 Perspectives
on the ALA National Conference
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Bob Weinkle
Katie Russo
Bob Weinkle
"Hi, my name is Bob". These words ensured
that I, a first time ALA National Conference attendee, would have
a highly successful conference experience. Those words started countless
conversations about Legal Administration best practices and valuable
lessons learned. You see, I really needed those conversations because
not only was this my first National ALA Conference but I am new
to the Legal Administration field as well.
Those words of introduction started a great conversation with a
legal administrator from New York City who told about her work experiences
on September 11, 2001 and how she dealt with the trauma, tragedy
and triumph of those fateful days. As a recently retired Marine
Corps Officer of 21 years service, I was pleasantly surprised to
meet other men and women at the conference who served or are serving
in the legal profession of our military services. The "It's a small
world" cliché was uttered numerous times as I randomly met several
ALA members who knew some of my co-workers back in Atlanta.
The conference included a very impressive lineup of keynote speakers,
educational sessions, panel discussions and entertainment options.
The hardest part of the conference was choosing between the numerous
overlapping sessions of personal interest to me. There was not enough
time to do it all! Session topics included leadership and management,
financial management, human resources, office operations, legal
industry and idea exchanges.
Another surprise benefit of the conference was having direct access
to a large number of vendors supporting the legal industry. During
the weeks before the conference I dutifully organized the vendor
post cards and letters that hit my in-box like an avalanche. I didn't
want to miss an opportunity to learn more about their services and
how their services could have an impact on my firm's operations.
Additionally, I found out they gave away some pretty cool stuff!
When I returned to my office many people asked me what I thought
about my experiences at my first ALA National Conference. One word
immediately came to mind..........exhausting! To take full advantage
of every educational, networking and entertainment opportunity you
really had to exhaust yourself. But this was the good type of exhaustion…….the
type of exhaustion that results from working to expand your professional
circle of peers and mentors and opening one's mind to new concepts
that can increase efficiency and effectiveness back at the firm.
The 2007 ALA National Conference Las Vegas venue ensured all types
of entertainment were available at the ALA events. Conference attendees
saw or heard Neil Diamond, Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, Cher,
and too many Elvis impersonators to count. While these entertainers
were not the real thing, I couldn't help notice that the camaraderie
and common pursuit of legal administration excellence were as genuine
as it gets.
Ultimately the conference slogan summed up how to ensure ultimate
conference success for all attendees, new and old: "What happens
in Vegas, Returns home with you". I can assure you it returned home
with me!
Bob Weinkle
Office Administrator
Troutman Sanders LLP
Katie Russo
I was fortunate to have been granted the opportunity to attend the
National ALA Conference in Las Vegas this year, through the generosity
of my local AALA chapter; I felt it to be an extremely worthwhile
experience, and was very pleased with my first exposure to an ALA
event on this scale. I was especially impressed with the measures
that my chapter took to make sure that I felt comfortable and had
all the guidance that I might desire before and during my visit.
As someone who is also new to the ALA, not just a first-time conference
attendee, I was excited to spend much of my time getting to know
fellow chapter members in a setting outside of our usual lunch or
meeting settings, as well as forming invaluable acquaintances with
vendors and administrators across the nation. The topics presented
were widely-applicable in some instances, yet there were also myriad
targeted topics, allowing each attendee to tailor his or her experience
and to move towards accomplishing goals both personal and professional.
I would encourage anyone considering a first conference to take
advantage of this opportunity for growth, for education, and for
plain fun, of which there are no shortages.
Katie Russo
Human Resources Assisant
Drew, Eckl & Farnham
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