Championing CI: Unpacking 2025's Successes

Date: March 12th
Time: 11:00 a.m. CT
Sponsored by: LMA Competitive Intelligence SIG
Domain: Business Development
BoK Competency: Competitive Intelligence

Join the LMA Competitive Intelligence SIG for the third edition of this program, focused on CI project highlights from the prior year. Competitive Intelligence professionals from multiple firms will share a CI project they worked on last year, how they accomplished it, and its impact on the business. Attendees are encouraged to share their own real-life examples of successful or well-received CI projects that took place last year. 

Learning Outcomes:

• Identify and compare a cross-firm benchmark of legal CI at various firms and identify the typical CI project types, as well as tools and resources used.
• Discuss current challenges and common pitfalls in CI project implementations.
• Identify 2–3 concrete improvements to apply immediately to their own CI programs and research.
  
  

Facilitators:

Neil Barbieri, Senior Manager, Research & Competitive Intelligence, Venable LLP. Neil Barbieri is the Senior Manager of Research & Competitive Intelligence at Venable LLP, where he leads the firm’s client intelligence and client data analytics programs aimed at developing and executing key strategic priorities and driving growth. Neil is an experienced strategist, business analyst, and dot-connector, with 15+ years of experience generating actionable insights for data-driven strategies to grow business and strengthen client relationships. 

Benjamin Brighoff, Senior Manager of Competitive Intelligence, Foley & Lardner LLP. Ben Brighoff is the senior manager of competitive intelligence at Foley & Lardner LLP. He oversees business development research and believes that strong analysis is the foundation of good strategy. Prior to joining Foley & Lardner, Brighoff oversaw competitive intelligence at Jenner & Block LLP.

Michele Gernhardt, Strategic Research and Competitive Intelligence Manager, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP. Michele Gernhardt heads the strategic research and competitive intelligence function at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP. She came to competitive intelligence through a foundation in legal practice and library science, bringing a practitioner’s perspective and a rigorous research and analytical approach to the discipline.

Steven Medley, Senior Market Intelligence Manager, Sidley Austin LLP. Steven Medley is a Senior Market Intelligence Manager at Sidley Austin LLP, where he leads a cross-functional team of researchers and data analysts supporting one of the world’s leading law firms. With more than 20 years of experience in professional services, Steven specializes in transforming complex market, financial, and competitive data into actionable insight for business development, client targeting, and firmwide strategic planning. 

Louise Tsang, Associate Director of Competitive Intelligence, Cooley LLP. Louise leads Cooley’s competitive intelligence function, where her team delivers market, corporate, and competitor analyses that inform the firm’s strategic and tactical business development decisions. They also develop innovative solutions that help attorneys and marketers more effectively leverage client and prospect data to drive business growth.