8:30 a.m.
Registration
8:55 a.m.
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Charles Terreni,
Terreni Law Firm, L.L.C.
2024 Solo & Small Firm Chair
9:00 a.m.
Everything Old is New Again: Law Firm and Client File Management in 2025
Jim Calloway, Oklahoma Bar Association
Kick the day off with featured speaker Jim Calloway for an overview of law office essentials today. Basic law office management practices are different today than when many of us began our practices. Client expectations are much different today. Don’t expect them to sit patiently in the waiting room long after their scheduled appointment. From fee agreements to client portals, we’ll discuss basics such as secure data storage with cloud-based tools, backups, preserving attorney-client text messaging and basics of effective use of digital client files. We will also discuss why tools like password managers and multi-factor authentication are critical for security for all lawyers and staff.
10:00 a.m.
Introduction to Common Artificial Intelligence Tools for Lawyers
Jim Calloway
You may have been one of those lawyers who, upon hearing of ChatGPT and other Artificial Intelligence tools, swore that you'd never use those in your law practice. But now you have seen AI introduced into tools you use every day. Even Facebook now has Meta AI doing summaries of comment threads. This introduction to AI will discuss what generative AI is and how this technique has changed how we think of AI, exploring some of the various AI products with a special focus on the presenter’s favorite AI tool for lawyers, Microsoft Copilot. Love it or hate it, for most lawyers AI tools are in their future. So here are some tips in using them safely and efficiently.
11:00 a.m.
Break
11:15 a.m.
Artificial Intelligence Use Cases (1 hour)
Panel: Jim Calloway (Moderator)
Eve A. Ross Thomson Reuters, Michael J. Polk,
Belser Law Firm, PA, Charles Terreni, Terreni Law Firm, L.L.C.
So many technological advances are overblown and overhyped. But there is a near-consensus among legal technology experts that AI is a massive and far-reaching development that will have a profound impact on many business processes and sectors of the economy. But it takes some effort to learn what these tools can do and how to best use them. Join our panelists as they discuss practical ways they’ve used AI in their law practices.
12:15 p.m.
Attendee Networking Luncheon (Columbia Location Only)
Sponsored by SSF Section
Recognition of Outgoing Chair Charlie Terreni by Chair-Elect Brooks Derrick
1:00 p.m.
The Practical Ethical Lawyer
Moderator: Courtney G. Troutman, South Carolina Bar
Panel: Jim Calloway, Jeffrey I. Silverberg, Office of
Disciplinary Counsel, Harvey M. Watson, III, Ballard & Watson, Attorneys at
Law
Our panelists will focus on real world solutions for everyday ethical dilemmas and address the most frequently asked ethics questions asked of the Bar’s Risk Management Helpline, including client confidentiality issues, conflicts of interest, common advertising violations, fee agreement clauses everyone should have, so-called “nonrefundable fees,” avoiding ethical pitfalls when using Artificial Intelligence tools, and what to do if you get a letter from ODC.
2:00 p.m.
Alternative Business Strategies in an Age of Automation
Jim Calloway, David A. Maxfield, Dave Maxfield, Attorney, LLC
AI adoption means some tasks that used to take hours
will be done in seconds. Document automation tools are being rolled out in
practice management software tools. Using the data contained in the client file
to generate documents will result in less attorney time involved in document
drafting. How does a law firm committed solely to the billable hour deal with that reality? As we automate our processes, the time it takes to do certain tasks should be reduced. At a minimum this will require rewriting engagement agreements with a blend of hourly and task-based fees. Areas that can be substantially automated may be considered for subscription-based models or flat fees. A headache for managing partners will be that hours billed alone may no longer accurately reflect the associate’s value to the firm.
3:00 p.m.
Break
3:15 p.m.
Practical Pointers for Running a Law Firm
Panel: Jim Calloway, M. Brooks Derrick, Brooks Derrick
Accident & Injury Lawyers Dave Maxfield, Jonathan E.B. Lewis, The Law Office of Jonathan Lewis, LLC, Charles Terreni
We end the day with the annual favorite Tips panel presentation! Whether you’re starting a new law firm or are in your twentieth year, our panel will share their favorite tips they’ve picked up over the years on office systems that work, managing client expectations, fees, marketing ethically, the best way to fire a client, favorite tech, and more.
4:30 p.m.
Adjourn
