Programme
Conference Agenda:
09.00 Coffee and registration
09.30 Chairman’s opening address
Walid S. Chiniara, Counselor-at-law and Mediator
09.40 How the Middle East is changing and how your clients are changing with it
o In the post recessionary environment, how has the Middle Eastern marketplace developed in relation to ‘The West’, BRIC and other nations
o Where do regional firms position themselves in this new business environment?
o Why firms increasingly see themselves as international and not regional
o Where are firms investing
o What strategies are international firms following?
o Is there a risk that some firms may remain too ‘Western-centric’?
o How are international firms adapting to the paradigm shift?
o Why Dubai is still a great regional hub for law firms and provides an effective springboard for developing business in the Middle East, Asia and Caucasus
Alex Lynch, Head of BD ME, Trowers and Hamlin
10.20 Business development strategies for the Middle Eastern region
o Best practice strategies for developing new business in the ‘New Middle East’
o What is the New Middle East? Where do the new tigers live?
o Which verticals are likely to experience the most growth?
o Why your clients are doing business here and what you need to do to work with them as partners
o Strategies for developing business in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, The UAE and Bahrain
o 60% of regional business takes place in Saudi Arabia – how much of your time is spent thinking about Saudi Arabia and how should you align your business practices to develop your client base in the region?
o Partnership strategies
Nanette Pilkington, Partner, Eversheds (Syria)
11.00 Coffee and networking
11.30 Panel: developing marketing and business development strategies that reflect the new reality of Middle Eastern business objectives
o Why you can no longer import UK/ US/ European BD and marketing models into the region
o Why it is vital that law firms practice adapts to reflect the unique needs and aspirations of the regional marketplace
o Partnerships
o Marketing and business development in those regions where the ME is serving as a business hub
o 11.30 How BD and marketing is employed in China/ HK
o 11.50 BD and marketing strategies for the Indian subcontinent
o 12.10 How to market to the former Soviet Republics
o 12.30 Q&A with the panel
Olga Binda, Head of Marketing and Business Development, Muranov, Chernyakov & Partners, Russia
Fox Mandall Little, India
Wafa Tarnowska, Regional Manager for CSR and Arab Initiatives for the Middle East, DLA Piper
12.50 Lunch
13.50 Delegates will attend both practical masterclasses which run concurrently. There will be a coffee break in-between sessions
Innovative, high-impact business development skills for lawyers
o Why the lawyer increasingly needs to be seen as a business professional
o What is it that clients expect from their lawyers?
proactive communication
dedicated relationship partnerships
strong team members
financially prudent
o What can you do to raise your game to achieve these standards?
o How to go about understanding your client’s business
o What are your client’s commercial interests and how can you prove yourself to be the best partner to approach their relevant legal challenges?
o How to best approach clients
Sean Costello, Head of Business Development and Marketing Middle East, PwC
How to implement a value adding CRM function that will help improve knowledge management and relationship building
o What is CRM and how do different firms understand and approach it?
o Why CRM should be taken on board properly and not adapted as a mere tick-box exercise
o Overcoming institutional barriers to CRM
o Why do some partners ‘get it’ and others see it as a waste of time?
o Why should lawyers sacrifice billable hours to input critical data?
o How do lawyers gain credit for this work?
o How can you prove that the implementation of an effective CRM process adds genuine value?
o How to ensure CRM succeeds in it’s execution
o Case studies of success and failure
Bianca Hastings, Head of CRM, Clyde & Co
15.30 Coffee and networking
16.00 In-house counsel panel: law firm selection criteria in the new world order of doing business in the Middle East
o What are the primary criteria in-house counsel use when choosing their law firms?
o How regional in-house counsel are responding to changing corporate priorities and what is required from their outside counsel to help enable this change
o Why there is a gap between the level of client service law firms should be offering and that which is actually achieved
o What does a ‘client focussed approach’ actually mean and are such statements worth the paper they are written on?
