectives:

• Recognize ways to collaborate directly with chapter law firms to create innovative DEI/DEIA programming for your chapter.
• Devise successful pathways to help increase DEI in your chapter.
• Identify different generations to engage and provide relevant content and programming during chapter events and educational sessions.
• Develop a business case for your firm to partner with your chapter to participate in DEI programming.
• Discuss challenges and lessons learned when creating this type of programming.

Erin M. Hulme, CLM Business Director Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Amari Gallien Intern Chamberlain Hrdlicka

Other Information:

• CLM® Application Credit: 1 hour of Organizational Development.
• CLM® Application Credit for Functional Specialists: 1 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR) towards the additional hours required of some Functional Specialists to fulfil the CLM application.
• CLM® Recertification Credit: 1 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR).

Do you know all the variables you must take into account to create the budget? Are you implementing the budgeting process all on your own? In this session, you’ll learn how preparing a thoughtful budget as a team brings the most value to all. Join this session to discuss how to take on your responsibility to be a good steward of the monies received from your members and business partners. You’ll examine what you need to think about before you begin the budget process. You’ll get tips for building the budget as a team. In addition, you’ll see how to analyze and present the information in final product form and manage it throughout the year.

Objectives:

• Prepare to design your budget by knowing where to go and what to think about.
• Assemble your team and engage it in building all aspects of the budget.
• Analyze and present the information gathered by your team members to create the final product.
• Generate and enact controls to manage the budget throughout the year.  

Kelly Hess Controller Newmeyer & Dillion, LLP

Lisa A. Waligorski, CLM, PHRca, SPHR Executive Director Newmeyer & Dillion LLP

Other Information:

• CLM® Application Credit for Functional Specialists: 1 hour in the subject area of Financial Management (FM) towards the additional hours required of some Functional Specialists to fulfil the CLM application.
• CLM® Recertification Credit: 1 hour in the subject area of Financial Management (FM).

Communicating effectively as a volunteer leader and fostering a collaborative, inclusive and engaging volunteer experience is not easy. In this session, you’ll identify the skills necessary to tackle this challenge. By doing so, you’ll enhance engagement, reduce attrition, cultivate trust and meaningful relationships, fuel positivity and fulfillment, and foster teamwork and ownership. Find out how ineffective and/or non inclusive communication contributes to miscommunication, leads to missed opportunities, demotivates volunteers and damages relationships. Attend this session where you’ll learn the role communication plays in retaining valuable contributors who are eager to invest their time.

Objectives:

• Identify and explore skills related to inclusive communication.
• Break down the elements of a volunteer communications strategy.
• Assess some of the unique aspects of communication related to leading other volunteers.  

Judith A. Hissong, CLM, PCC President Nesso Strategies

Geoffrey M. Williams, CLM, MBA, M.Div. Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Cunningham Bounds, LLC

Other Information:

• CLM® Application Credit: 1 hour of Communication Skills.
• CLM® Recertification Credit: 1 hour in the subject area of Communications & Organizational Management (CM).

While ALA and local chapters offer a lot of benefits, the biggest resource you can offer new members is your current members. Take this opportunity to recognize what a robust community of legal management problem solvers you have at your disposal. Attend this session and you’ll learn how to create an effective mentorship program that will immediately establish your chapter as the best asset a legal professional can have. Return to your chapter prepared to launch a long- term and highly engaged relationship that your new members will never want to do their jobs without.

Objectives:

• Give examples of a mentorship program, including how to make mentor assignments, timelines and measurable goals.
• Generate buy-in and participation from legacy members, give past presidents a role and include business partners in the process.
• Outline a program that provides accessibility and send the right message, so it is well received by new members.
• Defend diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA), most especially the, making sure new members feel included.
• Formulate selling points for engagement beyond the obvious, such as managing transition career stages and personal and professional development beyond typical job skills.
• Examine the ALA Membership Ambassador Program and identify how your chapter can fill in the gaps.

Elyssa A. Goldstein, CLM, PHR, SHRM-CP Firm Administrator Rebenack, Aronow & Mascolo, LLP

Melissa Hirst, MSLA Chief Operating Officer Altitude Community Law PC

Whether you have a business program or à la carte opportunities for business partners, this interactive session is for you.  Worried that only large chapters will be giving information from their perspective?  Don’t fret, we have panelists from large, medium and small chapters.

Join representatives from the Gateway, Mile High and Jacksonville in a conversation regarding business partner relations at the local level. The session will be moderated by ALA Chapter Resource Team member Stacie Hedrick, CLM.

