The Detroit City Group kicked off a very active summer season on May 16 at the University Center in Grand Rapids with a presentation by Joel Stern, vice president of commercial contract services at Hewlett-Packard. Stern’s presentation, "Winning, Growing & Retaining Client Business: An In-House Legal Perspective," wowed an audience of about 30, which combined members of the Detroit City Group and representatives from the West Michigan Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators.
The presentation was also broadcast online to other LMA Midwest City Groups as part of the Detroit City Group's outreach efforts. The audience was reminded that defining value, utilizing relationship selling and understanding the in-house counsel's selection process are three critical components of distinguishing a firm's capabilities when seeking outside counsel work. Thanks to Detroit City Group members Lance Hartman of Miller, Johnson, Snell & Cummiskey, PLC for coordinating the meeting arrangements and Sarah Stachowicz of Bush, Seyferth & Paige PLLC for securing the speaker.
The summer activities continue on June 19 with a presentation on "ROI – The Only Technology That Matters" to be held at the Ford Field offices of Bodman PLC in Detroit. Finally, the City Group is planning its first-ever Summer Social to be held July 11 on the outdoor patio at Bookies Sports Bar in downtown Detroit.
Look for a report and photos from our many summer activities in the next issue of In the Loop.