Welcome from the Conference Committee

On behalf of the LFA Retreat Planning Committee, I would like to invite you to attend this year’s Large Firm Principal Administrators Retreat, August 2-4 at the historic beachfront Hotel del Coronado in the city of Coronado, just across the San Diego Bay. You can enjoy various activities on the beach during your stay. The Planning Committee is extremely excited about the educational program we have developed this year, designed to help us address the challenges and opportunities of the rapidly changing legal industry together.

The retreat will begin on Thursday, August 2, with two optional activities for retreat participants and their guests. Enjoy an afternoon of golf at Steele Canyon, a championship golf course personally designed by the legendary golfer Gary Player, or experience a scenic tour by both land and sea of beautiful San Diego. These activities will be followed by a welcome reception and dinner for all attendees back at the hotel.

On Friday, we will begin the day with a session focused on improving collaboration between law firms and in-house legal departments titled “Legal Departments, Operations and Service Delivery Today and Tomorrow: The Inside View.” We will be joined by an esteemed panel of founding members from the leadership team of the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC), including:

• Connie Brenton, JD, MBA, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of CLOC as well as Chief of Staff and Senior Director of Legal Operations at NetApp Inc.
• Jeff Franke, JD, MBA, Corporate Secretary of the CLOC Executive Team and Board of Directors with more than 20 years of experience at major high-tech companies and in private practice
• Steve Harmon, JD, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Legal at Cisco and a member of the Cisco Legal executive management team where he manages the Legal Technology Solutions (“LTS”); Global Export Trade (“GET”) teams; the global process for Trademarks and Corporate Marketing, and the Global Center of Excellence

The first of our two idea exchanges focused on legal operations, finance and pricing will follow this session. In the afternoon, Thomas Baldwin of Fireman & Company, will provide his insights on how we can Innovate and Improve Service with the Use of Technology. A second Idea Exchange will follow on the topic of law firm technologies and innovation. Saturday morning will begin with an interactive session on Mastering the Possibilities of Positive Leadership led by executive coach Roberta (Bobbie) LaPorte, MBA. Bobbie served in Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer roles in several Fortune 50 companies prior to creating her consultancy. Her real-world experience along with her MBA from Harvard and master’s in Positive Leadership and Strategy from IE Business School in Madrid make her an ideal coach for strategizing with executives to help them excel in their careers, build resilience, and unlock the potential of their leadership teams.

As usual, we have taken care to ensure that the agenda will allow significant time for you to network with your colleagues. This is always one of the best parts of the retreat, and we have a few special venues lined up that you are sure to enjoy. We are grateful for your interest in this year’s retreat, and we look forward to personally welcoming you to San Diego this summer!

Your LFA Conference Committee

Jim Nichols, LFA Retreat Planning Committee Chair
Michael L. Anthony
Kimberly Cannon
Tracey R. Skjeveland, CLM
Michelle Weber