Note:All Teleconference/webinar times are shown as Central

1:00		Registration
1:15 - 2:15		Managing Client Expectations Your current clients can be repeat business, good advertisers, and among the best ways to expand your practice. A top lawyer shares how to develop happy clients by getting to the core of their concerns. (Jeffrey Usher, Reed Consulting)
2:15 - 3:15		Negotiation Style Style is as important as substance. This section presents multiple negotiation styles that can be adopted to meet the needs of the situation. You will learn how to give the other side what they want without giving in, and how to get the upper hand when compromise is not an option. (Chris Layton, The Likeable Lawyer)
3:15 - 3:30		Break
3:30 - 5:00		Understanding the Opposition “There is no opposition; there are only challenges.” Knowing how to deal with difficult people can greatly improve your negotiation results. Learn to see what most lawyers miss, and generate more wins more often.  (Ketan Soni, Hull and Chandler, P.A.)
5:00		Adjourn

Chris Layton

Chris Layton, J.D. is the founder of The Layton Law Firm, PLLC, a consumer bankruptcy firm in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has been facilitating Likeable Lawyer programs since 2007. Chris holds a B.A. in Journalism from The University of Maryland at College Park and a J.D. from Wake Forest University.

Jeffrey Usher

Jeffrey Usher is the founder and owner of Reed Consulting in Matthews, NC. For 30 years, he has consulted on a broad range of Labor and Employee Relations matters with large corporate clients, specializing in issues where hourly workforces are a key to success. With extensive experience dealing with unionized workforces – particularly in contract negotiations and matters surrounding the bargaining process, he has represented major organizations as chief spokesman and legal counsel in negotiations with most major labor unions. [A majority of his negotiating experience has been with the Teamsters and UAW.] At age 32, as Vice President - HR and Labor with Pilot Freight, he was a member of national bargaining and grievance committees. Today, in another client relationship, he regularly deals with Ken Hall, current candidate for Secretary-Treasurer of the Teamsters. He acts as a “strategic partner” helping organizations plan for and implement their own bargaining strategies. Jeff’s approach to negotiations depends largely on open communications and sharing an understanding of the business issues with the bargaining representatives, the workforce, and other stakeholders. Jeff has a B.S. in Management from Purdue and a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law.

Ketan Soni

Ketan Soni has represented clients in mediation, negotiation, collaborative law and in the courtroom for over 10 years in divorce, equitable distribution, alimony, child custody, child support, domestic violence, and appeals in North Carolina. After managing one of the largest divorce law firms in North Carolina, Ketan started his own practice to bring the same level of quality and care to clients. Ketan saw how unnecessarily damaging the court process could be for some people, and so he also decided to use the skills learned over the years to open a mediation practice designed to help two spouses create their own resolution and agreement without having to go to court. Ketan is a NC DRC Certified Family Financial Mediator.