Get the bigger picture.
Hear specialists challenge different approaches so you can weigh your firm’s future with more than one perspective.
MAIN STAGE · 30 MIN000DAYS00HRS00MIN00SEC
THE CONFERENCE FOR YOUR FIRM’S NEXT CHAPTER.
BUILD A FIRMWITH A FUTURETHAT OUTLASTS YOU.
A live online conference for established law firm owners. Compare succession options, understand what makes a firm transferable, and plan the work to do before you step away.
Live pass from $295 · Five steps · Choose one expert session per step.
THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION2027
LAW FIRMSUCCESSIONSUMMIT
Build value. Create options.
Protect what you’ve built.
01 Succession & your options02 Financial value & readiness03 Systems beyond the founder04 People & client continuity05 Transactions & your next chapter
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2027
9 AM–6 PM EASTERN · LIVE ONLINEFIRESIDES · EXPERT ROOMS
NETWORKING · EXPO
9 AM–6 PM EASTERN · LIVE ONLINEFIRESIDES · EXPERT ROOMS
NETWORKING · EXPO
1live online day
5succession steps
25expert sessions
6networking windows
YOURnext chapter
PLANNED PRESS
DISTRIBUTION
MAKE YOUR HARD WORK TRANSFERABLE
Your firm should
give you options.
A profitable practice can still depend on you for every important decision.
When the knowledge lives in your head, the clients ask only for you, and the numbers need your explanation, stepping away becomes complicated.
Spend the day with fellow owners and specialists working through those decisions. Compare sale, merger and internal succession, then identify the financial, systems and leadership gaps to address first.
BUILT FOR ESTABLISHED FIRM OWNERS
For owners of non-personal-injury practices with an established team, whether a transition is approaching or still years away.
PARTICIPATE THROUGHOUT THE DAY
Good decisions start
with better conversations.
Every step follows the same practical rhythm. Hear different perspectives, choose the session you need, then meet the people behind the ideas.
Go deeper where it matters.
Choose the question closest to your own firm, so your day goes toward a decision you need to make.
EXPERT ROOMS · 30 MINMake a useful connection.
Meet owners facing similar decisions and specialist advisers whose work could help with the questions you take home.
NETWORKING & EXPO · 30 MINKnow what to work on in the next 90 days.
Identify the financial, systems and leadership questions to take back to your team.
MEET YOUR CONFERENCE HOST
A practical perspective
on your next chapter.
Michael S. Melfi is an attorney, the founder of Mavacy, and the author of Don’t Die Before You Sell Your Law Firm.
His work explores law firm succession, operational readiness and the paths available to owners as they plan their next chapter.
As host, Michael brings these questions to a broader faculty of finance, valuation, operations, leadership and transaction specialists. Each perspective helps you examine a different part of your firm’s future.
Explore Michael’s bookFROM YOUR CONFERENCE HOST
VALUE. CONTINUITY. YOUR NEXT CHAPTER.
YOUR JOURNEY THROUGH THE CONFERENCE
You built the firm.
How will you step back?
Here’s what you’ll discover as you move through the five steps of the conference.
BEFORE THE CONFERENCE
“I’ve built a firm. I’m not sure how I’ll step away.”
You may be years from leaving. You can start exploring your options now.WHERE YOU’RE HEADING
“I know which options to explore and what to work on next.”
- 1
AT THE SUMMIT · STEP 1
You’ll discover how to plan your next chapter on your terms.
- Learn how a sale, merger or internal succession could support the role and income you want after the firm.
- Understand what to prepare while you still have time to choose, before an unexpected absence narrows your options.
- 2
AT THE SUMMIT · STEP 2
You’ll discover how to protect the value you’ve spent years building.
- Learn which financial gaps can weaken a buyer’s confidence before you negotiate over the value of years of work.
- See where clients rely on you personally, so you can start making that hard-earned trust transferable.
- 3
AT THE SUMMIT · STEP 3
You’ll discover how to step back without staying on call.
- Learn what to document and delegate so time away can mean fewer calls asking you to make every decision.
- See how to test the firm’s independence before you rely on it for a longer absence or eventual exit.
- 4
AT THE SUMMIT · STEP 4
You’ll discover how to protect the people who helped you build it.
- Learn how to introduce a successor so clients can feel cared for as your role changes.
- Plan the conversations your team needs so your next chapter doesn’t leave them guessing about theirs.
- 5
AT THE SUMMIT · STEP 5
You’ll discover what a deal could mean for your money and your freedom.
- Learn what cash, deferred payments and control can mean for life after the deal, beyond the headline price.
- Choose your next 90-day priorities so the day’s ideas become a starting point for your team, not another set of notes.