Objectives:

• Identify how other chapters elevate members’ relationships with business partners.
• Describe how to improve engagement between members and business partners.
• Show how to get your business partners involved with your chapter, via à la carte or a BP program, or a hybrid of both.

Michele Hovland, CLM Legal Administrator City and County of Denver	Jill O’Connell, SHRM-SCP, SPHR Chief Operations Officer Sivia Law
Jessica L. VanTroost Strategic Operations Administrator McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC	Moderator: Stacie Hedrick, CLM Director of Administration Welborn Sullivan Meck & Tooley, P.C.

How can you address the mental health needs of others while ensuring you stay healthy? In this interactive session, we will take on the mental health conversation. We will discuss the importance of becoming a first aid responder, provide resources to draw on and share, and divulge some self-care secrets to keep your best asset all aces; you! By doing so, you'll develop a comfort zone, so your colleagues don't have to keep their cards so close to their chests. Instead, you'll leave with ideas for creating a wellness program you can use for yourself, your chapter, and your firm.

Objectives:

• Extend your knowledge with the latest information and resources on mental health.
• Support wellness programs within the ALA community and legal industry.
• Select and foster habits for self-care.

Stacie Hedrick, CLM Director of Administration Welborn Sullivan Meck & Tooley, PC	Holly K. Pulido Chief Operating Officer Slack Davis Sanger LLP
Karie D. Rivkin, CLM Chief Financial Officer Eichelbaum Wardell Hansen Powell & Munoz, PC

Other Information:

• CLM® Application Credit: 1 hour of Organizational Development.
• CLM® Application Credit for Functional Specialists: 1 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR) towards the additional hours required of some Functional Specialists to fulfil the CLM application.
• CLM® Recertification Credit: 1 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR).

Your current and future leaders are the backbone of your chapter’s success. You want to make sure they have the tools they need to succeed. In this session, you’ll unpack communication and connections — the building blocks for highly successful teams that get things done. You’ll examine how to recognize and adapt to communication styles to empower your team and enhance their connections with one another and your members. You’ll go beyond great communication to delve into human interactions. You’ll find better ways to build relationships and manage the daily stress of constant change and shifting priorities. By the end of the session, you’ll possess these and other skills that will help you take your chapter to the next level.

Objectives:

• Define your team and hold it accountable.
• Recognize communication styles and identify your own style.
• Prepare to build and enhance meaningful interactions.

Debbie Foster Managing Partner Affinity Consulting Group

Other Information:

• CLM® Application Credit: 1 hour of Organizational Development.
• CLM® Application Credit for Functional Specialists: 1 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR) towards the additional hours required of some Functional Specialists to fulfil the CLM application.
• CLM® Recertification Credit: 1 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR).

Craps is a negative expectation game, meaning you’re more likely to lose than you are to win. It’s a game of luck, and luck is short-term. In contrast, the return on your chapter’s DEIA investment has long-term and exponential pay offs for your members. In this session, you’ll examine the short-term mindset of winning big at diversity and learn how to weave diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility initiatives into a long-term plan with great odds for winning big.

Objectives:

• Employ the magic number of seven in DEIA: cultural, racial, religious, age, gender identity, sexual orientation and disability.
• Demonstrate equity in membership.
• Recognize how like-minded local organizations outside of legal might have as much to win by your chapter’s DEIA efforts as you do.
• Explain diversity falsehoods and proactively negate them.
• Compose a diversity statement and use it when recruiting new members.
• Assess how inclusive your chapter appears to be to your members and potential members.
• Devise ways to include other legal organizations and business partners in your DEIA efforts.  

Melissa Hirst, MSLA Chief Operating Officer Altitude Community Law PC

Holly K. Pulido Chief Operating Officer Slack Davis Sanger LLP

Other Information:

• CLM® Application Credit: 1 hour of Organizational Development.
• CLM® Application Credit for Functional Specialists: 1 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR) towards the additional hours required of some Functional Specialists to fulfil the CLM application.
• CLM® Recertification Credit: 1 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR).

Many chapters today have four-plus generations of members and are finding the “way we’ve always done it” is not working anymore. In this session, you’ll rethink who your members are and who you want — and need — to attract to keep the chapter going. You’ll explore, at a high level, ways to stay relevant. You’ll address how to recruit new members, utilize other professional organizations, think outside your current geographic footprint and refresh your chapter’s image. In addition, you’ll tackle chapter communication alternatives to the traditional listserv, the effective use of social media, promoting the ALA's Online Community chapter events, the use of technology to host hybrid meetings, pop-up events, and partnering with other like-minded organizations.

