On April 24-26, Corporate College will bring the nation’s best legal and technology experts to Northern Ohio. There will be multiple continuing legal education (CLE) sessions offered each day, so attendees can earn all of their annually required CLE credits at one time, in one place. Plus, the latest in legal and technology-related products and services will be presented at the accompanying trade show.
Julie Savarino, managing director of Business Development Inc., will be presenting two nationally acclaimed sessions: “Mastering the ‘Sales’ Process for Lawyers,” and “Secrets of Success from Leading Women Lawyers.”
“Law is a practice, you have to practice constantly. If you want to maximize your strengths and further your career, these are great programs to attend,” says Savarino.
Savarino is an attorney and a nationally renowned expert in client and business development for lawyers and law firms. Throughout her 25 years of practice, she has helped thousands of lawyers and firms generate millions of dollars in new business through her nationally renowned training, coaching and consulting services.
Smart Business spoke with Savarino about the Continuing Legal Education Summit, who should consider attending the event and what types of sessions are available.
What is the purpose of the Continuing Legal Education Summit?
The purpose is to pull together an exciting roster of CLE programs. Some of the best CLE sessions in the country will be offered at one time, under one roof.
In addition to the programs, I’m also very excited about the location. Corporate College is an undiscovered jewel. It is a great venue, with beautiful property and excellent meeting facilities.
Who should consider attending the event?
Professionals who should consider attending include attorneys, legal marketers, legal administrators and IT directors from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois and West Virginia. The summit also will be beneficial for court reporters and paralegals because they need CLE as well.
What will the ‘Mastering the “Sales” Process for Lawyers’ workshop consist of?
‘Mastering the “Sales” Process for Lawyers’ is a workshop designed to help lawyers become the best rainmakers they can be. It is a full day and an exciting day. In the morning we cover the six key steps in the sales process for lawyers, which is very different than the sales process for typical business entities because of the ethical rules attorneys must abide by and the relationship foundation of the legal business.
A key feature of the afternoon portion of the workshop is the two in-house counsel who serve as instructors. During the afternoon, participants prepare for and have the opportunity to ‘pitch’ the two in-house counsel while gaining their direct, candid and invaluable feedback. This doesn’t happen in real life. In real life when you pitch them, you leave the room and they talk about you behind your back. The workshop provides the opportunity to gain feedback about your approach, your skill set, and where you might want to enhance your techniques. It is somewhat comparable to lawyers actually listening in on jury deliberations at trial — which of course is not allowed.
This program has been delivered hundreds of times around the country and achieved excellent results for law firms and lawyers.
How can participants benefit from the sales workshop?
Lawyers don’t learn the steps of the sales process in law school. We have a prohibition against solicitation. There’s a phrase called ‘ambulance chasing’ which we can’t do. We can advertise to some degree, but you can’t call someone and ask for their business — solicitation is prohibited in all 50 states. This is one-stop shopping for learning how to ethically and appropriately sell.
How would you describe the ‘Secrets of Success from Leading Women Lawyers’ program?
‘Secrets of Success from Leading Women Lawyers’ will feature a panel of successful women lawyers employed in various capacities. This will be an outstanding program because the panel of women lawyers comes from various sectors. Not all practice at law firms; some practice in the public sector, some in education. The fact is that women lawyers — just like women businesspeople across the country — are still not equally paid or equally rewarded for their work. The women on the panel are going to share some of the secrets to their success.
Why should women consider attending this session?
Parity is still a struggle for most women lawyers no matter where they work and this panel is designed to share tips and techniques on how to fuel their career. For example, one panelist is a lawyer who works as in-house counsel at American Greetings and another is an up-and-coming young woman lawyer from a large law firm.
It’s very hard to be a successful woman lawyer. It’s a very demanding profession and law is a jealous mistress. To have children, a family, a life and be a successful lawyer is challenging and difficult. This program is going to showcase that there are a lot of alternative career paths, not simply working at a law firm and billing 2,000 hours a year.
Julie Savarino is managing director of Business Development Inc. Reach her at (734) 668-7008 or [email protected]. To register for the CLE Summitt, visit www.corporatecollege.com/cle or call (866) 933-5167.
