GROW YOUR FIRM
Asheville, NC | October 19th and 20th, 2023
Designed For The Growth Minded Lawyer
Warning: This is NOT your traditional CLE. If you are happy with the way your law firm is operating currently then don’t waste your time, money and energy attending this Summit.
However, if you want to improve the delivery of your services, your company culture, and your firm’s bottom line, this conference is for you. We are bringing speakers from both within the legal industry and outside of it to discuss legal marketing, personal branding, leadership, culture, hiring, and the client experience. If you want to network with some of the best and brightest law firm owners who share your growth mindset, then don’t miss out on the Freedom Fighters Summit!
Who is this conference designed for?
Criminal defense lawyers interested in providing a better client experience and promoting a healthier culture at their offices. Currently, there are no conferences in North Carolina designed to help criminal law firm owners build the law practices of their dreams. This Summit is designed to fill that void by assisting criminal lawyers, no matter their age or number of years in practice, in elevating their law practices to new heights.
Can I bring my team?
Yes! You can purchase as many tickets for your firm as you would like. Minick Law has taken our entire team (attorneys and staff) to multiple legal conferences in the past and these shared experiences and learning have been monumental in our growth and big part of our reason for hosting this Summit. Our crew will be “all hands on deck” when the Freedom Fighters Summit rolls around to learn from the incredible lineup of speakers presenting.
Will you be offering a virtual option?
This Summit will be in person only.
Will I receive CLE hours for attending?
The NC Bar states that programs on marketing are ineligible for CLE credit. As a result, no CLE credit will be received by attending this event.
Where is the detailed agenda of speakers and topics?
If you are looking for the detailed itinerary, it’s not coming. We want you fully engaged in the moment during the conference and not flipping to see what’s coming up next. We have planned every minute of this two day Summit to maximize the value for attendees so just clear your calendar (which should be relatively easy) and show up hungry for new ideas.
Will meals be provided?
We have breakfast and lunch covered for Oct. 19 and 20. We will also have a happy hour immediately following the program on Thursday. You are on your own for dinner Thursday and Friday, so consider building a relationship with another Summit attendee by sharing a meal together. There are a number of great restaurants within walking distance of our venue including: Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, Hickory Tavern, 131 Main, Luella’s BBQ South, Nine Mile South, P.F. Changs, and Leo’s Italian Social.
How should I dress?
Be you! If you only feel comfortable around other lawyers in a 3-piece suit then dress to the nines. If you are a t-shirt and jeans person, that’s fine as well. It’s judge’s conference week in NC so if you were planning a break from a suit then come comfy!
When?
October 19 & 20, 2023 NC District Court Judge’s Conference Week
Summit Speakers
Bill Powers
Keynote: The Mindset of a Freedom Fighter
Bill Powers is well-known throughout North Carolina among courtroom lawyers. As the former President of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice, through his work teaching lawyers, and as a founding member of the Center for Legal Education and Advocacy, Bill Powers is a “Lawyer’s Lawyer.”
The criminal laws in North Carolina continue to evolve, and so does North Carolina attorney Bill Powers and his Charlotte NC law firm. Martindale-Hubbell lists Bill Powers as an AV “Preeminent Lawyer” 2010 – 2018* The National Trial Lawyers has included Bill Powers in “Top 100 Trial Lawyers” in North Carolina in 2018.
Lt. Gen. John Wissler (Ret.)
Keynote: The Importance of Character in Building Your Personal Brand
John E. Wissler is a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general who served as commander of United States Marine Corps Forces Command. He previously served as commanding general, III MEF. Since his commissioning in 1978, he has served in a variety of command and staff billets, including his participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Upon retirement from the Marine Corps, John has served as a consultant in the leadership development, team building, strategic planning, and logistics fields, working with Industry, the military, professional sports teams, and several colleges.
Colin O’Brady
Keynote: The Importance of Character in Building Your Personal Brand
Colin O’Brady is a 10-time world record breaking explorer and one of the world’s best endurance athletes. He isn’t your typical adventurer despite his unmatched athletic accomplishments including a world-first solo crossing of Antarctica, a world-first ocean row across Drake Passage (from South America to Antarctica), and summiting Mt. Everest twice. Colin is an expert on mindset, a highly sought-after keynote speaker and a New York Times bestselling author. He’s also a television host, an executive producer and an entrepreneur who has built and sold companies. And, he’s done it all after overcoming a devastating accident – that nearly left him unable to walk – to prove that anything is possible.
