Imagine if you can a world where Tim Tebow wins playoff games. A world where George Clooney is still relevant. A simpler time, really. Yes, the year was 2012, and this bright eyed, newly minted legal operations professional was on his way to Washington, D.C. in search of answers. Not answers about how someone who can’t throw becomes an NFL quarterback, though that is indeed a mystery. No, the more important issue at the time was where to start in my new role as the Legal Operations manager in charge of technology at PNC.
My first conference didn’t start off very well. I am a bit introverted by nature and mostly roamed around the opening reception making awkward conversation and trying not to spill a drink on anyone. People were very nice but I just wasn’t sure where I fit or how to get started. As luck would have it, the very first session I attended the next day was a small role-playing discussion simulating a rate discussion between a corporate legal department and a law firm. I introduced myself to the corporate panelist after the session and we had a long discussion about various topics and she in turn introduced me to various other corporate members as the conference progressed. I followed a similar pattern in other sessions, asking questions and introducing myself to the other corporate ILTA members and trying to build my network. It pushed me a bit out of my comfort zone but it was working and I was learning a tremendous amount. I walked away from that first ILTA conference with a ton of valuable information and a network of professionals I was able to call on all year round for advice and support. As someone with no background in Legal, there is no way I could have been successful nearly as quickly without it.
This all occurred in the dark days before an official Corporate Legal Day. Now, the leg work has been done for you! It is like Woodstock, with all your peers in one place and a comfortable, easygoing environment in which to interact. Discussing issues and ideas with your colleagues is the most valuable part of the entire conference, and best of all, it is a free add-on! We have specific sessions tailored to your needs with expert panelists from various industries to bring fresh and unique perspectives as well as an open round table where it will be more of a flowing discussion on various hot topics. I can’t recommend enough that you attend this day if you are a Corporate or Government member.
We’ve come full circle back to the Gaylord in D.C. and the conference is bigger and better than ever. While I come into the 2016 edition as a veteran with my feet solidly under me, I still know I’ll walk away with several ideas that will make both me and my organization better. Hopefully, I’ll also add a few things that will do the same for my colleagues. Safe travels and please introduce yourself in D.C. if you liked (or hated) this post. Just try not to spill a drink on me.
Learn more about Corporate Legal Day here: http://iltacon.org/corpday
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