Marla Sofer is the VP of Strategic Partnerships at Jemstep, a B2B2C digital advice platform focused on helping Americans invest to achieve their financial goals. Before diving into Fintech in 2015, Marla led institutional partnerships at BlackRock and J.P. Morgan quantified in billions of dollars. She has been a champion of gender diversity, founded two employee women’s networks, and served as a non-profit leader dedicated to social justice.

https://www.jemstep.com/en

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlasofer/

A veteran in the Legal Operations field, Stephanie Corey began her career at Hewlett Packard Company as Chief of Staff and head of Legal Operations. Stephanie has held similar positions at VMWare and Flex International. She is the co-founder of the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC), a leading Legal Operations association, and co-founder and General Partner of UpLevel Ops, LLC, a legal strategy and operations consulting firm. Stephanie holds a BA in Economics and an MBA from Lehigh University, and is a serial entrepreneur in her spare time.

https://uplevelops.com

Ed is the Director of Expense Reduction Analysts (ERA) in Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and New York City. As an advisor and advocate, his focus is to build strong relationships and deliver comprehensive cost containment solutions for his Business Owner, CEO and CFO clients.

During his tenure with Expense Reduction Analysts, Ed has led reviews of over $950 million in expenses with an average cost savings of 24%.

Prior to joining ERA, Ed spent more than 30 years as an Auditor, Controller, and CFO of residential and commercial construction and development companies. Most recently, he was CFO for Philomeno & Solamone Builders and Area Controller for K. Hovnanian Companies. He also worked for Toll Brothers & Ryland Homes.

Ed also has experience as a Consultant in the Non-Profit sector and was an Adjunct Professor of Accounting at West Chester University for 7 years.

https://us.expensereduction.com/

https://ptdrv.linkedin.com/1ijyc12

https://www.linkedin.com/in/costreductionnow/

Lindsay Griffiths is the International Lawyers Network’s Director of Global Relationship Management. In this capacity, Ms. Griffiths works closely with the Network’s Executive Director on the oversight and management of day-to-day operations of the International Lawyers Network (ILN). She develops strategies and implementation plans to achieve the ILN’s goals, and shares responsibility with the Executive Director for recruitment, member retention, and a high level of service to members. She is engaged in the legal industry to stay on top of trends, both in law firms and law firm networks. During her tenure, the ILN has been shortlisted as a Global Law Firm Network of the Year by The Lawyer for 2016 and 2017, and included as a Chambers & Partners Leading Law Firm Network since 2011. She was awarded “Thought Leader of the Year” by the Legal Marketing Association’s New York chapter in 2014 for her substantive contributions to the industry, and was recently included in Clio’s list for “34 People in Legal You Should Follow on Twitter.” She was also chosen for the American Bar Association Journal’s inaugural Web 100‘s Best Law Blogs, where judge Ivy Grey said “This blog is outstanding, thoughtful and useful.” Ms. Griffiths was recently chosen for as a Top Author by JD Supra in their 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards, for the level of engagement and visibility she attained with readers on the topic of marketing & business development.

http://www.ilntoday.com

http://www.zenlegalnetworking.com

Judith Gordon comes to coaching and program facilitation from the trenches of legal practice. As an attorney, she experienced firsthand the challenges of client demands, internal pressures, external drivers, and time constraints. At the core of her work is a commitment to thriving–both professionally and personally. Coupled with her coach training and experience teaching at UCLA School of Law, Judith has developed tools and programs for helping clients to improve their performance and feel better in the process, in short, to thrive.

Judith takes a human design approach to her work with clients, which combines physiology, psychology, values, emotional intelligence and mindset. She is committed to equipping professionals and teams working in high-demand, high-stress environments with the cognitive, emotional and motivational strategies needed to transform stress, build resilience, and produce better outcomes. Judith founded LeaderEsQ to ensure that high-achieving professionals have the tools that they need to thrive in all areas of their lives. Judith is a long-time meditator, nutrition enthusiast, occasional adventurer, and one-time researcher with a continued deep interest in science.

 

https://www.centerforthrivinginlaw.com/

Julie Stapel helps clients negotiate investment-related agreements of virtually every type, including investment management, trust, securities lending and transition management agreements, as well as many different types of trading agreements. She represents employee benefit plan investors in all types of private fund investments, negotiating fund documentation and side letters to address ERISA and other risk management issues. She also counsels financial services and investment management clients on ERISA compliance. 

Co-leader of the firm’s Fiduciary Duty Task Force, Julie also advises on fiduciary governance, including the formation and operation of benefit plan fiduciary committees. She works with plan fiduciaries to implement ERISA compliance best practices and manage fiduciary risks. She also helps clients remain in compliance with ERISA’s ever-changing reporting and disclosure obligations. Julie speaks frequently on ERISA-related topics. She has spoken before the Committee on the Investment of Employee Benefit Assets (CIEBA), the ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC), the John Marshall School of Law, and at various events sponsored by Pension and Investments magazine. 

