SBM NEXT Conference Set for Sept. 26-28 in Grand Rapids
Members of the legal community will gather Sept. 26-28 at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids for the largest legal conference in the state, the State Bar of Michigan NEXT Conference.
Among this year's highlights:
Jack Newton, CEO and Founder of Clio, will deliver the keynote presentation about "The 2018 Legal Trends Every Michigan Lawyer Must Know,” at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 27. Newton is a pioneer in cloud-based practice management with more than 150,000 legal professionals in 130 countries depending on Clio’s software every day. Newton has been recognized as EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year, and Clio has been named to Deloitte’s Best Managed Companies, the Deloitte Fast 50, Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures and more. He is cofounder and president of the Legal Cloud Computing Association, a consortium of leading cloud computing providers with a mandate to help accelerate the adoption of cloud computing in the legal industry.
Members of the legal profession who have achieved the highest honors in the areas of leadership, professional integrity and pro bono and community service will be recognized at the SBM Awards Banquet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26. Award winners from the Michigan State Bar Foundation, Michigan Defense Trial Counsel, and Michigan Association for Justice will also be recognized. SBM President Donald G. Rockwell and SBM President-Elect Jennifer M. Grieco will present the awards.
World-class educational tracks, which can also be attended as a-la-carte sessions, will take place on Thursday, Sept. 27 and Friday, Sept. 28, featuring many helpful topics on the most up-to-date legal technology; judicial perspectives; marketing and managing your practice; updates in estate planning, criminal law, tax law, immigration law, international issues in marriage and divorce and selling the small business; tips for health and disability planning; law firm branding; starting your own practice; and the balanced practice. The faculty includes these top-notch speakers and many more:
- Hon. Elizabeth T. Clement, Michigan Supreme Court
- Hon. Joseph J. Farah, Genesee County Circuit Court
- Hon. Christopher P. Yates, Kent County Circuit Court
- Hon. Jon H. Hulsing, Ottawa County Circuit Court
- Hon. Timothy G. Hicks, Muskegon County Circuit Court
- Nicole Black, MyCase
- Barron K. Henley, Affinity Consulting Group LLC
- Christopher T. Anderson, Million Dollar Solo Lawyer Club Prepartory Acadamy
- Elizabeth C. Jolliffe, Your Benchmark Coach
On Thursday, Sept. 28, Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Stephen J. Markman will swear in the 84th president of the State Bar, Jennifer M. Grieco, and other officers. In addition, Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Tribal Court Judge Melissa L. Pope will swear in the 2018-2019 chair of the Representative Assembly, Richard L. Cunningham, and the Michael Franck and Unsung Hero awards will be presented at the assembly business meeting.
Also on Thursday, the All Member Reception will take place at DeVos Place from 4-5 p.m., and the Celebrating Diversity Reception will take place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Atwater Brewery in Grand Rapids. Hosted by the Justice Initiatives Committee, the reception will celebrate the diversity of the State Bar, and acknowledge the work accomplished over the past year in support of achieving greater diversity and inclusion in the legal profession in Michigan.
On Friday, the 50-Year Golden Celebration Luncheon will take place from noon to 2 p.m. This event honors lawyers for 50 years of membership in the State Bar of Michigan.
For more information on NEXT Conference, visit http://www.michbar.org/sbmnext.