Jake Minick
Keynote: How to Play the Game
James “Jake” Minick devotes his practice to helping and defending individuals charged with Driving While Impaired. “Most of my clients charged with DWI have never been in trouble before and are dealing with the social stigma associated with this crime. We help these clients get their lives back on track and remind them that this arrest is not going to be what defines them as a person.”
James is a General Member of the National College for DUI Defense and regularly writes about, speaks on, and attends conferences related to DWI. Minick Law P.C. has offices in Asheville, Charlotte, Gastonia, Waynesville, and Wilmington.
Chas Post
Trial Attorney
Chas Post is a Board Certified Specialist in State Criminal Law by the North Carolina State Bar and is the only lawyer in Lee County, NC who has earned that distinction.
Rated one of the “Best Lawyers in America” for Criminal Defense by BestLawyers (https://www.bestlawyers.com/methodology), Chas’s practice involves the representation of individuals in serious felony matters such as murder, drug trafficking, sex offenses, vehicular homicides, firearms crimes, and violent assaults.
Anthony Palacios
DRE/SFST Expert
Anthony Palacios is an award-winning, nationally renowned Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) consultant for Impaired Driving Specialists, LLC.
Anthony is a former SFST State Coordinator for the State of Georgia and a former SFST/DRE Staff Instructor for the Georgia Police Academy at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center. Anthony is a former International Association Chiefs of Police certified DRE Practitioner, DRE Instructor, and DRE Instructor-Trainer, as well as a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration SFST Practitioner, SFST Instructor, and SFST Instructor-Trainer.
Ali Ghaffari
Retired Navy Fighter Pilot and Business Coach
Ali is a former Navy F/A-18 pilot with twenty years of leadership experience helping individuals and organizations become the best version of themselves in combat, the boardroom and the classroom, where they could ultimately achieve their goals. He not only taught leadership and ethics to midshipmen at the Naval Academy but also created leadership programming and experiences for Academy faculty, staff, and coaches to help them and their departments achieve the next level of engagement and ultimately, success.
Ali is a certified Executive Coach, having graduated from the University of Buffalo’s School of Management program in coaching.
Allison Williams
Allison Williams is the owner of not one, but two successful companies. She is Founder of Williams Law Group, a full service family law firm where she is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, is Certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as Matrimonial Law Attorney, and is certified by National Board of Trial Advocacy in Family Law. After taking Williams Law Group from start-up to a multi-million dollar business in 3.5 years, she created a second business, Law Firm Mentor, where she and her team provide business coaching services for solo and small law firm attorneys, helping them grow their revenues, crush chaos in business, and make more money.
Jeremy Minick
Marketing Director at SmartRoof
Jeremy started a web-based marketing company, Enable Design, when he was 20 years old and created massive growth in his organization over the next 5 years.
In 2020, Jeremy joined SmartRoof Inc, a company that currently has over 250 team members, to become its marketing director. Jeremy has been involved in many of the marketing breakthroughs at Minick Law and has seen the twists and turns that the firm has taken firsthand.
James Davis
Owner at Davis Wealth Management, LLC
James changed career paths to follow his truth passion: helping lawyers achieve financial independence.
As a long-time criminal defense lawyer, James understands the time pressures of being a practitioner in district court and the importance of having a co-pilot monitoring your financial blinds spots on a full-time basis.
Taylor Voisin
Area Development Manager at St. Jude’s Research Hospital
Taylor serves St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – ALSAC as an advisor in area development for the Triangle and Eastern North Carolina.
She will be speaking at the Freedom Fighters Summit on how charitable giving electrifies company culture.
Kristen Dewar
Attorney at Minick Law
Kristen Dewar is an associate attorney at Minick Law, P.C.’s Concord location, focused on DWI, criminal defense, and traffic law in Cabarrus, Iredell, Rowan, and Stanly County.
A native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, she holds an honors B.A. in Political Science from the University of Toronto, and a J.D., cum laude, and Certificate in Advocacy from Charlotte School of Law. As an active NCAJ member since 2014, she has held a series of leadership positions, including currently serving as the Immediate Past Chair of the Criminal Defense section, and on the Board of Governors.
Packing List: Bring a Student Mindset
Learn from Business, Leadership, and Marketing Gurus
Brand
Learn how to become the go-to attorney in your market.
Network
Build connections with business leaders in the legal industry.
Implement
Walk away with immediate action items to improve your firm.
Agenda
Oct. 19 | Building Your Brand
8am-6pm
Oct. 20 | Creating Your Culture
8am-4pm
Become a
