More from the National CLE conference in Vail:  Over six hundred attorneys from nationally prominent practices attended the 25th annual gathering that spanned over five days, from January 4 - 9, 2008.  This year the BV presenters did double, triple—and in the case of Nancy Fannon, quintuple duty, presenting at numerous sessions across the conference’s many tracks, including bankruptcy, BV, tax, civil litigation, family law, intellectual property, healthcare, and real estate.  Cindy Collier, for example—who presented a talk on fair market value to healthcare attendees—found three former chairs of the ABA sitting in the front row.  “It was fabulous,” she said.  “What an honor.”   And what recognition, too, as Tom Hilton confirms.  “Interestingly, a litigator from my hometown noticed my e-discovery topic and asked me to present it to their entire litigation department at their monthly group meeting in March,” he says.  “We do these things without any real expectation that something tangible will spring from it.....We sow seeds, provide water and sun and eventually they germinate.”

Ron Seigneur, who put on six different talks across the various tracks, reminds his colleagues that attorneys still comprise the vast majority of client referrals from which to “grow” a practice.  The annual LEI National CLE conference—which is held the first week of every New Year in a Colorado mountain resort—may offer the most fertile venue for BV business development.  Oh—and the foot of fresh powder this week didn’t hurt the extracurricular activities, either.  For more information, check out the LEI website.