Get the bigger picture.
A 30-minute fireside brings the track’s specialists together around the decisions owners face.
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 tracks · Choose one expert session per track.
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
5focused tracks
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 track 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 1 of 5 concurrent expert sessions. Follow the topic that fits your firm’s next step.
EXPERT ROOMS · 30 MINMake a useful connection.
Join speed networking and visit the expo. Compare notes with owners and meet specialist advisers.
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.
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 track blocks → closing. Each track: 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 · TRACK 01
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
Your Firm, Your Next Chapter: Choose the Outcome Before the Exit
Map the freedom, income and legacy you want your transition to support.
ROOM 0210:30 AM30 minutes
Five Signs Your Firm Is Not Ready to Change Hands
Recognize the financial, operational and leadership gaps to address first.
ROOM 0310:30 AM30 minutes
Sell, Merge, Stay or Pass It On? Compare Your Routes
Understand the tradeoffs behind four distinct ownership paths.
ROOM 0410:30 AM30 minutes
The Owner-Dependency Test: What Stops When You Step Away?
Find the decisions and relationships that still depend on you.
ROOM 0510:30 AM30 minutes
Start Your 90-Day Succession Readiness Plan
Turn a distant intention into a manageable sequence of decisions.
11:30 AM–1:00 PM ET · TRACK 02
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
Profit on Paper vs. Cash in the Firm
Read cash flow, collections and working capital together.
ROOM 0212:00 PM30 minutes
Clean Financials Before the Buyer Asks
Build a reporting routine that makes performance easier to assess.
ROOM 0312:00 PM30 minutes
What Your Client Book Really Tells a Buyer
Examine concentration, recurring work and relationship dependency.
ROOM 0412:00 PM30 minutes
The Owner’s Paycheck and the Firm’s Real Earnings
Understand the questions behind normalized earnings and owner compensation.
ROOM 0512:00 PM30 minutes
A Buyer’s First Look: Pressure-Test Your Numbers
See the information a serious evaluator is likely to request.
1:00 PM–2:30 PM ET · TRACK 03
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
Get the Firm Out of Your Head
Prioritize the workflows and decisions worth documenting first.
ROOM 021:30 PM30 minutes
Your First Due-Diligence Room
Organize the operational evidence a successor needs to understand.
ROOM 031:30 PM30 minutes
Trust Accounts, Records and Transition Readiness
Identify the compliance questions to review with qualified local counsel.
ROOM 041:30 PM30 minutes
Technology That the Next Owner Can Inherit
Review access, cybersecurity, vendors and data continuity.
ROOM 051:30 PM30 minutes
The 30-Day Absence Test
Design a practical rehearsal for leadership and operational independence.
2:30 PM–4:00 PM ET · TRACK 04
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
Choose a Successor Who Can Actually Lead
Look beyond seniority to judgment, ownership and leadership readiness.
ROOM 023:00 PM30 minutes
Keep the Team Through the Transition
Plan the conversations and responsibilities that support continuity.
ROOM 033:00 PM30 minutes
Transfer Trust Before You Transfer Files
Create thoughtful introductions while respecting each client’s choices.
ROOM 043:00 PM30 minutes
From Rainmaker to Relationship Team
Reduce reliance on one person for the firm’s key relationships.
ROOM 053:00 PM30 minutes
The Internal Buy-In Conversation
Explore expectations, decision rights and a realistic ownership pathway.
4:00 PM–5:30 PM ET · TRACK 05
Choose your path and prepare to move
Compare structures, capital and the work after the handshake.
4:00 PM Fireside conversation4:30 PM Choose 1 of 5 expert sessions5:00 PM Speed networking & expo
ROOM 014:30 PM30 minutes
Inside a Law Firm Acquisition
Follow the questions from first conversation through transition.
ROOM 024:30 PM30 minutes
Merger or Succession? Know What You Are Solving
Assess strategic fit, culture and the owner’s role after the deal.
ROOM 034:30 PM30 minutes
MSOs and Private Capital: Ask Better Questions
Explore economics and governance with jurisdiction-specific professional guidance.
ROOM 044:30 PM30 minutes
Who Funds the Next Chapter?
Compare the questions behind external financing and internal buy-ins.
ROOM 054:30 PM30 minutes
After the Agreement: Your First 100 Days
Connect the transition plan to leadership, clients, systems and accountability.
5:30–6:00 PM ETYour next chapter starts hereMichael S. Melfi · Main stage
All times Eastern. Expert sessions within each track run concurrently; choose one per track. 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.
TRACK 01
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
TRACK 02
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
TRACK 03
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
TRACK 04
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
TRACK 05
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 tracks. You choose 1 session per track, 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 tracks
- 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 tracks · Real conversationsTicket rates vary by registration date.