J. Megan SpannerJ. Megan Spanner&&
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November 20, 2019

The MDK Attorney Summit: Innovation in the Practice of Law

Attorneys and directors from MDK’s nine offices in six states gathered in Columbus on November 11 for the MDK Attorney Summit. Presented by Ted Manley, Brian Deas, and the firm’s managing attorneys, programming centered around two overarching themes: innovation and collaboration.

The summit reflects a firm ethos that includes providing professional development opportunities every day and in every way. Sessions offered at the event were a carefully curated mix designed to inspire, teach, and encourage cutting-edge ideas. The summit also fostered a sense of community by giving colleagues from all of the firm’s offices an opportunity to interact and form meaningful connections with one another.

In keeping with the summit themes, sessions on innovation included Ted’s keynote, “Optimize, Grow and Explore: Innovation and the Practice of Law,” as well as managing attorney Stephanie Reinhart- Rock’s introduction to the Kano Model, a tool used to support product development and customer satisfaction projects.  Both seminars ended with lively discussions regarding how MDK can participate in the evolution of the practice of law.

One of the day’s highlights was the “Working as One Team” session. Supporting the summit’s collaboration theme, each table of attendees received a unique case study to consider and evaluate. The next step was to design ways in which staff could share information, tools, and processes across departments in order to work as a seamless unit for both that case as well as every matter entrusted to the firm. Each group shared its findings before fielding questions and feedback from around the room.

Tying it all together was “Twenty Questions in Twenty Minutes with Brian Deas.” In preparation for this session, attorneys submitted questions before the summit. Topics ranged from Brian’s vision for the firm’s future to advice he would give attorneys entering the field and the most interesting (and challenging) aspects of his role as MDK’s co-founder and partner. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Brian, his leadership philosophy, and his contributions to the firm.

Thanks to strong programming and active participation by everyone on many levels, attendees and leadership alike declared the event a success.

This publication is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an opinion of MDK.
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