SCG Legal February 2024 Newsletter

February 29, 2024
scglegal

With the first two months of 2024 firmly behind us, this year is on track to be one of the most active in SCG Legal’s recent history. New initiatives and benefits are providing for greater member engagement virtually and in person, creating opportunities where connections and collaborations lead directly to referrals. I encourage you to take advantage of all our network has to offer, and I invite your suggestions and questions—at any time—for ways in which SCG can be of greater benefit to you and your firm.

Member Engagement
SCG’s in-person Midyear, Annual, and Regional meetings as well as Practice Group and affinity initiatives are critical membership benefits, offering strategic personal, professional, and business development opportunities. Participating in these activities can exponentially advance revenue-focused goals for individual attorneys, practice groups, and firms. Below are just a few of the activities planned for this year. While some are coordinated through your firm’s Voting Representative (VR), others are available for direct registration. At any time, please feel free to reach out to me via agorokhovsky@scglegal.com with questions, new Practice Group or initiative suggestions, or participation interest.

  • New Practice Groups: The purpose of these groups is to connect lawyers across the globe so they can share information related to their practices and to discuss potential collaborations on client, business development, and thought leadership opportunities (e.g., joint podcast, panel participation, article co-authorship, etc.). New for 2024 are Environment/Energy (Europe); Life Sciences; Immigration; Infrastructure; Intellectual Property (Patent Prosecution/Litigation); Mergers & Acquisitions (Europe & Asia); Tax (Asia); Technology & Digital Economy; Trusts and Estates; and White Collar. Our Practices that are already organized and are meeting include: International Arbitration, Bankruptcy & Insolvency, Cannabis, Cyber/GDPR – Technology & Digital Economy, Employment, Government Procurement, and Government Relations. Participation is being coordinated through your firm’s VR.
  • New Initiative: In line with SCG’s commitment to embracing innovation and staying at the forefront of advancements in the legal industry, SCG has partnered with LawVision, an industry leader in creating competitive advantages for law firms, on a proprietary program to help its members gain strategic insights for advancing firm strategies and services by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI). Named SCG AI Strategy Exchange, the program will focus on five key areas – Assessment of AI Applications, Identifying Operational Improvements, Client Service Enhancements, Training and Skill Development, and Risk and Compliance Considerations – and will assist SCG members in determining how AI can be strategically deployed to benefit each practice within the firm, including exploring opportunities for AI to optimize internal processes, workflow management, and document review. Members of the Exchange will also assess how AI can be utilized to improve client services, responsiveness, and overall value. Click here for the press release. Participation is being coordinated through your firm’s VR.
  • Business Development Webinar Series
    Please join SCG Legal for two 45-minute webinars focused on client relationship development, building your personal brand, and managing your professional career. The series is complimentary, but registration is required. If you have ideas for future webinars, please reach out to me via agorokhovsky@scglegal.com.

Your Invisible Network: How to Build and Enrich Relationships with Clients and Within SCG | Click here for webinar recording.
Relationships are a must-have…not a nice-to-have…when it comes to achieving your leadership and business potential. Internationally renowned executive coach, leadership expert, and lawyer Michael Urtuzuástegui Melcher, author of the book Your Invisible Network: How to Create, Maintain, and Leverage the Relationships That Will Transform Your Career (2023), in this webinar shared insights and practical tips for how to get the most out of your current and future connections based on his years coaching senior leaders across multiple industries. Through this webinar you will better understand:

      • How relationships are a form of wealth that is under your control
      • What it means to build and manage a relationship portfolio
      • How relationship ‘bids’ work and how we can offer – and be more receptive to – more bids with clients and colleagues
      • ‘Minute 32’ and the unpredictable ways that conversations unfold
      • The limits of pre-qualifying aka why you can’t predict who will be most valuable
      • The power of research-based principles like ‘strength of weak ties’
      • Why your discomfort is part of the process…and how to deal with it
      • How to do all the above amid a busy career and life

Building Your Personal Brand | March 14 at 10:30 am (EST)
Individual lawyers represent their firm’s brand only as well as how they present themselves. Building your personal brand will strengthen your reputation within your firm, with current and prospective clients, and across business-building resources such as SCG Legal. Sought after Executive coach Kimberly Togman, founder of Scalable Leader and a principal with Next Step Partners®, and Michael Urtuzuástegui Melcher will help you understand your existing brand and ways to optimize it. Through this webinar you will better understand how to:

      • Define, refine, or re-invent your brand
      • Communicate your brand
      • Explore strategies for aligning your existing network with your brand
      • Keep brand at the forefront of your career management strategy

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR

Annual and Midyear Meetings
As agendas evolve for these events, your suggestions for session/panel/discussion topics and speakers are also welcomed. Please email me at agorokhovsky@scglegal.com directly with your ideas and recommendations.

