As you might know, I’m a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management and attend its annual meeting every fall (not least for the bestowing of InnovAction Awards, the winners of which will be announced soon — see the College’s blog for an ongoing roll call of this year’s nominees). The College’s annual meeting always produces discussions and debates of the highest order from among its members, who include legal industry luminaries from around the world. This year, though, the College has gone a dramatic step further, and I think you should know about what it has planned.

From September 25-26, 2009, in Denver, Colorado, the College is hosting the inaugural edition of the Futures Conference, a dynamic, interactive event in which leaders and visionaries of the legal profession lay out the future course of this industry. In presentations, workshops and small-group discussions, delegates will have the chance to hear from and exchange views with the profession’s most innovative law practice management minds and benefit from the extraordinary insights that will result. I’m expecting it to be an amazing experience, and if you have the opportunity, I’d strongly encourage you to attend.

Keynote presentations will be made by Ward Bower of Altman Weil, Bruce MacEwen of Adam Smith Esq., and Harry Trueheart, Chairman of Nixon Peabody LLP. Conference speakers include Andy Adkins of the Legal Technology Institute, Ross Fishman of Fishman Marketing, Ann Lee Gibson of Ann Lee Gibson Consulting, Mark Greene, CMO of  Nixon Peabody, David Hambourger, CIO of Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Sally Fiona King, Regional COO of Clifford Chance, Carol Phillips, Director of Administration for the West Coast Offices of Sidley Austin LLP, Dan Pinnington of LawPRO,  and John Tredennick of  Catalyst Repository Systems, among others. And that’s on top of the College members themselves in attendance, leaders in the law in their own right.

All of which is to say, it figures to be a tremendous event — even (and especially) in challenging times like this, the Futures Conference makes a great case to be on your must-attend list. I’ll be there — let me know if you will be too.