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In this episode, I talk to business development coach and consultant Brenda Pontiff, who also appears regularly on the Los Angeles comedy circuit. In addition to sharing our experiences in the world of standup, we discussed a variety of issues relating to both business development and lateral recruiting, including:

• Her career as a sales executive at both major accounting firms and law firms.
• Her unique role as an intermediary for lateral groups evaluating their suitors' commitments vis-a-vis integration and business development support.
• How she uses comedy in her workshops.
• Her thoughts on how AI will change both business development and the practice of law.

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In this episode, I interview Deborah McMurray, long-time marketing strategy and technology consultant. Among the topics we cover:

• Her journey from her days as a client relations executive during the infancy of law firm marketing to an independent consultant to starting her own multifaceted legal management company..
• How that company, Content Pilot, has been integrating artificial intelligence in its software products.
• The announcement of Content Pilot's launch of a new AI-driven version of the company's experience management product.
• How that product can address deficiencies in lateral partner hiring and integration.
• Our joint efforts in the College of Law Practice Management.

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Last year, we discussed what the impact of the executive orders would be on the firms that settled with the government. Now that a year has passed, Steve and his colleague David Ris provide some observations. Among the areas covered:

• How much turnover has there been at the settling firms, as well as those firms that challenged the government.
• Why some firms have seen significant departures, while others have not.
• The impact on associate retention.
• The impact on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

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In this episode, I interview Deborah Farone, former Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at both Cravath and Debevoise, on her new book "Breaking Ground: How Successful Women Lawyers Build Thriving Practices." Among the topics:

• How Deborah is helping marketing professionals and law firms in her current consulting firm, Farone Advisors.
• The wide scope of her interviews for her book, including women rainmakers across the globe.
• Why the book is a great primer for everyone looking to expand their practices.
• Why women often fall victim to the "Imposter Syndrome".
• How artificial intelligence is revolutionizing law firm marketing and business development.

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In this episode of Steve's Rules, Chuck Curtis of CLCurtis31 Consulting and I discuss a myriad of issues relating to partner recruiting and integration. Chuck had a 25-year career working in high-level recruiting positions in law firms such as Pillsbury Winthrop and Latham & Watkins before starting his own consulting firm three years ago. Among the topics covered:

• The range of consulting services provided by Chuck to law firms, individual partners, and even legal recruiters.
• Determining early in the recruiting process whether there is a realistic compensation fit.
• The gap between originations and portability.
• The continued dominance in partner recruiting at the top 25 firms.

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In this episode, I am joined by Law Firm Strategist Wendy Bernero, co-founder of Yate Collaborative, and a veteran of senior marketing and business development roles at many premier law firms. We discussed:

• The background and scope of Yate Collaborative.
• The evolution of legal marketing and business development over the past 30 years.
• Advice to legal professionals on how to position themselves for leadership positions in law firms.
• Our work for the College of Law Practice Management, including our joint editorship of the organization's newsletter, which summarizes major developments pertaining to the practice of law.

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In the latest episode, I have a wide-ranging discussion with Susan Lambreth of LawVision, who is the nations leading authority on Practice Management in Law Firms. Among the topics we discuss are:

• What are most firms looking for when they retain her services
• Her various roundtables and what types of professionals are included in each.
• The importance of her certification programs.
• The evolution of practice management in the past 20 years.
• A summary of the various practice management models.
• Different structures encompassing practice management, legal project management, pricing, and other related disciplines.
• The emerging trend of Practice Group Directors transitioning to law firm COOs.

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In this episode, Steve interviews Jonathan Greenblatt, Co-Founder and Chair of Legal Innovators, which is changing
the game when it comes to the recruitment of junior and mid
level talent in the legal industry. Among the topics addressed are:

• Why the current system of recruiting and training junior associates is flawed;
• Legal Innovators' process for selecting law graduates;
• Why the firm's training program is superior to that of most law firms;
• The firm's record of transitioning its attorneys to full-time employment at client firms;
• The firm's separate Performance Coaching program;
• The firm's relatively new track featuring JAG Corps attorneys;
• How the current disruption affecting government lawyer is impacting Legal Innovators

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