Welcome, Future CLMs!
Several sections of Legal Management magazine provide ALA the opportunity to highlight member accomplishments. This month's Get Certified section features an article by New York City Chapter member Janet Fraka Casiano, CLM. If you haven't checked out the September issue yet, read her story here.

• Read Janet's article.
   

Meet Your 2014 Annual Conference Committee Chair

Mark Bridgeman, CLM, has been selected to serve as your 2014 Annual Conference Committee Chair. The Conference will take place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on May 19-22, 2014.

Bridgeman served on the 2011 Annual Conference Committee, as a Region 3 Projects Officer and currently serves as the Region 3 Education Officer. He spent three years on the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, where he was on the Mentorship Toolkit Subcommittee and the Diversity Toolkit Rewrite Subcommittee. Bridgeman has been a regular speaker and presenter at ALA events since 2003, including the 2008 and 2009 Annual Conference & Exposition. In 2010 he received ALA's Outstanding Association Volunteer Award. Bridgeman has been active with three ALA chapters throughout the years: Greater Chicago, Wisconsin and Orange County.

Interested in joining Bridgeman on the Annual Conference Committee? You have until September 14 to apply; read more details here.

2012 Compensation and Benefits Survey Now Available
Are you up to date on the latest compensation trends? The 2012 Compensation and Benefits Survey provides salary and benefits information on more than 20 administrative positions.

• Order your copy today.

2013 Webinar Schedule Announced
The 2013 Webinar schedule has been announced. Check out the schedule and save up to 20 percent by taking advantage of our special offers for a yearly pass or five-coupon bundle.

• Learn more.
   

Read a Book Day: September 6
Find ideas that make managing your office and life simpler. September's book of the month, Your Business and Your Life: Strategies for Professionals is a must-read for anyone looking for tips on how to balance life and work. Copies are available for the very special price of $9.95 in the ALA Bookstore.

• Get your copy.
   

Update from the 2013 Annual Conference Committee

Save the date! The 2013 Annual Conference & Exposition will be held April 14-17, 2013 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland (Washington D.C. area). This beautiful and newly developed harbor is on 350 acres of premium Potomac River shoreline, with more than 70 shops and restaurants and views of downtown Washington, D.C. and Old Town Alexandria.

The 2013 Conference Committee began its planning in January 2012, and we have been creating a wonderful education and Conference experience. We developed our theme in January, Effective Leadership Through Changing Times, and continue our work developing educational sessions around this theme. This year, we are also creating a series of sessions for the experienced administrator who is seeking more advanced educational sessions. We have identified those educational sessions as "Seasoned to Perfection." For attendees interested in focusing on strategy for the future, we have identified a "Future Law Firm" group of sessions. Because of the proximity to The George Washington University (GWU), we are also excited to be planning a graduate level afternoon workshop on Strategic Leadership with professors Carl Leonard and James Bailey of GWU.

We are collaborating with our strategic alliances, such as the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) and the Legal Marketing Association (LMA), to strengthen sessions focused in these subject areas. Their contributions and expertise will benefit both the general administrator and functional specialist attendees. For example, ILTA is assisting us with sessions on security issues, security standards and the latest strategies in technology, all of which will be relevant in 2013 for the future law firm. We have a session planned with LMA in which they will present results from a survey they recently conducted with BTI Consulting Group. We believe that working with our strategic alliances brings more depth to the education we will offer at the 2013 Conference and to future Conference planning.

In January, we discussed the need to identify new speakers for this conference, and the Committee is pleased to report that we will have many new faces and fresh ideas to present to attendees. In addition, we will also bring back a few of our highest rated speakers from previous years whose focus is on the dynamic and changing law firm industry. This Committee brought a few different ideas for session topics as well, such as a session entitled "Can You Hear Me Now?" for branch manager administers, and a session on Pro-Bono case management. Legal project management (LPM) sessions will take center stage at our Conference because our committee recognizes how LPM processes add value to firms, and we plan to cover this topic in three sessions and at different experience levels. In addition, the committee collaborated with Michael Cohen to present an important session on diversity, inclusion and the law, and we are identifying important sessions for CLM member requirements.

We will announce many more exciting details over the next few months, such as our keynote speaker, our session sponsored by the Foundation of ALA, and of course, our very exciting finale event. We welcome you to visit the Conference page for updates and announcements. Our Committee continues to work creatively on ALA's premier event for "your connection to knowledge, resources and networking." Feel free to contact Karen Glowacki, Chair of the 2013 Annual Conference Committee, with any questions. We look forward to seeing you next April in National Harbor!