2025 Leadership Academy

The 2025 Leadership Academy includes the following topics:

Pillar One: Leader Identity

To effectively lead, lawyers must first gain a deeper understanding of themselves as leaders: what defines, motivates and frustrates them; what they stand for, i.e., their values; how they think about the world and themselves and others in it; and their strengths and leadership gaps that need to be developed. Other critical leadership concepts and skills covered under the Leader Identity Pillar are: Leadership philosophy; Growth mindset; Emotional intelligence and agility; Resilience; Branding/Networking and Personal accountability.

Pillar Two: Leadership Impact

For any leader to be effective in “mobilizing people around common goals to achieve concrete outcomes, at scale” their actions must have a real impact on those they are leading. The key is realizing there is no way to do this. In fact, our ability to have an impact on others is not just one skill but a set of skills such as: Leadership (executive) presence; Influence and persuasion; Ability to have difficult conversations and manage conflict effectively; Negotiation; Gaining buy-in; Consensus building; Effective self-promotion; and building personal networks or relationship building.

Pillar Three: Strategic Thinking

Strategic thinking is a type of critical thinking that helps people achieve long-term objectives, solve complex problems and overcome obstacles. Thinking strategically involves seeing the big picture and connecting the dots, planning activities and resources, and putting ideas into action. Strategic thinking skills are among the most highly sought-after leadership competencies.

Pillar Four: People Management

Help lawyers understand their own natural management style, including their innate strengths and limitations as managers.

Pillar Five: Personal Productivity, Self-care and Peak Performance

Personal Productivity. That magical skillset that’s often portrayed as the secret to all professional and personal success — especially in the legal profession, where time is literally money. One mistake many lawyers make is thinking about productivity only in terms of time management. Time management is just one aspect of personal productivity. Time management is often about lawyers needing to prioritize more effectively, setting better boundaries, or better managing sleep and physical energy. The Fifth Pillar of Leadership Development is not only about time management; it’s about identifying a mix of strategies that can help individuals achieve their own version of optimal productivity and peak performance. 

Speakers

Moderator: Christopher J. McNamara, Foley & Lardner LLP

Moderator: Catherine van Kampen, Co-chair, CLD, New York State Bar Association

Moderator: Taa R. Grays, Secretary, New York State Bar Association

Moderator: Mirna Santiago, Founder, Girls Rule the Law

Moderator: Jennifer Clayton, LMSW, Well-Being Program Manager, New York State Bar Association

Yuliya I. LaRoe, JD, PCC, Founder & CEO, LeadWise Group

Anne E. Collier, MPP, JD, PCC, The Arudia Leadership & Management Academy

Susan L. Harper, Esq., Treasurer, New York State Bar Association and Former Chair, New York State Bar Association Women in Law Section

Kimberly Wolf Price, Esq., Bond Schoeneck & King, PLLC, Attorney Professional Development Director and Diversity Office