Speakers

Stacey A. L. Best, Esq. is responsible for the strategic direction, daily operations and management of the staff of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and Law Office Management Assistance Program (LOMAP). Best represents and participates with key stakeholders at various agencies and committees of the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC), including the SJC Standing Committee on Lawyer Well–Being, the Board of Bar Overseers (BBO) and the Standing Advisory Committee on Professionalism to improve the quality of the legal profession. Most recently, Best served as the Acting Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the BBO where she investigated alleged violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct and litigated all stages of the disciplinary proceedings including all appeals.

David DePietto left the investment management business to recreate Wall Street's prime brokerage offering for lawyers. For the past 15 years DiPietto has served as NexFirm’s CEO — helping attorneys strategically transition their practices out of large law firms to become founding partners, and offer ongoing strategic and operational services to maximize success.

Frederick J. Esposito is Chief Operating Officer of Rivkin Radler LLP. He has more than 30 years of law and accounting firm experience and has been a Certified Legal Manager (CLM)® since 2006. He currently serves on the editorial board of the Legal Sales & Service Organization and is the finance columnist for the ABA Law Practice Magazine.

Shirley Laboy is the Director of Administration at Bondurant Mixson & Elmore LLP in Atlanta. Previously, she held management positions in Silicon Valley firms, ranging in size from 15 to 2,000 attorneys. She served on the ALA Silicon Valley Chapter Board of Directors for 10 years. While President of the Chapter, Laboy focused on local diversity issues.

Steven Merkel serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Barnes & Thornburg. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the firm and its 20 offices, including finance, information technology, human resources, marketing and facilities. He draws on his long and distinguished military career leading over 4,000 subordinates.

Joseph A. Samarco is the Director of Revenue Operations at Hogan Lovells US LLP, an AM LAW 10 firm. Samarco specializes in the revenue side and focuses on streamlining processes to ensure cost savings and efficiency. He previously was on the International Board of ALA, served as President of the Philadelphia Chapter and is currently a member of ALA’s Professional Development Advisory Committee.

Geoffrey M. Williams, CLM, MBA, M.Div., is Chief Operating Officer and CFO at Cunningham Bounds, LLC, on the Alabama Gulf Coast and serves as ALA’s current President. He earned the Graduate Certificate in Law Firm Management from George Washington University, and an MBA from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. An ALA member since 2004, he has served in several capacities at the national level and the chapter level including President of the ALA Mobile Chapter. Additionally, he has led ALA chapter board retreats, taught sessions at various chapters, and at national and regional conferences for ALA, SHRM, LMA and others. He has delivered keynote speeches as well.

Tracey A. West, Esq., is a nationally known diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) leader. Previously, West was a Senior Consultant at Loeb Leadership and before that, Director of DEI at WilmerHale. Now, as Executive Director of the Boston Lawyers Group (BLG), West is working to establish the organization as a resource for attracting diverse talent to Boston and a support system for attorneys of color navigating their careers and the city.