Atlanta Legal Market 2025

Cordially Invites You to Attend

the Invitation Only

ATLANTA LEGAL MARKET

Roundtable 2025-2026:

Thursday, November 13, 2025

9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EDT

Eversheds Sutherland Conference Center

999 Peachtree Street, NE

Atlanta

Click Here to REGISTER - COMPLIMENTARY

Atlanta Legal Market is Bustling…*

Law firms are growing and expanding in Atlanta. Atlanta is a fast-growing metropolitan area. It is the U.S.’s second most livable city according to The Economist; and Atlanta is home to 20 Fortune 500 companies, with 70% of the Fortune 1000 operating in Atlanta. Working with and collaborating with clients is a hot topic.

However, this is a time of economic, social and geo-political uncertainty. We will gather under Chatham House Rule to discuss these uncertain times and how to respond to market conditions.

Mergers and Lateral Moves Continue to be Announced

There are many mergers of law firms in Atlanta; as well as examples of outside law firms moving into Atlanta. Examples include Troutman Pepper Locke; Smith, Gambrell & Russell; Ogletree; Reed Smith and many others. In addition, lateral moves are happening regularly. Over 400 lateral moves occurred in 2024 alone (about half were partners).

Roundtable/ Workshop/ Interactive Format
Attendance is limited
This Roundtable features a workshop format where the faculty and audience will interact around one table.

Questions We Will Discuss

Against the backdrop of uncertainty, how are law firms actually responding to market conditions?
What are key drivers of profitability?
How to collaborate with clients?
What are keys to effective client relationships?
How to grow bottom line?
What does it mean to compete?
How to manage change?
Will we see more mergers of firms? What are the key reasons for firms to merge?
How to plan for managing uncertainty

* Spotlight on Atlanta, Chambers/Associates, January 2025

All-Star Faculty Includes Chairs, and Managing Partners,

Corporate Counsel, Legal Leaders, Advisors

Tye Darland

Senior Vice President and General Counsel,

Georgia-Pacific;

Executive Vice President, Koch Capabilities,

Atlanta

Cindy J. Davis

Interim Managing Partner, Atlanta office,

Reed Smith LLP,

Atlanta

Isabel DuPree

Director, VOYlegal LLC, Atlanta

Stephen M. Forte

Managing Partner,

Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP,

Atlanta

Joann Gallagher Jones

Managing Partner, BakerHostetler,

Atlanta

Simon R. Malko

Managing Partner,

Morris, Manning and Martin, LLP, Atlanta

Mike Raposa

Chief Revenue Officer,

Williams Lea by RRD,

Boston

Charles Palmer

Managing Partner, Atlanta Office,

Troutman Pepper Locke LLP,

Atlanta

Garland Reid

Assistant General Counsel

Delta Air Lines,

Atlanta

Burleigh L. Singleton

Managing Partner, Atlanta Office,

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, Atlanta

Ellen Stern

Senior Vice President,

Office Occupier Leasing,

CBRE, Atlanta

Kristina Kopf Thomas

Partner, US Real Estate Practice Group Leader and Co-Head of Global Real Estate and Planning, Atlanta, Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP,

Atlanta

Mark Wasserman

Partner/CEO Emeritus,
Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP,

Atlanta

William K. Whitner

Partner, Co-chair, Complex Litigation & Arbitration Practice, Paul Hastings, LLP,

Atlanta

—Program Highlights—

9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EDT

1. State of the Atlanta Legal Market

Growth plans. Where to grow.
Coping with disruption.
Financial discipline: profitability.
M&A, laterals, groups. Strategic and operational issues.
Budget for 2026. Building recession proof strategies in uncertain and volatile times.

2. Talent: M&A, Lateral Hiring and Groups

M&A; examples of the recent mergers (Troutman Pepper Locke; Smith, Gambrell & Russell; and Ogletree Deakins)
Talent development: training partners, laterals and associates.
Recruiting, hiring and integrating talent. Departures vs. retention.
Laterals and groups.
- Litigation is busiest practice areas.
- Shifting attorneys to busy areas of practice.

3. What Clients Want—And Expect: How to Collaborate Effectively with Them

Client expectations vs. law firm reality.
Interacting with firm legal and business teams.
Billing rates are attractive in Atlanta.
Who on the firm business side is “in the room” with representatives of clients?
AI strategy, policies for corporate law departments, and for financial institutions.
Examples of collaboration with companies/clients.

4. State of the Atlanta Real Estate Market

Midtown, downtown location.
Working differently: what firms want now in their purpose-built space.
Workplace design.
In office growth vs. downsizing.

5. AI, Innovation, and Firm Strategy—What’s Next?

How AI is changing the delivery of legal services in law firms.
Innovation planning; getting past the pilot stage.
AI tools.
- Rolling out applications.
- How are tools more efficient and productive?
Structuring data to use in large language models.
Budgeting
- Predictive analysis and the budget process.
- Firm attorney and matter budgets.
New ways for firms to take advantage of AI for research and to improve forecasting and increase efficiency.
Training lawyers, staff.
Business and enterprise risk.
Innovative Use Cases.

CLE credit has been applied for.

Questions? Email: ginarivera@sandpiperpartners.com OR Call 973-278-8800.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZER

Sandpiper Partners is an educational firm run by highly successful entrepreneur, Lynn Glasser, who has decades of experience producing educational solutions for law firms, law departments, legal vendors and information providers serving the legal industry. Sandpiper Partners presents seven Legal Market annual conferences in major U.S. legal centers from New York to Chicago to California and London. At Sandpiper Partners, the Glassers designed and implemented the first ever Executive MBA for Law Firm Managers. They founded the “Legal Times” in D.C.