BY THE END OF THE DAY
Leave with a clearer plan
for your firm’s next chapter.
Use what you learn to prepare for more choice over your role, while protecting the firm and relationships you’ve built.
01 · YOUR DIRECTION
Make room for your next chapter.
Clarify the role, income and involvement you want your succession path to support.
02 · YOUR PRIORITIES
Protect what you’ve built.
Know which gaps could put your firm’s value or continuity at risk, so you can start addressing them with your team.
03 · YOUR NEXT MOVE
Make the next step manageable.
Leave with priorities to discuss with your advisers, so the work ahead feels less like one overwhelming decision.
Your next chapter starts with a plan for the work ahead.
Choose your pass and begin your registration.
THE FULL DAY, AT A GLANCE
Your firm’s future.
One focused day.
Friday, February 5, 2027
9:00 AM–6:00 PM Eastern
5 firesides · 25 session choices · 6 networking windows
Your day: opening keynote → networking → five sequential steps → closing. Each step: 30-minute fireside, 30-minute expert session, 30-minute networking window.
9:00–9:30 AM ETOpening keynote: your succession prioritiesMichael S. Melfi · Main stage
9:30–10:00 AM ETSpeed networking & expoMeet fellow law firm owners and advisers
10:00 AM–11:30 AM ET · STEP 1
Know your succession options
Decide what your next chapter should make possible.
10:00 AM Fireside conversation10:30 AM Choose 1 of 5 expert sessions11:00 AM Speed networking & expo
ROOM 0110:30 AM30 minutes
How Much Freedom Do You Actually Want? Design Your Life After the Firm
- Discover how to match your exit to the income and involvement you want, so the next chapter gives you room to live differently.
- Spot the commitments you need to resolve before choosing a route that could keep you working longer than you intended.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 0210:30 AM30 minutes
Five Signs Your Firm Could Be Hard to Sell, Even When It’s Profitable
- Find the owner dependencies that could make a profitable firm hard to transfer, before they limit your choices.
- See which readiness gaps deserve attention first, so years of work do not rest on an untested exit assumption.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 0310:30 AM30 minutes
Sell, Merge or Hand It Down? Match the Exit to the Life You Want
- Compare sale, merger and internal succession against the control and freedom you want to keep.
- Discover the tradeoffs behind each route before committing your future to someone else’s idea of a good exit.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 0410:30 AM30 minutes
What If You Had to Step Away Tomorrow? Find the Gaps in Your Backup Plan
- Spot who could keep client matters moving if you suddenly could not, so your absence does not leave people stranded.
- Find access and decision gaps now, while you have time to prepare a backup you can discuss with your team.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 0510:30 AM30 minutes
The Retirement Date Trap: Work Backward From When You Want Out
- Discover what needs to happen before your preferred exit date, so a calendar target does not become an expensive rush.
- See where preparation and handover take time, so you can plan your next chapter around more than hope.
Speaker to be announced
11:30 AM–1:00 PM ET · STEP 2
Make your firm’s value visible
Understand what a buyer or successor can actually rely on.
11:30 AM Fireside conversation12:00 PM Choose 1 of 5 expert sessions12:30 PM Speed networking & expo
ROOM 0112:00 PM30 minutes
Your Firm Shows a Profit. Where Is the Cash?
- See why reported profit may not mean cash you can use, before basing your transition plans on the wrong number.
- Spot collection and working-capital pressures that could leave less room for the life you are planning.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 0212:00 PM30 minutes
Before Buyers See Your Books: Clean Up the Numbers They’ll Question
- Discover which numbers a buyer is likely to question, so you can address gaps before they undermine trust.
- See how clearer monthly reporting can help you explain the business you built without defending every personal expense.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 0312:00 PM30 minutes
What Is Your Client Book Worth If the Clients Only Want You?
- Find where revenue depends on clients choosing you personally, before assuming it will follow a successor.
- Discover what makes those relationships more transferable, so hard-earned trust can support the firm beyond your role.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 0412:00 PM30 minutes
Your Paycheck Isn’t the Firm’s Profit: Find the Earnings a Buyer Can Assess
- Separate your compensation from sustainable firm earnings, so you can approach value discussions with a clearer picture.
- See what replacing your work could cost before counting income that may disappear when you step back.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 0512:00 PM30 minutes
Revenue Isn’t a Valuation: What Would Make a Buyer Pay More or Walk Away?
- Discover why similar revenues can lead to different assessments of value, so a headline number does not set false expectations.
- Spot risks worth addressing before they weaken a buyer’s interest in the firm you spent years building.
Speaker to be announced
1:00 PM–2:30 PM ET · STEP 3
Build a firm beyond the founder
Make your systems, knowledge and decisions transferable.
