Today, the vast majority of lawyers are expected to develop new business for themselves and for their law firms. How do lawyers achieve such business development goals/obligations in a manner that is both successful and sustainable?

Business development is not part of the law school curriculum. Law firms typically fail to provide adequate training to their attorneys regarding business development. This absence of training puts many senior associates and young partners at a disadvantage and potentially "at risk." It is not enough for these associates and partners to copy or mimic the practices of senior partners. The "old rules" for business development have become ineffective, particularly for senior associates and young partners. The practices traditionally used by senior partners have not only become ineffective for young lawyers but also, in many instances, an obstacle to business development.

To help lawyers, the APABA-SV partner committee has put together a distinguished panel of Silicon Valley in-house counsel to discuss business development and how today's attorneys can build successful partnerships with clients. The discussion will cover a wide range of topics including what clients look for in pitches, how to build lasting client relationships and how young lawyers can distinguish themselves in business development efforts.

The panel includes:

● Colleen Pouliot, General Counsel of Xactly Corporation and former Senior Vice-President and General Counsel for Adobe Systems.
● Timothy Chu, Vice-President and General Counsel of Harmonic, Inc. and former Vice-President and General Counsel for Phoenix Technologies.
● Renny Hwang, Litigation Counsel for Google and former attorney at Latham & Watkins

The APABA-SV panel discussion will occur from 6-8pm on October 23, 2014 and will be hosted at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, 650 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA. A reception will be held before the panel discussion and will begin at 5:30pm.

If you would like to attend, please RSVP here.