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Aurora North Virtual Summit
June 30 & July 1
This two-day event focuses on exploring fresh approaches to applying technology, process and human-centric design to innovating law firm operations and client service.
The Aurora North Virtual Summit brings together our unique community, presenting content and discussion tracks focused on IP Prosecution (Day 1) and Intapp (Day 2).
Thank you to everyone who attended and presented at our inaugural event!
Day 1 Agenda (Focus on: IP)
(11:00 am – 11:30 am) [EST]
Keynote
Welcome to Aurora North Virtual Summit. Executive overview.
(11:30 am – 12:30 pm) [EST]
IP: Strategies for Convincing Management to Invest in Change
Today, many operational leaders understand the potential benefits and return on investments in new technology, new staffing models and new approaches to IP prosecution. But given the history and dynamics in play within many IP practices, securing lawyer and management buy-in to make those investments, even at an experimental level, can be difficult to secure.
This session will focus on navigating these issues and changing this equation. Attendees will hear from a panel of experts who will share real world stories about how to:
- Create a compelling business case and internal narrative to explore change
- Assemble a “Coalition of the Willing” to be the early adopters and prove the potential return
- Taking early results and lesson to refine approach and advance a more substantial journey
- Repeating this process and building on success
Bring an appetite for IP change, your own stories to share, and probing questions to ask.
Speakers:
Brian Aitchison
Director, Aurora North
Stacy Shaw
IP Operations Manager, Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney
(11:30 am – 12:30 pm) [EST]
SOCIAL: Check in with Sheehan Lake
(12:30 pm – 1:30 pm) [EST]
IP: Collaboration, Connection & Communication: Strategies for Streamlining IP Operations
The pursuit of efficiency often requires reflection, investment and re-invention. This session is designed for IP operations teams looking to boost productivity to work more effectively, better support lawyers and deliver superior client service.
We’ll explore approaches and strategies for:
- Organizing and optimizing IP teams
- Exploring connection points with other teams and departments (e.g. US versus international filing, docketing, trademark versus patent teams) to understand how you’re interfacing and how to identify the best opportunities for improvement
- Evaluating opportunities for cross-training as a path to develop resources, support career growth and enable resource shifting
- Looking beyond IP teams internally to build connections with other groups including IT, mailrooma and client-facing practitioner/matter teams
Speakers:
Brian Aitchison
Director, Aurora North
Matt Collins
Director of IP Services, BakerHostetler
(12:30 pm – 1:30 pm) [EST]
SOCIAL: Check in with Chris Kave
(1:30 pm – 2:30 pm) [EST]
IP: Effectively Managing Client Procedures (and Exceeding Expectations)
If you’ve ever struggled to deliver on commitments made to clients in the heat of an RFP/RFI or business development context, this is a can’t miss session.
We’ll look at typical situations where the eyes of clients and IP practitioners may be a bit larger than the capacity or appetites of the underlying operational teams. Those situations often involve both the scope and specifics of how IP services are to be delivered.
Examples may include complexities like aggressive timing agreements for providing draft documents, correspondence sharing deadlines that are untenable, or data entry mandates like double docketing.
We’ll explore:
- How to educate the right internal stakeholders and client teams about prudent rules of engagement
- How to get involved in client-facing situations earlier in the process
- How to socialize existing best practices that might be better communicated to clients
- How to mitigate those “after the fact” scenarios where commitments or expectations have already been set in motion…
- How to frame prudent operations as a responsible way to service clients while protecting the firm from undue risk, exposure and expense
Speakers:
Tina Elsner
Director of Client Value,
Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox
Brian Aitchison
Director, Aurora North
Annya Dushine
IP Solutions Consultant, CPA Global
Aubrey Scroggs
IP Technology Solutions Consultant, CPA Global
(1:30 pm – 2:30 pm) [EST]
SOCIAL: Check in with Curtis Russell
(2:30 pm – 3 pm) [EST]
SOCIAL: Break Room Hosted by Aimee Spirlin, Adam Friedman, and Scott Goodwin
(3 pm – 4:30 pm) [EST]
Optimize Practice Operations Through Document Lifecycle Automation
A discussion focused around understanding operational costs and discovering efficiency opportunities associated with document lifecycle. Exploring approaches for building a data analytics foundation for monitoring metrics and creating opportunity to leverage machine learning algorithms.
Is the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within an IP Practice science fiction or a near future reality?
Join us as we explore ways machine learning and metric monitoring can reveal the real operational cost of prosecution. Participate in a forward thinking discussion about moving beyond document lifecycle automation into using advanced technology for proactive prosecution techniques that directly benefit your teams and clients.