1:00 PM Fireside conversation1:30 PM Choose 1 of 5 expert sessions2:00 PM Speed networking & expo
ROOM 011:30 PM30 minutes
Stop Being the Firm’s Instruction Manual: Document What Only You Know
- Find the knowledge your team needs most, so fewer everyday decisions have to follow you home.
- Discover what to document first to make stepping away more realistic without trying to write down the entire firm.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 021:30 PM30 minutes
Build the Handover File: What a Successor Needs Before Taking Over
- See which records and responsibilities a successor needs, so the handover relies less on you remembering everything.
- Find gaps before diligence turns into a scramble that consumes the time you meant to spend preparing your next chapter.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 031:30 PM30 minutes
Before You Hand Over the Firm: Find the Trust-Account and Records Gaps
- Discover which trust-account and file-custody questions need local advice before a handover puts client continuity at risk.
- Spot missing records early, while you still have time to address them without a transaction deadline driving every decision.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 041:30 PM30 minutes
Who Holds the Passwords? Make Your Firm’s Technology Transferable
- Find the systems tied to your personal access, so an absence does not leave your team locked out.
- Discover what to clarify with vendors before technology becomes another reason you cannot fully step away.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 051:30 PM30 minutes
Could Your Firm Run for 30 Days Without You? Put It to the Test
- See how to rehearse time away before your eventual exit, so you can find dependencies while you can still fix them.
- Discover which decisions need a new owner, so a break from the firm can mean fewer calls asking you to return.
Speaker to be announced
2:30 PM–4:00 PM ET · STEP 4
Protect your people and relationships
Prepare the leadership and trust that carry a firm forward.
2:30 PM Fireside conversation3:00 PM Choose 1 of 5 expert sessions3:30 PM Speed networking & expo
ROOM 013:00 PM30 minutes
Your Best Lawyer May Not Be Your Best Successor: Test for Leadership
- Learn what to look for beyond legal ability, before putting your team and legacy in the wrong hands.
- Discover how a trial of responsibility can help you evaluate leadership before making a lasting ownership commitment.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 023:00 PM30 minutes
Tell the Team You’re Stepping Back Without Sending Them Job Hunting
- Plan the conversations that help employees understand what changes for them, before uncertainty drives good people away.
- Discover how timing and clarity can protect the team you rely on while you prepare to step back.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 033:00 PM30 minutes
How Do You Get Clients to Trust the Lawyer Who Replaces You?
- Discover how joint introductions can give clients time to build trust in someone new, without forcing their choice.
- See how to phase your involvement so protecting relationships does not mean remaining their only point of contact.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 043:00 PM30 minutes
Keep the Referrals When the Rainmaker Leaves
- Find the referral relationships that depend on you, before your departure leaves a gap in the firm’s next source of work.
- Discover how to introduce the next relationship owner so years of professional trust have a chance to continue.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 053:00 PM30 minutes
Before You Offer a Partner Equity: Have the Ownership Conversation
- Clarify authority, contribution and accountability before equity creates expectations you did not intend.
- Discover which ownership conversations to have early, so building your succession path does not quietly damage a working relationship.
Speaker to be announced
4:00 PM–5:30 PM ET · STEP 5
Choose your path and prepare to move
Use your readiness work to compare structures, capital and the transition after the agreement.
4:00 PM Fireside conversation4:30 PM Choose 1 of 5 expert sessions5:00 PM Speed networking & expo
ROOM 014:30 PM30 minutes
From First Offer to Closing: Where Law Firm Deals Get Stuck
- Spot diligence and negotiation friction before a promising offer absorbs months without moving toward a decision.
- Discover what needs resolving at each stage, so you can protect your attention and make more informed choices about proceeding.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 024:30 PM30 minutes
The Merger Looks Good on Paper. Can You Work Together After Closing?
- Look beyond the merger terms to how decisions and compensation would work, before agreeing to a daily reality you dislike.
- Discover what to ask about your future role so a combined firm supports the next chapter you actually want.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 034:30 PM30 minutes
Before You Sign an MSO Deal: Understand the Economics and Control
- Uncover how fees and governance could affect your economics and control, before judging an MSO deal by its headline offer.
- Prepare jurisdiction-specific questions for your advisers so you can examine the structure without overlooking professional obligations.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 044:30 PM30 minutes
A Buyer Wants Your Firm. How Will They Pay You?
- Compare cash at closing with deferred and contingent payments, so you know what you could rely on after the deal.
- Discover which payment risks to discuss with your advisers before shaping your next chapter around money you may receive later.
