LFATX2018 Speakers

Angela Faye Brown

Angela has practiced in Houston and Austin, constantly looking for innovative ways to get legal help to the people who need it. Learn one way she does that in her TED-style talk on unbundling.

Unbundling Your Services

Thursday PM

Mike Whelan, Jr.

After working in logistics for years before law school, Mike applied supply chain thinking to the practice of law. In this TED-style talk, Mike will share examples of firms who’ve created their own tools that serve clients and improve operations.

Owning The Future Of Law

Thursday PM

Greg McLawsen

Greg can run his firm from anywhere in the world. Literally. And he does. The systems and thinking Greg uses in his Washington-based immigration firm allow him to travel the world. Learn how in this TED-style talk, then stick around for a small group presentation on an issue that overlaps immigration and family law.

Visual Workflow For Lawyers

Thursday PM

Bobby Barina

How many of us recycle discovery request forms that a mentor gave us, never altering them to get the right documents for our current case? Bobby will lead a small group discussion on how to get what you really want out of discovery.

Risqué Responses: How To Get What You Want From Discovery

Thursday PM

Lori Laird

Vwar-dyer, vore deer, vo di… however you pronounce it, jury selection is a crucial skill for a trial practitioner. But because it happens more rarely now, few of us get the experience needed to get better. Lori will lead us through steps to develop those skills.

Fearless Voir Dire

Thursday PM

Melissa Masoom

We know the expectations for our industry. The world expects us to give services to the community and we hope to contribute. But how can you do pro bono work without going broke (and stop giving away accidental pro bono)? Melissa will share some crucial guidelines.

Pro No-Nos: How To Give Without Sinking Your Practice

Thursday PM

John Grant

Known as the Agile Attorney by nerds in the know, John Grant has used systems and design thinking to answer the big questions. In his TED-style talk, John will tackle access to justice. And in a bonus small group session, he’ll help you improve your firm through smart measurements.

Why Do We Have An Access To Justice Issue?

Thursday PM

KPIs to Turbocharge Your Practice

Friday AM

Michelle Spencer

Our favorite tech nerd, Michelle helps lawyers modernize their firms through the Legal Learning Network. She’ll tell us how to think strategically about our tech, then lead a small group on implementing quick and impactful solutions.

Technology Isn’t A Magic Bean

Thursday PM

Modernize Your Practice Without Breaking The Bank

Friday AM w/ Mark Unger

Kimberly Wilson

Kim is a Lawyer Forward believer and has embraced the sharing culture. The great thing is that she’s interested in things no one else knows anything about! (Yes, that’s a compliment.) So come learn about liens. Because you should.

All You Never Wanted To Know About Liens (But Should)

Friday AM

Cindy Vickers

Cindy has been with this group every year from the beginning, sharing her smarts about small town practice. Her world requires practical thinking, including not tipping spears at costly windmills. Come learn how she serves her clients on their budget.

Family Law Litigation On A Shoestring

Friday AM

Diane St Yves

Math. We didn’t go to law school to do math, yet we’ve all run into cases that make us add and subtract. Tracing is a pain. But our clients need us to run the formulas. Diane will show you how to track and tally without going insane.

Characterization And Tracing: Getting Here From There

Friday AM

Barbara Stalder

Domestic violence is too often part of our world. Clients need us to zealously represent them in these cases, on both sides of the allegation. Good evidence is needed to meet the tough DV standards. Barbara will show us how to gather the good stuff.

Beyond The Honeymoon: Evidentiary Issues In Domestic Violence Cases

Friday AM

Laura Roth

Not all of us are meant to be entrepreneurs, building a business beyond “taking cases.” But some of us want to grow. The trouble is, we aren’t trained for it. Laura’s small group workshop will use her experience with growth to help you with yours.

Growing Pains: Anticipating Problems In The Growth Of Your Small Law Firm

Friday PM

Brandy Manning

Many of us don’t think in terms of appeals, but our clients do. It’s our job to make sure that the trial record sets clients up for success in the appeals process. Brandy will walk a small group through how to prepare a good record.

How Not To Make A Record, A Study In Clichés

Friday PM

Ruby Bolton

Being everthing to everyone is tough, but jumping right to hiring full time staff is rarely wise. Ruby’s small group workshop will explore how lawyers can ethically and effectively get scaled help.

Don’t Do It All: The Family Lawyer’s Guide To Ethical Outsourcing

Friday PM

Lisa McKnight

One of our favorite geniuses, Lisa gets the money side of running a firm. We have lofty ethical duties tangled up with baser concerns like profitability. Learn to balance them in this popular small group workshop.

Money Matters: Running A Professional Business

Friday PM

John Strohmeyer

Like so many good lawyers, John brings experience from another industry – the hotel industry. In this TED-style talk, John will use examples from his past to illustrate how we could better serve our clients, meaning better reviews, referrals, and community trust.

Five Star Counsel: Client Service Lessons From The Hotel Industry

Friday PM

Andy Cabasso

Many lawyers see “selling” as the dirtiest word in our lexicon. But we work in persuasion, and we need to understand how the modern consumer comes to trust and engage us. Professional sales need not be the sour experience you’ve imagined.

Selling: A Professional Obligation

Friday PM

Ruth Kollman

What is truth, anyway? Can we not just feed our cognitivie biases and create a world that always tells us what we want to hear? Maybe we can online, but in the courtroom your witnesses need to help you establish persuasive facts. Learn how to get them ready in this small group workshop.

Witness Prep In The Age Of Fake News

Saturday AM

Michelle Fulton

It’s so nice to wave clients goodbye once a case is done, but that’s not very wise. We still have an obligation to former clients, and an opportunity to wow them even more. Michelle will detail how we can do both in her small group session.

Not Off The Hook Yet: Client Care After The Divorce

Saturday AM

Michelle Latray

Lots of changes in the world of child welfare have happened out of the spotlight. Some of those changes are fundamental, shifting responsibility for kids to private parties. How does that impact our representation? Michelle will tell you.

Privatization Of Child Welfare In Texas

Saturday AM

Jake Gilbreath

Jury trials have long been on the decline, but if we don’t know how to use that tool we undermine our representation. Jake and Jim will outline how to prepare for and carry out a successful jury trial.

Trying A Jury Trial From Start To Finish

Saturday AM w/ Jim Piper