Day one: Wednesday 13 June 2012

12:00 Registration

12:30 Welcome lunch

13:30 Chairman's opening remarks: Simon Kosminsky, IT director, SJ Berwin

13.40 Keynote: Assessing the state of play driving tomorrow's business and legal markets
The economic turbulence that has plagued the business world in 2011 will continue to resonate throughout 2012; however, with many unique factors at play it is essential to investigate the cumulative effect of new emerging markets, embattled domestic markets and the trend towards legal consolidation and mergers to name but a few issues.. Join one of the foremost economic commentators as he provides forward-looking analysis on the state of the legal sector in relation to the wider economic market.

14.20 The art of project management in a world of uncertainty - looking for the sweet spot
No matter which profession or business activity you work in, gaining some aspect of certainty about the world you work in is essential to project management. Business, and therefore the law is under a period of flux where everyone has to come to terms with the "New Norm". CIO's are continuously asked to do more with less, which makes planning and undertaking new project work increasingly more challenging. Join our expert speaker as they outline the "New Norm" and provide ideas from outside of the legal profession on how best to project manage in 2012 and beyond.

15.00 Benchmarking your IT function
Des Cahill, director of research, Incisive Media

15:30 Networking break and refreshments

15:50 Interactive focus groups

A: Adjusting your internal processes to drive system efficiency
Law firms are undergoing a shift change where processes that are part of the old strategic thinking are being surpassed by a new reality. In order for technology to genuinely drive efficiency it has to be aligned with the problems law firms face tomorrow, not yesterday. The explosive growth of information, heightened client communication demands, increased governance and privacy issues along with more intense pricing pressures. Technology has to close the huge gap between the electronic file and organization processes to drive business results whilst mitigating risk. This session will offer strategic insight into how Web 2.0 technologies can help to achieve the internal process efficiency.

B: Big data deluge: Satisfying instant access demands whilst keeping your head above water
In a world where terabytes are becoming the new norm and case work is demanding quicker access to more complex information, heads of IT have to safeguard their systems against a big data deluge. This interactive discussion group will address the key strains on law firm data flow and some of the threats that could de-rail your future strategic planning.

C: Revenue management: The clients want it, so how do we make alternative fee arrangements work?
With alternative fee arrangements (AFAs) becoming the new norm in legal pricing structures, now is the time to make sure your processes and historic matter data are accurate enough to predict future client fees. This session will identify the key factors that need to be addressed when integrating AFAs into your pricing system and how best to link this into your financial systems.

17:00 Managing Partner Panel
Re-define, re-design and re-shape: Putting management information at the forefront of strategic decision making
Technology has long been used to strip out costs and to enhance the possibility to grow revenue, however, to really drive a successful firm, technology also has to be used as a tool to ensure the workforce is comfortable, happy and motivated. A selection of leading Managing Partners will discuss the current challenges and opportunities being experienced by law firms and the role of information systems in driving lean growth whilst realizing intangible benefits. As we brace ourselves for another economic storm in 2012, our panel takes a look at the future business environment that law firms will have to work in.

18.00 End of conference day one

19:15 Welcome dinner