Speaker to be announced
ROOM 054:30 PM30 minutes
You’ve Signed. Now What? Plan the First 100 Days of the Handover
- See who needs to own client, staff and systems decisions after signing, so the handover does not keep falling back on you.
- Discover what to address in the first 100 days so your exit plans account for the work that starts after the agreement.
Speaker to be announced
5:30–6:00 PM ETYour next chapter starts hereMichael S. Melfi · Main stage
All times Eastern. Expert sessions within each step run concurrently; choose one per step. Networking windows include time to take a break and visit the expo.
YOUR CONFERENCE FACULTY
Meet your faculty.
Plan your future.
We’re building a faculty across finance, valuation, operations, leadership and transactions. Explore the planned expertise below. Guest names will be announced as the lineup is confirmed.
STEP 1
Know your succession options
Succession strategist
Guest to be announced
Law firm adviser
Guest to be announced
Transitioned firm owner
Guest to be announced
Legal operations leader
Guest to be announced
Succession planning specialist
Guest to be announced
STEP 2
Make your firm’s value visible
Law firm CFO
Guest to be announced
Law firm CPA
Guest to be announced
Practice valuation specialist
Guest to be announced
Valuation practitioner
Guest to be announced
Law firm buyer/operator
Guest to be announced
STEP 3
Build a firm beyond the founder
Legal systems specialist
Guest to be announced
Transaction operations adviser
Guest to be announced
Legal ethics counsel
Guest to be announced
Legal technology specialist
Guest to be announced
Law firm COO
Guest to be announced
STEP 4
Protect your people and relationships
Managing partner
Guest to be announced
People and culture adviser
Guest to be announced
Client transition specialist
Guest to be announced
Business development leader
Guest to be announced
Internal succession adviser
Guest to be announced
STEP 5
Choose your path and prepare to move
Law firm M&A adviser
Guest to be announced
Merger integration specialist
Guest to be announced
MSO and ethics panelist
Guest to be announced
Practice acquisition lender
Guest to be announced
Post-transaction operator
Guest to be announced
YOUR NEXT USEFUL INTRODUCTION
Meet the people
who understand the stakes.
Compare experiences with other firm owners. Ask a question you’ve been putting off. Meet advisers whose work touches the decisions ahead.
YOUR
NEXT CHAPTER
Fellow ownersSuccession advisersFinance specialistsLegal operatorsNEXT CHAPTER
THE CONFERENCE EXPO
Expertise to support
your next decision.
Meet the people helping law firms strengthen their finances, operations, leadership and transition readiness.
firm’s next chapter.
Announcement coming soon
Specialists in your corner.
Law firm finance, technology, operations and succession.
PARTNER LINEUP ANNOUNCING SOONBEFORE YOU JOIN
A few useful details.
Who is this conference for?
Established US law firm owners who want to strengthen their firm’s independence and prepare for a future transition. The program focuses on non-personal-injury practices and firms with an established team.
Do I need to be ready to sell?
You can use the day to explore your options while continuing to own your firm. The sessions cover readiness, internal succession, continued leadership, merger and sale.
Can I attend all 25 sessions live?
There are 5 concurrent sessions in each of 5 sequential steps. You choose 1 session per step, alongside the shared firesides and networking windows. Replay and Action Pack options are separate from your live pass.
Is this an online event?
Yes. Join live from your computer for the main stage, expert rooms, speed networking and expo. The program runs from 9 AM to 6 PM Eastern.
Is continuing legal education credit available?
CLE credit has not been announced. Choose the program for its practical succession and firm-management content.
YOUR ALL-ACCESS CONFERENCE PASS
Your full conference.
Book early and save.
One live day dedicated to your firm’s future.
Friday, February 5, 2027 · 9 AM–6 PM ET
All prices in USD. Rates change at midnight Eastern.
SUPER EARLY BIRDCurrent rate
$295per person
Through December 31, 2026
Save $200 on the regular price.
EARLY BIRDOpens January 1
$395per person
January 1–31, 2027
Save $100 on the regular price.
REGULAROpens February 1
$495per person
February 1–5, 2027
The full live conference experience.
EVERY TIER INCLUDES
Your full day, all access.
- 5 live main-stage fireside conversations
- Your choice of 1 expert session in each of 5 steps
- 6 speed-networking and expo windows
- Opening and closing sessions with the host
Replay recordings and Action Pack upgrades are sold separately.
SUPER EARLY BIRD IS OPEN
$295USD / person
Price increases to $395 on January 1.
The same all-access pass at every tier.FEBRUARY 5, 2027 · LIVE ONLINE
You’ve built the firm.
Give its future a day.
Build value. Protect relationships. Create options for the years ahead.
1 live day · 5 steps · Real conversationsTicket rates vary by registration date.