This session focuses on making a successful practice into an efficient one by defining the document life cycle and implementing stages of optimization. We’ll discuss the role of automation and process in each stage and how the operational data collected at each can turn an efficient practice into a proactive one through the strategic use of machine learning.
Speakers:
Nicholas Caruso
Manager – IP Business Processes & Technology, Lathrop GPM
Patrick Goodwin
Director of Practice Integration, Aurora North
Sheehan Lake
Principal / CTO, Aurora North
(4:30 pm – 5:30 pm) [EST]
SOCIAL: Networking with Sheehan Lake and Brian Aitchison
(4:30 pm – 6 pm) [EST]
SOCIAL: Networking with Chris Kave, Pat Goodwin, and Celeste Williams
(4:30 pm – 5:30 pm) [EST]
SOCIAL: Networking with Curt Russell and Augustine Contrera
Day 2 Agenda (Focus on: Intapp)
(11:30 am – 12:30 pm) [EST]
Keynote
Business Value of Heart-Centered Leadership
(12:30 pm – 1 pm) [EST]
SOCIAL: Break Room Hosted by Aimee Spirlin, Scott Goodwin & Adam Friedman
(1 pm – 2 pm) [EST]
Intapp: Taking your process to the next level with best new OnePlace for Risk features
Built on the success of our recent office hours events, we’ll dive further into the latest developments and enhancements Intapp OnePlace for Risk offers firms.
And while new features always garner new attention, we won’t forget some of the long standing capabilities of the product firms often can be making better use of for greater efficiency and impact.
Speakers:
Warren Knowles
Senior Director Product Management, Intapp
Scott Goodwin
Consultant, Aurora North
Curt Russell
Principal/COO, Aurora North
(1 pm – 2 pm) [EST]
Intapp Office Hours with John Battaline
One of our Intapp experts will be on hand for technical questions, discussions and deep-dives.
So bring your innovative ideas and technical challenges — or just sit in to hear what you’re peers are up to.
Speakers:
John Battaline
Implementation Manager, Aurora North
(1 pm – 2 pm) [EST]
SOCIAL: Check in with Sheehan Lake
(2 pm – 3 pm) [EST]
Intapp: Client Spotlight: Analysis Group (Intake and Conflicts)
It can be incredibly valuable to understand the experience of and lessons learned by peers. Hearing stories beyond the typical law firm frame of reference can offer new perspectives that educate and inspire.
In this case study session, Analysis Group, a leading economic consulting and strategy firm, will share how they use Intapp OnePlace for Risk (Open) to manage new business intake. They’ll explore the specific challenges they face and response strategies they’ve developed, covering topics including simplifying processes to subject matter searching, to leveraging heavy data management requirements within the software.
Speakers:
Deb Hopkins
Director of Conflicts, Analysis Group
Mike Lowe
President, HardingLowe
Curt Russell
Principal/COO, Aurora North
(2 pm – 3 pm) [EST]
SOCIAL: Check in with Chris Kave
(3 pm – 4 pm) [EST]
Intapp: Time – Innovative Use in an Economic Downturn
In today’s economic environment, it’s more important than ever to make the best use of existing and new technology to enable a remote workforce to effectively capture and record their time, with minimal disruption and overhead.
This session will explore best practices for Intapp Time. From taking advantage of automated passive activity capture, to integrating compliance with outside counsel guidelines and internal policies, to connecting the dots with mobility, we’ll share strategies and stories firms leading the way to put time on their side.
Speakers:
Darin Fabian
Enterprise Application Operations, K&L Gates
Jane Hellmann
Director of Finance / Financial Systems, K&L Gates LLP
David Robinson
Consultant, Aurora North
Curt Russell
Principal/COO, Aurora North
(3 pm – 4pm) [EST]
Intapp Office Hours with Augustine Contrera
One of our Intapp experts will be on hand for technical questions, discussions and deep-dives.
So bring your innovative ideas and technical challenges — or just sit in to hear what you’re peers are up to.
Speakers:
Augustine Contrera
Principal Solutions Architect, Aurora North
(4pm – 5pm) [EST]
SOCIAL: Networking with Sheehan Lake and Brian Aitchison
(4pm – 5pm) [EST]
SOCIAL: Networking with Chris Kave, Pat Goodwin, and Celeste Williams
(4pm – 5pm) [EST]
SOCIAL: Networking with Curt Russell and Augustine Contrera