Wednesday, March 3 | Beneath the Surface of Leadership
CLE that influences people, performance, and culture.
8 - 8:15 a.m.
AAML Remarks
8:15 - 9:30 a.m.
AAML Keynote - The Emotional Intelligence Advantage: Driving Better Practice Management Outcomes
Rachel Mahoney, JD, CSP, Communication and Relatability Expert
In family law, some of the most consequential moments in a practice are shaped by something harder to quantify: how well we understand ourselves, read others, communicate under pressure, and build trust.
In this engaging and practical keynote, Rachel Mahoney, JD, CSP, draws on psychological research and professional experience to explore emotional intelligence as a critical professional skill. Attendees will examine the role that self-awareness, empathy, emotional regulation, and perspective play in leadership, client relationships, difficult conversations, and team performance.
Through relatable stories and actionable strategies, participants will leave with practical tools to:
- Recognize key components of emotional intelligence and how they affect professional interactions and decision-making
- Identify personal strengths and opportunities for greater self-awareness and effectiveness
- Navigate conflict and emotionally charged conversations with greater clarity and intention
- Strengthen trust, communication, client service, and team performance
10 - 11 a.m.
Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Motivating and Managing High-Performing Teams
Jill Heitler Blomberg, Partner, Schoonmaker, George, Blomberg, Bryniczka and Welsh. P.C. (CT)
Peter Gladstone, Partner, Gladstone, Weissman, Hirschberg & Schneider, PA (FL)
Jordan Rosenberg, Equity Partner, Beermann LLP (IL)
Strong teams make strong practices, but in family law, talent alone won't hold one together.
Associates, paralegals, and staff are absorbing the same emotionally charged cases we are, often with less experience and support. In this panel discussion, Fellows representing different stages of firm leadership will share what it takes to keep a team motivated, engaged, and committed for the long haul, and how understanding the people behind the work makes all the difference. The conversation will explore leadership strategies that build trust, accountability, and a healthy firm culture, along with practical approaches to coaching employees, delivering feedback that people can hear and act on, and developing each team member's strengths and potential. You'll leave with real-world insights and practical strategies to bring back to your own team.
11 a.m. - Noon
Building Your Team: Mentoring the Next Generation of Family Law Leaders – A Roundtable Discussion
Peer Discussions facilitated by Fellow panelists and Keynote, Rachel Mahoney, JD, CSP, Communication and Relatability Expert
Who will be doing this work when we're not? The future of our firms and profession depends on how well we develop the lawyers coming up behind us.
Following a brief discussion with the panel, attendees will engage in facilitated roundtable conversations with colleagues from across the country to exchange ideas, challenges, and successful approaches to mentoring, sponsoring, and developing attorneys. Together, we'll explore how to teach the skills law school leaves out, support succession planning, and strengthen the pipeline of future leaders. You'll leave with fresh perspectives, practical ideas, and insights drawn from the collective experience of your peers.
Thursday, March 4 | Beneath the Surface of Persuasion
CLE that influences negotiations, advocacy, and results.
8 - 8:15 a.m.
AAML Remarks
8:15 - 9:15 a.m.
Leveraging Emotional Intelligence for Better Settlements
Zak Kretchmer, Attorney, Kretchmer Dispute Resolution (MN)
Geniveve J. Ruskus, Partner, Lakin Spears LLP (CA)
Building on the emotional intelligence skills we honed yesterday, this session explores how reading people, managing emotions, and communicating with intention can make you a more effective negotiator. Most family law cases settle, but how they settle, and at what cost to everyone involved, often turns on the dynamics in the room. Attendees will learn techniques for communicating with opposing counsel in ways that de-escalate conflict, preparing clients for successful mediation by setting realistic expectations, and applying core negotiation strategies such as anchoring, decreasing increments, packaging proposals across issues, and offering non-monetary concessions. Leave with practical tools to achieve better outcomes for your clients with less conflict along the way.
9:45 - 10:45 a.m.
