ABOUT THE FORUM

Blank Rome Chief Information Officer Frank Spadafino will serve as a panelist at Thomson Reuters Institute’s 23rd Annual Law Firm COO & CFO Forum, being held October 22 through 23, 2024, in New York, New York.

The Annual Law Firm COO & CFO Forum offers comprehensive professional education and networking opportunities for the Am Law 200 and beyond. This year’s forum will feature a conversation between keynote speakers Linsey Davis and Ray Suarez regarding potential market repercussions of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Davis is currently an anchor for ABC News Live Prime and has extensive experience in investigative journalism, including her role as moderator in the 2020 and 2024 presidential debates. Suarez currently hosts On Shifting Ground, an NPR radio show and podcast, is the author of several sociopolitical books, and most recently was a visiting professor at NYU Shanghai.

Frank’s session, “Gotham Changed: AI Influence on Law Firm Financial Management,” will take place on Tuesday, October 22, from 2:45 to 4:00 p.m.

ABOUT THE SESSSION

The billable hour made its somewhat accidental entry into the U.S. legal market around the end of World War II. Since its arrival, most law firms have considered it a central staple in their pricing strategy. Now, some 80 years later, artificial intelligence’s (“AI’s”) entrance into the market has signaled the potential of a new business era akin to the industrial revolution. As organizations and firms alike begin to seek ways to integrate automation and AI efficiencies, how might AI’s influence streamline changes to legal billing, collections, pricing, payments, or law firm financial management overall? Furthermore, how can law firms convince clients that coupling AI with dedicated attorney expertise affords better opportunities to both parties, which may ultimately affect the cost of legal services? The panel will discuss the crossroads of AI’s potential impact on law firm finances.

Panelists:

  • Moderator: Philip Kelvin, Co-Founder and CEO, Tranch
  • Rawia Ashraf, Vice President, Product Management, Thomson Reuters
  • Shelly Celius, Chief Financial Officer, Stoel Rives LLP 
  • Frank Spadafino, Chief Information Officer, Blank Rome LLP

Other sessions include:

  • Between Wall Street and Broadway: Balancing Cost and Compensation in the Current Economy
  • Five Boroughs, One City: Exploring Intergenerational Dynamics in the Legal Workforce
  • An Empire State: AI’s Potential Impacts on the Legal Industry
  • Sight Lines on Skylines: Moving from Strategy to Planning
  • Bright Lights, Big City: The State of the US Legal Market
  • Over Bridges, Through Barriers: Increased Inclusion of Women within the C-Suite
  • Hidden Skyscrapers: Law Firm Operations within a VUCA World
  • In a New York Minute: Understanding Shifts in Corporate Social Activism within the Legal Industry
  • Setting the Stage: Addressing Cultural Challenges within Law Firms
  • Top of the Rock: Exploring Strategies in Succession Planning
  • Measuring Metropolis: Improving Law Firm Data Strategy
  • Between Two Rivers: Refining and Renewing Firmwide Commitments to ESG
  • Charging the Bull: Exploring Operational Efficiencies for Law Firms

For more information, please visit the event webpage.