The future of law firm management.

• Position: BRIEFLY LEGAL

This month, we are departing a bit from our usual format to focus on one event where the attendees gazed into a crystal ball for a peek at the future of law firm management. The College of Law Practice Management held its 2013 Futures Conference October 4-5 at Chicago-Kent College of Law (http://tinyurl.com/km7sesd). For its format, the event borrowed from the popular and influential TED Conferences and featured several brief, albeit insightful, presentations mixed with longer breakout sessions. Each of the presentations was followed by facilitator-led breakout sessions, in which practical applications for the themes put forth by the TED provocateurs were debated by the College's Fellows and guests. The supporting materials on the event's website are worth the time to read and to share with others in your law firms. Here are some highlights:

Ann Lee Gibson (annleegibson.com) had 15 minutes to deliver "TED Talk: The Future of Legal Services from The Buyers' Viewpoint" (http://tinyurl.com/kcqxvzp). Gibson pointed out that attorneys must understand and be willing to address the major societal shifts. These shifts are affecting food and water supplies; the availability of energy and technology; individual empowerment and the diffusion of power; and accessibility to quality health care. Attorneys must understand the challenges their clients face and be diligent in learning about and understanding the impacted industries.

Law professor and consultant Stephen Mayson (stephenmayson.com) delivered the keynote address: "The Future of Law: Who Will Perform it? Who Will Regulate it?" Mayson's overall message is that we need to reconnect value for the people paying for it, and there are...