Conference programme

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Networking drinks reception - Wednesday 21 March 2012

Legal Week invites all registered delegates to join us at the conference's exclusive networking drinks reception being held on the eve of the forum.

18.30-21.30, Wednesday 21 March 2012
St Pancras Grand Brasserie
Upper Concourse, St Pancras International Station

Conference programme - Thursday 22 March 2012

08.30 Registration

09.00 Opening remarks from conference chairman
Peter Kurer, former general counsel and chairman of UBS (and previously a partner at both Homburger and Baker & McKenzie)

09.10 Opening keynote address: Opportunities and challenges for independent law firms in the current economic climate
Chris Saul, senior partner, Slaughter and May

09.35 Panel discussion: to merge or not to merge?
The recent 'no' votes from the Gleiss Lutz and Stibbe partnerships on a merger with Herbert Smith have demonstrated how much some firms value their independence. This panel will take a pragmatic view of the potential positive and negative implications of mergers and also discuss the challenges of orchestrating such an important venture.
Tobias Bürgers, co-speaker, Noerr
Michael Herlihy, general counsel, Smiths Group
Michael McCue, partner, Lewis and Roca

10.35 Plenary address: motivating and retaining staff during tough times
There is no denying that tough times still lie ahead. For offices seeing hiring freezes and further cutbacks, how can the senior partnership operate to best ensure a motivated and happy associate base? What novel and innovative remuneration policies are being seen as most successful and what do modern young lawyers want from their firms?
John Renz, director of human resources, Novae Group and former HR director, Mourant and CMS Cameron McKenna

11.00 Morning coffee

11.15 Interactive focus groups

A: Implications of changes to banking secrecy regulations
The increased transparency demanded by new regulation will no doubt impact on the way firms operate in traditional banking jurisdictions. How can established independent firms best protect themselves from potential exposure while defending their existing client base from unwanted intrusion in their financial affairs?

B: Seizing opportunities from increased FDI
With countries from Ireland to Brazil experiencing an increase in foreign direct investment (FDI), particularly from Asia, how can independent law firms operate to take advantage of this influx of cash and potential work?
Ilya Nikiforov, managing partner, St Petersburg office, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners
Ender Özeke, partner, Hergüner Bilgen Özeke

C: Operating in the ‘blender' (sponsored by NCTM)
With increasing numbers of states teetering on the edge of financial turmoil, others grappling with a new or emergency executive and with bailout funds drying up, it is hard to see the upsides to operating as lawyers in these troubled jurisdictions - yet firms are surviving and even growing. We hear from a panel of partners operating in troubled jurisdictions about how they are getting to grips with current challenges and how they hope to seize the initiative when stability returns.
Vittorio Noseda, managing partner, NCTM

12.20 Expert interview: working with Chinese firms and securing Chinese work
Our experts offer insight into how firms need to position themselves in order to secure Chinese work and referrals from the major Chinese firms. What connections are the most important to make and what skillsets are Chinese clients looking for when sourcing expertise from independent firms outside their domestic market?
DingFa "David" Liu, partner, Jun He Law Offices
Jonathan Zhou, partner, Fangda Partners

12.50 Lunch

13.50 ‘Best practice' interactive focus groups
A: Financial management: maximising returns and ensuring best practice
An often overlooked element of operating in a partnership is proper financial management. Ensure that you can return to your firm with a grounding in best financial practice by attending this interactive focus session.
David Snell, head of professional partnerships advisory group, PricewaterhouseCoopers

B: Opportunities and pitfalls of opening an office in another jurisdiction
As business gets more difficult for firms many consider the possibility of opening an office in other jurisdictions where they have business synergies or where there are better growth opportunities in the medium to long term. These are sometimes neighbouring jurisdictions and sometimes jurisdictions with which they share historic links, common languages and legal systems. Although the opportunities can be great, so can the challenges. These can range from having to grapple with protective regulatory environments to having difficulty recruiting staff and maintaining quality. This session will explore these issues and how to make the most of the opportunities.
Pedro Guimarães, partner, FCB&A
Alex Holtum, director, International Law Firm Solutions

C: Succession planning
All efforts to achieve ambitious growth can mean nothing unless the future of your firm is assured through good succession planning and focused opportunities for junior lawyers. On the other hand, law firms, as businesses, need to pay attention to age discrimination and other employment laws. Join this interactive session to source advice on how best to guarantee your firm's presence long into the future while avoiding potentially legal liability that can be both dangerous and costly.
Philip Berkowitz, practice co-chair, international employment and labour law, Littler Mendelson
Tobias Bürgers, co-speaker, Noerr

15.00 Afternoon coffee

15.15 Plenary address: ‘out the other side'
With Irish markets continuing to recover, our speaker offers insight into how they best weathered the financial storm but also manoeuvred to best take advantage of the upturn. How did the European bailout affect Irish markets and what were the main challenges to overcome? This insightful address will offer potential solutions to growth in a post-recession market.

15.40 Panel discussion: encouraging referral work from larger firms
Referral work obviously provides a solid staple to many independent firms, but in the hunt for growth, what really works best in increasing this workflow? Our panel of senior European partners explain what has worked for them in the past and what techniques they intend to deploy in their ongoing hunt for more referral work.
Stephan König, founding partner, Oppenhoff & Partner
Per Magnusson, managing partner, Magnusson
Manuel Santos Vitor, managing partner, PLMJ
Chris Seaton, partner and chair of international committee, Burges Salmon

16.30 Closing remarks from conference chairman

16.35 Conference close and drinks reception

HOW TO BOOK
To reserve your place at the Independent Law Firms Forum 2012, click here to book online. Alternatively, call Jasmin Sangha on +44 (0)20 7004 7560 or email legalweekconference@incisivemedia.com