2026 Summit Agenda
November 12-13, in Orlando, FL
The Summit agenda is built to give every attendee a meaningful mix of inspiration, focused learning, and strategic implementation.
On Day 1, all attendees will come together for opening remarks, a keynote presentation, shared conversations, and additional Summit sessions. Later that afternoon, Atticus members in group programs will move into their dedicated breakout rooms, while all other attendees will remain together for continued programming that sets the stage for Friday’s workshop experience.
On Day 2, attendees will participate in their dedicated full-day experience. Group program members will continue with their groups, while all other attendees will attend the one-day workshop they selected during registration, leaving with practical strategies and actionable plans for the year ahead.
7:00 a.m.
Panzacola Opens
8:30 a.m.
Mark Powers & Steve Riley
Welcome, Agenda, Introductions & Setting the Stage
Stop the Hidden Leaks that are Costing You Money
How Better Systems and Better Client Experiences Lead to More Profit and Less Stress
The biggest barriers to growth are often the ones you don’t see. Friction in your client experience, operational workflows, technology, and team processes can quietly reduce efficiency, limit profitability, and create unnecessary work for everyone in your firm.
9:00 a.m.
Kenya Oduor
In this keynote, Dr. Kenya Oduor introduces a human-centered approach to improving firm performance. You’ll learn how to identify the hidden friction points that influence client behavior, team effectiveness, and business results, and how thoughtful design can transform the way your firm operates. You’ll leave with practical strategies to create better experiences, stronger systems, and sustainable growth.
10:00 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
Honorable Judge Mark Klingensmith
The Future Lawyer Is on Trial:
Will Your Next Opposing Counsel Be AI and Who will Be Sitting on the Bench?
What changes, what endures and who thrives in the next era of law? The legal profession is preparing for artificial intelligence as a powerful new tool. But what happens when AI is no longer simply assisting the lawyer and begins functioning as the paralegal, negotiator, advocate, arbitrator, or even decision-maker?
Drawing on 25 years in private practice and his experience on both Florida’s trial and appellate benches, Judge Mark W. Klingensmith puts the future lawyer on trial. He will examine the case for and against AI-driven legal practice, from virtual advocates and automated dispute resolution to synthetic evidence and machine-assisted courts.
The real question is not whether AI can perform legal work. It is what lawyers and judges should delegate but what must remain unmistakably human. Attendees will leave with a clearer picture of what is changing, what will endure, and the skills solo and small-firm lawyers will need to thrive in the legal profession of tomorrow.
11:30 a.m.
Mark Powers & Glenn Finch
11:45 a.m.
1:15 p.m.
Scott Pioli
Getting People to do a Great Job:
Leadership Lessons from a Three-Time Super Bowl Champion
Great teams begin with great people, but hiring talented people is only the beginning. A leader’s job is to create expectations, accountability, motivation, and culture that allow those people to consistently perform at their highest level.
In this exclusive fireside chat, three-time Super Bowl executive Scott Pioli shares leadership lessons from some of the most successful teams in professional sports and why they apply just as powerfully to your law firm. Through stories from his years working alongside legendary leaders like Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, Scott explores why even great people sometimes underperform, what leaders often get wrong, and what it takes to create a culture of consistent excellence.
You’ll discover:
- Work ethic alone isn’t enough.
- Culture is built through daily standards, not mission statements.
- Simple behaviors become extraordinary results when consistently reinforced.
- Role clarity and accountability drive high performance.
- Leaders create an environment where talented people excel day in and day out.
Whether you lead a team of five or fifty, you’ll leave with practical leadership principles you can immediately apply to strengthen your culture, improve accountability, and help your team consistently perform at its best.
2:30 p.m.
3:00 p.m.
3:45 p.m.
Chris Murphy
I am not lucky… and neither are you!
Creating a Funnel of your dream cases and clients
The biggest cases and best clients rarely happen by accident. What looks like luck from the outside is often the result of years of intentional choices, strategic relationships, and a clear vision for the kind of practice you want to create.
Using his landmark eBay case as the backdrop, this session reveals the path from hoping for better cases to intentionally attracting them. You’ll learn how to define your dream client or case, position yourself and your firm to attract that work, develop relationships with the best in your field, and continually raise the level of your expertise and reputation.
You’ll also explore one of the hardest parts of growth: saying no to the work that no longer fits where you’re going. Because moving from five-figure cases to six-, seven-, and eight-figure opportunities requires more than ambition and that requires making room for what’s next.
You’ll leave with a practical framework for creating your own funnel of dream clients and cases, and a new way of thinking about success: stop waiting to get lucky and start creating the opportunities you want.
4:30 p.m.
4:45 p.m.
Steve Riley
Frustration as Fuel
The REACT Formula™ to Achieve Your Most Meaningful Goals
Frustration is inevitable, but staying stuck in it is a choice. The things that frustrate you most may actually be pointing directly to the conversations, expectations, and decisions standing between you and your biggest goals.
