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17th Annual

COO/CFO/C-Level Roundtable on 
Business & Financial Management

In Person, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
101 Park Ave, Conference Room 39D

New York
September 15, 2026
9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET

A Special Opportunity to Join Your Peer Firms 

This year’s conference features top-of-mind issues for COOs, CFOs, and C-Level business leaders. 

Growth Is the #1 Priority

​Growth plans are more important than ever.  Growing faster with top notch growth and talent officers overseeing strategy and implementation is one way firms are emphasizing growth initiatives.  Prioritizing to expand profits with higher billing rates are being developed by all firms today.  This is a time of uncertainty with clients’ pushing back on rate increases, demanding discounts and engaging more firms’ to perform different types of work at different and lower price points. 

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. 


How AI Can Maximize Firm Efficiency and Profitability
We live in a period of persistent economic volatility affecting clients and firms. Uncertainty affects clients and firm priorities and appetite for change.  On the other hand, firms are using AI to understand drivers of profitability, which tools to use, and how to use AI to maximize profitability.  
As firms raise rates, how are working relationships with clients affected? AI is central to profitability discussions with clients.  Firms are working to understand where AI efficiencies are most effective. 
What clients want from their law firms is lower prices.  AI is used by partners and associates for client work so clients want savings to be reflected in bills.  The conference will address these timely issues.

Topics for Discussion

9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET including networking lunch
1.    Uncertainty in the Economy, Changing Priorities and Change Management

  • Understanding change management

  • Growth plans when demand for legal services is down

  • Profitability and pricing

  • Reacting to uncertain signals in the economy as clients prioritize cost control and move more functions inside the law department

  • Macro environment and tariffs

2.    AI and Profitability

  • Data governance; structuring data to use

  • Structuring data to use in large language models

  • Collaborating with clients on AI; conflicting views between law departments interests and law firm practices

  • Using AI in record keeping and tracking profitability and pricing

  • Budgeting

    • Rolling out applications

    • Predictive analysis and the budget process

    • Firm attorney and matter budgets

  • New ways for firms to take advantage of AI.  

  • Using AI to improve forecasting and increase efficiency. 

  • Training partners, associates and business C-levels and staff

  • Use Cases

3.    Focus on Business and Financial Management

  • Controlling expenses

  • Fees and Rates: opportunities for firms to raise rates, competitive advantage of lower rates

  • Inventory management

    • Financial discipline

    • Billing and collections

  • Outside counsel guidelines; changes to allow flexibility, AI 

  • Cybersecurity risks, threats and guardrails

  • Interaction with client teams; Who on the firm business side is client facing?

  • Real Estate

    • State of the NY real estate market

    • Return to work in office, hybrid incentives, enforcement 

    • Rethinking real estate commitments

    • Space redesign; latest trends

    • Right sizing offices

  • Talent

    • Mergers, Groups, and Laterals

    • State of the market for mergers, groups and laterals including cross-border tie-ups

    • How to blend two or more cultures

    • Integration of laterals; integration of associates

    • Role of business services professionals

      • Decision making authority

    • Short term and long term planning

Faculty of Thought Leaders:
Arthur G. Armstrong, Executive Director, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, New York
Tom Baldwin, CEO Founder, Entegrata, Indianapolis, IN
Patricia Bartos, Chief Administrative Officer, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, New York
Tenley Laserson Chepiga, Chief Operating Officer, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, New York
David Cunningham, Chief Innovation Officer, Reed Smith, Houston, TX
Wendy Butler Curtis, Chief Innovation Officer, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Washington, D.C.
Sarah Gibbons-Scheets, Managing Director, CBRE, Inc., New York
Jonathan Hallihan, Chief Operating Officer, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, New York

Shane Kelly, Principal Director, tp bennett, London
Anthony A. Licata, Chief Operating Officer, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, Philadelphia, PA

Matthew Mao, Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, New York 
Sean McNamara, Chief Financial Officer – Global, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, New York
Seamus M. Morley, Chief Legal Officer, Head of Corporate Legal, Prudential Financial, Newark
Colleen F. Nihill, Chief AI & Knowledge Officer, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, Philadelphia

Caitlin Perazzo, Global Head of Service Delivery for Global Legal, Compliance & Regulatory, AIG, New York
Mike Raposa, Chief Revenue Officer, Williams Lea, Boston
Mat Rosswood, Chief Operating Officer US, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, New York
Brian F. Schare, Chief Operating Officer, Mayer Brown, New York
Eric J. Sekler, Chief Operating Officer, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, New York
Michael Shea, Chief Information Officer, McDermott Will & Schulte, Wilmington, DE

Kate Stonestreet, Chief Operating Officer, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, New York

Mark Wasserman, Partner/Chief Executive Officer, Emeritus, Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP, Atlanta, GA
Jake Weiner, Head of Strategic Business Development, Harvey, 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.

CLE and CPE credit has been applied for.

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© 2026 by Sandpiper Partners, LLC​

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