Objectives:

• Apply a strengths, weakness, opportunities and threat (SWOT) analysis to identify your chapter’s strengths and areas for improvement.
• Show how to effectively get buy-in from current and legacy members on new and changing initiatives.
• Collect ideas from other chapter leaders on how to innovatively recruit, engage and communicate with members.

Elyssa A. Goldstein, CLM, PHR, SHRM-CP Firm Administrator Rebenack, Aronow & Mascolo, LLP

Jessica L. VanTroost Strategic Operations Administrator McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC

Other Information:

• CLM® Application Credit: 1 hour of Organizational Development.
• CLM® Application Credit for Functional Specialists: 1 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR) towards the additional hours required of some Functional Specialists to fulfil the CLM application.
• CLM® Recertification Credit: 1 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR).

Building and maintaining a level of trust, along with an understanding of subject-matter expertise, can allow you to foster a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship with a business partner. This panel-discussion format session will focus on the impact business partners can make in your chapter, identify best practices for elevating relationships with our business partners and provide an open forum for questions and discussion.

Eric Hoffmaster Chief Operating Officer Innovative Computing Systems	Lydia Flocchini, J.D Chief Marketing Officer SurePoint Technologies
Rob Joyner Chief Revenue Officer Centerbase, LLC	Alan Wilson National Program Director GLJ Benefit Consultants (GLJBC)
Moderator: Amanda R. Koplos, CLM, CPA Chief Executive Director Shuffield Lowman & Wilson, PA

If you want to better understand the leaders you are working with, this session is a must. You’ll delve into how to recognize and deal with different personalities and different thought processes, actions and reactions, and communication methods. You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of personalities that make the world go `round, including how to recognize and deal with them so you can lead in the best way possible.

Objectives:

• Compare different personalities and how they manifest in the boardroom, conference room and lunchroom.
• Recognize and identify those personalities as they appear.
• Discover avenues to engage and direct personalities so goals are met in even bigger and better ways.
• Assess the why and wherefore behind others’ actions and your own.

Debra L. Elsbury, CLM Firm Administrator Threlkeld Stevenson

Other Information:

• CLM® Application Credit: 1 hour of Organizational Development.
• CLM® Application Credit for Functional Specialists: 1 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR) towards the additional hours required of some Functional Specialists to fulfil the CLM application.
• CLM® Recertification Credit: 1 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR).

This interactive discussion will provide insight into the Professional Development Advisory Committee (PDAC) and Product and Services Review Committee (PSRC). Learn how the committees access data, monitor tends, and assess product and services offered by ALA to chapters and members. 

Objectives:

• Describe how PDAC and PSRC collaborate with ALA and Members.
• Identify the tools and resources that Chapters can use in identifying current topics.
• Discover ALA’s online resources.
• Identify the PSRC’s rating scorecard and how to use at a Chapter level.

Daniel J. McCormack, CLM, MBA, ACC, Chief Executive Officer and Founder Dan McCormack & Associates, LLC	Shelley A. Strong Office Administrator — Western Region Team Lead Littler Mendelson P.C.
Lisa V. Fox Director of Operations and Finance Pines Bach LLP	Summer S. Jurrells, PHR, SHRM-CP Office Administrator | Practice Support Team Manager Husch Blackwell LLP

How and why should you leverage organizational pricing to expand the size of your chapter? In this session, you’ll learn this step not only increases the size of your chapter, but also allows for a wider membership of firms to join the ALA and get involved. In addition, you’ll see how bringing in fewer senior members of the firm will allow for your chapter to create a pathway for more engagement.

Objectives:

• Evaluate organizational pricing at the chapter level.
• Point out how junior staff of the chapter’s firms can get involved with the ALA.
• Extend into non traditional departments and roles within the firms, such as IT, e-discovery, c entral services and records management.
• Explain how to expand the breadth of business partner opportunities to generate more sponsorships.

Joseph P. Anderson, MSLA Director of Information Technology Miller Johnson

Come learn what some recent chapter past presidents wish they had known before they started their chapter presidency. You will have an opportunity to get a leg up and learn from others who have been in your shoes. Bring your questions!

Panelists: Sarah E. Cramer Director of Human Resources Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice, LLC	Terri D. Moore-Natal,SPHR Firm Manager Holzer Patel Drennan
Carrie Valenzuela, MBA Branch Office Manager Meagher & Geer, PLLP	Moderator: Eric L. Hightower, CLM, MBA, SPHR Wright Constable & Skeen, LLP Husch Blackwell LLP