symposium 2023 agenda

Registration & Pricing | Location | Sponsorships

EVENT AGENDA

Tuesday, April 18th - The evening before the Women Owned Law Symposium, Tuesday, April 18th, we will host dinner at Estia in downtown Philadelphia. This is a great opportunity for symposium attendees to gather and network with one another prior to the full-day Symposium. We'll host our annual awards ceremony at this dinner to acknowledge some of our outstanding Women Owned Law Members. Dinner begins at 6:00PM.

Wednesday, April 19th – The Main Symposium will be packed-full of exciting sessions, a town-hall session, speed networking, and open networking opportunities!

MAIN SYMPOSIUM AGENDA

TIME	DESCRIPTION
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM	Registration and Networking Breakfast
9:10 AM - 9:20 AM	Welcome Remarks Nancy J. Mertzel, President Founder, Mertzel Law Shira Katz Scanlon, Symposium Chair Martine, Katz Scanlon & Schimmel
9:20 AM - 10:10 AM	Plenary 1: Tipping the Scale, Growing your Firm, Making an Impact Moderator: Ivy Slater, Owner, Slater Success Nancy Lanard, Senior Partner Lanard & Associates, P.C. Kimberly Rice, President/Chief Strategist KLA Marketing Associates Michele Mirman, Senior Partner Mirman, Markovitz & Landau, PC Deborah Hrbek, Founder/Managing Partner Hrbek Kunstler LLC Kelly Rittenberry Culhane, Managing Partner Culhane Meadows Join this panel of experts as they discuss growing your firm and growing your reach. How we make an impact as leader as we grow our reach. What methods in marketing, networking, speaking, hiring and leading have worked. What other components impact growth, revenue, profits and your brand.
10:10 AM - 10:30 AM	Networking Break
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM	Speed Networking During this time, there will be three rounds of speed networking. Each round will consist of a moderated discussion lasting 12 minutes. This is an opportunity for you to explore different topics and network with small groups of Symposium attendees.
11:30 AM - 11:50 AM	Networking Break
11:50 AM - 12:40 PM	Plenary 2: DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) - It's Not Just for Big Law Firms Moderator: Sharon Christie, Founder and CEO, Bold Women Lawyers Jaclyn Foster, Founder Del.Trust Legal Recruiting & Staffing Wendy Samuelson, Owner Samuelson Hause PLLC Lisa Love, FCIArb, Co-Managing Partner Love and Long, LLP Sheryl Axelrod, President & CEO The Axelrod Firm P.C. You have heard the term “DEI,” but do you know what it means? These are not just buzzwords. Do you understand how diversity, equity, and inclusion fit into your law firm? Do you know how to develop a diverse, equitable and inclusive team?; how these issues affect dealing with clients and potential clients? Whether you practice in a solo firm or in Big Law, or anywhere in between, DEI issues affect your bottom line. Our panel will discuss DEI issues from the employer’s perspective. Why is DEI good for business? How does an awareness of DEI improve your profitability? How do you become sensitive to physical limitations of your staff and/or clients? How do you identify unconscious biases? How do these biases affect your bottom line? What tools and resources are available to promote DEI in your law firm? Learn how you can incorporate DEI into your law firm.
12:40 PM - 1:40 PM	Buffet Lunch & Open Networking
1:40 PM - 2:30 PM	Town Hall Discussion We are excited to introduce a new Symposium feature this year – the Town Hall - the goal of which is to provide a unique networking opportunity for all Symposium attendees to share their expertise and experience with each other. The Town Hall will take the place of a keynote speech and will be facilitated by one of our own, Gail Cummings, JD, MSS, LCSW, lawyer turned psychotherapist and executive coach. The topic will be Today’s Workplace Culture. Attendees will be asked to consider and answer questions pertaining to this topic, including: What is work culture? How do we operationalize core values? What role does trust play in today’s workplace? How do managers make people feel valued? How do you establish a positive culture given a mix of in-person and remote work environments? What is transparency and what role does it play in retaining people? Please take a minute to share with us the questions that you would like to have included in the Town Hall.
2:30 PM - 2:50 PM	Networking Break
2:50 PM - 3:40 PM	Plenary 3: Does your Law Firm have a Succession Plan? Moderator: Ashley Robinson, Owner, Green Cardigan Marketing Amy Leis, PhD, CFP - Financial Advisor Juno Wealth Management Ivy Slater, Owner Slater Success Ariana J. Tadler, Founder & Managing Partner Tadler Law Whether retirement is 30 years away, just over the horizon, or not in your game plan at all, a succession plan is vital to ensuring the continued success of your law firm. After all, working as hard to build what you have should not go to waste! During our panel discussion we hope to help the WOL audience understand what a good succession plan is, how to develop a plan that works for your law firm and when to begin implementing the plan!
3:40 pm – 5:00 PM	Closing Remarks & Reception