In this session, you’ll learn to recognize frustration as a signal rather than a setback. Using the REACT Formula™, you’ll uncover the expectation behind what’s frustrating you, determine what’s really getting in the way, get clear about what needs to change, and turn that clarity into action.
Whether the frustration comes from your team, your business, your relationships, or even yourself, you’ll leave with a practical framework for moving from stuck to fueled, and a new way to use everyday frustrations to create greater clarity, stronger communication, and meaningful progress.
Because sometimes your frustrations are simply your goals telling you where to look next.
5:30 p.m.
Mark Powers
5:40 p.m.
8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Dedicated Group Programs & Workshops Day
Choose Your Workshop
These workshops are designed for Summit attendees who are not currently enrolled in an Atticus group program. If you are an Atticus member in a group program, you will continue with your specialized group experience during this time.
Build It: The essential framework every law firm has to get right
Presenters: Lori Pulvermacher & Seth Kuntz
Description:
Every growing law firm has to answer five big questions:
- Where do I find time to grow and still go home on time?
- How do I find good clients?
- How do I protect cash flow and move to profitability?
- Where do I find great team members?
- How do I scale without burning out?
This workshop will answer the first four of these questions and tackle the foundational strategies (time management, marketing, staffing, and cash flow) for building your firm. We will clarify your firm’s strengths and weaknesses, where you want to take the firm in 2027, what is getting in the way, and finish with a focused game plan to address these issues. Question 5 (how to scale without burning out) is exactly where Scale It picks up.
Ultimately, this workshop provides a simple, practical, and proven path for you to focus on the right priorities at the right time, in the right order, and execute with clarity and consistency, one focused quarter at a time.
Who Should Attend: This workshop is perfect for growing firms with up to 8 employees, newer members, non-members, alumni, and team members from law firms who need to build or rebuild a foundational Atticus framework and leave with a focused 90-day direction.
Scale It: The operating system for attorneys and COOs ready to dominate
Presenter: Mark Powers & Shawn McNalis
Description:
It seemed easier to manage the firm when it was just you and a small team. Now your firm has 8 or 10, maybe even 20 or 30 employees, or perhaps more, and every decision, deadline, and follow-up seems to be on your head.
This workshop is for you. We’ll address how to scale, manage a growing team, improve accountability, reduce operational strain, and get better visibility into priorities, KPIs, rocks, meetings, and follow-through. You’ll also find out when to hire a COO, the best software to manage the growth of the firm, and how to unleash the team.
This workshop goes beyond the foundational stage and focuses on a law firm optimization system to support growth.
Who Should Attend: This workshop is ideal for attorneys, law firm owners, COOs, or firm administrators leading the efforts of a firm with eight or more team members. It is also a strong fit for anyone who has considered EOS or read Traction.
Double It: The revenue growth strategy for owners done playing small
Presenters: Jordan Ostroff & Denise Cullen
Description:
This strategic growth workshop helps law firm owners step out of the day-to-day demands of the practice and build a focused roadmap for meaningful revenue growth.
The workshop begins with one essential question: Why do you want to double your revenue? From there, you’ll look honestly at your current practice, identify what is keeping growth stuck, and define the mindset, systems, team, and revenue strategies required to move to the next level.
Participants will explore the difference between working in the firm and working on the firm, the shifts required to become a true practice growth leader, and the practical steps needed to grow revenue without simply adding more hours, stress, or overhead.
Who Should Attend: This workshop is designed for law firm owners, shareholders, and partners who are already generating consistent revenue from their practice and are ready to grow at a rate faster than they have before. It is especially well-suited for attorneys earning at least $100,000 who want to increase annual revenue by 15–30% in the first year, work toward doubling revenue over the next few years, and reduce working hours by 10–15% while creating more personal time.
Lead It: The team’s guide for operating the practice the founder built
Presenter: Patti Paz & Lori Goetz
Description:
This workshop helps law firm team leaders create the structure, visibility, and accountability needed to run the firm more effectively, without every decision, question, or problem flowing back to the owner.
Participants will examine how decisions are currently made, where bottlenecks exist, and which systems or workflows need to be clarified or improved. They will also learn how to identify 5 to 7 core law firm metrics, assign ownership, use scorecards, and create a meeting cadence that drives better follow-through.
The workshop will also focus on capacity, delegation, and leverage, including identifying owner-level tasks that should be delegated, reassigned, systemized, or eliminated. Each attendee will leave with a clear 90-Day Focus to improve operations, strengthen accountability, and help the owner move out of heroic leadership and into a more strategic role.
Who Should Attend: This workshop is designed for team leaders, office managers, operations managers, executive assistants in operational roles, and key team members who help manage workflow, people, systems, or follow-through. It is especially valuable if the owner is still too involved in day-to-day decisions and you are the person who can change that.
Join Us at The Summit to Elevate Your Practice and Life
Unlock the opportunity to connect with the most successful law firm owners, attorneys, and industry leaders. Discover groundbreaking strategies, transformative insights, and actionable takeaways to enhance both your professional and personal life. Be part of this exclusive event that will empower you to elevate your practice to new heights.