Join us at the North Carolina State Bar for the Raleigh-Durham Chapter ALA Biannual Education Conference & Business Partner Expo!
Network with Legal Administrators and Business Partners from across the Triangle as we come together to learn, share insights, and build connections.

Speaker & Program line-up:

Kimberly McNeil is a mission-driven facilitator, organizational strategist, and founder of Root Causes Consulting, where she partners with organizations to strengthen relationships, enhance culture, and drive sustainable systems change through an equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging lens. With over 20 years of experience across public health, education, and nonprofit sectors, she specializes in designing and leading transformative learning experiences that foster psychological safety, cultural responsiveness, and collaborative leadership. Root Causes Consulting focuses on creating safe(r) spaces for reflection and growth.

Psychological Safety for Managers - This course is designed to cultivate a psychologically safe workspace where every team member feels empowered to be themselves, embrace mistakes without fear of judgment, contribute meaningfully, and challenge the status quo. By enhancing psychological safety, we aim to significantly improve team dynamics and productivity, ensuring that belonging becomes an integral part of your organization’s success. Participants will learn strategies to build an environment where safety and belonging drive innovation and performance.

CLM Recertification Credit: 1.0 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR); CLM Application Credit: 1.0 hour in the subject area of Organizational Development

Gary Simon serves as the Director of Training and Application Support at Alston & Bird, where he has spent the past 25 years driving technology adoption across the firm. His work focuses on introducing innovative tools to attorneys and staff and ensuring they are equipped with practical use cases to maximize efficiency and effectiveness. Currently, Gary is part of the team leading the rollout of AI technologies, including Microsoft Copilot, to enhance productivity and transform workflows at Alston & Bird.

Exploring the Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Legal Operations - Join us for an insightful session on the role of Artificial Intelligence in Legal Operations. We will explore innovative ways to leverage AI in daily legal ops functions, share how teams are collaborating within firms to integrate AI into their operations, and provide tips on effective prompt engineering. The session will also address the latest AI technologies and trends, and the current state of AI in the legal industry.

CLM Recertification Credit: 1.0 hour in the subject area of Operations Management; CLM Application Credit: 1.0 hour in the subject area of Information Technology

Christy Walsh is the Chief Operating Officer at Drew Eckl & Farnham, LLP, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. With a strategic focus on operational excellence, Christy plays a pivotal role in overseeing firm-wide initiatives, including financial operations, human resources, and administrative leadership. She is known for her collaborative leadership style and her ability to align firm operations with long-term business goals.  Christy currently serves as President Elect on the board of the Atlanta Association of Legal Administrators (AALA), where she contributes to advancing leadership and innovation within the legal administration community. She is deeply passionate about time management and boundary setting as essential tools for fostering a healthy work-life balance—principles she actively promotes within her team and professional network.

EJ Stern, MA, CPC, advises law firms and lawyers on how to effectively expand their business and generate greater revenue. She is co-founder of Fractional Law Firm CMO, a consulting firm offering sophisticated legal marketing and BD strategies to help firms of all sizes grow their business. EJ has more than 20 years of experience leading strategy, business development and marketing for the legal industry. Beyond her law firm marketing experience, EJ advises corporations, nonprofits, and professional services firms on how to help employees increase productivity, refine leadership skills, and set healthy workplace boundaries.

Can We Truly Juggle It All? Time Management Skills for Busy Legal Administrators - Legal administrators live in an ever-connected world filled with constant distractions, nonstop demands, and never-ending deadlines. Now more than ever, mastering time management is critical to your success. This interactive workshop will provide practical, easy-to-incorporate tips to help you hone your time management skills, increase your productivity and set healthy workplace boundaries.

Objectives:

• Identify best practices to eliminate distractions.
• Develop strategies to spend your time more efficiently.
• Discuss techniques to get more organized.
• Review how to prioritize competing deadlines and try to avoid rabbit holes.

CLM Recertification Credit: 1.0 hour in the subject area of Operations Management; CLM Application Credit: 1.0 hour in the subject area of Self-Management

Laura Noble is the founder and Managing Partner of The Noble Law Firm, a recognized leader in employment law. With over 30 years of diverse legal experience, Laura’s approach combines powerful advocacy, empathetic client service, and technological innovation in all stages and aspects of employment disputes. Laura strives to cultivate a positive workplace culture built on the core values of collaboration, leadership, empathy, integrity, innovation, and equity. These values—combined with outstanding team members and advanced technology—allow The Noble Law Firm to help level the playing field for employees.

Red Flags and Roadmaps: Navigating North Carolina’s Top Employment Law Pitfalls - Even well-intentioned employers can stumble into expensive legal trouble. This session spotlights the top compliance issues and litigation risks facing North Carolina employers—and more importantly, provides practical tools and preventive strategies to keep your organization on solid ground.

CLM Recertification Credit: 1.0 hour in the subject area of Human Resources Management (HR); CLM Application Credit: 1.0 hour in the subject area of Organizational Development

Dr. Arin N. Reeves is a renowned researcher, best-selling author, and trusted advisor to global leaders navigating the evolving landscape of leadership and workplace culture. Her work spans critical themes including emotional intelligence, energy management, diversity and inclusion, transformational leadership, generational dynamics, and organizational change.

Beginning her career in law, Dr. Reeves earned her doctorate in sociology from Northwestern University, where she has also served as an Adjunct Professor teaching on law and society. Intellectually curious and unapologetically bold, she continues to push boundaries, helping leaders not just lead but evolve.

Closing the Generation Gap: Effective Communication Strategies to Bridge Generational Differences - Organizations often face challenges in communicating effectively across generational differences, especially as they grapple with 5 generations working together. This interactive session uses research, best practices, and practical advice on how to recognize and address generational differences in the workplace. Rather than seeking exceptional individuals who don't represent their generation, this program will focus on how legal professionals can communicate across generational differences, create greater levels of trust between different generations, and work together to come up with creative solutions to make their organizations stronger. The session will integrate examples from AI usage, psychological safety, and time management connecting with the other conference topics while providing strategies to bridge generational gaps in communication, feedback, professional standards, and hybrid work expectations. Topics will include exploration of the impact of five different generations working together in today's legal profession, the sources of generational differences, and key communication points such as giving/receiving feedback, mentoring, informal and formal evaluations, and professional development expectations. This program will equip attendees with practical strategies to bridge generational differences and drive more effective interactions and relationships across all types of legal organizations.

CLM Recertification Credit: 1.0 hour in the subject area of Communication & Organizational Management; CLM Application Credit: 1.0 hour in the subject area Communication

Join us for a post-conference social at The Raleigh Times beginning at 5:15 p.m. - everyone is welcome!

Registration is open! Chapter quarter-zip sweatshirt is complimentary with your free registration (while supplies last). 

 *Our goal is to organize inclusive events that are accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities, ensuring full participation. For accommodations or questions about accessibility, please reach out to [email protected].

**Registration is required to attend.