2024 Midyear Meeting in Dublin: Registration Now Open

REGISTER TODAY and be sure to reserve your hotel room through SCG’s special room rate as soon as possible. Thanks to local member firm/host Beauchamps, keynote speakers have already been secured: Bertie Ahern, former Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) and Liz O’Donnell, former Government Minister. In addition, meeting panels will include:

  • Beyond the Click: Exploring the Intersections of Targeted Advertising and Privacy Regulations
  • Keeping It Real: The Challenge of Authenticity in the Deepfake Era
  • Merging Worlds: Analyzing Risks and Rewards in Cross-Border M&A Ventures
  • The Intersection of Business of Law and Technology – From the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to automating repetitive tasks, the practice of law is not what it used to be…and there is no turning back.
  • Navigating Excellence: Insights from Legal Industry Leader
  • International Dispute Dynamics: Navigating Arbitration vs. Litigation
  • Legal Practices in Higher Education Worldwide
  • Cybersecurity Insights: Lessons Learned from Law Firm Breaches
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Excellence: Implementing Best Practices for Maximum Impact
  • Rebuilding Ukraine:  Advancements in Energy and Infrastructure Development
  • Global Political Dynamics: U.S. Elections and the Shifting Political Landscape

For meeting agenda, click here and additional information about the venue click here.

2024 Annual Meeting: Save the Details

2025 Meetings: Save the Details
Midyear Meeting | May 15 – 16 | Barcelona (Spain)
Annual Meeting | September 18 – 19 | Austin, Texas (US)

2026 Meetings: Save the Details
Midyear Meeting | March 19 – 20 | Melbourne (Australia)
Annual Meeting | Dates TBA | Washington, DC (US)

Meet & Greets Around the Globe
SCG monitors member attendance at global industry events to help facilitate and/or potentially sponsor networking opportunities. Below are some of the events SCG is tracking for on-site member meetups and – if appropriate – invitations to additional networking opportunities with clients.

If you/r firm colleagues are planning to attend these events – or would like to suggest other events be added to this list – please email Membership Coordinator Erin Kane (ekane@scglegal.com).

Reminder: Tracking Referrals for Impact
As you know, it can take numerous interactions to build the rapport and establish the trust that enables client referrals. Once that foundation is laid, referrals become near seamless and members invest in each other’s success naturally. As member-to-member client referrals occur, please help SCG track them. Doing so is critical to:

  • Offer a clear picture of membership value, especially for annual member firm renewals and prospect member firm invitations;
  • Ensure acknowledgement of/credit to the referring firm; and
  • Ensure the firm receiving a referral has an opportunity to profile their practice/s.

To ensure accurate tracking, please CC me (agorokhovsky@scglegal.com) on any referral emails. If that’s not possible because of client confidentiality, please send me a separate email letting me know the firm you referred the client/matter to and, as able, the related practice or industry. If you have any questions/ suggestions about this request, please contact me directly.

Mobile App Accessible to All
SCG’s mobile app continues to gain strength and usability as a global connection tool for business development, referral, and cross-selling opportunities. All member firm Voting Representatives as well as attorneys attending our in-person meetings have a profile available through the Members tab. We encourage you to download and use the app yourself as well as sharing its availability with your firm colleagues. For directions on how to download the app and access the Members tab, click here. In addition to the member directory profiles, SCG also uses the app for in person events, including Midyear and Annual meetings.

Professional Development Events
2024 RainDance Conference: The Legal Sales & Service Organization (LSSO), a transformative industry association helping senior sales- and service-focused legal and business professionals thrive in today’s dynamic and competitive landscape, is offering SCG Legal members a preferred registration of $720 (10% off LSSO member early registration rate) with code SCG24RD to attend its annual RainDance Conference June 5 – 6 in Boston, MA. I am one of the speakers at this event, which this year will feature LSSO’s version of TED Talks: Sales & Service Education Discussions (SSEDs). These ~20-minute sessions will be punctuated by frequent opportunities for attendees to network and connect about what they’re experiencing at the Conference and in their daily work – what they are hearing, thinking, wishing they knew more about, doing in their own organizations, etc. Click here for additional information.

Marketing & Business Development Resource: As a new value-add benefit, SCG members are invited to take advantage of a subscription discount (30% off published price) for Elevate Curriculum TM, an eLearning program designed to help law firm associates and junior partner advance their marketing and revenue generation skills. Created by Coston Consulting – SCG’s Global DEI Certification Program partner – the Curriculum is divided into two subscription tracks. The Core program ($559.30 for SCG members – we have a 25% discount) is designed to help law firm junior associates learn the fundamentals of personal branding, marketing, and networking. The Advanced track ($962.50 for SCG members – we have a 25% discount) covers the marketing fundamentals along with business development best practices for profile raising, pitching for new business, client relations, and cross-selling. Both programs have been approved for certain CLE credit in a number of mandatory CLE states in the US. To redeem the discount, click here and use the case sensitive code SCGL2024 when purchasing either program. If you are interested in 15 seats or more at your firm, please click here to contact Coston for additional group pricing options.


In Closing…
SCG Legal’s reach, influence, and impact are a direct result of your critical input and involvement. There hasn’t been a better time in recent history to be part of a network like ours. Please take full advantage of our global footprint and the benefits SCG has to offer. For my part, I will continue to proactively reach out and seek input for how SCG can be of greater value.

Alina Gorokhovsky
CEO, SCG Legal
agorokhovsky@scglegal.com
202.580.6527

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