MAKING YOUR CASE TO ATTEND
Do you have your firm’s support to attend NCBJ? Ever considered requesting it? Making the case for time off and support for travel and expenses to attend a conference requires a solid understanding of the potential benefits to your firm/company and colleagues. And, you need to be able to communicate those benefits clearly — especially in times of tight budgets. Use the information that follows to help make your case.
Steps
- Familiarize yourself with NCBJ conference schedule and education programs, identifying sessions, events, and affiliate programs that would improve your practice.
- Gather the costs, showing how much can be saved by registering, making hotel reservations in the group block and booking travel early.
- Earn a majority of the year’s required CLE/CPE credits, including ethics, at NCBJ.
- Share the attendance stats (160 bankruptcy judges and over 1,500 insolvency professionals) planning to attend. Check the Who’s Coming list frequently to see if competitive law firm members are attending NCBJ. Identify judges and other presenters you would like to meet or hear speak.
- Put together a draft plan for how essential tasks will get covered while you’re away from the office, including how technology will keep you accessible and in touch as needed.
- Your personal brand gets stronger when you actively participate in the insolvency community and get known outside of your local circle. Conference attendance shows that the firm is committed to professional development, continuing education, improving its services and staying on the leading edge of cases that shape your clients’ future matters.
- If your firm/company is expanding into other geographic areas in the future, start to build your professional network in that local community or state by networking with targeted conference attendees.