In addition to these speaking engagements, she regularly addresses client fiduciary committees and investment staff, performing fiduciary training and presenting updates on changes in the law. She is also president of the Chicago Chapter of Worldwide Employee Benefits Network (WEB). Prior to joining Morgan Lewis, she was a partner in the employee benefits and executive compensation departments of an international law firm, resident in Chicago.

https://www.morganlewis.com/bios/jstapel

https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliestapel/

https://twitter.com/JulieStapel

Corporate and law firm leaders call on Gina Rubel for high-stakes public relations, crisis planning, and incident response support including high profile litigation media relations. One of the most widely acknowledged experts on legal marketing and law firm public relations, Gina is a sought-after speaker and media expert. Listed among the 2019 and 2018 Lawdragon Global 100 Leading Consultants and Strategists to the Legal Profession, Gina founded and continues to lead Furia Rubel Communications.

The award-winning agency legal marketing and professional service communications boutique has been listed among the leading agencies by the National Law Journal, The Legal Intelligencer, New Jersey Law Journal, and Philadelphia Business Journal.

Gina’s legal background complements her unparalleled intuition as a client advocate and business diplomat, allowing her to partner with law firm clients to achieve their objectives. She and the Furia Rubel team are focused on the clients’ unique selling proposition, brand, key messages, and target audiences. As a result, Furia Rubel has developed and executed award-winning programs with outstanding ROIs. From industry-recognized marketing campaigns to media coverage, Gina and her team deliver exceptional results. Gina didn’t discover legal communications and marketing — she just repositioned it for a new century.

Often asked why, as a lawyer, she pursued a career in communications, Gina says, “The answer is simple. In marketing and public relations, we communicate a message to a target audience to achieve a desired response or outcome. This is like the practice of law except I can be more proactive and creative.”

https://www.furiarubel.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginafuriarubel

https://www.attorneyatwork.com/law-practice-book/everyday-public-relations-for-lawyers-2nd-edition/

Cara Hale Alter is an international keynote speaker, author, and the founder of SpeechSkills. She literally wrote the book on projecting credibility and confidence: the critically acclaimed The Credibility Code. She's delivered more than a thousand keynotes, seminars, and workshops on leadership presence to audiences around the globe.

In addition to providing training to clients such as Google, Pixar, Intel, Pinterest, Schwab, Kaiser Permanente, and numerous top-100 law firms, Cara is a guest lecturer at UC Hastings College of the Law, Stanford Law School, and UCLA School of Law. 

http://www.speechskills.com/

Deirdre K. Breakenridge is Chief Executive Officer at Pure Performance Communications. A veteran in PR, marketing and branding, Breakenridge has worked with organizations including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, JVC, Kraft, Nasdaq, NBA Events & Attractions and PRSA.

Breakenridge is the author of six business books. Her most recent book, “Answers for Modern Communicators” was published by Routledge in October 2017. Her other titles include “Social Media and Public Relations: Eight New Practices for the PR Professional, and “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations.”

As an adjunct professor, Breakenridge teaches online PR and social media courses for the UMASS at Amherst Journalism Department She speaks nationally and internationally on the topics of PR, marketing, branding and social media communications. Breakenridge is a LinkedIn Learning Instructor with eight video courses on Public Relations Foundations, Media Training, Handling an Unruly Audience, Marketing Communications, Go-To-Market Planning, Competitive Analysis, Creating a Marketing Culture and Marketing Ethics.

Breakenridge is the host of a podcast program, Women Worldwide, interviewing women who share their incredible stories, educating, imparting advice and offering insights to show listeners. Women Worldwide has joined the C-Suite Radio Network, which is the home of podcasts for top business leaders and innovators.

NJBIZ named Breakenridge as one of the Best 50 Women in Business in the state of New Jersey. She also joined the ranks of the Top 250 Women Leaders published by Richtopia in from 2016 through 2018.

Breakenridge blogs about PR and communications, the changing media landscape and collaborative technology at PR Expanded and is the co-founder of #PRStudChat, a dynamic Twitter community with Twitter chats for PR students, educators and PR pros.

https://www.deirdrebreakenridge.com/

Download a Free Chapter of Answers for Modern Communicators:

http://bit.ly/learningtheessentials

To purchase a copy of the Answers for Modern Communications book with the promo code:

http://bit.ly/answersformoderncommunicators

Promo Code: WOW20

After nearly 30 years’ launching, building and developing marketing, communications and business development programs in professional service firms, often against all odds, Pamela Cone felt compelled to do it one more time. This time, she is focusing on Social Impact and the role professional service firms, and their clients, can and should play in addressing some of the world's most pressing problems.

Having studied International Relations in college, with graduate work in Communications Management and Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, together with decades of professional service firm experience, the pieces of the puzzle have come together. Pam is now using her highest and best skills and experience to help ensure that the professions – lawyers, accountants, actuaries, engineers, etc., - are using their highest and best skills and experience to address and solve the world’s most pressing challenges. If not us, then who? 

Pam is the Founder and CEO of Amity Advisory – a Social Impact consulting firm for professional service firms. 

https://www.amityadvisory.com/

http://us.milliman.com/