Cordially Invites You to Attend
16th Annual
COO/CFO/C-Level Roundtable on
Business & Financial Management
Looking Ahead to 2026
In Person
Paul, Weiss Conference Center
1285 Avenue of the Americas
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET
A Special Opportunity to Join Your Peer Firms
This year’s Conference features a look at what’s on the minds of top COOs and C-level business leaders including AI investment, challenges and risks’; client relationship management; evolving structure of innovation departments; C-suite compensation; as well as economic realities of rising expenses for tariffs and other inflationary costs. Firms need to re-assess the consequences and fallout of stubborn inflation, interest rates and costs.
AI Investment is no longer discretionary
People, process and technology management is key to change management. To navigate the rapidly changing world of AI and technology, firms may need people with different skills sets. Also, firms need to approach talent through the prism of change management. As AI changes the game, how will your firm change?
Making investments in AI technology and training partners and staff to use AI productively is a large budget expense. How will firms approach this need?
Competition Ramps up; Lateral talent, M+A
The competitive war for lateral partner talent is only going to increase pressure on firms to grow and increase compensation.
Partner and staff compensation continue to rise rapidly. Studies confirm that this year there is as much as a 9% rise in salary and partner pay outs. The Law.com newsroom update for Nov. 13 is headlined “Flurry of Law Firms Pursue Merger Talks”. We will discuss latest developments in depth.
Topics for Discussion
9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET including networking lunch
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Client relationship management
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Roles of C-Suite executives
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Collaboration with firm stakeholders
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Building teams to work with clients
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Evolving structure of Innovation Departments
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C-suite compensation
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Competition with C-Suite leadership and commensurate pay packages
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C-Suite base salaries and bonuses vs. competitive market rate packages
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“Phantom Shares” pay is similar to partners profit share. Are they catching on?
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Outside Counsel Guidelines: negotiating AI usage
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Data governance and management
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Conflicting views between law department interests and law firm practices
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Engagement letters and conflict waivers
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AI usage from in-house and law firm perspectives; examples
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AI: What C-Suite executives need to know
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Business and financial management uses for AI
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Tools and customization
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Build or buy? When to customize
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M&A considerations
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Defensive strategies
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Offensive growth plans
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Controlling expense growth
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What steps to take to control runaway expense growth.
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Faculty of Thought Leaders:
Ralph Allen, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, Chief Operating Officer, New York
Josh Bank, President, Account Management and Law Firm Practice Group Lead, CBRE, Miami
Aubrey Bishai, Chief Innovation Officer, Vinson & Elkins, New York
Karen L. Braun, Executive Director, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, New York
Christopher T. Fulton, Chief Operating Officer, Pryor Cashman, New York
Brian Gross, Chief Operating Officer, Morrison Foerster, San Francisco
Sadie Khodorkovsky, Managing Director, Global Head of eDiscovery, Knowledge Mgmt, Legal Ops (Litigation/OGC), JP Morgan Chase, New York
Steven D. Lando, Partner, Co-Leader – Law Firm Group, Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP, New York
Gina Lynch, Chief Knowledge and Innovation Officer, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, New York
Megan McMillin, Senior Practice Innovation Manager, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, New York
Sara Miro, Director of Knowledge and Innovation, Sullivan & Cromwell, New York
Christiane Müller-Haye, Director ,Global Technology Services & Regional Technology Director Americas & India, Clifford Chance, New York
Andrew R. Notaro, Chief Operating Officer, Seward & Kissel LLP, New York
Mike Raposa, Chief Revenue Officer, Williams Lea, Boston
Howard Rosenberg, Partner, Head of Talent Intelligence & Acquisitions, Baretz+Brunelle, New York
Mat Rosswood, Chief Operating Officer, US, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (US) LLP, New York
Carol Sawdye, Chief Operating Officer, Proskauer Rose LLP, New York
Brian F. Schare, Chief Operating Officer, Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, New York
Eric J. Sekler, Chief Operating Officer, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, New York
Barbara Taylor, Chief Knowledge Officer, DLA Piper, New York
Deborah L. de Vries, Partner, Co-Leader – Law Firm Group, Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP, New York
Who Should Attend?
This Roundtable is for all C-level C-Suite Business Executives
This briefing conference is for law firm business executives including
COOs, CFOs, CMOs, CIOs, Heads of Human Resources and Talent, Client Service and Innovation, Knowledge Management, AI, other C-suite Executives, senior lawyer leaders including Managing Partners, Members of Executive Committee, practice group leaders are also welcome to attend.