Using Emotional Intelligence to Present Your Case with Impact
Dori Foster-Morales, Managing Partner, Foster-Morales PLLC (FL)
The facts and the law matter, but in the courtroom, how you present your case can matter just as much. Judges are people too, and the ability to connect, read the room, and adapt in the moment often separates a good presentation from a persuasive one. In this session, a Fellow and seasoned trial lawyer will share techniques for presenting your case with impact, including applying emotional intelligence to humanize your client and build empathy for their position, using evidence and demonstrative aids effectively, and maintaining control of the courtroom. No matter how many trials you have under your belt, you'll leave with fresh perspectives and practical techniques to strengthen your approach at your next hearing or trial.
10:45 a.m. - Noon
AAML Keynote - Understanding Neurodiversity: Adapting Your Approach to Clients, Colleagues, and Counsel
Haley Moss, Keynote Speaker and Leader on Neurodiversity, Disability Inclusion, and Autism
There is not only one "right" way to communicate, collaborate, or advocate, and that is especially true in family law. Whether you realize it or not, you are likely working alongside neurodivergent clients, counsel, and other professionals.
In this session, neurodiversity expert and attorney Haley Moss will introduce neurodiversity and how our different, individual brains bring unique perspectives, challenges, and strengths to legal practice. While unpacking biases and assumptions made about neurodivergent individuals, attendees will also learn strategies for creating more accessible environments, cultivating safer and stronger professional relationships, and communicating effectively with those who may process and experience the world differently. Come curious, and leave empowered to tackle bias, fight stigma, and become a more inclusive communicator.
Friday, March 5 | Beneath the Surface of Revenue
CLE that shapes how law firms attract clients, deliver services, and remain profitable.
8 - 8:15 a.m.
AAML Remarks
8:15 - 9:15 a.m.
Beyond the Billable Hour: Exploring Pricing Models for Family Law
Laurie Wasserman, Esq., Partner, Wasserman White Family Law (MD)
For most family lawyers, and most Fellows, the billable hour is simply how we practice. But as AI becomes a useful tool in our work and clients increasingly use it themselves, it is worth asking whether there is room for other pricing models alongside the hourly rate?
This session does not ask you to abandon the billable hour. Instead, it invites attendees into the conversation to compare the billable hour model with alternative structures, such as flat fees by phase, and to explore how each works, which types of matters may benefit from them, and how to implement them as part of your existing practice. The discussion will also consider how these alternative pricing models can support growing your firm, from creating opportunities for younger associates to positioning your practice for succession. Whether you are curious, skeptical, or firmly committed to the billable hour, you’ll leave with a clearer sense of whether another model has a place in your practice.
9:45 - 10:45 a.m.
Practical AI Applications to Improve Your Practice
Ryan R. Bauerle, Esq., Partner, Goranson Bain Ausley, PLLC (TX)
Julie Colton, Partner, Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP (PA)
This session focuses on how AI can improve your practice today. Rather than surveying the latest platforms, presenters will demonstrate practical ways family lawyers can use AI to work more efficiently, enhance client service, and improve profitability. Through live demonstrations, attendees will learn prompting techniques that produce better results, identify tasks well suited to AI and those that still require human judgment, and gain a clear understanding of the differences between closed and open systems when handling confidential client information. The session will also introduce AI agents and explore what they may mean for the future of family law practice. Whether you're a daily user or just getting started, you'll leave with practical tools and techniques you can put to work immediately.
10:45 a.m. - Noon
Building Your Digital Presence: Marketing, Branding & Search Visibility
Joe Giovannoli, Founder and CEO, 9Sail
Referrals have long been the foundation of a family law practice, but today even a referred client will search for you before they call, and more and more, that search starts with AI. In this session, attendees will learn where prospective family law clients look for counsel and how search engine optimization (SEO) and the newer generative engine optimization (GEO) determine whether your firm surfaces when they do. We'll walk through how to evaluate your firm's existing digital presence and identify ways to improve it, how to distinguish marketing investments that produce retained clients from those that do not, and low-cost steps you can take right away to improve your visibility. Whether you love marketing or avoid it entirely, you'll leave knowing how to make sure the right clients can find you.