o How can pioneering firms rise above the herd by bridging the gap between expectations and reality
Grant McPherson, General Counsel, Gulf Air
Robert Atkinson, International Legal Counsel, PepsiCo
Justin Connor, Chair, Dubai Corporate Counsel Group
17.00 End of day 1
Day 2
09.00 Registration and coffee
09.30 Chairman’s opening address
Walid S. Chiniara, Counselor-at-law and Mediator
09.40 Interactive masterclass sessions
Delegates will attend both practical masterclasses which run concurrently for approximately 80 minutes. There will be a 20 minute coffee break in-between sessions
Taking marketing and business development skills to the next level
Masterclass A: Essential marketing tools and techniques you need to know to take your marketing and BD skills to the next level
o Current marketing trends and their impact upon marketers
o Why strategic planning matters
o Marketing strategies: the good the bad and the ugly
o Leveraging social networking: how web 2.0 can work for you
o Developing metrics for measuring your marketing ROI
o Harnessing the internet and research databases for competitive intelligence
Sadiq Jafar, Partner, Hadef and Partners
or
Thriving in a competitive environment – competitive intelligence overview, tools and techniques
• Understanding the larger competitive environment an organization operates within
• Understanding the concept of a competitor
• Distinguishing between qualitative and quantitative information, primary and secondary information sources
• Learning how to select and apply tools used to gather and analyze information
• Understanding the difference between data, information & intelligence
• Understanding the competitive intelligence process and product
• Learning to ask the right questions to determine the objectives and scope of an intelligence gathering assignment
• Learning to apply creative thinking to the intelligence gathering process
• Learning to avoid the most common pitfalls when analyzing information
Leila Camillia Gaaserud, Managing Director, GCC Consulting
12.30 Lunch and networking
13.30 Growth and profitability through the power of cross selling
o Barriers to cross selling in the Middle East
o Why cross selling is essential to your regional and international expansion
o Which clients to target for cross selling and how to assess their needs
o Best practices for implementing a successful cross sell strategy
Marie McDermott, Head of Business Development - Middle East, Denton Wilde Sapte
14.10 Panel Discussion: an overview of the strategic trends and developments of companies based in the Middle East and how should law firms respond to these changes
o Why regional companies are increasingly outward looking in their approach to developing business
o How the Middle East is becoming a hub for both regional and Asian business development
o What law firms need to do to work with firms in response to these needs
o Why the General Counsel is increasingly working closely with procurement specialists to introduce greater rigour to the selection process
o What are the implications of this for law firms
o The importance of being able to develop an effective business case to new stakeholders in the decision making chain
o How do corporates see the ideal balance of work done in-house and that given to outside counsel?
o Are law firms about to face the squeeze and Middle Eastern companies look to define their outsourced talent pool?
Clinton Swann, Head of Business Development, Clyde and Co
Bander Alnogaithan, Bander Anogaithan Law Firm
Stijn Janssen, International Tax Advisor, Loyens & Loeff
Mia Moore, Head of Business Development, Clifford Chance
15.10 Essential recruitment, retention and training strategies for law firms in the Middle East
o The pros and cons of trying to recruit talent in a more static employment market
o What creative techniques should you use to get the right people for your firm
o Targetted headhunting
o Why the behaviours and personality of staff are key
o Investing in learning and development in order to aid retention of key staff
o Creating a sense of community and identity within the firm
o How do you brand the firm both internally and externally
o Why one size does not fit all when operating in multiple jurisdictions
o How to tap into local talent
o How to make the most of the staff you have – overcoming the challenges of relocation
Chris Lipscomb, Head of Human Resources, Al Tamimi & Co
15.40 Coffee and networking
Interactive masterclass session: best practice strategies for developing partnerships
o Why partner?
o Who to partner with and when?
o What are the major drivers for partnership?
o What are the benefits for local firms
o What are the benefits for international firms
o Case studies: examples of successful partnerships and examples of partnerships that have failed to reach expectations
o Why do some partnerships work and others fail?
o Within which marketplaces are partnerships most effective
o Categories of partners
o The correct approach to capital
o Mechanisms for sharing profits and losses
o Delegation of management
o Indemnities
o Dissolution and “phoenix” clauses
Olga Binda, Head of Marketing and Business Development, Muranov, Chernyakov & Partners, Russia
Fox Mandall Little, India
Wafa Tarnowska, DLA Piper Regional Manager for CSR and Arab Initiatives for the Middle East
17.00 Close of conference
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