What's Happening at Headquarters April 2019

ALA headquarters’ staff is packing up and heading to the Lone Star State for the 2019 Annual Conference & Expo, happening April 14–17. We hope to see you in Grapevine, Texas, too — you can still register online, but if you miss the cutoff, come and sign up on-site for one, two or all four days! We have a lot to look forward to, including:

Education: More than 70 sessions from 75-plus expert speakers are spread over the conference’s four days, which means you can net more than 15 continuing education hours if you fill every one of your slots. Use the ALA Events mobile app to choose the sessions you’re most interested in, create a schedule and download handouts. Remember to check out this year’s all-new education tracks, which cover some of the hottest legal industry topics: the Association of Legal Technologists (ALT) Track, the Cybersecurity Track, and the Profitability, Partner Compensation and Pricing (P3) Track.

Networking: Attendees will have the opportunity to connect and renew relationships with colleagues and business partners throughout the conference, especially as they tour the Exhibit Hall during the Welcome Reception, the Networking Reception and various lunches, coffee breaks and dessert breaks. They will also find peers at Idea Exchanges and the Recharge Lounges — in one, there will be a headshot photographer and LinkedIn consultations; in the other, a Wellness Lab will teach stress and energy management skills.

Events: In addition to the Exhibit Hall events, the conference features the Association Lunch, a town hall about the current state and the future of ALA; the Silent Auction, which raises money for the Foundation of ALA; the Association Awards Gala, a seated dinner; and the VIP Grand Finale, a send-off party. The final event will be held at the resort’s newly renovated Glass Cactus Nightclub and feature a Texas-style “Denim and Diamonds” theme.

Recreation: The Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center has virtually everything you might need — restaurants, bars, pools, shops and a gym — but if you want to venture off-campus, the city of Grapevine offers eateries, wineries, breweries and shopping, as well as outdoor activities at Lake Grapevine. Fort Worth and Dallas are a mere 30 minutes away by car, so it’s easy to check out the Fort Worth Stockyards or, if you arrive early, the Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival (April 11–14).

The Foundation of the Association of Legal Administrators has revamped this program! The one-year fellowship program provides a full scholarship to ALA’s 2019 Chapter Leadership Institute and enrollment in the interactive online series, Elevate Your Professional Presence — plus a bonus presentation module from Judy Hissong, CLM, President of Nesso Strategies, Inc.

These opportunities include expectations of full engagement and participation by the fellowship recipient. If all program requirements are met, a complimentary registration and travel stipend to ALA’s 2020 Annual Conference & Expo may be extended to recipients. Find full details of this fellowship program here. Applications are due May 13.

Look forward to “Registration is open!” notifications in May for the following events:

• Chapter Leadership Institute | July 25–27 in Louisville, Kentucky
• Large Firm Principal Administrators Retreat | August 1–3 in Nashville, Tennessee
• C4: The Legal Industry Conference | September 18–20 in Boston, Massachusetts
• Intellectual Property Conference for Legal Management Professionals | September 26–27 in Washington, D.C.
• ALA Master Class: Leadership for Legal Management Professionals | October 21–23 in Seattle, Washington

We’ll also be hosting two mini-conferences that you can package with the larger events or attend separately. The Legal Lean Sigma® and Project Management Yellow Belt Certification Course happens September 17–18 in Boston before C4: The Legal IndustryTM Conference, and Advanced Human Resources Administration for Legal Managemen